| Hunt The Cold & Windy Days An excellent time to hunt roosters is when the weather gets downright nasty. High winds are a pheasant hunter’s best friend as the cover makes more natural noise than the hunter. If you are quiet enough, your sounds will get lost in the wind and the birds get edgy. They do not know where you are or where to go and will end up sitting tighter or fly, thus allowing you to get up on them for a closer shot.
If high winds are not enough Tte first really cold spell of the year can produce some of the best pheasant hunting of the season, especially the day after. If you get a snowfall that is not crusted up, those wiley roosters are unable to run on top of the snow and are forced to sit tight. And be assured they will be in heavy cover after a storm like that. A group of hunters can spend all afternoon in an area where there are sure to be birds as they can’t go anywhere but up! Don’t be afraid to hunt a patch of cover full of birds, two or three times and you can never walk slowly enough. Pheasants can also be easy to track on muddy or snow-covered ground. The advantage of cold, wet weather is it’s easier on the dogs, and it makes the scenting conditions better for the dogs. Break out your gortex and polar fleece gear and waterproof boots after the first big storm of fall for some of the best opportunities of bagging a pheasant. |
