Father and Son - No Dog John,
Clayton and I went to [location deleted] County, Kansas on opening day [pheasant season]. Weather was comfortable, but would have preferred colder temperatures. At least the wind was cooperative. Overall, we had a very successful pheasant hunt, bringing home 6 birds. Left 3 downed birds in heavy CRP. The pheasant numbers are not what they were last year in this part of Kansas, but oddly enough, I estimate we saw 8-1 roosters, which I believe was just a fortunate coincidence, unless someone can convince me to think otherwise. The condition of most CRP fields shows the effects of the lower rainfall earlier in the year. Like we did last year, Clayton and I pheasant hunted alone and without the aid of a dog. Not that I wouldn't like to hunt with a good dog, but just goes to show that you don't have to have a bird dog or an army of people to have a good Kansas hunt.
Thanks,
Gerald Thanks Gerald for the azimuth check on the values of hunting, pheasants, dogs and being with family. For the rest of us Gerald and Clayton spend far more time deer than pheasant hunting. This description of an incidental pheasant hunt should put "bird availability" well into perspective. Long Time Upland/Waterfowl Hunter/Member John: Hope you had a good pheasant opener. Jasper and I hunted [location deleted] County, Kansas Saturday and Sunday. Hardly any hunters in the area. We limited out by 9:30 both days. Not bragging, just wanted to put some optimism in the air. Also, there wasn't much "quail" habitat in the area. But in the little we had, we found 3 coveys in less than a 150 yards. We hunted this Kansas farm the last two years. The year before was great. Last year was tough. I think a lot of hunters had a tough time with all the milo still in the fields, but it should leave a lot more for the rest of the year. So far so good. Andrew 
Andrew has been a long time consistent feedback provider with an experience history that can put conditions into objective analysis quickly. Or, to say more simply listen to what he writes as it is fair and free of ego. Thanks Andrew for always thinking about others. Andrew also offered comments he rarely has a good Iowa opener, but later in the season always finds the bird hunting too good to pass. Good Habitat - Few Birds John, Just returned from [location deleted] and the opening of the pheasant season. The habitat on all of the MAHA properties was tremendous. The weather was tough the first day with no dew in the morning and temperatures reaching 65 by 2:00 p.m. We had 2 roosters pointed and a few hens pointed. We hunted late afternoon and another rooster was pointed. Sunday started out as a great Kansas pheasant hunting day. It was foggy and misting and about 45. We hunted hard until 11:00 and did not get one point. We did flush a juvenile rooster that Colt harvested. We did not encounter any quail. My opinion is that they did not have a really good pheasant hatch in that area for two years. I make my assumption on the fact that over 90% of the pheasants we have harvested there in the last two years were mature birds....We did see a number of roosters feeding with deer in green wheat fields. I do think the pheasant hunting in that area of Kansas will be much better as the weather cools down more. I am planning on Kansas deer hunting there during the rifle season and will go a couple of days early to pheasant hunt; hopefully there will be a little snow and about 25 degrees. Take care, Mike Thank you Mike for the honest assessment. Sharing feedback like this is always a reminder there may not be anything as a bad pheasant hunting day, but there are certainly good and better days. For the rest of the readers Mike and Colt have sent in fair and balanced feedback for years on Kansas pheasant hunting as well as Kansas deer. | 
