Solo hunt yields elusive rooster

Longtime pheasant hunting enthusiast Roger Hoekstra of Manchester provides the following account of his successful pursuit of a rooster last weekend through the fresh snow that blanketed northeast Iowa:

After a beautiful 7-inch blanket of snow fell on northeast Iowa over the weekend, my experience told me today could be a perfect day to hunt our Iowa ringneck pheasant.

I called and received permission to hunt land that I have walked for over 35 years, and arrived there right at 8 a.m. I walked half a mile to where the grassy draw begins, then headed south along the cover while a light dusting of snow floated softly to the ground around me.

After going nearly a mile I came upon fresh pheasant tracks. I followed them for another half mile, and suddenly to my right and about 75 yards away, a big, beautiful rooster exploded into the air and cackled loudly as he flew off north toward the area from which I had just come.

Knowing a "bird in the hand is better than two in a bush,, I gave up the plan to walk the rest of the cover to the south and instead went after the just-flushed rooster. About a quarter mile back north I came upon fresh pheasant tracks, and began to slowly follow them into the heavy cover.

After going only 25 yards or so, a big, bold rooster rocketed back into the air, heading due south in a large, looping arc. The first shot of #6s from my Remington 1100 hit him low and near the tail, but my second shot folded him cleanly and he plummeted from the air, bouncing once on the snow before coming to a halt.

I hastened from the horseweeds after the bird , and was shocked when the rooster suddenly rolled over and streaked back to the draw. I followed his tracks and drops of blood for a good 50 yards, then I saw the tracks go into a dense patch of bent over grass and bushes.

I checked the other side of the cover for tracks, but none exited. I knew the bird had hunkered down somewhere under the cover, and now I had to find him.

Taking my time, I stomped the cover down, hoping to feel a "bulge or bump" under foot, indicating I had found my bird. After tromping around for nearly 10 minutes, and flattening virtually all the cover, I finally felt a bump under my right foot.

Peeling back the grass I spotted the feathers of my first rooster pheasant of 2010, and reached into the cover and lifted him out. I hung the rooster on my belt carrier, unloaded my gun, and with a smile on my face, started my three-quarter mile walk back to my car. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful day, and I had another memory to add to my hunting diary.