Phil DeJarnatt with his trusty Benelli, birddog Zeke, and a few roosters.
Phil and Matt enjoy a nice late season upland bird hunt, in the beautiful flowing prairies of central Illinois, where fields of warm season grasses flow, with the winter flurries in the air. They strike out to harvest a few wild roosters.
Total harvest for the day; 3 pheasents, 1 rabbit, and 0 doves. ha ha ha(an old joke with friends)
Yes, I said wild. I'm lucky to have a great place to hunt wild birds in the Peoria area, boasting more wild pheasants on this farm than probably the surrounding three counties. It just shows what you can do with patience and the right plan.
Matt Denney; over&under shotgun, birddog Zeke, and days harvest.
On January 9, 2009, my friend Matt Denney, a friend I met, while attending Southeastern Illinois College, a small school in Southern Illinois about an hour east of Carbondale. We majored in Game Preserve Management and Shooting Complex Management. Receiving two associate’s degrees, and a one year internship of hands on learning at a hunting ranch, somewhere in the United States. Ranging from Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Oregon, Kansas, and several others. My internship was in Kansas, Flint Oak, an upland wing shooting/sporting clays ranch. Read my About Me on website www.foodplotphil.Blogspot.com and find out more.
So, he comes and hunts wild pheasants with me, at a good friend’s farm we have been managing for several years, I tell more details about the farm later. With him, he brings his good hunting buddy Zeke, a 2 year old magnificent yellow lab.
Conditions were right, 35 degrees, light wind, and light snow cover. The hunt started off fast seeing 10 birds almost right off the bat. Being late season these birds were flighty to say the least. Having two people and a dog it made it hard to hunt right, and made it hard to use blockers.(a great way to get opportunity when birds jump out of range) We hunted a few hours, probably saw 35 birds, two/thirds hens, which is a good sign for next year. Once we got out of the wide open prairie, and into the thickets and thick fence rows we finally got some birds in shooting range, none of the roosters made it out alive. We ended up harvesting 3 roosters and a rabbit, which made a delicious feast.
Upland birds generally like to hold up in transitional stages of cover, for instance where several kinds of cover intersect. commonly called "edge", a spot where there are grasses, trees, shrubs, or food sources. offering the inhabitants a little bit of everything needed for survival. You want "edge" so you have the most prime areas to hold birds. You want to offer several different things birds need to keep them around. The most important of these needs are; food, water, and cover.
This farm is just a bit over a 100 acres; consisting of probably 70 acres in native warm season grasses, 15 acres of timber, much more timber on neighbors, 4 ponds, and 8 acres of total food plots. Food plots consisting of several smaller plots, 6 acres of milo, great for doves, pheasant, deer, and wild turkeys. 2 acres in deer food plots scattered throughout the landscape; a variety of clovers, alfalfa, turnips, soybeans, and chicory. Offer deer browsing through all seasons. Boasting a healthy deer herd too, This just shows what can be done with a little bit a management help, you too can wing shoot and deer hunt your farms for years to come. Thanks for reading. A special thanks to Mike and his family!
Matt Denney; over&under shotgun, birddog Zeke, and days harvest.
On January 9, 2009, my friend Matt Denney, a friend I met, while attending Southeastern Illinois College, a small school in Southern Illinois about an hour east of Carbondale. We majored in Game Preserve Management and Shooting Complex Management. Receiving two associate’s degrees, and a one year internship of hands on learning at a hunting ranch, somewhere in the United States. Ranging from Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Oregon, Kansas, and several others. My internship was in Kansas, Flint Oak, an upland wing shooting/sporting clays ranch. Read my About Me on website www.foodplotphil.Blogspot.com and find out more.
So, he comes and hunts wild pheasants with me, at a good friend’s farm we have been managing for several years, I tell more details about the farm later. With him, he brings his good hunting buddy Zeke, a 2 year old magnificent yellow lab.
Conditions were right, 35 degrees, light wind, and light snow cover. The hunt started off fast seeing 10 birds almost right off the bat. Being late season these birds were flighty to say the least. Having two people and a dog it made it hard to hunt right, and made it hard to use blockers.(a great way to get opportunity when birds jump out of range) We hunted a few hours, probably saw 35 birds, two/thirds hens, which is a good sign for next year. Once we got out of the wide open prairie, and into the thickets and thick fence rows we finally got some birds in shooting range, none of the roosters made it out alive. We ended up harvesting 3 roosters and a rabbit, which made a delicious feast.
Upland birds generally like to hold up in transitional stages of cover, for instance where several kinds of cover intersect. commonly called "edge", a spot where there are grasses, trees, shrubs, or food sources. offering the inhabitants a little bit of everything needed for survival. You want "edge" so you have the most prime areas to hold birds. You want to offer several different things birds need to keep them around. The most important of these needs are; food, water, and cover.
This farm is just a bit over a 100 acres; consisting of probably 70 acres in native warm season grasses, 15 acres of timber, much more timber on neighbors, 4 ponds, and 8 acres of total food plots. Food plots consisting of several smaller plots, 6 acres of milo, great for doves, pheasant, deer, and wild turkeys. 2 acres in deer food plots scattered throughout the landscape; a variety of clovers, alfalfa, turnips, soybeans, and chicory. Offer deer browsing through all seasons. Boasting a healthy deer herd too, This just shows what can be done with a little bit a management help, you too can wing shoot and deer hunt your farms for years to come. Thanks for reading. A special thanks to Mike and his family!
Warm season grasses, still holding up in January.
Milo dove field/foodplot, provides needed food, and cover.
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