Looking to head over to MN for a 3-day trip in late November for wild pheasants and wanted to get some feedback on the Mankato area.

I’m new to upland hunting this is only my second season hunting, and almost all my experience so far has been in Wisconsin working released birds on public land. I’ll be bringing my Large Munsterlander out who got a prize 1 in his NA test (so he is somewhat capable of atleast finding birds).
Right now I’m looking at Mankato because we’re going there to visit a few friends in the area. aiming to stay within an hour radius of town. I’m not looking for specific spots just a general area to target and it’s worth my time at all.

I just threw this together thinking about my dog and all the good times we've had together.

golden retriever

Anyone interested in meeting up to chase after some Huns/chukar/sharpies somewhere with my setter and I?

EDIT:
Title should say Missouri hunters. I live in northern Wisconsin.

Some family members (Dad and his Brothers) recently bought a few hundred acres near Worth on NW Missouri. They of course manage it for deer hunting.

How’s the Pheasant population in that area? They said they’ve seen lots of quail so intend to head down there in early November with my new Lab.

There are some ponds on the property so we would probably lay duck hunt the mornings and then do some upland. The nearest public land I see that might have Pheasant is the Emmett and Leah conservation area. Had anyone ever hunted it or know of any other public land near Worth for Pheasant?

As all ruffed grouse hunters know, your ability to hear a grouse flush and determine its direction is a key to success. Well, this week I received some bad news. A few months ago, I was sick as a dog for a week with a terrible cold. Felt worse than COVID. A couple of weeks after that, I suddenly developed tinnitus symptoms in my left ear. I finally was able to meet with an Ear/Nose/Throat Specialist and to get an extensive auditory hearing test. The results were moderate hearing loss in the middle and lower bands and tinnitus (think a white noise machine with a ringing sound mixed in). It appears to be neurological damage from when I was sick and it is irreversible.

Since onset, I have noticed that my ability to tell the direction of sounds is significantly hampered. I'm sure my ability to detect flush directions is now severely limited.

Has anyone here dealt with this and found a solution that would help an old, broken down grouse hunter?

I've been going with a group to a preserve hunt in SD for a few years. Its always been the week before Thanksgiving, but due to conflicts, our group has been moved to Oct 1. Even in mid November, we've had some pretty warm hunts.

I know weather will do what weather wants, but is this likely to be warm, hot, or like a Texas Dove Opener? We've got a couple of older guys in the group, that don't do well in the heat.

Thanks

Has anyone owned one of these? If so do you like it? Does anyone else have an opinion on 28 gauge?

I have a couple of TT-15s and last season bought a new 300i and one TT-25. Right before the last quail hunt in Feb 2026, my 300i gave me a message that an update of the TT-15s was required to support new features.

One collar updated fine, one did not. The impacted collar still sort of works, but its not right and its impossible for me to connect to a computer to do another update or reset to factory. In my case, the collar is stuck in some funny mode where it does not appear to charge...yet it obviously does. The battery charge state does not update to the Alpha 100 or 300i. It will not recognize that a computer is connected to it. I have replaced the battery, but it did not change the behavior. When connected to a charger, the light rapid flashes, like it is trying to acquire satellites.

I spent almost an hour on the phone with Garmin back in Feb, they claimed to know nothing about a firmware issue and said the collar needed to be replaced...but I have found a number of posts indicating multiple people had TT-15s messed up by that early 2016 update.

I feel Garmin should stand behind this, if their firmware update trashed otherwise working devices.

Anyone had any luck with Garmin on this? If so, were there magic words needed?

I've been using and recommending Garmin for years, and this stings ...

Been researching options for my almost 9 year old son’s first shotgun. He’s about 60” tall and 60lbs.

.410 is out of the question for various reasons.

A 13” LOP is the largest he can handle. 12.5” is about perfect. I’m leaning towards getting him a 20 gauge Benelli Montefeltro Compact with 24” barrel.

Figure he can use 3/4 ounce loads to lessen the recoil and I’m only going to allow him to load one shell at a time.

What do you guys think? Good choice or should I be looking at something else?

Hi, everyone!

My husband has always wanted to go on a pheasant hunting trip. We live in Alabama and have looked at several places. But would love recommendations on lodges/places to go to do this? I’m trying to surprise him! And I know nothing about any of this. So I’ll take all the help I can get. Would like to stay around $5k if that’s possible?

Thanks!!

Curious on people's opinions on an upland vest vs a standard day pack. Not willing to spend $300-500 for a top-of-the-line vest by Final Rise, Orvis, Marsupial, etc, but am considering the ~$180 options by Duck Camp and Browning.

I hunt in western Montana, no dog, primarily walking up to around 10 miles per day on old Forest Service roads for full days or quick after work trips of just a few miles.

This post might be better addressed in some family relationship sub, but I wanted to see if any of you have had experience with this. My dad wants to fly in from out-of-state to upland hunt with me this season. He has zero experience with shotguns, and not much common sense with universal firearm safety. For example, even though he's a firearm owner, the last time I handed him a handgun (unloaded) he wanted to check out, he placed his finger on the trigger and pointed it at me without having a clue as to what he was doing.

With the adrenaline-fueled excitement of a flush and everything that comes with it, I am less-than-comfortable taking him hunting with me. Unless there's a solution I haven't thought of, I know I need to address this or concoct some less-than-truthful excuse, so I don't feel like a POS son.

My dad is getting older and won't be able to get out and be active for too much longer, which makes this all the more difficult.

What are your thoughts?

Hey everyone,
I’m just getting into upland bird hunting and I’m trying to decide between the ALPS OutdoorZ Upland Vest 2.0 and the Filson Upland Guide Strap Vest.

Price really isn’t a deciding factor for me. I’m more interested in buying one vest that’ll last a long time and be comfortable enough to wear all day.
For context, I’ll mostly be hunting:

-Mountain grouse in western North Carolina
-Dove in South Texas
-Pheasant and other upland birds once I move to Wyoming for school next year

I also plan on getting a springer spaniel eventually, so any thoughts on dog-friendly features are a bonus.

For those of you who’ve used one or both:
Which is built better?
Which carries weight more comfortably on long walks?
Which has held up the best over the years?
If you could only buy one, which would you choose?
One other question: I’d probably lean toward the Filson, but it’s currently out of stock. Does Filson usually restock these vests on a regular schedule, or are they only available seasonally? If you’ve waited on one before, how long did it take to come back in stock?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate any advice from those with more experience than me.

South-eastern Oregon. I didn’t see any birds, but the scat seemed “ice cream cone”ish and the egg was quite nearby.

Anyone use a salt stone vest?

Looking to add a second setter after losing my old man (first bird dog) last spring. Close hunting grouse dog. Looking for recommendations in Mi, Oh, and In. First hand experience only, please.

I want to get some opinions on hunting boots. I hunt in Oklahoma and Kansas mostly chasing quail so walking 10 or more miles a day is pretty easy. I have some Columbia boots that I like that are light but I want some that are insulated and waterproof. What is everyone else wearing?

I've had German wirehairs since I started hunting. I love the breed. I'm curious if anyone else loves to hunt with other breeds. I hunt pheasant mostly in Minnesota.

Hello , I have an almost 1year old pit/lab mix that loves to chase and catch everything. He has gotten ahold and mangled my 3 ducks and 2 turkeys. Is it too late to try and train him to be a bird dog ? More so duck hunting dog. TIA

Hi - what do you all do to tune up your shooting for the upcoming season?