Fort Collins Pheasant Hunting

[Steve Gray]

I moved here form South Dakota a few years ago and just starting to get settled in to upland game birds again. I don't expect the same numbers as SoDak, but it there any places around Fort Collins that's within an hour drive that's decent? I know a lot of people say go east towards Sterling, but that's a long drive for a quick saturday morning trip. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[LongWayAround]

I've been here for three years. I can count the number of pheasants I've seen on one hand.

I'll be taking the dog east as soon as I'm done hunting deer and elk.

 

[JWP58]

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Atlas

Small game walk in access areas would be a good place to start. Im sure you know this, but honey holes take years to discover/figure out. But maps like the linked help get you started.

 

[lcneo2112]

Out east there are quite a few walk on access areas some are small and hard to find the key is to get the right CPWD maps

 

[Cantharellus]

Not a ton of pheasants within an hour of FoCo. There are some small areas to the east that have some birds, but they're real scarce. I'd rather drive an hour into the mountains to look for grouse than walk around and never see a pheasant.

 

[5MilesBack]

Back in the 80's there was a farm not far from Wellington that I used to find a few birds on, but these days it's probably a strip mall now. Back then, there was absolutely nothing commercial east of I-25 around there. Used to shoot a ton of geese though east of there. Back then my honey hole for pheasant was in the SE corner of Colorado. My dad seemed to know every single farmer down there.

 

[COlineman78]

I have only been up near the NB border on private and in NB. I'd be scouring the maps for public land up in the north-east corner of the state. Also keep your eyes open for quail as you will see a lot up there too and are just as fun if not more so to shoot.

I'd stick with goose and duck hunting if you want to be close to FC.

 

[LongWayAround]

I'd stick with goose and duck hunting if you want to be close to FC.

So would I if I could afford a lease. I have close to 10dz decoys in the shed that rarely get set...