Hunts
| We make no distinction amongst pheasant hunting dogs and offer that any dog any hunter chooses to take to the field while pheasant hunting is fine with us. The observations contained on this web page are merely offered as common points raised to us by those that have hunted our various pheasant regions.Beepers/BellsIt is generally accepted to be most effective at pheasant hunting is to hunt quiet down to the hunters not talking and walking as quietly as possible. As pheasants will occupy some of the thickest low ground cover to be found the challenge is to know where the dog is and what he is doing. For those with pointers none would consider to hunt without a beeper collar. Those hunters with confidence in their dogs will hunt with the beeper collar in the point mode only with the longest lag time setting between dog assuming point and the beeper sounding. Bell dog hunters are frequently those with flushers/retrievers that work at longer than direct observation range of the hunter and must be tracked to know where the hunter should follow. Those flusher/retriever dog hunters of close working dogs will find that no beeper or bell is necessary and the quieter dog movement should make for more shot opportunities. HazardsWhen it comes to field dog hazards most are concerned with snakes, cactus and burs. We have good news in this area. While we do have the lighter colored prairie rattler and the darker timber rattler most will find it much easier to hear of a story from someone that knows someone that saw a rattle snake than an actual first hand encounter. For those with first hand rattle snake encounters the late July - early August time period is when they are most easily observed and most that are have been seen crossing the road by a passing motorist. To see a rattle snake in the field is rare. We have no cactus that will affect dog performance in any manner within the regions where we lease upland bird hunting land. Cockle burs will give long haired dogs trouble and sand burs are largely limited to wheat stubble in western Kansas. Sand burs are easily avoided and most do not boot their dogs. Porcupines are rare and it will be around a ten year cycle before we hear of a dog - porcupine encounter. Skunks on the other hand are a yearly encountered field pest that young dogs seem to enjoy finding. And, to our surprise once we were asked if we have alligators and the answer is none at all - ever. The number one injury causing hazard to bird hunting dogs is the barbwire fence. Our fields are large, many fence lines well camouflaged by tall grass and dogs frequently make physical contact with a barbwire fence throughout the season. Most dog to barbwire fence encounters cause minimal damage and the occasional vet visit will gain stitches allowing the dog to return to field the next day. The next hazard to be aware of is the Honey Locust Tree with its three inch thorn clusters and branches. These thorns will penetrate a pad of hide and the tips frequently break off leaving the wound to fester. This festering is non health threatening for the most part and the thorn tips will work their way to surface and out of the dog's hide. On occasion when the thorns don't relieve themselves the dog will work the wound vigorously within a week thereby alerting the attentive dog owner to a problem. The final hazard is warm weather and dry field condiotns requiring the hunter to carry water for their dogs. Flushers/RetrieversMany hunters have expressed much satisfaction with pheasant hunting the tall native grasslands with flushing and retrieving dogs as the thick grass cover tends to keep their dogs working close to keep an eye on the master. For those on their first central mid-west pheasant hunt we will provide them with options of where to hunt based on habitat types that are more predominate within any pheasant region. In most cases we will encourage the tall grass hunt for the first trip. Otherwise, the crop field edge and brush filled draws holds birds as well and certainly offers easier walking for the hunter.
Pointing DogsThe pointing dog pheasant hunter will maximize the pheasant hunting that Mid-America Hunting Association has to offer as with the pointing dog the entire range of habitat types is available to effectively hunt. Recommendations where to hunt will be by bird of preference in terms of which areas have the better quail or pheasant population densities and where specific habitat types are most prevalent. Habitat types will range from the pheasant and quail holding brush filled draw, thicker waterways and crop edge as well as the tall grass fields. This habitat variety advantage means that every day and between fields on the same day each pointing dog pheasant hunter will have the added adventure of different pheasant hunting conditions as well as the opportunity for quail. Bottom LineIn all cases we offer fair chase hunting of wild pheasants for the self guided bird dog loving pheasant hunter. This is true hunting on natural terrain within the agricultural region that allows for the better upland bird hunting that we have. As it is real hunting there will be as many good as better days and anyone that finds a bad pheasant hunting day should refocus his attitude. Good hunting to all!
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