Pass Along RJ
March 09

Tactics for the Solo Hunter
From A Pheasant Hunter's Notebook
by Larry Brown

I spend a good deal of time hunting alone, so I don't have many opportunities to work clever maneuvers. However, I have found one tactic that does put an occasional extra bird in the bag. For lack of a better name, I call it "reverse logic."

Conventional wisdom has it that you should work cover in such a way that you cut off the birds' opportunities to run. The draw that comes to an end in the middle of an open field is one example. Another is the waterway that has good cover on one farmer's ground, but has been cultivated right up to its banks on the adjacent farm. You push to where the cover ends, and somewhere near that end at least one or two roosters should sit tight.

That approach works well early in the season. Eventually, however, the birds become accustomed to hunters coming after them from the same direction. Try going against conventional wisdom by pushing back into the cover. Logic may tell you that you are working the birds so they can run on you, but occasionally the novelty of the approach seems to confuse them.

Using this tactic in Iowa usually means an approach along a barren fencerow or across an open field to reach your destination, then pushing the cover out to a ditch road. Get ready when you hit the ditch. Although ditches often have good cover and the birds could turn left or right and keep running, they frequently elect to sit tight.

Working slowly and thoroughly in heavy cover is preferable to charging through the brush at breakneck speed. In thick stuff, even a good dog needs to take its time. If the birds are not moving much, there are a lot of potential hiding spots that must be checked. On the other hand, if you are into birds that are moving, the dog may lock onto one, trail it, and miss others. Either way, by moving too fast, you and your dog may miss birds that are holding tight.

How many times have you almost stepped on a bird when your dog was hunting elsewhere? This is often not the dog's fault. Quail hang out in nice, tight coveys. Grouse are found scattered for the most part. If you are into a woodcock flight, you can push a lot of birds out of a small area, but they don't usually move around that much, leaving confusing scent trails for your dog.

Pheasants, on the other hand, can be found in large but loosely knit bunches. Just try to sort out tracks, even in fresh snow, in a piece of cover inhabited by plenty of birds. This is what your dog is trying to do with scent, and why he may appear to miss birds. If you do flush a bird, you've probably found one that your dog hasn't gotten around to yet. Give him the time he needs to work the cover.

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