Upland bird hunting without a dog

[Gutpile]

Hunting birds without a dog is like having sex by yourself. You will get the finish you want, but the thrill of the foreplay is lost. Nothing better then seeing your dog work. Thinking it is fun.........and always looking to please you.

But you can do that yourself I suppose.  

Whats foreplay?

I grew up hunting pheasants with a dog and it's really about as good as it gets but my lifestyle simply does not offer time for a dog. When pheasant numbers are good I hunt without a dog and do just fine. Be prepared to lose a couple though because it's gonna happen. I've shot lots of quail, pheasants, and huns without a dog and have just as much fun as I used to with a dog. You just have to take your time and try to pinch them into draws where they have to fly and not run out on you. Sure wish the pheasant numbers were as good as they were in the 80's when I was a kid.

[jjhunter]

I grew up in Whitman County hunting birds without a dog.   I did very well - in good years I would take over 100 roosters, alone.   You need to hunt country conducive to hunting without a dog, though.   Focus on the bottom of canyons/draws, narrow or smaller thick patches of "red brush", the scab rock country, brush under bluffs, etc.

Stay away from the real open country and if possilbe, approach your target area from a direction that shields your approach.

Someone mentioned changing your pace from time to time - this works as well.

[CP]

You can have success on pheasants. The important thing is to take only good shots, if the bird is coming down but not hit hard, hit again, and keep your eyes right on the spot where went down. You can flush birds with out a dog but finding them is where the problem is. If walking up on a downed bird and you flush another, forget it until you find the downed bird. The dog adds quality to the hunt, when it works right.

+1 on that.

Think one bird at a time without a dog, otherwise you will lose a lot of downed birds.  You will lose birds anyway but if you forget trying for doubles and triples you will be more successful.

[uplandhunter870]

i have never hunted upland with a dog and usually do quite well. i will second just about everything that has been said above, but i will stress only shooting one bird at a time and watch it fall, dont take your eyes off that spot and find that bird.  shooting doubles and triples without a dog 9/10 times results in 1 or 2 lost birds.

hunt locations that the birds only option is to fly out of.  the changing walking speed and random stopping tactic works well for me, i think it messes with their mind even if you havent spotted them or pin pointed their location it makes them think you have