It isn’t very often that we get to enjoy a pheasant hunt in well-established native tallgrass prairie in Southeastern Nebraska. We’re not the only ones. In the 1960’s 140,000 hunters bagged about 1.4 million pheasants annually in Nebraska. These days, the annual count is around 50,000 hunters and 200,000 birds (Hendee, Omaha World-Herald, 01/23/11). Speaking to other Nebraska hunters this year from across the state, pheasant numbers this year have been up from recent years past, but obviously nowhere near the level of the mid-20th century.
Our hunt last Saturday was in some amazing habitat on private ground east of Lincoln. It was a cold, windless winter morning, ideal for keeping the roosters held tight in the thick grass. The air was moist and slightly foggy, perfect scenting conditions for the dogs.
The SE Nebraska combination of windbreaks, crop fields and a smattering of prairie.
Nate, the landowner, begins working the fields
Sam and Charles make their way through the big bluestem
We headed east, away from the farmstead, pushing through some thick cover towards a small cattle feedlot. As we neared the break between the prairie ground and the feedlot, Nate saw a flock of hens flush to the north. I saw one rooster fly into a windbreak at least 40 yards out, then Charles and I both saw another rooster spook way out of range. I’ll admit that we were all probably a little too chatty about what we had already seen and not focused on keeping quiet for any other roosters nearby.
The guys thought they had seen a rooster land to the south in a bit of a marshy area, so we pivoted as we came to the feedlot and began to work our way through some tough swamp weeds.
Busting through some weeds
Walking down a waterway
Sam running on the left, Sue visibly pregnant on the right
As we worked our way back west out of the swampy area and into the grassland, the dogs both started acting birdy: retracing their paths with their noses to the ground, Sam sneaking lower to the ground, Sue holding her head high, circling and searching. Finally, Sam’s beeper collar starts to make the loud, sharp beep, telling us that he’s on point. Charles walks right in for a close flush and takes the rooster.
Stay focused! The rooster takes the impact, but unfortunately my auto-focus thought I was taking a picture of that piece of grass
Sam presents the gift
The rooster!
We continued to push southward into the corner of the property, then made our way west, working a treeline on our way.
Checking back in: that’s pregnant Sue on the left with the frosty face
Following the take of the rooster, we worked the field for another hour or so, with no further sightings of pheasant.
Arriving back to the farm
The pose: Nate with Sue, Charles, Sam and the rooster
Bluestem Kennels 