OutdoorNebraska

December 2019 • Nebraskaland 27 Meduna favors hunting marsh pheasants in January. By then, the birds are concentrated, wetlands are iced-over and accessible, and most other hunters, his competition, have put away their guns for the season. "Hunting is ideal with about three to five inches of fresh snow, which makes for great tracking conditions," Meduna said. "With more snow, hunting can be a lot of work, and with less snow, tracking can be difficult." With fresh snow, Meduna will hunt any time of day. If the snow is old, however, he prefers to hunt in the afternoon on sunny days. Letting the sun melt away old tracks, he can concentrate solely on fresh tracks that may end in a flush. Also, on nice afternoons he often finds pheasants loafing in cover next to weed patches or crops, and these birds are less spooky than when actively feeding. When tracking birds in snow, Meduna prefers to hunt alone. "It's too hard to coordinate with more than one person when tracking, and one person can keep quiet," he said. "Stealth is key to pheasant hunting. When tracking birds, you learn just how smart pheasants are. Nearly every bird you flush has run some, moving from the spot where they first realize someone is after them. Big groups of hunters, or those making noise, push the birds ahead, often flushing them out of range. When hunting quiet, birds will hold better." Meduna also uses strategy when tracking pheasants. For example, he will often walk through dense cover "to push the birds out," then moves over 100 yards or so and walks it back in the opposite direction to pick up the fresh tracks of birds he sent running. He also watches where flushed roosters land and moves quickly to the spot. "The second time they are pursued they will run less before flushing again, and the third time even less," he said. "Pheasants lack the muscle strength for long flights. Basically you can wear them down and eventually get close for a shot." In addition, he can distinguish rooster tracks from hen tracks: the former are larger and more widely spaced when a bird is running, and he wastes no time trailing the latter. The lean Meduna strongly recommends being in shape if planning to chase marsh pheasants. "Most hunters avoid the dense cover because it is too difficult to walk, but that's often where the birds are," he said. To ready himself for the hunting season, Meduna runs once or twice a week during the summer. As fall and big game seasons approach, he walks two miles three times a week carrying a backpack filled with 50 pounds of lead shot. As a final hunting tip, Meduna emphasized not giving up on hunting in late winter. "I always try to hunt on the last day of the season just to show that the public marshes still hold birds," he said. "A few of those days I have even gotten my limit." Tracking Tips Rooster tracks exiting a marsh.

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