Solo hunting upland birds

[AK_Skeeter]

I solo hunt 99% of the time, just me and one of my labs.
Sometimes it can be challenging.
One strategy that has worked well for me is to put the lab in cattails and hustle in front
of the direction the dog is crashing to. If there is a body of water, often it is a swim for the retrieve.

Another strategy that has worked well for me is solo hunting down canyons.
I start by climbing up out of view of a cattail canyon up to the top then cross over to canyon
and put the lab in cattails and push roosters towards the bottom.
Most hunters would start at the bottom only to have the roosters run up canyon,
run out of cover and flush way out of range.


In steep terrain, I've had success letting the lab run way out of range and flushing birds that then
fly down overhead. That worked well on steep avalanche chutes with blue grouse eating mountain ash berries
and with chuckar on super steep slopes.

 

[AntelopeEater]

I wish I had a dog. I go solo upland hunting out in the desert and often get skunked.

 

[AK_Skeeter]

Solo hunting ptarmigan in Alaska is also a function of miles covered.

My strategy is to let the lab hunt out of range (100-200 yards) until the dog gets birdy.

Then whistle sit the dog and move in to find those white chickens.

Ptarmigan are typically low flushers which I do not like...especially Willow Ptarmigan in riparian areas.
Sometimes Rock Ptarmigan on steep slopes give more challenging shooting with the dog way upslope and birds flushing downslope.

Ptarmigan have dark meat similar to sharptails or spruce grouse.
I typically hunt them in August when they are in the alpine berry patches.
A wonderful bird for pup's first upland hunt.

 

[johnnycake]

Solo hunting ptarmigan in Alaska is also a function of miles covered.
View attachment 657160
My strategy is to let the lab hunt out of range (100-200 yards) until the dog gets birdy.
View attachment 657158
Then whistle sit the dog and move in to find those white chickens.

Ptarmigan are typically low flushers which I do not like...especially Willow Ptarmigan in riparian areas.
Sometimes Rock Ptarmigan on steep slopes give more challenging shooting with the dog way upslope and birds flushing downslope.

Ptarmigan have dark meat similar to sharptails or spruce grouse.
I typically hunt them in August when they are in the alpine berry patches.
A wonderful bird for pup's first upland hunt.
View attachment 657157

They make for very challenging wing shooting in the winter. White birds flying low above the cover with a white back drop, and flat white light. Gotta love it!

 

[Macintosh]

Surprised you have pheasants in AK, are those stocked or feral?
I hunt solo a lot, also with a lab. Very different cover a lot of the time, but I do use some of the methods you mentioned, including letting the dog range farther than a flusher is “supposed to”. Sometimes its helpful, sometimes not, but it makes me smile so I keep doing it.

 

[Old Dog]

I wish I had a dog. I go solo upland hunting out in the desert and often get skunked.

I've hunted a lot of upland game without a dog. It is tough.

 

[johnnycake]

Surprised you have pheasants in AK, are those stocked or feral?

Any pheasants you find in AK are dog training escapees for the most part. There is a small population that seems to be sustaining itself around Homer though.

 

[AK_Skeeter]

Surprised you have pheasants in AK, are those stocked or feral?
I hunt solo a lot, also with a lab. Very different cover a lot of the time, but I do use some of the methods you mentioned, including letting the dog range farther than a flusher is “supposed to”. Sometimes its helpful, sometimes not, but it makes me smile so I keep doing it.

We winter in Montana, summer in Alaska...retired and living the dream!
Pheasants are from wild roosters in Montana.

 

[ianpadron]

Looks like you might be just down the road from us up in Kalispell.

I hunt solo most of the time as well but enjoy the occasional buddy hunt, especially with roosters on the menu.

 

[AK_Skeeter]

Last solo rooster of 2023 was a memorable one.
Single rooster saw me and the lab as he was on an abandoned railroad grade.
He flushed at over 200 yards and flew across an entire section.
I knew there was a grazed out pasture at the section line.
So we hustled the mile and immediately put pup in a patch of cattails along the section line.
Rooster popped out and another one in the pack.
Bear spray is always on my pack belt.