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Upland Bird Hunting This Winter

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Man and yellow lab pheasant hunting in the snow.
For those willing to contend with the cold, snow and wind, many public areas are wide open for pheasants, quail and prairie grouse hunting in the winter. Photo by Eric Fowler, Nebraskaland Magazine.

By Julie Geiser

Winter is an ideal time for upland hunting. Some hunters don’t want to battle the cold and snow, leaving many public areas wide open for you to chase pheasants, quail and prairie grouse.

Although hunting in the early mornings can mean cold temperatures and sometimes snow and wind, hunters can play the elements in their favor.

On cold early mornings, birds may sit a little tighter, and will move a little slower to get into fields to feed. Add snow and wind into that mix, and you’ll have a tight-sitting bird, half-tamed by the cold until they are triggered by the flush.

Keep your dog a little closer to help find snow-ridden birds. Hunters should try walking in a zig-zag pattern across the field to cover more area. If hunting with a partner, keep the distance between each other a little closer than you normally would to help find sitting birds. Always abide by safe zones of fire when shooting (with two hunters, each zone-of-fire is about 45 degrees directly in front of them).

Use the wind to your advantage, and let it mask the noise you make by walking into the wind. Be quiet when pushing through a field. Minimal talking or yelling at dogs will help keep birds sitting tight.

Hunt areas where there are agricultural crops, natural grasses, forbs, brush and wildlife plantings. Many public hunting areas offer these features. Open Fields and Waters sites have many excellent areas for walk-in hunting — from corn or wheat stubble to rolling hills. Wildlife management areas, managed by Nebraska Game and Parks, have habitat specifically for wildlife and are walk-in accessible to hunters.

Here’s my list of WMAs to hunt upland birds this winter:

  • Sherman Reservoir WMA, Sherman County – 3,180 acres
  • Davis Creek WMA, Valley and Greeley counties – 2,450 acres
  • Sacramento-Wilcox WMA, Phelps County – 2,320 acres
  • Medicine Creek WMA, Frontier County – 7,487 acres
  • Red Willow WMA, Frontier and Red Willow counties – 5,278 acres
  • Pressey WMA, Custer County – 1,579 acres

For a complete listing of all public walk-in areas, including WMAs, Open Fields and Waters sites and more, pick up a copy of the Public Access Atlas, available online at OutdoorNebraska.gov, at sporting goods vendors or Game and Parks offices.