I am a MN hunter headed to the Jamestown are -- actually Judd Gackel area.

I have a few Questions --

!. I will be hunting private land so I am ok, but what about the ditches? I understand they are fair game, even for an out-of-stater -- is that true?

2. I will be shooting a 12-guage and I think I had 6 shot led last year -- does that sound like a good choice?

3. The land owner said he saw a ton -- i mean think birds this spring and summer, but has not seen much of anything now -- is that something to be worried about? I would guess they were in the corn like last year, but we still saw some. Thoughts?

4.We will have four guys and one dog -- what would be the best way to work this?

my guess -- from left to right -- a good shooter, a not the best shooter, me and my dog and another good shooter?

Thanks

Hitman

Gun and shot are purley your preferance.

Where are the birds???? Great question, but when he saw them, there was no grains in the fields, now ready or already harvested. I like to hang out at the buffet too! I vote fields, back to the grasses at night, ask him if he has sat by the grass areas a half hour before sundown, right up to sundown. That is when you will see them come back in.

As for the rules there, go to thier DNR website and get the rule book, or at least the upland section. Everystate has it online. Then make sure to call if you still can't decipher it.

The only thing I can say about how to hunt a property with 4 guys and 1 dog, if your dog quarters good, just make sure you are in the middle. If there are plenty of birds in the area you are hunting, you may want to post one guy and walk with three, you controling your dog in the middle of course.

Good luck

good ideas ... Thanks

anyone else?

1. Don't worry about the ditches if you are hunting good private land.

2. I prefer 5 shot lead. I also prefer a fast load (1500 or so FPS). Federal makes a Pheasants Forever load that is 5 shot, copper-plated lead and is 1550 fps, I believe. I know Scheels has it in your area.

3. They will be in the corn. You will probably have your best luck hunting CRP near the corn in the first and last hours of the day but you will still find birds throughout the day. If the grass is wet or there is a hard frost, look for the birds in tree rows. Pheasants, in my experience, hate to be wet so they will tend to roost under the cover of trees in wet or frosty conditions. If you can find a tree row in a picked bean field, that could be $$$.

4. Don't worry too much about how you line up as long as you are in the middle with the dog. In my experience, you want to hit patches of cattails mixed into the CRP. Surround these with all four guys and let the dog kick up all the birds in the middle.

Hunting the ditches brings up the tresspass issue and is the subject of a lot of threads on FM. IMO it is just about impossible to know whether the ditch you're looking at is huntable since the ownership of the land is very complicated. I guess the easiest answer is that if you have permission to hunt the land you probably can hunt the adjacent ditch. On the other hand if it's a paved road of any sort my guess is that it's public but you have to follow the rules about it in the regs.

Check the ditch rules in ND, rules there are very different than MN. I have used #6 2/3" early in the year with great success as the season progresses I tend to increase the shot size all the way up to #4 3" shells. I really like the Federal PF copper plated loads. I feel I get better penetration, greater density, less deformity and greater down-range momentum. Good luck!

I like the others shoot the copper plated lead from Federal. But note that the PF logo'd box is only a 1 1/4oz load and not 1500fps. For that you need the Scheels exclusive Ultra Pheasant to get the copper plated and they have 1 3/8oz load. I just picked up another case as they were on sale. I shoot the 2 3/4 5 shot.

Thanks for the clarification Muc!

Check your box again the PF logo'd boxes are 1500 fps.

GREAT info -- u guys are getting me pretty pumped up!

thanks

Hitman

GF --

It looks like it is going to be a little rainy this weekend -- that might make it a little tougher. So look for tree lines? I will

Any other thoughts if it is wet?

I guess my two year old boxes of PF are somewhat different. Mine were 1 1/4 oz and 1350fps. The 1 3/8 are 1500 but don't have the PF logo they have a pheasant, but not the PF logo. I haven't bought the 1 1/4oz for two years though, just looked and only 1350. Regardless, now, I will make sure to check the boxes.
Thanks for the heads up 2thepoint! Good info for everyone. I don't want to dispell the bad stuff!

One word............Go dig em out of the cattails. OK, that's more than one word, but why be pickey???

Around my neck of the prairie, the cattails are always a good spot if it's wet outside.

Gortex!


But seriously, after the sun comes out they become more active trying to dry out and feed.

Boiler guy hit that one on the nuts, deffinatly check cattails. standing water might be a bit too much but send your pup in there to see if they are laying low. if it starts to rain check under bigger shrubs, and around edges of fields that might have a small edge of woolds.

shot size is totally up to you, where as the type of gun you have also determines what you use. i have an old gun and can take only 2 3/4 in shells so i use(what i think are the best shells) are fiochii shells, great nock down power and good for a fair distance. shot number i have two shells in my gun first is a 6 then either a couple 5's or 4's personal taste rather.

if you figure out the ditch law, i would be looking for somehting like bean-big ditch (possibly with water) - gravel road(less traffic the better) evenings when they come out to pick gravel they tend to be closer to thier evening roosting spots so they dont have to fly very far, so keep that in mind too.

Good luck stay away from the 10" walleyes