Gun Dog Forum

This will be my 3rd time out west to bird hunt. Returning to KS for the 2nd time (last year was the first) My buddies bailed on me and I tackled it alone It was a chalenge. I'll be out there for the opening week. Sounds like the harvest is coming along well can you help me with what I should focus on for times of the day. I'll be in north chentral so quail and phez are a possibility. Should I focus on the CRP/roosing cover early to catch them before they feed, and then during the day try to hunt edges where they might me moving through to feed then back to the cover in the evening? Being a young guy and not a lot of friends into bird hunting I've had to learn a lot on my own....just looking for some tips to make this a more successful hunt.

I've got one of my good hunting buddies going he's never bird hunted hopefully I'll get him hooked.

Thanks

Luke!

Get up early in the morning and hit the CRP. Go slow. Pheasants on opening day morning will hold very tight. You should have good success on phez in the morning doing that.

If it gets hot, screw pheasant hunting, and concentrate on draws and fencelines that will hold quail. You may still kill some phez while doing it.

At the end of the day hit the CRP again for the last hour for phez.

If it isn't hot, hunt the CRP until you limit on pheasant and then chase quail. Pick CRP that is about thigh to waste high. Stay away from the really tall/thick stuff. It holds fewer birds until it turns nasty. Pick CRP by harvested corn/milo/beans. Don't hunt CRP in the day that has standing crops bordering it, you will just be wasting your time. You can hit the CRP that borders standing crops first thing in the morning however. Might actually be the way to go.

If you are tackling a big piece with 2 guys, just put your dogs nose in the wind and follow them around. They know where the birds are better than you do. Shoot IC choke with a 1 1/2 oz of 5s for phez. 7/ 1/2s for quail. Good luck, and don't forget eye wash for those pups this time of year. Good luck, and good hunting!!

Thanks Birdogz! Thats about what i was thinking I appreciate it.