# Need some tips



## arky (Nov 23, 2007)

I am fairly new to pheasent hunting being from Arkansas we don't have many birds down here. My buddies and I just got back from up there last week and we killed a few birds and had a big time, but we were wondering how you guys go about hunting large areas of CRP land. We have dogs and a pretty large group of hunters, but it seemed like we could never get many birds out of the large CRP land. I have heard of groups going out and killing their limit out of fields like these but all we got was a lot of exercise and wore out dogs chasing running birds. If yall could help it would be appreciated. :-?


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

Well, this is kind of a hard question. You push the Crp in a certain way, hit the areas where birds "should" be. Use the wind, and keep on walking! Some days they may be there the next they are in a defferent place. I guess after you do it for a while you figure out where a bird "should" be. Not to toot my own horn, but most of the time I can sit in the truck and look at a large piece of cover and go there will be birds here and here and here. You look for a difference in cover, alittle dark patch of cover, etc. When a bird is flying it lands on the edge of something. When they are flying they see a difference and go for it. I thicker patch will hold birds. Sloughs in the crp are $$$.

Also, when you get to the end of the cover stand there for a minute, talk about it. 7out of 10 times a bird will get up. The longer you stand there the better. I can't count how many times we have stood at the end of the cover as I listen to buddies complain about how crappy that walk is, and up they come!!

Hope that helps if you have any more questions shoot. Kind of a wide open question.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

arky, were you hunting PLOTS ground in SW ND? Kiss of death late season. Don't walk a straight line, work the edges, if it's been hit lately go through the thick stuff first, and then the edges on the way back. Smaller group is better, keep it it quiet if possible as noise does a number on 'em.

In the SE the birds will be in cattails this time of year if they aren't feeding. And 1 or 2 guys will handle that. You'd need deer trails to get inside.


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## arky (Nov 23, 2007)

Thanks guys for the responses. We were around Whisek. We did hunt a lot of the cattails and shelterbelts. I do know what you are saying about the diffrent cover in the CRP. Do dogs play a major role in hunting this type of cover? The dogs we were hunting over are rusty and not as trained as some of the others we have had. Thanks again


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

As long as they are staying close, and not doing anything dumb it doesn't really hurt to have something running around and kicking up birds.


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## thorpebe (Oct 3, 2003)

I would have to say that if you didnt get any birds out of the cattails or the shelterbelts there werent many birds there or they were out feeding in a near by cornfield. Since the snow 90% of our birds have come out of cattails or trees and if there not there we found them in the corn getting fat. We have got birds out of the crp but they were tough to get and far and few in between.


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## 2Socks (Apr 18, 2006)

Hey, Archy was it nice to women with teeth?


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## arky (Nov 23, 2007)

2Socks said:


> Hey, Archy was it nice to women with teeth?


Women??? I don't remember seeing any women up there. In all the bars we went to just three old timers talking about the "good old days" I was wondering how the population got to be as large as it is. :wink:

We did kill some birds but I was just wondering how you guys did it. We had been going to SD, but it was more of a problem to hunt down there than it was worth. ND is definalty where we will be going from now on.


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

First thing to do is go shoot some clays and get used to your gun. Mine was never shouldering right and I always aimed about a foot low. Sucked when you wouldn't hit them. Now I'm blasting and it's a lot more fun when they get up.


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## Benelliman (Apr 4, 2005)

Pheasant hunting is addicting. Having the birds jump up in your face and scare the bejeezus out of you, and then staring at that long tail as the cackle away. It's a wonder that anyone remembers to shoulder their gun with the bird still in range!


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## pointblankshot (Nov 2, 2005)

Tanata's right about the gun fitting. Switched from 28" to a "26 barrell on a different gun and it made a huge difference.

I think probably the best thing a guy could do, if possible, is to get to know a local and trade hunts. They can scout and get the most important thing you'll need, access/permission to where the birds are at.

We pheasant hunt down in the area where you were with a local and it is an awesome time. We live to the north of there where we do our duck and goose hunting. We know the people around here and they know the folks down there so it's a great trade. Plus they're great friends that we get together with even after the hunting season.

By the way, Arky, what area of Arkansas are you from? I've got a good friend down there north of Conway. Supposed to be some good quall hunting down there.


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## arky (Nov 23, 2007)

I live in Conway. The Quail hunting is pretty good in isolated areas. We have a high number predtors here (But I have been doing my part lately :sniper: ) The number of quial have been on the rise the last few years.


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