Great work. The only thing worse than crunchy snow is after it melts and you get 10 pounds of mud sticking to your boots as you walk the fields. Still a blast!! Kudos!!
Thanks fidius. I spent a lot of years hunting without a dog. I estimate my shot & recovered pheasants would be about 15% without him, given equal hunting time. They just never cease to amaze me.
Easy peazy. 🤣🤣 Every step was a struggle, but it all payed off. That was one hunt where my snow shoes would've been pretty helpful, hindsight being what it is.
Sometimes a guy has to keep working the plan, birds flying and running out the other end but keep moving forward! Paid off with a double!! nice hunt Brent, awesome retrieves by Ace!
Very true. I'll say this here on your reply. You & Brent are the two most consistent 1 shot drops of all the guys I watch. Is it good shooting or good editing?
@@KingsOutdoorLife I appreciate that, we all miss though, I do share some of my misses. I’ve shot a quite a bit over the years, trap etc. and I think hunting ruffed grouse a lot has helped, quick instinctive shots sometimes is all you get at those birds. I edit some for sure and show some as well, but I’m thankful to God for any shooting ability I have. Brent holds that iron of his very well I agree.
I have watched many of your other videos but had somehow missed this one. Enjoy every one! That snow looked awful deep in spots. Ace retrieved like a rock star on those 2 great shots you made. How old is Ace? And the comment about your vest, I don’t understand how those things get somehow smaller from year to year! Best to you in the New Year!
Thanks for the kind words. That hunt required nearly maximum effort on my part. I'm thinking the snow was 18" minimum, with many places more than that. To this day, I'm pleased with that pair of roosters, although I feel like I kind of deserved a 3rd one to stick around & wait for me. Ace will be 5 in April, so we're just finishing up his 5th season. He & I have just had an absolute blast together!
I live in Mn but hunt mostly in SD where I grew up in the 60’s. Love to walk and watch the dogs work but can’t do the deep snow any more. So I watch you young fellas and remember. My Llewelyn setter is 15 1/2 now and slipping fast. Last season was probably her last, but the memories will always be with me. I will never understand how a good gun dog can track and find those birds. What a gift they are! @@lilbrowhydaw
@@terryhanson2736 They're truly incredible. I love everything about pheasant hunting, but the pinnacle is when my dog does something so incredible that my head spins.
Brent, nice shooting with perfect lead. That Ace is a champ. Late season birds are a challenge, especially in WPA. What do you wear for footgear? I like a high gortex boots and put on gators to keep the snow out of the top.
Thanks Doug. I just wear a 10" Goretex boot. They were just discontinued, but I've got a reserve pair. Irish Setter Elk Tracker 885. Best boot I've had. I don't have trouble with snow getting in, so no gaiters. Just long Johns. Not the old white kind, but nothing much fancier.
Nice strategy! I was wondering how you were going to get the two roosters trudging through the squeaky snow and then deal with phragmites. I hate the stuff.
Watching the video, it's almost painful how slow going it was. The strategy worked, but I think the biggest part might've been there were 2 birds around that were significantly dumber than the others.
This will be a hard winter on these tough birds. Hopefully a normal spring without much flooding will help the hatch. Does Noem still have her predator program going? Seemed to bring in some coyotes.
I've been shooting mostly BOSS bismuth recently, simply because Kent (which I've shot for years, happily) won't do 4's in bismuth for 16 ga. However, the day of this hunt, I was using some of my old Kent Tungsten Matrix 1-1/4 oz 5's. I still have a few handfuls of them & wanted my snottiest loads possible late this season. I tried Golden Pheasant years ago & it simply would not kill in my Sweet 16. For whatever reason, it doesn't pattern worth a crap in my gun, which doesn't stand to reason with the nickel plated shot. But for whatever reason Fiocchi High Velocity, with standard lead, kills much better for me & is my go-to lead load. They've varied its name over the years - High Velocity, Field Dynamics, Optima Specific, & probably other things. But the SKU hasn't changed. 16HV5. I've pleaded with the guys at BOSS to do a 1200-1300 fps 1-1/8 oz bismuth load in 16. I know 4's would fit in the hull, but they just won't do it. I wish I still had time to load my own, but I just don't these days.
@@lilbrowhydaw I use the Golden Pheasant #5 shot with a modified choke and have done well in the past. Remington Express 16 gauge #4 does not pattern very well in my gun, but #6 shot does.
Nice strategy! I was wondering how you were going to get the two roosters trudging through the squeaky snow and then deal with phragmites. I hate the stuff.
