Solo pheasant hunting without a dog advice?

[mr user]

First off, I'll start by saying that I know that it will be extremely hard to do this and I know the odds of getting a bird are probably against me.  I found out a couple days ago that I will be going to Walla Walla this weekend.  I decided i may as well try to hunt pheasants to kill some time while my brothers off looking at Whitman College.  I have found a feel free to hunt field very close to Walla Walla (thank you Gohunt) and I have developed a game plan.  From google maps it looks like a wheat field, and being November I assume its been harvested and now only stubble remains.  The entire north end of the field borders a small patch of trees.  My plan is to slowly walk along the fringe that seperates the wheat stubble from the trees, stop often, and try to flush birds or spot them.  If I find a pheasant in the stubble, I plan on circling around it and forcing it to run into the patch of trees/brush, so it will hide and I can get close enough to flush it and get a shot off at a reasonable distance.  What do you think of this plan and is there any other advice you could provide?  thanks in advance!

[Stilly bay]

IMO  if you don't have a dog your odds of getting wild pheasant on private land or semi private land are dramatically better than at a pheasant release site.

your idea of walking in large circles is great, it really confuses the heck out of them. go with the terrain, sometimes walking in a tightening spiral works well. take a few steps and stop and the tight holding birds will lose their cool and flush.

I wouldn't waste my time in the stubble or wheat unless there was thick cover close by, and even then I wouldn't waste my time in the wheat.
as a dogless hunter you have to pick your battles and only hunt areas that you CAN hunt effectively, like hedge rows and thicks stuff or creek bottoms. leave the wide open spaces to the guys with dogs.

another good trick is to get a portable radio. set it on a good talk station and leave it on one end of the field; hop in your car and drive to the opposite end, get out of your vehicle quickly and quietly and hunt towards the radio.  the birds will be high tailing it towards you. this tactic works best if your hunting a thin strip and the birds can only escape one way.

[Johnb317]

Walking in circles, backtracking and stopping and starting a lot works.
Can't tell you how many times a bird has jumped after I stopped for a moment or two.
Hunt near water and good cover and make sure you whack that bird cause once you drop one finding him especially if you just broke a wing can be near impossible without a good dog.    Good luck and enjoy.

[Stilly bay]

make sure you whack that bird cause once you drop one finding him especially if you just broke a wing can be near impossible without a good dog.   

 

and if it hits the ground with its head up, or hits the ground running thump it again!

[Shannon]

I personally would hunt something else. Pheasant would be the hardest bird there is to hunt without a dog. Even if you do flush one, getting a cripple without a dog is like finding a needle in a hay stack. Even if you do find it, you won't be able to track it down on foot 99% of the time. Go find some Huns or chukar. You'll have better odds and won't be wasting game.

[mr user]

IMO  if you don't have a dog your odds of getting wild pheasant on private land or semi private land are dramatically better than at a pheasant release site.

your idea of walking in large circles is great, it really confuses the heck out of them. go with the terrain, sometimes walking in a tightening spiral works well. take a few steps and stop and the tight holding birds will lose their cool and flush.

I wouldn't waste my time in the stubble or wheat unless there was thick cover close by, and even then I wouldn't waste my time in the wheat.
as a dogless hunter you have to pick your battles and only hunt areas that you CAN hunt effectively, like hedge rows and thicks stuff or creek bottoms. leave the wide open spaces to the guys with dogs.

another good trick is to get a portable radio. set it on a good talk station and leave it on one end of the field; hop in your car and drive to the opposite end, get out of your vehicle quickly and quietly and hunt towards the radio.  the birds will be high tailing it towards you. this tactic works best if your hunting a thin strip and the birds can only escape one way.

Thank you guys for the info!  I would prefer to get out into some other terrain other than stubble, but I don't really know any other hunting areas in the Walla Walla area at all so I guess I'm kinda stuck in the wheat stubble   Is it even worth it to hunt the stubble?

[Cougar125]

My advice, borrow a dog.  A dog gives you a 1000% chance to get a bird over the chance you really have of getting a bird to flush without a dog.  I've shot a lot of pheasant, and without a dog, that bird is just going to run from you.

[Stilly bay]

I personally would hunt something else. Pheasant would be the hardest bird there is to hunt without a dog. Even if you do flush one, getting a cripple without a dog is like finding a needle in a hay stack. Even if you do find it, you won't be able to track it down on foot 99% of the time. Go find some Huns or chukar. You'll have better odds and won't be wasting game.

dogs make it more efficient and a lot more fun, but millions of ditch parrots have been killed without dogs.

[lokidog]

As mentioned, it is pretty tough.  Post up a date and someone on here might invite you along.  Or offer to share their dog.   

[bobcat]

I personally would hunt something else. Pheasant would be the hardest bird there is to hunt without a dog. Even if you do flush one, getting a cripple without a dog is like finding a needle in a hay stack. Even if you do find it, you won't be able to track it down on foot 99% of the time. Go find some Huns or chukar. You'll have better odds and won't be wasting game.

 

If I were going to hunt birds without a dog, I would try to go for chukar. You actually have a decent chance with them. Pheasants are really tough, even with a dog.

[mr user]

I personally would hunt something else. Pheasant would be the hardest bird there is to hunt without a dog. Even if you do flush one, getting a cripple without a dog is like finding a needle in a hay stack. Even if you do find it, you won't be able to track it down on foot 99% of the time. Go find some Huns or chukar. You'll have better odds and won't be wasting game.

 

If I were going to hunt birds without a dog, I would try to go for chukar. You actually have a decent chance with them. Pheasants are really tough, even with a dog.

If chukar taste good I'd hunt them.  Problem is, I'm leaving tommorow and don't have any time to learn about them!  Do they utilize the same type of habitat as pheasants?

[bobcat]

If chukar taste good I'd hunt them.  Problem is, I'm leaving tommorow and don't have any time to learn about them!  Do they utilize the same type of habitat as pheasants?

They taste great! But no, they usually be in rockier, steeper ground. Sometimes they're not too far away though. Chukar do like wheat stubble.

[bobcat]

Take a look at this:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/upland_birds/chukar.html

[mr user]

If chukar taste good I'd hunt them.  Problem is, I'm leaving tommorow and don't have any time to learn about them!  Do they utilize the same type of habitat as pheasants?

They taste great! But no, they usually be in rockier, steeper ground. Sometimes they're not too far away though. Chukar do like wheat stubble.
[/quote]
Thanks for the link!  I figure I'll just get out there and give it a shot.  Even if the chances of getting something are low, I'm not gonna get anything sitting on the couch! 

[wildweeds]

I was forced to hunt dogless for a two days in montana some years ago,the whole canine crew ended up sicker than dogs from drinking alkalai laced water,it tore their guts up and they were on the disabled list.The method I employed came from a farmer at the local tavern.Walk ten feet stop,wait a few seconds walk ten feet stop,and so on and so on.Dammed if the guy wasn't right,I shot 2 birds that way at the first field we hunted in.Would I make it a habit of it no.But when your halfway across montana and still have 4 days of vacation left before you head back, you do what you need to.The dogs were healed up good enough to get some hunting out of the next day.

Look for fences and where they come together in the corner,the corners always have inviting cover,when near the stubble,tromp around about 10 feet down in the cover and sidehill it using the go no go method.