Newbie looking for help.

OrangeCrush 86

OrangeCrush 86

New member
Hello all. I found this site in hopes of getting some help. This is my first year hunting. I've used up about a week of vacations on WMAs down south in the Hutchinson area and have not seen a single bird. My family does not own land, and are not hunters, so I've been on my own with my Weimaraner (who pointed a few hens before the season opened).

If someone could pair up with me for a day, or PM me some WMAs that have produced that would be excellent. Many of the WMAs I end up on turn out to me 90% swamp, which sucks. The year is already coming to a close. :(

Thanks
 
If you want to see birds your gonna have to drive a little further west or south. Hutch may have a few around but not worth taking vacation over. Worthington, Windom, Marshall, Ortonville, and Wheaton, that's the pheasant belt in Minnesota. Find Public land and start walking. You will have to put a few miles on to see a few birds. There's a lot of public land from Madison to Wheaton and it is usually gets hit pretty hard but if you walk enough of them you'll find your birds.
 
OrangeCrush 86 said:
Hello all. I found this site in hopes of getting some help. This is my first year hunting. I've used up about a week of vacations on WMAs down south in the Hutchinson area and have not seen a single bird. My family does not own land, and are not hunters, so I've been on my own with my Weimaraner (who pointed a few hens before the season opened).

If someone could pair up with me for a day, or PM me some WMAs that have produced that would be excellent. Many of the WMAs I end up on turn out to me 90% swamp, which sucks. The year is already coming to a close. :(

Thanks
Click to expand...


I think it took me at least 5 different trips hunting public ground in MN before I took my first rooster. Patience paid off though and once I had a little success my confidence improved, the game seemed easier and limits became a very attainable goal. The learning curve is steep early but success is usually close around the corner.

I also agree with the above poster you can improve your odds considerably by heading west. I spend a great deal of my MN hunting time in the area south of highway 12 from Benson, Granite Falls & Marshall west to the SD border. Bird numbers are decent and there is a very good concentration of WMA's & WPA's to choose from and all are capable of giving up a rooster or two on a given day.

Hunting big swamps this time of year is tough for a solo hunter & dog. I hunt solo most of the time too and unless its super cold or the snow is a$$ deep I usually stay away from the larger sloughs.

Late in the season I like to hit the willows if available. Edges and transitions between different cover types are good swamp grass vs. prairie grass etc.

If its a nice sunny day I will walk loafing cover near food. If the snow is not too deep I'll target roosting grass near food at the end of the day. Lots of different places for a rooster to try and hide other than a cattail swamp.

DB
 
I agree that the southwestern area of mn is the prime area for pheasants and would be most productive for a vacation. However, there are plenty of pheasants within a 30 mile radius of you. They can be tough to find on WMAs as mostly smart ones are left now. I hunt in the litchfield, buffalo area and tend to focus on the Waterfowl Production Areas (steel shot only). There are some big ones in the area and have pockets that are not hunted as thorougly as the WMAs.
 
Is it worth going out with this current weather?

And JFan, I have a lot of maps along with all the WMAs for Google Earth, which works great.
 
I love going out in weather like this. I wish I could be out there now. I'd be walking the thick cover (even small sloughs that can be covered by one person) and probably check out areas with small evergreens. Also, try wooded areas that are near thick cover or food in weather like this. Just my opinion.
 
My only caution is that you hunt with a weimaraner. I do too, and I wouldn't hunt for more than 30 minutes at a time in weather like this. They don't have much keeping them warm. I hunt 30 minutes, start the truck and blast the heater for about 15 (and have a cup of coffee). Then I go back and hunt another 30 or go to a new spot.
 
Yea, he isn't much for cold weather lol. I don't keep him out for long in this weather. I sometimes put a vest on him too.
 
Sorry

Crush,

Sorry about the redundancy on the maps thing. Sometimes people forget.

I am with MNMatt on this time of year though. Last year about this time we had one of our more productive trips of the year. We were just hitting the WMA's around Benson. Stick to the small stuff and you should find a few.
 
Don't get discouraged, pheasant hunting on public land can be quite a challenge. I hit a few public areas near Hutch and Wilmar last week and didn't find many birds either. I think the numbers are down in that area this year. If you live in Becker, go NW towards Sauk Center and Alex. There are a lot of public areas and bird numbers are better. Hit the heavy cover, walk into the wind when you can, and stay quiet. If you do these things I'm betting you win find some pheasants.

If you have an inexperienced dog don't overlook going to a preserve. I 'm sure there is one fairly close by. Get him on some pheasants!
 
I have been to the far south central, Willmar area, and here at home by Alex, and the best was far south. Willmar we found plenty of birds too. 20 or so in one public there. and it has not been to bad here either. There is no birds in the public by my house, it gets hit every day. They see my pen and think it's leaking birds by the hundreds I think. I don't hunt it because I know it's most likely a waste of time. I watched 5 groups on Sunday out the window and not a shot. You are better off around 30 or so miles west and south from here on public, or ask. I hit mostly private. You can have some luck on public earlier like I did, but after a few weeks of multiple groups they get tough here. Alex has a pretty big group of public hunters. Where ever you go just look in heavy stuff, cats, willow that hard to get in stuff. it's work but you will get some shooting. I have not been down to the Lac P area yet but that is better then here by far. If you are going to drive you may go there as it is not much farther. If you can't find birds out there, I don't know what to tell you. Good luck (cattails and picked corn close= roosters)
 
Head further South to the Windom area, lots of WPA land there that require non-toxic but there are birds,birds, & more birds!! Those Swampy areas should be holding birds now that it has snowed and been cold for a while. Buy yourself a good insulated pair of Muck Boots and get in those Cattails along the edges. go real slow and let the dog work every bit of cover they will be sitting tight. Don't get discouraged if you bump out a few big groups on your way in, some of those Big Roosters sit tight and let all the others fly first (I think they are counting on the hunter killing his limit first and then they fly out laughing at ya.) Let me know how you do. Remember the pressure greatly backs off once the snow falls and it gets cold and that is some of the best times I have had in the field!!! Good Luck
 
Stormcloud said:
Head further South to the Windom area, lots of WPA land there that require non-toxic but there are birds,birds, & more birds!! Those Swampy areas should be holding birds now that it has snowed and been cold for a while. Buy yourself a good insulated pair of Muck Boots and get in those Cattails along the edges. go real slow and let the dog work every bit of cover they will be sitting tight. Don't get discouraged if you bump out a few big groups on your way in, some of those Big Roosters sit tight and let all the others fly first (I think they are counting on the hunter killing his limit first and then they fly out laughing at ya.) Let me know how you do. Remember the pressure greatly backs off once the snow falls and it gets cold and that is some of the best times I have had in the field!!! Good Luck
Click to expand...

What shot should I use? I use a 20 gauge so there is a limited selection in non-toxic.

If you could PM me some more specific places that would be great, I don't have a good map of that area that shows where the WPAs are.
 
OrangeCrush 86 said:
What shot should I use? I use a 20 gauge so there is a limited selection in non-toxic.

If you could PM me some more specific places that would be great, I don't have a good map of that area that shows where the WPAs are.
Click to expand...

It can be expensive but for late season, non-toxic pheasant hunting with a 20 gauge I would use Remington HD or the Hevi-shot waterfowl loads in #6 shot. Decent pellet counts and the shot is heavier than lead so it kills well out to 40 yards or more.

Don't mistake the Hevi-shot Classic Doubles loads for the waterfowl loads. These are manufactured with a density that is in between steel and lead. Still pretty effective but I would move up to #4 or #5 shot for this load.
 
I was in the same boat as you a few years ago and I found that doing a little scouting in late summer and early fall helps. You aren't necessarily looking for birds but you should be looking for good cover and crossing out WMA's which aren't accessible. I make notes on my maps or in a notebook this saved me a lot of time this year driving around. I would also recommend getting out during the week and hunting if at all possible. I've found that on the weekends all those spots get hit pretty hard but if there are birds still around they tend to find there way back by Wednesday. Good luck!
 
I was in Windom on Friday. Didn't see a single bird. Trudging through cover in 1+ foot of snow sucked. From what I saw in the snow, no one had been there in days. I'm probably not going to waste anymore time driving that far south again this year.
 
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