2022 Pheasant Hunting

With the finding of the bird flu in several different locations in Wisconsin. What are everyone's thoughts on what the DNR will do for production and release numbers. May your dogs work good and your shot be true come October.

Looking for roosters in all the right places

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I have no problem walking in it more concern for the dog .

Agree about the main concern about my pup.. Looks like I might get out on Wednesday for a bit before it rains. 

Now that the cold will be gone and looking at temps in the 40's and rain by the end of the week what are all your opinions when its time to call it a season with the icey crust that will be on the snow. I have my thoughts but just wondering everyone else's stance. I have no problem walking in it more concern for the dog. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years. Hope you can get a few more flushes in for the season.

Vernon was planted Wed of this week. I was hunting Frog Alley with young dog, wet at 1 pm. About 1:30, could tell DNR planted off of hwy I as multiple volleys of shots began, followed by a few volleys east off of Benson Rd. I stayed on west end and DNR never planted there. All shooting stopped with many cars on I on my way home so I imagine most birds were in and soon done

Good luck and thanks for sharing

The DNR did some plantings in my area (SE Wisc) yesterday and Monday.  So much of the grass cover is now down and the DNR just cant drive into the fields so it does take away from the hunt with the limited cover. Will still be hitting some cattails/out of the way cover after this upcoming deep freeze. 

I will be out later today and will let this group know. Monday at 3, there had been no holiday stocking.

It is supposed to be this week.  I was out yesterday to a couple places to see if they stocked.  Thought they might earlier in the week with the weather coming but didnt see anything.  I didnt hear any shooting either.  Will go again later today to see.

when are they making this holiday pheasant planting! I sure hope it isn’t this week. 

Anybody know just how busy the Holland Wildlife Area is for pheasant hunting? I am not really into it, but it's not far and could be something fun to do to get out of the house. I also don't want to get in the way of people who are making a concerted effort. 

buffalohunter 

Dang! I keep hoping the DNR will show up. 

I apologize if you took offense to any of my remarks

I also don't chase the trucks

There are birds out there.

In the nastiest terrain available.

Now that things are freezing solid some more roosters will become available

Unfortunately, not all my retired friends are healthy enough to join me. I keep hoping for a late-season release so we can all enjoy the season and have fun together

Everyone should have onX. I also find The DNR FFLIGHT map very useful, https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Lands/FFLIGHT.html

My lab is 11 with a new recruit a 10-week-old pup  

A very Merry Christmas to you, your dawg, and your family

Tight lines,

Chris

Good morning. No Chris I do not work for the DNR. Just a measley retired teacher that taught for 33 years. Very blessed and just living life to the fullest while healthy. I put late season pheasant hunting right with spring Door County smallmouth as my two favorite outdoor pastimes. Both offer peace, solitude, and beauty. Here are a few facts:

1) I agree with you on stocking pheasants to the north on some of the properties you hunt. Maybe call someone on pheasant advisory committee. Look up on internet.

2) I deciminated no disinformation. All cold hard facts-no fake news here. I've seen over 50 Roosters in last week. All different birds. I have no reason to lie. I am just trying to point out that there are many roosters left even before holiday stocking. They are only stocking 2800 birds for Holiday-a fraction of the 75,000 for entire year. 

3) I hunt in south central Wisconsin. I am blessed to be within an hour or so of many great Pheasant areas. I drive an hour or so in three different directions to hunt and explore new ground. Some areas I hunt are vast-some small. I mainly hunt 6-7 wildlife areas but look for new spots every year. I just did a quick tally and I can come up with over 40 differents spots I have parked to hunt roosters. Sometimes I forget places-I keep a journal. 

Just saw 9 roosters yesterday on a public I haven't been to in a few years. 8 were on private adjacent to the public. But as I stated they will come back and roost on public. I'm waiting for colder weather to freeze some of my favorite spots safely. I always take extra boots-socks. 

4) I have put in hundreds of hours hunting and walked hundreds of miles. Struck out at times-hit jackpot sometimes. My dog is 13 years 2 months. Just trying to soak in every last hunt. The more you put in the more you get out. I hunt in October - Very little in November with bow hunting and then hunt hard in mid to late December-My favorite time.

5) I have pursued pheasants religiously since the 80's. Shot hundreds of wild birds with father and brother. (1990s through about 2010 were great. Now wild birds in my area few and far between. My brother had two great dogs and I have had two great dogs. 

6) Never been to Bong and don't intend to.

7) Looking at the stocking info shows you have some great areas up there. Killsnake 2000 acres/1120 birds. Kettle Moraine north unit 5200/2740. Adell 76/200. Holland 215/220. Brillion 1300/800. Eldorado 2800/1640. Sheboygan Marsh 700/720. Maybe they get hammered. So do some of places I hunt. Yes I'm probably blessed to have a few more spots to try but there has to be some birds left out of those thousands of birds-hunters don't get them all. It's a lot of hard work. 

8) Again I totally agree some birds should be planted to the north late but there are certainly some birds out there leftover to pursue.

Sorry for the long post-good luck hunting and off I go with my beloved companion. 

buffalohunter 

Maybe you aren't a DNR representative

You sure sound like it

Disinformation is the name of the  game

Where exactly are all of these wonderful family opportunities and pheasants to be found? The south half of the state or the Bong DNR Pheasant Ranch? 

Come north of Sheboygan and work up a sweat on a hunt. 

Probably not

Too much like our president going to the southern border?

See you at the spring DNR meetings.  

Merry Christmas(?) to you too!

Good morning fellow pheasant hunters. Just a couple points regarding stocked pheasnats. Thank you to the DNR for their stocking efforts. Over 75,000 birds stocked. Amazing and allows many of us the chance to make unreal memories with our family friends and our beloved dogs.

There are many many pheasants left to pursue. In fact more than many of you would believe. Here are my suggestions to find pheasants.

1) Hunt the other hunters. Then hunt where they don't. 

2) Use OnX to find potential areas. Way in back corners. I like to find little Honey Hole spots that no one else hunts.

3) Find private/public edges. Many birds feed/louge in private stubble fields and lounge around in thick ditches or fencelines. They return to public land to roost.

4) Don't hunt grass fields. Hunt the nastiest cover available. Willows, tamarack swamps, shrub thickets.

5) If you are not sweating you are not working hard enough. I always tell my wife that I had another good stress test today.

6) Explore-drive around. I went to two publics yesterday I have never hunted. Saw 9 roosters. Got one and got close to 4-5 more 

shots. I saw no other man tracks where I hunted. There were hunters in all the parking lots on this public. The one place I found was a public private edge. I was on three tracks in 20 yards. No parking lot - parked along the road.

7) I saw 24 roosters in one large section this week.  That is the truth-you can choose to not believe if you want. Many of those roosters are darn near impossible to get. They just keep running ahead and then eventually fly. Last year my nephew had his gps tracker on and we took one rooster 700 yards before we finally got.

8) Some of us do not chase the stocking trucks. We just hunt. My dog and me and family and friends are at 30 roosters. Not over possession limit. Eat often and share some. We do not hunt every day. I usually hunt alone-the way I like it. Couple hunts with son and other family.

In conclusion, there are way more roosters left than some of you think-if you're willing to work to find them. Get out and put the miles on walking and exploring. Nothing like harvesting a beautiful rooster with your dog and see it laying in the snow.

Happy hunting

Ran across this article regarding the holiday hunt scheduled stocking areas.

https://www.nbc15.com/2022/12/16/dnr-announces-it-will-stock-2800-pheasants-2022-hunting-season/

I live southern wi, am within a half hour of 2 public lands where birds are released, the closer is a very small acreage, the other is a sizeable acreage.  I hit them both a few times a year when I can after work or on weekends, both always offer some oppurtunity, certainly worth their time.  The larger will hold birds throughout the season and does have the holiday planting.  I find the dnr's efforts worthwhile and it gives the dog good work.