Late Season Pheasant Hunting Tips

• Hunt the field the opposite way it has been hunted all season

  • For example, if the field is usually hunted walking east to west along the south edge of the field, walk the field either west to east along the south edge or walk west to east along the north edge

• Keep tighter lines

  • Keep your group closer together than you would early season

    • Instead of 15-25 yards between hunters, have 10-15 yards

  • Have your dogs stay closer to the hunters

    • Instead of letting your dogs go out 30+ yards try to keep them 10-15 yards in front

• When its snowy, hunt the thick cover

  • Birds will hold tighter in thick cover

  • Shelter belt tree rows and thick CRP are best

• Mid to Late afternoon, hunt the wheat stumble

  • Birds will move into the stumble in the afternoon to feed

• Blocker use is very important

  • If you’re able to use blockers on the far end of the field, make sure they are set up and ready before the walkers start walking toward them

  • Birds will be really wild and get up 100+ yards ahead of the walkers

  • Blockers need to be ready on their way into the field

• Hunt all day

  • Late season birds are often taken later in the day when the hunting pressure has really decreased

  • Be prepared to walk all day through the tougher fields with less bird numbers

• Check for lightly hunted or new opened spots

  • In Colorado, a lot of the Walk In Access Pheasant Forever Corn Field Corners do not open until December

    • They will have been hunted less

    • Their small size allows you to hunt them faster and get on to the next one if no birds are present

  • Check for places that hunters were not able to get to previously due to streams or rivers or other flowing water

  • If the water is frozen or not flowing, you may be able to access places other hunters have not hunted yet

Happy hunting

Tim Berges, Fall Obsession Field Staff