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Snow Birds

Snowy Pheasant Tracks
Snowy Pheasant Tracks

With snow in the forecast last night, and looking to escape the indoor office thing, I snuck in a quick bird hunt this morning.  This was the first halfway decent snow in my hunting area since I was sidetracked by the November rifle deer season.  And as most bird hunters know a new snow on a landscape where there wasn’t any before is a wonderful thing (First Snow).

With a chill in the air and snow underfoot, Carrot, my diminutive French-Brit and I hit the first field with some excitement.  One of the many reasons I like fresh snow is that you don’t have to over think the hunt.  By the middle of December roosters have developed all sorts of tricks to avoid those of us that chase them. But new snow seems to help reduce the options and birds often resort to simply hunkering down and holding tight.

Snow on the Landscape
Snow on the Landscape

Follow the dog!  This is good advice for most bird hunters in many situations.  With snow-bound birds this is even more important.  I was doing just that when Carrot hit a hard “Right Here!” type of point.  I walked towards her, stopping occasionally to kick through the grass.  I was less than 10 foot from her, but Carrot’s intensity left little doubt there was something there.  When the colorful explosion of feather and cackled-curses erupted my morning had already been made  – not even 10 minutes into the field.

Snowy Day Rooster
Snowy Day Rooster

With some free time on the calendar I hope to be following my pup to even more adventures with these wily roosters.

hershy

About Aaron Hershberger

Aaron "hershy" Hershberger is an Outdoor Education Specialist with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. He loves being outdoors. When not outdoors he is day-dreaming about being outdoors and/or whining that he is not outdoors. Hershy has been a Hunter Education Instructor, in two states, for nearly three decades & a Bowhunter Education Instructor for over 20 years.

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