5 day trip for pheasant in December. Where would you go?

[TheJason]

Must be tall grass to show over all the snow?

 

[mtmuley]

I don't bird hunt much these days.
This thread tells me to keep my trap shut. For any animal in Montana. mtmuley

 

[Hawk Tuah]

I'd go wherever these people who write four paragraphs and five posts tell you not to go...

 

[OntarioHunter]

Must be tall grass to show over all the snow?

Yeah, it looks like the wild millet (?) stuff I see where I'm hunting now. Very tall (6'+) Pheasants love it but snow is still drifted underneath. It stood up to the blizzard winds much better than cattails and bullrushes. Stalks are tough and reed-like.

I see a lot of drifting in the background of that photo. Not sure conditions are much better than Malta. Couldn't be much worse.

 

[TheJason]

Yeah, it looks like the wild millet (?) stuff I see where I'm hunting now. Very tall (6'+) Pheasants love it but snow is still drifted underneath. It stood up to the blizzard winds much better than cattails and bullrushes. Stalks are tough and reed-like.

I see a lot of drifting in the background of that photo. Not sure conditions are much better than Malta. Couldn't be much worse.

That’s what I was thinking. Grass is 6-8’ tall and has about 2-4’ of snow hidden in it. Deadly stuff.

 

[NR_Hunter]

Yeah, it looks like the wild millet (?) stuff I see where I'm hunting now. Very tall (6'+) Pheasants love it but snow is still drifted underneath. It stood up to the blizzard winds much better than cattails and bullrushes. Stalks are tough and reed-like.

I see a lot of drifting in the background of that photo. Not sure conditions are much better than Malta. Couldn't be much worse.

Is reed canary? Am I taking crazy pills?

 

[TheJason]

Am I taking crazy pills?

No, it’s simple canary grass, probably knee high

 

[Hunting Wife]

Is reed canary? Am I taking crazy pills?

I suspect he’s talking about phragmites and no, it’s smooth brome and crested wheatgrass in the road ditch. Maybe knee high.

FWIW, I spent every day this weekend calling coyotes between Saco and Scobey. Put 5 miles on the boots yesterday in this:


I’ve hiked a lot farther in a lot worse. The mud was far worse to walk in than the snow. Scobey right now has much less snow than this area did. Not seeing a ton of birds through there the last couple years, but I haven’t hunted it specifically for birds either.

This is a very mild late season. Many years we’re slogging cattails at -20 and actual drifts by now. You guys should have very decent conditions. Tip: don’t kill yourselves walking cattail sloughs all day. They aren’t sitting in there all day when it’s this nice. By mid-morning, find some grass.

 

[MTLabrador]

I suspect he’s talking about phragmites and no, it’s smooth brome and crested wheatgrass in the road ditch. Maybe knee high.

FWIW, I spent every day this weekend calling coyotes between Saco and Scobey. Put 5 miles on the boots yesterday in this:
View attachment 165314
View attachment 165316
I’ve hiked a lot farther in a lot worse. The mud was far worse to walk in than the snow. Scobey right now has much less snow than this area did. Not seeing a ton of birds through there the last couple years, but I haven’t hunted it specifically for birds either.

This is a very mild late season. Many years we’re slogging cattails at -20 and actual drifts by now. You guys should have very decent conditions. Tip: don’t kill yourselves walking cattail sloughs all day. They aren’t sitting in there all day when it’s this nice. By mid-morning, find some grass.

Do you have any recommendations for the best ice axe and crampons for late season pheasants?

 

[Hunting Wife]

Do you have any recommendations for the best ice axe and crampons for late season pheasants?

Whatever looks best with your shotgun and fits on your muck boots?

 

[NR_Hunter]

I suspect he’s talking about phragmites and no, it’s smooth brome and crested wheatgrass in the road ditch. Maybe knee high.

FWIW, I spent every day this weekend calling coyotes between Saco and Scobey. Put 5 miles on the boots yesterday in this:
View attachment 165314
View attachment 165316
I’ve hiked a lot farther in a lot worse. The mud was far worse to walk in than the snow. Scobey right now has much less snow than this area did. Not seeing a ton of birds through there the last couple years, but I haven’t hunted it specifically for birds either.

This is a very mild late season. Many years we’re slogging cattails at -20 and actual drifts by now. You guys should have very decent conditions. Tip: don’t kill yourselves walking cattail sloughs all day. They aren’t sitting in there all day when it’s this nice. By mid-morning, find some grass.

lmaaaooo I had said smooth brome first and then edited to say reed canary. I’m a dummy.

I really don’t wanna bust cattails so I’ll take that tip to heart.

How was the coyote hunting? Thinking of taking my rifle with, if only to do some target shooting at distances I can’t in MN.

 

[Hunting Wife]

lmaaaooo I had said smooth brome first and then edited to say reed canary. I’m a dummy.

I really don’t wanna bust cattails so I’ll take that tip to heart.

How was the coyote hunting? Thinking of taking my rifle with, if only to do some target shooting at distances I can’t in MN.

Sucked. First I blamed it on the crappy shirtsleeve weather, but on second thought they might have all died in those mondo drifts.

I did see Richardson’s ground squirrels out today over there. And no shortage of rabbits.

 

[NR_Hunter]

Sucked. First I blamed it on the crappy shirtsleeve weather, but on second thought they might have all died in those mondo drifts.

I did see Richardson’s ground squirrels out today over there. And no shortage of rabbits.

I feel bad shooting bunnies and ground squirrels. If calling in coyotes wasn’t such sport I’d feel bad blasting them shits too.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I feel bad shooting bunnies and ground squirrels. If calling in coyotes wasn’t such sport I’d feel bad blasting them shits too.

I leave the squirrels alone, but I put up the coyotes and eat the bunnies so my conscience is clear.

 

[OntarioHunter]

The crusted snow up there looks about the same as here. Weather was not nice enough for shirtsleeves over the weekend but almost. Not warm enough for mud anywhere here. Frost on shaded pavement stayed through the day. Wednesday is supposed to be near fifty but then back to freezing and below before the weekend. No end to crunchiness in sight. The birds here are hit very hard and in the cattails most of the day because that's safest. Also two packs of coyotes raiding on top of crusted snow at night and working the edge of cattails on the lake keep them jumpy. Pheasants are feeding heavily on Russian olive. Pretty much exclusively. No grain fields ... that aren't posted. Not seeing birds in them now anyway. Snow and raptors probably the reason. Pheasants are usually sitting in the olive trees early in the morning but take off a hundred yards away from us and into cattails. All tall field grass is flattened. Wild roses and snowberries still standing but naked and with snow in them. Poor cover. Haven't found a bird in the stuff since the blizzard. Not even the hens are holding here now. But at least there are birds and lots of them. Hinsdale was a wash. Impossible noisy hunting conditions, three days ago anyway. And no birds.

One less coyote to worry about south of Chinook. Shot through the heart on the fly at sixty yards. He came out of the bottom of the coulee and was running across a huge hard drift on the lee side. Slid to the bottom after I flattened him.

 

[sharpshooter97]

The crusted snow up there looks about the same as here. Weather was not nice enough for shirtsleeves over the weekend but almost. Not warm enough for mud anywhere here. Frost on shaded pavement stayed through the day. Wednesday is supposed to be near fifty but then back to freezing and below before the weekend. No end to crunchiness in sight. The birds here are hit very hard and in the cattails most of the day because that's safest. Also two packs of coyotes raiding on top of crusted snow at night and working the edge of cattails on the lake keep them jumpy. Pheasants are feeding heavily on Russian olive. Pretty much exclusively. No grain fields ... that aren't posted. Not seeing birds in them now anyway. Snow and raptors probably the reason. Pheasants are usually sitting in the olive trees early in the morning but take off a hundred yards away from us and into cattails. All tall field grass is flattened. Wild roses and snowberries still standing but naked and with snow in them. Poor cover. Haven't found a bird in the stuff since the blizzard. Not even the hens are holding here now. But at least there are birds and lots of them. Hinsdale was a wash. Impossible noisy hunting conditions, three days ago anyway. And no birds.

One less coyote to worry about south of Chinook. Shot through the heart on the fly at sixty yards. He came out of the bottom of the coulee and was running across a huge hard drift on the lee side. Slid to the bottom after I flattened him.View attachment 165336

Nice shot, whats the rifle?

 

[OntarioHunter]

Nice shot, whats the rifle?

30-06 WWII Springfield. Took this buck with it last year on the same BM property. Also on the fly, also about sixty yards. Also dropped dead. It helps to shoot upwards of 3K rounds at moving targets each year (trap/skeet/clays).

 

[wtrfwlhunter]

30-06 WWII Springfield. Took this buck with it last year on the same BM property. Also on the fly, also about sixty yards. Also dropped dead. It helps to shoot upwards of 3K rounds at moving targets each year (trap/skeet/clays). View attachment 165346

That’s a cool buck.

 

[NR_Hunter]

The crusted snow up there looks about the same as here. Weather was not nice enough for shirtsleeves over the weekend but almost. Not warm enough for mud anywhere here. Frost on shaded pavement stayed through the day. Wednesday is supposed to be near fifty but then back to freezing and below before the weekend. No end to crunchiness in sight. The birds here are hit very hard and in the cattails most of the day because that's safest. Also two packs of coyotes raiding on top of crusted snow at night and working the edge of cattails on the lake keep them jumpy. Pheasants are feeding heavily on Russian olive. Pretty much exclusively. No grain fields ... that aren't posted. Not seeing birds in them now anyway. Snow and raptors probably the reason. Pheasants are usually sitting in the olive trees early in the morning but take off a hundred yards away from us and into cattails. All tall field grass is flattened. Wild roses and snowberries still standing but naked and with snow in them. Poor cover. Haven't found a bird in the stuff since the blizzard. Not even the hens are holding here now. But at least there are birds and lots of them. Hinsdale was a wash. Impossible noisy hunting conditions, three days ago anyway. And no birds.

One less coyote to worry about south of Chinook. Shot through the heart on the fly at sixty yards. He came out of the bottom of the coulee and was running across a huge hard drift on the lee side. Slid to the bottom after I flattened him.View attachment 165336

Sounds pretty brutal. Maybe I'll stay in MN.

 

[TheJason]

Sounds pretty brutal. Maybe I'll stay in MN.

Don't forget, 30,000 people a year get their faces torn off. By wolves.