Here in South Dakota, our bird numbers are bouncing back, but that does not necessarily mean easy pickins for hunters. Unless you frequent preserves or commercial operations that release tame, pen-raised pheasants — birds I jokingly refer to as colorful chickens — you had best be fully prepared.
Wild pheasants do not lead an easy life, nor are they willing to give it up to you just because you showed up in your pretty orange hunting outfit. Put simply, they are not impressed with what you wear or your dog’s pedigree and expensive training. Wild birds face any number of challenges on a daily basis, and, quite frankly, human hunters are one of the least deadly.