Pheasant hunting often involves large numbers of hunters accompanied by an assortment of dogs. Hunters put on drives and dogs search for and point out likely targets while shooters get into position for the perfect shot. But what if you don’t have a large group to hunt with? What if you don’t even have a dog? Don’t worry you can still bag some birds.
Don’t get me wrong I am not promoting solo hunting as better than, or even equal to, hunting in large parties or with a well trained dog. There are reasons those are the preferred method and the most important is they work. But there are times when you may not have either available and I simply want to point out that this spent mean you need to stay home and dream of shooting birds. You can still get in the field and you can still get birds in your game bag.
1. Hunt the edges – with drives and dogs you can dive right into the thick of it, the corn or brush where the birds are hiding, and drive them towards the shooters. As the solo shooter you can’t do this as it will likely eliminate any ability to take a shot. Instead I like to work the edges of likely cover, preferably in e direction I think the birds will flush, and be ready to ambush.
2. Don’t be in a hurry to get on stand – hunting is full of benchmarks or means of determining who wins and a common one seems to be who was first on stand. I’ve literally seen hunters camp out in their trucks to be the first in the woods on opening day, only to spend hours waiting for enough light to even see a target. When I go solo for pheasants I don’t care about being first, in fact I actually like to be late. By showing up after others are done I have found t easier to pick up birds previously scattered who are now calling in an attempt to regroup.
3. Thick cover , bad weather – one of the biggest problems with solo hunting is locating the birds. Without a dog you are pretty much working by the process of elimination so I like to use nature to narrow the focus. In bad weather birds will tend to group in thicker cover, thus reducing the areas you need to check. Plus, once you locate a likely hide chances are you will find multiple birds rather than singles. More bang for your buck.
Again, given the chance I will choose to hunt with friends and dogs any day. But, if I have a chance to get out I will take a day of solo hunting over sitting by the television any day!
