Calender may change, season stays open

• Pheasant

North Dakota Game and Fish Department Courtesy Photo Turning the calendar from November to December, however, doesn’t have to signal the end of great pheasant hunting.

Talk about it

October is a sort of early Christmas present for those of us who like to spend as much time as possible on the outside of the window. Hunting seasons for just about everything are open, and fall fishing can be just as hot as summer, but without humidity and mosquitoes.

Turning the calendar from November to December, however, doesn’t have to signal the end of great pheasant hunting.

Fact is, the opening weeks of pheasant season draw the heaviest hunting interest. As the weeks wear on, some rooster hunters call it a season. Others may view the close of deer season as the end of hunting and the time to get ready for ice fishing whenever the ice is ready.

Then there’s the late-season rooster hunting, which for at least a few folks is the time to start pheasant hunting for the year when fields are less crowded. Of course, others view the close of deer season as a reason to get back out after pheasants, and still others keep going from beginning to end.

Working the odds on December pheasants

If you’ve never hunted roosters toward the end of the season, understand that these birds have been hunted for several weeks, and they’ll probably be a little jumpy compared to opening weekend. If CRP fields fill with snow, birds may take cover in slough bottoms or shelterbelts near a food source.

When choosing a shotgun, some veteran hunters who prefer a 20-gauge earlier in the season commonly switch to a 12-gauge and use shells with larger pellets because of the perception that late-season shot ranges are longer than those typically encountered in October.

Whether shot ranges change all that much from early to late is a good topic for coffee shop conversation. What is true, however, is that larger shot sizes are better for taking pheasants cleanly, and it doesn’t matter if it’s early or late.

Across the state, many national wildlife refuges open for limited upland game hunting — including pheasants, grouse and partridge — the day after deer gun season closes, which is also after most migratory waterfowl have left the state. This year the refuges open on Monday, Nov. 26.

Over the years U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel have worked diligently to increase hunting opportunities on the state’s many refuges after waterfowl migrations and seasons have passed. Each refuge has specific regulations, including open and closed areas. Don’t let the specific regulations deter you. Refuge staffs are more than happy to explain regulations and might even offer a tip or two along the way.

To learn more about late season NWR hunting opportunities, contact your local wildlife refuge or Fish and Wildlife Service office, or logon to the Game and Fish Department website at gf.nd.gov.

And similar to a warm October hunt, you’d be well served to bring a cooler along, but this time of year you’ll want to keep the birds from freezing. If you’ll be field dressing the birds, be sure to leave proper identification as required by law.

Pheasant, grouse and partridge seasons are open through Jan. 6, 2013, so there’s still plenty of time to get out there and enjoy what the late season offers.

Leier is a biologist. He can be reached by email: dleier@nd.gov

Tags: doug leier, outdoors, column, hunting