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Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Grove City MN

I used my new 16ga 525. 4 shots and four dead in the air roosters. Its like magic.We saw lots of birds and hunters this weekend. This could be the year we catch up to Iowa for birds bagged.

Next week it's off to ND for 4 days of bird hunting. I love fall.

Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 145 Location: minnesota

hi steve:
i'm on the very tip of the south metro.......didn't see a bird all day, hardly any hunters and even less shooting compared with years past.
normally i kick up half a dozen hens and roosters mixed in my own private 8 acres, but it was awfully windy sat, very unusual NOT to shag-up even some hens.
i'm off work on monday, going to give the state land a try all day.

Guest

I got one rooster Saturday in extreme southern MN.. It was a quick poke in heavy cover and my handload of 1 1/8 oz of nickel plated 6.5's seemed to work. My bro-in-law missed another and had another get past him without a shot. Our area is all standing corn and the weed fields are up over our heads, so we did pretty well all things considered. Cool and breezy, it was nice to be out after them again, but I'll probably refocus on grouse until the corn comes off.

Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Grove City MN

I would guess that I saw nearly 75 to 80 birds. The first public land that we were on Sat morning was full of birds. At one point a flock of about 20 got up and I was unable to shoot for fear of hitting hens.
Just a side note of the 8 birds that we got on sat about half were year old birds.I'm not sure if thats good or bad

Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 145 Location: minnesota

steve:
i would say seeing 50% birds of the year is great news......the last few mild winters have really helped that out.

dave:
you are right, still too much corn standing, but i've NEVER in the last 6 years, failed to kick-up something where i hunt opening day Exclamation

oh well, i'll give 'er hell on monday.

Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Grove City MN

Go west young man

Member Joined: 26 Apr 2005 Posts: 743

Steve, even if Iowa is down from last year, as projected--and a lot of us feel that forecast is off target--MN would have to have a spectacular year to top Iowa.

Only half birds of the year? You'd better hope that was just luck of the draw. In a really good year, you should expect to see 80-90% first year birds. Has far less to do with survival of the veterans, and far more to do with an extremely successful nesting season. And it's the latter that's key to a really good pheasant season.

Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Grove City MN

Larry thats what I was thinking too. But I've seen more birds then I ever have. A lot of barely feathered out cock birds. Can't wait for the corn to come out now. Thats the second opener.

Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Grove City MN

Larry by the way I used 1 1/8 os of 7s in an IC. Never got the other barrel dirty. All birds dead in the air.

Joined: 24 Aug 2006 Posts: 7 Location: MN

Steve - GC is where I do most of my phez hunting too. I hit some public land around there Sunday afternoon and could tell it was worked pretty hard the day and a half before I got there (probably by YOU! Laughing

). I'm taking my wife out for her 2nd ever phez hunt on Friday morning. Any recommendations on which way to go and get her some shooting? I worked S & W from GC on Sunday - saw about 30 birds altogether, dropped my 2, but CORN was the their refuge and saw most of those birds the last 1/2 hr of daylight.

Shoot me a PM if you have any recommendations. Thanks.

Hunt safe & shoot straight, all!

Blaze

I too, have a small acreage just off edge of south metro. Went duck hunting tuesday am, got one drake woodie, but flushed a hen and rooster walking down there, been seeing more pheasants on roads than in recent years around home here. Went one hour west of Metro last evening with duck gun (had left 16 at friend's farm, a mistake) flushed two roosters walking to duck marsh and missed, my just desserts for hunting with 12 ga.

Our opener in west-central MN was mixed although I limited both days (16 ga)--standing corn and dry winds limited our success. Many young birds with sparse plumage (very tasty), quite a few were barely larger than huns and had no red feathers at all, indicating a strong (and long) nesting season like we had last year. My two buddies are hunting all week, last evening they put up 19 roosters out of one CRP patch during last 30 minutes of legal shooting. This morning there were 18 roosters in a cluster on the road next to a another patch we have permission to hunt--they claim they will wait until I get out there tommorow evening before hunting it.

This increase in birds coincides with a push to establish CRP and CREP cover in that area about 4 years ago, essentially doubling the amount of cover, maybe tripling it--the birds started increasing the first year and its been getting better each year. We need to make it plain to our Congress-persons that CRP/CREP should be continued.

Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Grove City MN

Blaze if you can go farther west around Madison and Dawson. Pick up a Prim map and hit WMA's try to find some with the corn out. Or on a cloudy day the birds go in latter or come out sooner. Try to find some smaller areas that haven't been hit as hard. And then start walking.

Joined: 24 Aug 2006 Posts: 7 Location: MN

Thanks, Steve - will give that a shot and report back Monday.