While a duck hunting boat can provide a number of significant benefits, it can become easy to fantasize that such a purchase will change your life or turn you into a different person and your hunting will never be the same. The reality is the pros and cons of a duck boat are almost equal. You really need to weigh your situation to see if anything tips the scales towards or against you getting a duck boat.
Introduction
All around the world, beginner hunters and experts alike often gravitate towards one of the most popular forms of hunting, wingshooting.
Easy to start, but difficult to master, wingshooting provides a fun adventure for those looking for a challenging type of hunt, whether it be a new hunting venture or the start of a hunting career. For our sake, we will be focusing more so on the latter.
You don’t need a ton of fancy equipment to get started in wingshooting. Whether you’re an adult getting into hunting or a younger individual interested in the space, anyone could start with some basic hunting clothes, a license, and a half-decent shotgun.
We will explore the equipment you need, the world of wingshooting shotguns for beginners, and finally, some tricks to increase your chances of success as a novice winghshooter.
Come dive into the hunt that draws countless outdoorsmen every year!
Understanding Wingshooting and Dove Hunting
What is Wingshooting? When someone is talking about wingshooting, they are referring to the classic hunting practice where shooters seek out and take shots at birds in flight.
This practice of hunting birds with a shotgun dates back hundreds of years, creating a rich and widespread hunting heritage that differs wherever you go wingshooting.
Shotgun advancements, such as the semi-automatic variant, have since made the sport slightly easier. With that being said, the core task and required skills still remain the same; needing to hit a moving target in flight through quick, precise movements on the part of the hunter.
There is a wide variety of bird species that wingshooters can target depending on local regulations of where you find yourself hunting. Doves are one of the most popular targets due to their relative abundance, but other upland birds like duck, perdiz, pheasant, grouse, and many more can be hunted in this manner as well.
Why Dove Hunting is a Great Start for Beginners
As mentioned earlier, doves have a high relative abundance in North and South America, particularly in countries like the United States and Argentina, making them a common target for beginners.
Once you can secure access to public or suitable private land to hunt on, beginners will have plenty of opportunities for mistakes while still having a chance at landing a shot.
When dove hunting, the chance of missed shots is typically high with beginners and birds can be prematurely scared, but you can almost always find more. Some states in the US, like Texas, have no seasonal bag limit on doves, making them extremely accessible year-round.
What is the Right Shotgun for Beginners?
With a wide variety of shotguns on the market, it can be hard for a beginner to find the ideal gun for their first wingshooting trip.
Here are some critical factors to consider before we recommend a few options.
Factors to Consider
The first and most obvious choice when finding the right shotgun for wingshooting is finding the appropriate gauge.
The gauge of the shotgun will determine the power behind the shot; you want something that can quickly hit your target, but without blowing it to shreds.
From there, consider the ideal action for your shotgun:
- Semi-automatic
- Over/under
- Pump-action
Each type has advantages and drawbacks that can cater to your needs.
Which Shotgun Gauges are Best for Dove Hunting?
For wingshooting, many hunters prefer to opt for either a 20 or 28-gauge shotgun. While there are arguments out there for 16 and even 12-gauge shotguns for dove, 20 or 28 are far more popular.
These options provide enough power to take out a moving bird, while still allowing you to have a prize after a successful shot. Moving the gauge up or down from here can impact the success of your trip, depending on how far you are shooting from.
Recommended Shotguns for New Dove Hunters
For beginners, when finding a shotgun that works for you, you want a durable shotgun that operates smoothly, feels comfortable, and has an appropriate shot.
Below are some of the great options for first-timers on the market:
Stoeger Condor
Basic, yet solid over/under shotgun option, affordable
Winchester SXP
Durable, dependable pump-action shotgun
Remington V3 Field Sport
Reliable and easy-to-shoot semi-automatic shotgun
Mossberg Silver Reserve
Flexible, classic double-barreled shotgun
Essential Gear and Accessories for Dove Hunting
While the gun is the obvious first piece of the puzzle, there is a long list of other equipment that you should bring on a wingshooting outing to stay safe and bring home some good-looking doves.
Must-Have Accessories
For a safe and successful wingshooting hunt, you should be properly dressed in warm clothing (if appropriate) that has camouflage, but also blaze orange to identify you to other hunters.
You should have a hunting vest equipped with a shell pouch for ammunition, as the last thing you want to do is make twenty trips to stock up on ammo.
Next, shooting glasses and hearing protection are essential so that you can hear yourself think after a long day of shooting and don’t catch anything in your eyes.
Another important thing to have is maps, a compass, or even GPS for navigation and finding the spots you wish to hunt.
Lastly, a hunting bag to help carry in/carry out other supplies like water, food, hit birds, and whatever else you need for success and comfort is always a plus.
Safety Equipment and Tips
Hunting safety is of the utmost importance on any hunt, as you might have surmised.
This starts with getting proper licensure and approval to hunt, continues on to dressing appropriately for the weather and wearing the proper hunting attire, and finishes with proper gun safety.
Guns, as obvious a statement as it is, should never be pointed at other individuals and should have their safety turned on when not in active use. If you have any doubt about the safety of a shot, do NOT take it. There is no better way to ruin a hunt than shooting someone in your hunting party.
Techniques and Tips for Successful Dove Hunting
While it’s easy to get out and see doves in the wild, actually hitting your target isn’t so easy a task. Before getting out on a hunt, it’s always a good idea to hit the range to practice your shot with the proper safety techniques for your respective gun.
The last thing you want is to get out on an expensive hunt only to miss every shot you take.
Basic Shooting Techniques
A successful shot starts with a firm, stable stance. Hitting a stationary target is a start, but that isn’t what wingshooting is about. You can practice the art of hitting a moving target with clay disks or even pull string targets as an easier option.
Wingshooting requires a very reflexive hunting technique. Unlike game like deer where you can line up your shot, with birds in flight, you have to move, aim, and fire quickly.
Naturally, to do this, you track the target through the air with your gun. You must lead your target ever so slightly to account for the movement and follow through with the sweeping movement, as opposed to abruptly stopping after taking the shot.
There is no exact science to hitting a moving target like this; wingshooting is a very feel-oriented art, and every hunter has their own tactics.
Tips for Attracting Doves
With doves often flying in high volumes anywhere they nest, there are a variety of techniques one can use to attract doves and find that perfect shot.
First, you can use a dove decoy. These devices mimic doves to give the impression to other doves that an area/perch is safe, luring them in for a shot.
Food plots and water sources can be other great places to search for large dove populations as well, for obvious reasons.
On the topic of locating the best spots to hunt dove, we spoke with an expert on Argentina dove hunts who recommended even hunting dove not at their nest or water and food sources, but the highly traveled path between the two. This not only keeps them from fearing where the eat, but also prevents any negative effect of hunting at the roost.
Where you end up finding doves, try to hone in on a specific bird to make your shot more accurate. Birds like doves thrive from the chaos created when a flock takes off together.
Conclusion
With a low barrier of entry, but a huge ceiling for skill, wingshooting is a great hunt for beginners and experts alike. The fast-paced, reflexive nature of wingshooting provides a different feel to a hunting trip than most other animals. The high population of doves also means minimal regulations/bag limits allowing you to have a tremendous amount of fun with no cap.
Finding the right equipment to get started with wingshooting can be a problem for some. With basic hunting clothing, access to public land, and a proper shotgun outlined above, you can be on your way to your own wingshooting adventure in the near future!
This article and its images were written and provided by the great folks at Rancho Christobal. They are very experienced in the area of dove hunting. Check them out.
How do you hunt geese in the early season, before the migration begins? On this episode I share three strategies for early pre-migration goose hunting and how you can find success. Special thanks to Tetra Hearing for sponsoring this episode. Get you Free 2-Year Service Plan. Just add this Service Plan to your cart when purchasing a Tetra Hearing device and use this code at checkout to get the service plan for free: NEWHUNTERSGUIDE
Hunting geese in the early season often requires different strategies depending on where you live and when things begin to move in your area. In the summer, geese may not travel much. They may stick to one area and can be harder to find and even harder to setup on. But if you adjust your strategies, you can find them and bring them home.
This may be called the resident goose season, but sometimes a term is used that denotes pest control depending on the area. In some places, even parks or golf courses will let hunters in during specified hours to clean out the geese. This is often not hunting, and while it’s nothing to be ashamed of, it’s not what I am referring to in this episode. I am talking about wild wary geese in their natural habitat, not birds that will eat out of your hand at the park. Harvesting meat to help parks and golf courses is fine, needed even. But that isn’t what I’m talking about today.
Land hunting. Hunting geese on land is maybe the most straight forward in the early season, but finding the birds is the difficult part. They may travel or fly little or not at all this time of year, and they may be quieter. So, it may take some scouting and getting special permissions to be able to reach them.
Water hunting. This may be the hardest way to hunt geese in the early season because their water habits can be so different compared to the rest of the year. They may travel little or none at all and can be more difficult to setup on, even requiring stealth to setup your decoys depending on what they are doing in your area.
Jump hunting. The early season may be the best time of year to jump hunt geese because they are more stationery and fly less and there is more cover to use to your advantage. Windy days are best to conceal your motion and cover your sound. You may want to employ some unorthodox techniques like using tight chokes with TSS ammo to get head/neck shots from afar, similar to turkey hunting.
Listen to the entire podcast episode to learn how to start hunting geese in the early pre-migration season.
Can you age deer that are walking in front of you while hunting? How do you age deer that are up on the move or down on the ground? On this episode I tackle these questions, but I also address the much larger question of SHOULD YOU try to age deer at all.
Trying to age deer has been picking up speed and gaining momentum as of late. People want to know how old their deer are and use that information to affect their decision to shoot or pass in favor of another opportunity at that deer next year. There are three things that are very wrong with this line of thinking.
First, deer biologists tend to have a less than 20% accuracy rating when it comes to aging deer. If the pros can’t do it well, hunters don’t stand much of a chance. After year two, this becomes very difficult, to the point of it not even being worth trying to get an exact number of years for a deer living or dead.
Second, the age of deer is just one more mostly irrelevant variable that causes hunters to overanalyze a situation, likely causing more missed opportunities due to analysis paralysis. Hunters need to evaluate a very short list of variables before taking a shot, such as, is the deer legal, is it large enough to be worth what it costs to butcher it, is it a deer I would like to shoot, is it close enough and at a feasible angle. Then they need to setup and take a shot before they lose their opportunity.
Third, the idea of getting another shot at the deer in the future is an utter fallacy in all but some fantasy land states and enormous ranches. You must assume the deer will be shot by someone else by the end of the day, and you must be ok with that, knowing you want and can reasonably expect to harvest a deer that is better. If you feel bad when you find out another hunter shot the deer that evening because you hoped to shoot it next year, you are out of touch with reality and are not weighing your opportunities effectively.
So, the bottom line is, there are some ways to judge whether or not a deer is mature and viable for shooting that I discuss in the podcast episode. However, generally speaking, the age of the deer does not matter and should not even be thought about. Instead focus on the more important points and make fast decisive decisions that provide you with the time and confidence to take an action you will be happy about after the fact.
Should you be using a tree saddle? Is it really better than hunting out of a deer stand? On this episode I talk about the pros and cons of tree saddles and address the specific situations where tree saddles are indeed the best option, when they are an equal option, and when they are not the best option.
Tree saddles provide unique flexibility and functionality compared to climbing stands and sometimes hang on stands. They enable people to hunt new locations and single attempt locations easier than any other in-tree option. This is a big benefit to public land hunters and some private land hunters with a lot of acres available. They are both comfortable and light weight, enabling you to cover a lot of distance much easier than with other options.
This has caused tree saddles to gain a lot of popularity and use among celebrity hunters. However, they are not always the best option for hunting in a tree. In fact, usually they are not. Most hunters simply do not hunt like this. Most tree born hunters spend a lot of time scouting, studying how deer use an area, improving the area for deer movement, adding attractions, and picking a very strategic tree that they hope to use for years, maybe even generations to come. Tree saddles do not shine in this situation, in fact they take more work and effort than a long-term dedicated stand.
So, deer hunters with perennial spots and stand locations do not gain anything from tree saddles, generally speaking. The hunters that do benefit are the ones going deep into public land or hard to access private land, those changing spots mid-season, or perhaps just hunting a place once. This is not an insignificant number of hunters, but looking at the big picture, the majority of hunters gain nothing from saddles. But those who do benefit greatly tend to be very vocal and hold some of the loudest microphones in the industry.
So never accept the next hunting fad without evaluating the merits, especially when all the famous people jump quickly on the bandwagon. Yes, saddles are outstanding for some hunters, but for many they are not the best tool for the job. Are they right for you?
Listen to this whole podcast episode to hear about their pros and cons and when they may be a good fit for you and your hunting situation.
How can you start hunting deer from scratch? In this overview episode I take you from wanting to hunt, all the way to how to cook your meat. This is a beginner’s overview of the entire process, but I do point you to all of the in-depth resources you need to be successful!
The first and biggest thing you need to start hunting is a desire to do it. You need to have some level of push to jump in and keep on going until you are successful. Someone else wanting you to hunt isn’t enough. You need to want to do it yourself, at least to some extent. Hopefully that desire will grow the further you get.
Then you need to take your hunters safety course. This will NOT teach you how to hunt whitetail deer or anything else. It will teach you how to be safe in the woods. I recommend doing this live and in person so you can meet people and potentially build relationships and do some networking. This will also help ensure you finish the class, because it can be easy to not finish the online course. After this you need to buy your first hunting license, decide what you are going to hunt first, and get your tags for does or whatever else.
Then comes the expensive part. You need to get a gun, gear, and anything else you will need to hunt deer. I have done lots of podcast episodes on this subject, but in short, I recommend you focus on using whatever you have, can borrow, or buy cheap to get started. You need to hunt a little bit before you are able to determine what kind of gear is a good match for you and your style, and the average weather.
The cheaper you can get started the better it will be financially for you in the long run. Else you may spend a lot of money buying expensive gear that you end up not liking because you didn’t know what you were doing when you bought it.
Then you need to find a place to hunt, either on public or private land, and begin scouting to find a good spot sit and hunt. I recommend you pick out two or three good spots, so you are able to hunt different wind directions, and in case one of the spots has no deer activity come the season, or in case someone else gets there first and takes your spot.
Then you need to be ready to field dress the deer when you do get one and have a plan to butcher and mount the deer if you want to do that. For your first year or couple of years I recommend you find a good butcher to take the deer to. Learning to process your own deer while also learning all these other things can be a lot of work and it’s not something I think you need to pile on your first year.
Check out all my deer hunting podcast episodes to go deeper in all these areas. You can also find more info in this in-depth article I wrote: How To Start Hunting As An Adult.
Should you pay for a hunting guide, or should they be avoided like the plague? There are legitimate hunting guides and there are scammers, just as in any profession. And just like anything else, there are good and bad times to pay for services. On this episode I help you understand when it is a good idea to pay for a guide and how to get the most out of the experience.
Hunting guides and outfitters are not the same thing. An outfitter may be a hunting guide, or may supply a guide, but the outfitters’ role is much broader. They help furnish everything you need for a hunting trip from transportation to lodging, food, entertainment, gear, etc. A guide is someone who takes you into the woods, leveraging their expertise and scouting to help find you game.
Guides provide a valued service, and it’s an honorable profession. But you will always want to try and vet a potential guide before employing them. Look for reviews, contact past customers, search their name and credentials, do anything you can to verify their legitimacy, or at least check to see if serious complaints have been lodged against them.
There are two main times when getting a guide is a good use of resources.
The first is educational purposes. If you are trying to learn how to hunt something new, somewhere new, or someway new, then a guide may be the fastest way to get a crash course in how to do it right. Watch them, take mental notes, ask questions, analyze everything. Do all that you can to take in as much as possible. Your goal is to learn from a master how it is done under these circumstances.
The second big time is for unique experiences. If you have a once in a lifetime or once in a blue moon opportunity to go somewhere really fun or hunt something really unique, a guide can help you maximize the enjoyment of that opportunity. It’s not so much about learning because you aren’t planning to do it again, or often enough to be able to master it, you are just out to have fun. It is also not about taking a large set of antlers that you can show everyone you ever meet for the rest of your life and tell them how amazing of a hunter you are. You boasting about your accomplishments that are the fruit of a guide’s skills is a bit slimy, and not a great reason to get a guide.
Listen to the whole podcast episode to hear all the juicy details!
Ticks are a common enemy almost all hunters face. Thankfully because of this there are numerous ways to fight them. On this episode I talk about five strategies to help you win the battle against ticks.
No one wants to encounter ticks in the woods, there isn’t a good thing to say about them. They are small sneaky blood sucking bugs that are hard to detect, and worst of all they can carry serious disease. First things first, if you get bit by a tick that has been attached for any length of time seek medical advice. If you have any symptoms of tick-borne illness, whether you have evidence of a bite or not, seek immediate medical attention. Often times tick-borne illnesses can be effectively treated if caught early. The more time that passes the harder it may be to help.
Fighting ticks happens on three major levels, chemically, materially, and visually. The first has become very popular. There are many sprays that can be used to repel ticks. Some strong tick sprays can only be sprayed onto clothing because of how harsh they are while others can be sprayed on clothing or skin. The harsher the chemicals the better things typically are at killing ticks, sometimes when they make contact with the garment. However, we are also alive and will be wearing these chemically treated garments, so I am a little bit weary of that.
The milder sprays can be used on skin and clothing work fairly well at repelling ticks, but they are not generally able to kill them on contact. However, they may be a little safer for the wearers. The main thing to consider is there are pros and cons for each approach and product. The most effective products smell strongly and are highly toxic. You need to balance this with how often you will use repellants and if you want to regularly engage with these kinds of chemicals. And there are all natural approaches and oils people use to combat ticks.
There is also tick repellant clothing. Garments that ticks cannot penetrate if they were to try and dig through them, and garments that have repellents built into the materials or are in some way treated with them. There is a lot to like about this approach but for every strong pro there is also a considerable con to be weighed as well, such as cost, longevity, and how comprehensive the protection really is.
In this podcast episode I talk about five ways to combat ticks and stay safe while you hunt.
A squib is an underpowered bullet that is unable to make it out of the barrel of a gun and gets stuck partway through. Numerous things can cause it, but if its caught and dealt with promptly, a squib can be easily repaired. But if not dealt with, it can be devastating and terribly unsafe. Just like with firearms, in life there many things we can do to prevent hazardous situations and prevent them from becoming devastating when they do occur.
Modern ammo has made squib loads very rare. But there is a growing trend of underloading rifle or handgun ammo far below its maximum potential in order to use it for hunting smaller game. This can be a reasonable practice but doing so reduces the margin of error available. If a load is under powered, it is much easier for any small things to further reduce its power and cause a squib. If something causes you to load too little powder, or you accidentally use the wrong powder, or a wrong primer is used, or perhaps a primer damaged by moisture, etc., you could more easily have a squib.
A full powered load may have enough margin to overcome some of these issues, but a lightly powered one may not. In life we have alot of people who are underpowered, not operating at their full ability and potential. They do just enough to get by, to make it through, and then when even something small happens to compromise their momentum they dip below the minimum threshold and can experience major issues like losing a job, relationship, or possession.
They do just enough work to keep from getting fired, but then something in life throws them through a loop and their performance dips and they cross below the line and lose the job. Then they have to deal with the life issue, and the lost job, because they are operating with too little margin, with too little focus and foresight, too far below their full potential.
Everyone will experience some challenges in life, but operating at your full ability level will provide you with momentum that enables to completely miss some challenges, while recovering faster from other. And if/when something major does come up, you can often avoid compounding it with other issues of things that were on the brink of exploding and just got pushed over the edge.
Listen to this entire podcast episode to learn about how to not be a squib in life, and how to better recover yourself when squib situations come to you.
Millions of people enjoy the thrill of a pheasant hunt every fall and winter. These beautiful birds make for accessible hunting experiences with good meat and beautiful feathers to enjoy at the end.
Pheasants also make for a great beginner target for individuals learning the complexities of hunting. Many hunters actually have the experience of pheasants as their first experience in the field!
In this article, we plan on providing you with a solid base of information for beginners looking to get into the hunt. From basic information like your hunting season to more complex information on where the best beginner pheasant hunting spots are, there are plenty of tips and tricks a novice hunter can pick up here.
You can’t hunt anything without land to safely do so, let’s start there!
Types of Places to Hunt Pheasants
Depending on your state, there will generally be three categories that huntable land will fall into including public, private, and game farms.
Each state varies in its regulations, but in general, these are how each of these land categories function.
Public Hunting Lands
Public hunting land is, naturally, the most accessible. In areas designated by the state, anyone with proper licensure can engage in hunting on public lands during the designated seasons.
Public lands are a great way for beginners to get in the field on the hunt as they are usually well-mapped and come with local tips.
At the same time, public lands receive much more hunting pressure than some of the other land categories, which can result in a more skittish and smaller pheasant population.
Private Hunting Lands
Private landowners in some states can come to agreements with hunters for access to their private land. Private lands can be exclusive and provide tremendous hunting opportunities, but you’ll likely have to pay extra for that access. Plus, you’ll need to cultivate relationships with local landowners to seek permission in the first place.
However, private land access can come through hunting clubs, which may be a more accessible way for people to find private land to access. This extra work can certainly generate results, and you’ll be able to tap into a pheasant population that is generally inaccessible to the public.
Game Farms and Preserves
Some states have game farms and preserves that offer tremendous pheasant hunting experiences. This option will generally end up being the most expensive, but the most inclusive option as well.
Most of these lodges have places to stay, food to eat, and equipment to borrow, as well as a guide to help cultivate a successful hunting trip. While you’re paying more, the experience that can be had makes the money all worthwhile.
A huge advantage to these farms and preserves is that they can stock the fields with birds in controlled environments to create ideal hunting conditions.
Top States for Pheasant Hunting
Check with your state to see local pheasant hunting regulations. If you want to travel for some of the greatest pheasant hunting in the United States, consider some of the following!
South Dakota
South Dakota is a great destination for pheasant hunting. With a large pheasant population that thrives in the South Dakota habitat and with plenty of open space to hunt, there are some great pheasant hunting opportunities waiting to be had. This includes both experiences on public and private lands.
The traditional pheasant hunting season in South Dakota is from October 19 to January 31. Throughout this season, shooting hours are from 10 AM to sunset. You’ll need a small game license for pheasant, which bestows a three-rooster pheasant daily limit.
For some of the best hunting towns in South Dakota, consider some nationally renown areas like Aberdeen, Brookings, Hoven, Miller, Watertown, White Lake, and more.
South Dakota has a tremendous hunting heritage throughout the state, which makes the experiences more accessible and enjoyable!
Kansas
The plains of Kansas make for great pheasant habitat, which has created a healthy population of birds in the state.
With both public and private land access available, Kansas has some tremendous pheasant opportunities, making it one of the top states for pheasant hunting, especially for beginners.
With a season that runs from early November to late January, there are some great shooting opportunities available when it comes to pheasant hunts in Kansas. The daily bag limit is up to 4 pheasant roosters.
For beginners and experts alike looking to hunt in Kansas, most areas of the state have some sort of access available.
Eastern Kansas, for example, is known for the Flint Hills region with large grasslands. For public hunting, consider areas like Jamestown Wildlife Areas, Milford Wildlife Area, and some of the walk-in hunting areas scattered about.
There are also some reputable private Kansas pheasant hunting preserves and guides that can offer you and your hunting party a truly tremendous pheasant hunting experience.
Iowa
Similarly to Kansas, Iowa is known for its prairies, plains, and farms, which all create fantastic habitats for pheasants.
With a healthy pheasant population, there are usually plenty of opportunities for hunters to get a pheasant, regardless of experience level.
Hunting season for pheasants in Iowa runs from the end of October to the middle of January giving hunters several weeks to get in the field. The daily limit is three roosters.
Iowa boasts the Iowa Hunting Atlas, an online interactive tool that hunters can use to find public hunting lands. This tool is a great way to find spots to explore for pheasants.
In general, the highest pheasant population numbers will be towards Northern Iowa, but pockets of healthy pheasant populations can be found scattered throughout the state. Recent surveys indicate that pheasant populations in Iowa are at their highest in about a decade, and with plenty of lands accessible to hunt from, some great hunting expeditions are there for the taking!
Nebraska
Nebraska is another state with a general pheasant population that exists across the state. With numerous open landscapes like farms and wetlands, there are a ton of pheasant hunting habitats and opportunities. In Nebraska, the pheasant hunting season lasts from the end of October through the entirety of January. There is a daily limit of 3 rooster pheasants.
When searching for huntable land, Nebraska has both public and private options. For public options, similar to Iowa, Nebraska has a hunting atlas tool online where hunters can examine tens of thousands of acres of public hunting lands where you can try your hand at a pheasant hunt.
With healthy populations abound Nebraska provides a great opportunity for beginners to get their first pheasant.
Minnesota
Minnesota is another top state for pheasant hunting each year. Most of the state has suitable habitats that offer experiences ranging from good to great with pheasant hunts. The pheasant season in Minnesota spans from mid-October to the end of the year. The daily limit is 2 roosters.
The state of Minnesota provides a lot of resources for hunters looking for pheasants. First is the map every fall that depicts the abundance of pheasant throughout the state. This can limit your search to only high-density areas.
From there, the state offers numerous wildlife management areas to explore as well as federal Waterfowl Production Areas. What’s more, beginners can also use the walk-in access finder to find private lands available to the public for hunting with the payment of a small fee.
The opportunities for pheasant hunting are plentiful in Minnesota, making it a top option for new hunters.
Tips and Best Practices for Beginner Pheasant Hunters
Safety Tips and Regulations
The best hunting experiences are ones that are safe and legal. This reduces stress on you and your hunting party, allowing for an overall better experience.
To achieve these basic things, start by exploring your state and local hunting regulations for where you’d like to hunt. Each state has slight nuances in their hunting seasons, as well as their licensing, to make sure you are approved to hunt.
From there, practice and understand gun safety, as well as other safe hunting practices. Keep guns on safety when not in use, don’t point them at other hunters under any condition, plan your hunts ahead of time with a map, and stick to your script are all hunting practices that save lives each year.
Don’t become a horror story, stick to the fundamentals for safe hunts.
Understanding Pheasant Behavior
For any successful hunt, the hunter is best served to understand the behavior of the creature they hunt.
In the case of pheasants, these birds thrive on agricultural lands and old fields. Prairies with tall grasses, hedges, and bushes all provide an ideal environment for pheasants. In these locations, the birds will forage on insects, fruits, nuts, grasses, and leaves.
Unlike your typical bird, though, pheasants spend the majority of their lives on the ground. They like to roost in these tall grasses. Pheasants are easily spooked and can run extremely fast across the ground, as well as take off in speedy flight.
Keep this in mind when you’re flushing out your first or next pheasant.
Essential Gear for Pheasant Hunting
A hunt can only be as good as the gear brought.
For pheasant hunting, you want some warm, camouflage clothing. As pheasant season is always in the fall/winter, it will certainly be chilly. Sturdy, insulated boots are a hunting must, especially for pheasants. Keep a good map and GPS as well to avoid getting lost.
For the shooting itself, the best option for pheasant hunting is a shotgun, usually in the 20 to 28 gauge range. Its important to take the time and find a shotgun best suited to your needs. Many hunters opt to have hunting dogs aid in their pheasant hunts, as well. If you have access to a trained dog, this can be a tremendous help for flushing out pheasants to give you a shot.
Conclusion
Pheasant hunting is a great way for beginner hunters to get their feet wet in the sport.
Especially in the states listed above, there are a tremendous amount of great pheasant hunting locations due to the ample habitat for pheasants and dense population numbers across the states. If those options aren’t feasible for you, check out your local areas to see what information they offer for pheasant hunts.
For those totally inexperienced, consider finding a private guide in one of these states to cultivate a unique hunting trip for you to enjoy and hopefully succeed in. Regardless of where you go to pheasant hunt, make sure you do so safely, legally, and enjoy the hell out of that amazing experience!
This article and its images were written and provided by the great folks at 10 Gauge Outfitters. They are very experienced in the area of pheasant hunting. Check them out.
