If you are an individual who has always wanted to hunt pheasants but never did, because you think that you need a dog. Well when I first started to hunt pheasants I didn’t have a dog. And in this article, I will cover some tips that you will need to hunt pheasants without a dog. Whether the reason is you don’t own one, don’t know anyone who owns one or you owned one but your hunting buddy died. Whatever the case may be. We have you covered. As someone who loves dogs and encourages people to hunt with dogs. Hunting pheasants is a hunt that doesn’t necessarily need a dog. Using a dog increases your chances of seeing a pheasant. But shooting a pheasant is still a 50/50 chance. So here are the tips that you need to know to increase your odds at pheasant hunting without a dog

Tip #1: FIND WHERE THE PHEASANT ARE

this may be kind of common sense thing. But you will be amazed by how many people tell me that they don’t know where to hunt pheasants

To put simply, find public land with fields. (Check the wildlife organization that takes care of the lands website to see if they stock those fields.) Fields that have tall dense grass, wasted grain or growing grain(such as corn and surgum.) These are areas that pheasants like to hang out. Because the thick dense grass and crops give the pheasants a very safe place to hide from hunters and predators.

FIND TREE LINES AND RIDGES WITH BERRY BUSHES:

I found my success when hunting pheasants without a dog was when the pheasant field had plenty of tree lines and ridges with thick cover or berry bushes especially poke berries. These are also nice places for pheasants to find refuge. The thick cover allows the pheasants to hide from hunters and predators and the same with the berry bushes but the bushes become a win win for the pheasants because not only do they get a place to hide, they also get a snack from the berries while they hide. And trust me when the shooting starts those will be the places that the pheasants will hide.

So if you can find a pheasant field with all of these then you will most likely see pheasants

Tip #2: HUNT IN A GROUP

Hunting in a group is probably one of the easiest way to see a pheasant. You hunting in a group of at least a minimum of 5 people, making a sweep back and forth, up and down the field, spaced out evenly(5 yards apart max)will increase your chances. Plus hunting in a group will also make it fun especially if you are hunting with friends or family. Because in my experience in hunting in groups is that it doesn’t matter how your day goes you can always make fun of the person who was a bad shot. But if you do that make sure to keep it good, clean fun. Because most likely during the hunt you yourself missed a pheasant or two.

Tip #3: LISTEN TO THE COCK……BIRD

Now is a perfect time to explain that a male pheasant is called a Cock and a Female pheasant is called a Hen. And when you get into pheasant hunting you will hear the experienced pheasant hunters call the males cock birds. The males are mostly what is being hunted. I believe in most states you can hunt both but most people just hunt for cocks. The hen taste just the same….delicious, but the males are seen as more trophies because they are more colorful.

THE SOUND

The sound a cockbird makes is a very distinct sound. Once you hear it you will not forget it.

Now the male pheasant makes an array of sounds but I’m only going to discuss two of them. One is a territorial sound and the other I only ever assumed was a mating call. The best way to describe a pheasant call is like a rooster trying to learn how to crow. The territorial sound Is a Aahhhh Uh (pause) aahhhh Uh…..uh. And sometimes it’s repeated. If you see the pheasant making this sound he is most likely going to be flapping his wings. Even after the shooting begins, you will hear a cock making this sound. Because even though his species is getting a hard hit he will still find time to fight with another male because they are territorial. Another sound that I have heard a pheasant make is in the best way I can describe it is like a metallic chirp. It might seem wierd but that is the best way to describe it. It’s like a suh….suh suh…..suh. Again even if you never heard a pheasant before once you hear a pheasant you will automatically know that it is a pheasant.

Tip #4: TEAM UP WITH SOMEONE YOU DON’T KNOW

Now when you are in the field and you see another hunter in the field with his dog or a group pay attention to how they are working the field. Because either you may ask to join them or they may ask you to join them. And if the dog isn’t flushing pheasant and is just running way out in front of you where you can’t shoot the pheasants or the dog is just being lazy or the group just Isn’t really that good: like spaced to far out and shooting in every direction even over your head. you may have had a better chance of hunting by yourself. But if the dog is at the right distance, being very active and if the group is communicating, properly spaced out and is courteous to their surroundings then you will have an amazing time pheasant hunting.

CONCLUSION:

So all in all, hunting pheasants is an adventure in itself. For the camaraderie with the other hunters who love to hunt pheasants, to meeting amazing dogs, to just getting out there and experiencing the hunt that you always wanted to do. So these tips will definitely help you increase your chances. So the best of luck to you and God Bless