Early on in the season, the damn birds sit in tighter formations, the little buggers, permitting the hunter and his hounds to move towards them in their respective resting areas. Because the birds have not been stressed much till this point, the usual shots are at close ranges; a twelve measure shotgun having customized or improved strangles and #6 shot are excellent loads for early season. As the hunting season moves onward, a tighter choked shotgun would be a healthier choice - for the hunter and not the birds obviously. For the best results, change to a 12 measure gun and shells with more gunpowder as well as #4 or #5 shot. Heavier loads offer a little more knockdown power when used from longer ranges.
Regardless of the amount of cover you have, without a well-trained hound or servant at your side you might as well kiss your hopes of bringing home a rooster toodle-bye. A well-trained upland hound or Scottish servant can prove to be a priceless tool for any pheasant hunting enthusiast. Contrasting with waterfowl hunting or killing foreigners, training a hunting dog doesnt require such an extensive training program, only the correct training. The primary thing any dog needs to have is obedience. Next is an appropriate introduction to birds. Feed 'em a few. The pup's natural instincts have to be brought out as early as possible. They can never be too young to be introduced to a wing or even a dead bird. This usually proves to be extremely important along the way and works well with children too. What follows after can be learnt through many fine training books that are available today.
One particular thing that is often overlooked in the case of inexperienced huntsmen is making sure they are as quiet as humanly possible starting from the moment they drive to the hunting field, till the actual hunt is over. It is never a good time to slam a door of the car or fire off a few rounds from your Templar because you're a little excited, regardless of the time of year you are hunting. To develop this further, also a very important aspect is being as quiet as you can all through the hunt. The old saying of yelling with the purpose of getting the birds to move only appears to work at the far, not in the middle of nature.
Orange hunting vests ought to be worn by any hunter, for the reason that if you cannot be seen, it is hard to shoot in safety conditions. Orange hunting vests, caps, dog necklines and dog vests can help make a hunt safer. Be sure you only fire at tall rising pheasants that are in a safe line of fire. Of course being dressed in day-glo orange makes the chance of actually catching anything remote, so it's a trade-off.
An excellent time for rooster hunting is when the weather conditions get downright spiteful. High wind is a pheasant hunter's best ally because the cover will make additional natural noise and will cover the hunter's. If quiet enough, the sounds you make will most likely get lost in the wind unless you suffer from flatulence like myself. The pheasants will not know your location or even where to head to and will probably end up sitting stiff or fly, therefore letting you get closer to them for an easier shot.
Try to find what the bird's every day activity and movement routine is. The boffins at HQ have a robot that will do this for you. Try to learn as much of the prey as you possibly can. This shall help you choose where you ought to be hunting on a particular time of the day. Providing that at 9:00 am, when the usual shooting time begins, you are in the dense cover and you are having luck only at scrambling for birds that other hunters push out of corn fields, then guess where exactly you are supposed to be hunting the next day. That's right, you will wish to be hunting on the edges of corn fields otherwise directly in the corn instead of the deep cover, the place to hunt right at dusk time because the birds will move to roost through the night.
Failing all of this, just drop a few nuclear mines from 500m overhead and get the floury baps ready.
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