Nebraskaland Magazine
I hope everyone reading this got to spend some time outdoors this past weekend. Because it was a great extended-weekend to be out. I got to see pictures of successful waterfowl hunts, archery deer hunts and even got to add some of my own rooster harvest photos.
Due to several reasons (mainly food, football and family) my excursions were pretty short-lived – an hour here, a couple hours there. I probably spent more time driving than I did walking behind my spaniels. By this time of the season I am usually looking for spots that have been overlooked by most other bird hunters. Some of these require a bit more driving. However, from what I experienced this past weekend there are several overlooked spots this year.
What I encountered was more birds than I expected and shocked by how willing they were to hold tight for the dogs and me. I had some of the best dog work of the year over the weekend because of it. All of it on land open to public hunting, too. I was so shocked at one point on Saturday morning, after running into five roosters in less than 30 yards from the truck, that my son and I walked back to reread the public hunting sign to make sure we were in the right spot.
Every public access area we tried this past weekend had birds on it. Each area we had to ourselves, too, except for one very large area. By choice I avoided the areas where roosters were released for the thanksgiving weekend, so these were all wild birds. My best guess is these roosters are enjoying the misconception that there are no pheasants around. Oh, and I finally caught up with a bobwhite, too, when my springer Pip found a good-sized covey out in the open.
The birds are out there…are you?
hershy
