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Winter pheasants


ESSGuy

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If anyone agrees or disagrees. My opinion is that for a species like pheasants that are more of a warm weather bird,i.e. They have no feathers on legs, like a native grouse. I always have thought if you hunt pheasants in winter, thus flushing hens out of good habitat and making them use energy to escape hunters and possibly making them roost in poor habitat that it is a disservice to their survival. every time you flush a hen out of good thermal cover makes her use energy that depending on winter conditions, she may not ever be able to recover. Anyone disagree and why?

 

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I don't think it is the temperature that has effect on winter survival, but more so food availability and snow cover preventing food. Also, snow cover limits available brush to seek shelter from predation.

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they are tough hardy birds, they get out and fly around to get food and pick gravel whether we flush them while hunting or not.

they know where to go to stay warm and  they no where to go after they get flushed. again its mostly about habitat and food. but all those little pheasant hotels in bent over grass and cattails they stay plenty warm. I have had dogs lock up on point in what looks like a pile of snow only to have a bird come flying out. I dont think twice about hunting in them in the winter.

 

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On January 4, 2016 at 11:20 AM, rundrave said:

they are tough hardy birds, they get out and fly around to get food and pick gravel whether we flush them while hunting or not.

they know where to go to stay warm and  they no where to go after they get flushed. again its mostly about habitat and food. but all those little pheasant hotels in bent over grass and cattails they stay plenty warm. I have had dogs lock up on point in what looks like a pile of snow only to have a bird come flying out. I dont think twice about hunting in them in the winter.

 

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  • 11 months later...
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Went out yesterday after the wake and visitation with Finn. He flushed two hens and I saw him chasing a rooster but I am not fast enough to keep up. It flushed about a hundred yards out from me. We seen one grouse but it flushed 60 yards in front of Finn and he was only 10 yards infront of me. Then Finn started going crazy so he headed into the cat tails and wow 50 or so mallards flew at me and then 7 big swans. Finn did not look happy that I just watched them. It was a fun little trip. 

 

Anyone else Lise out there chasing birds yet?

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Going out to look for grouse and pheasants in a bit.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

No birds today Finn and walked and walked nothing

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Pheasants just popped out of no where. I am seeing them everywhere 

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • gimruis
      I hunt in the rifle zone so I don't have a need to use a shotgun to hunt deer, but I would be looking at this if there was ever a need to.   There could be state legislation introduced next summer that eliminates the shotgun zone completely.  It has bipartisan support.  Wisconsin removed theirs years ago and MN is usually later to follow.  They've tried to pass it more than once and it came up just short both times.  Probably just a matter of time.
    • Wanderer
      Oh, h e l l no! 
    • leech~~
      Screw that, here's whatch need!  😆   Power-Shok Rifled Slug 10 Gauge 766 Grain Grain Weight: 766 Shotshell Length: 3-1/2in / 89mm Muzzle Velocity: 1280
    • Wanderer
      20 ga has become a real popular deer round in the last 5 or so years.  The rifled barrels are zinging those sabot slugs with rifle like accuracy out to 100 yards easily.  Some go so far as dialing in for a 200 yard shot but really, by 150 they’re falling off pretty low.   I have a single shot Ultraslug in 20 ga that shoots really well at 100 yards.  Most everyone I know that has bought a slug gun lately has gotten the Savage 220 in 20ga.  Problem can be finding the shells you want.
    • leech~~
      My son always bugs me about getting a nice light over-under 20ga for grouse hunting.  I say Heck no, I'm getting a 3 1/2" 10ga so I can put as much lead in the air that I can!!     So, I'm keeping my 12ga.  
    • 11-87
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    • Wanderer
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    • 11-87
      Looking for recommendations on scope or red dot    I basically hunt turkey and whitetail, live in southern MN. So it’s all deer/ shotgun    looking to add a scope/ red dot as my eyes don’t work like they used to to with the open sights.    my gun options are 11/87 12. Browning BPS 12    not looking for the most expensive or the cheapest    pros and cons of one over the other
    • SkunkedAgain
      That's good news. I haven't seen any ice in Black Bay yet, but it looks like the small bays should start to freeze up this weekend. Hopefully we make some ice next week.   Below is the forecast for Cook. We should have temps mostly below zero . The bottom section below shows that it should not be windy, and no snow is predicted. All good signs for making ice.  
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