Like many of you, I’m an avid deer hunter in the fall, and I love pursuing turkeys in the spring. But I enjoy all types of hunting, I just don’t have the time to take it all in, especially during the months of September, October and November.
Because of my job as an outdoor writer/editor, I occasionally have the chance to hunt various species across the country, and these are typically guided trips. If I’m being honest, I’d much rather take part in a DIY deer or turkey hunt on public or permission property close to home with family and friends than pursue these species with an outfitter. To me, the best part of a deer or turkey hunt is the chess match, and this is lost when I’m simply following a guide’s instructions.
There is one species, however, that I would much rather pursue with a guide than on my own — pheasant. Through the years, I’ve taken part in many DIY pheasant adventures with buddies, from my home state of Minnesota down to Nebraska, and we’ve had some good hunts. But if I’m being honest, the vast majority of the hundreds of miles we walked resulted in little to no action. And because none of my friends ever owned a spectacular bird dog, the shots we did get were often at the very end of our reasonable range.
In my opinion, pheasant is the No. 1 species where going through an outfitter makes the biggest impact. Yes, the cost will be high. That said, you’re paying for much more than a top-notch lodge and meals. What your money is really going toward is the property, which is heavily managed for pheasants (below), plus the guides and their amazing dogs.
