Don't Wing It

It seemed so obvious to me. Yet, to my fellow stander sixty yards to my right, the gleaming white truck parked along the dirt road right behind him was just part of the scenery. He was a local; I was a guest and a relative newcomer to the thrill of pheasant hunting. However, I had a pretty good idea that in order to kill a late-season rooster, I had to get away from the truck and find a spot that would give me an advantage over the pheasants that have played this game before. I found a low spot a few yards away from the edge of the field and dropped to my knees.

We were guarding the far end of a CRP field as four other hunters walked through the grass. It's a common tactic that can be deadly. While my partner took Hail Mary shots at two flushing birds, I managed to knock down the lone rooster that slipped up to the edge of the field in front of me. He didn't even know I was there until he took to the air.

The pheasant didn't make a mistake. He thought he was slipping around the hunter and his truck and simply fell into my trap. My host, however, was making one of the most glaring errors any pheasant hunter could make: He didn't give the birds the credit they were due. That's not all beginning, or even seasoned, hunters do wrong. Let's take a look at some other mistakes.

Ignoring The Obvious

In many instances, pheasant hunters stand out like a liberal at a gun show. Blockers who want to increase their shot opportunities on drives need to switch their job title from stander to squatter. Instead of leaning back on a fence post or pacing back and forth on a rise that affords sweeping views of the landscape, sit down, sit still and stay ready. The simple act of squatting on your knees as you guard the end of a large field lowers your profile and allows you to remain hidden, if only slightly. Instead of seeing you over the tall grass or corn stubble fifty yards away, a rooster may not spot you until it's too late.

Hunt pheasants like you were pulling a sneak on a mature whitetail buck bedded down in the middle of a CRP field. Park your vehicle out of sight, or at least far away from where you plan to stand, and get to your designated post as quickly and quietly as possible. Once you get there, stay still and stay low.

Turn Down The Volume

Keep quiet because, well, pheasants have ears, pretty darn good ears. The thump of a slamming truck door, the metallic shuck of a shotgun action and the shrill chirp of a dog whistle can send birds scurrying for the distant edge of the field before you even set foot in it. When they get there, those skittish roosters won't stick around to see what all the commotion was about because they already know. They're gone.

That's why silence is golden, even in the sprawling corn fields of Nebraska or the Dakotas. Sure, the first shot will give your presence away, and for safety's sake, it's imperative to communicate with your fellow hunters. But keep that talk to a minimum, and by all means, keep your voices down in order to get that first shot. You stand a better chance of catching a loafing rooster off guard if you keep quiet.