Learn all the secrets of pheasant hunting
In the United States, pheasant hunting is considered by many the most popular subcategory of bird hunting, enjoyed by thousands of people that like the thrill and the chase this type of sport brings. Hunting pheasants is also popular in Asia, but for the rest of the world, this sport is somewhat uncommon, only US and Asia see it as an entertaining activity. Due to the increasing popularity in the United States, pheasants are now being raised in farms all over the country, and an estimate number would be of approximately 10 millions birds, only in US.
Being a very popular sport, certain hunting techniques have been developed over the years in order to improve the efficiency of the pheasant hunter. Pheasant calling is a new method of attracting these birds using calls that offer loud and raspy cackles, noises that lure the birds if the calling is done properly. Most of the calls are made out of wood, designed by professional pheasant hunting enthusiasts and are very easy to use in the hunting field.
There are of course many hunting techniques suitable for this type of hunting. We recommend amateur hunters to take things nice and easy, and avoid attempting to cover as much terrain as possible, because these birds are known to move from area to area very fast, which is why staying in a certain area might increase the chances for a successful hunt. In a regular day, a pheasant can either sit tight or he might run taking in consideration that weather conditions change. For this reason we advise hunters to work slowly and thoroughly, with other words, a pheasant hunter should investigate any piece of land, although he might feel that there are very little chances of finding a bird or two. The best areas to look for pheasants would be where the birds are on the look for food, like soybeans, corns, island of brush and sorghums.
The stop and go technique is crucial to any pheasant hunting expedition. The more experienced hunters recommend working the field all the way to its end. Speaking of the field, it plays a major part when hunting pheasants, take for example a pheasant that is being pursued in an open field, the bird will most likely run as fast and as far as possible as it can but if the field ends at the edge of a woodlot, ditch or road, look for the previously running pheasant to flush wild at the point where the conditions of the terrain or vegetation change.
Check all the places – like ditches, banks and shorelines. A pheasant will most likely go to an upcoming ditch if he is pursued by the hunter. As far as banks and shorelines are concerned, many hunters just give up when they approach the edge of a large pound or a lake, thus missing a lot of opportunities.
One particular issue that is quite often overlooked in the situation of inexperienced huntsmen is making sure they are as quiet as they can; starting right from the exact moment they drive to the hunting field, till the actual hunt is over, this is applicable not only for pheasant hunting, but also for other branches of hunting. It is never a good time to slam a door of the car, regardless of the time of year you are hunting. To develop this further, also a very important aspect is being as quite as you can all through the hunt. The old saying of yelling with the purpose of getting the birds to move only appears to work at the farm….not in the middle of nature. In order to become an efficient pheasant hunter, it is recommended to learn more about the daily activity of the bird, food habits, places where the birds acquire their food and other similar issues.
As far as the loads are concerned, the common agreement is that the no.6 as well as the no.7 / 12 are the most popular and efficient. The no.4 shot is very efficient if enough choke is used in order to keep the pattern core density high but we recommend using the no.5 / no.6 and less choke. The 12 gauge is slowly but surely becoming the most recommended gauge for this type of bird hunting. The main reason behind this increasing popularity is because the 12 gauge it has a heavier payload in comparison to other smaller gauges plus it has great flexibility. If some of you are considering using a 20 gauge, we recommend the Winchester 101 and the Browning Superposed Lightning. For those of you that want to exaggerate a little bit, the 30 gauge is efficient for 25-35 yards with the proper load. Combining it with the Winchester Super-X or the Feather XS shotgun, the results are quite impressive.
A major aspect of bird hunting, especially pheasant hunting concerns the hunting dogs. With the aid of the right breed, the entire hunting experience will be even more fruitful. Some of the most efficient hunting dogs recommended for pheasant hunting are: the Basset Hound, the American Water Spaniel, the famous Beagle, the Clumber Spaniel and the Mountain View Cur.
One of the best parts of pheasant hunting is the variety of recipes available for this type of bird, some relevant examples would be: Pheasant a la Crème, Sherry Peasant and the tasty Pheasant in Spiced Sour Cream. Bon appetite!
