While some hunters may prefer to hunt alone, many find the aid of a professional guide service an invaluable resource. The guides spend every day tracking and observing these animals so when pheasant season comes around they can best aid a hunter in limiting out on his fowl. Many services also offer a number of customizable amenities to the hunter looking for a bit of a respite in the evenings after a long day of hunting.
Professional pheasant hunting guide services area available all over the country and are experts at what they do. Especially for the hunter traveling away, these guides often know the terrain and climate and it's effect on the fowl better than anyone else in the area. A quality guide service is well worth the money they charge. A hunter should do his research to find the service that is just what he is looking for. The prices vary greatly depending on what the service offers; some offer the full package including, lodging, home cooked meals, air and ground transportation, bird dogs, cleaning of birds, shotgun shells, and licenses. The hunter shouldn't be alarmed if this seems overwhelming though, the guide service is often able to customize each hunter's package to give him exactly what he is looking for.
Many guide services limit the number of hunters they will take out in a group. For the sake of safety and one on one attention, the average is usually two hunters per guide, although a third hunter will often be allowed providing the hunters are well versed in safety and proper firearm use. Also, if your hunt package comes with the use of hunting dogs, the guide will be responsible for them. It is important to also ask whether you are paying for the number of birds released, or per person; many hunters choose to hunt alone with the guide if paying by the bird.
For the hunter who doesn't want the assistance of a guide on his hunt, yet wants all the amenities they offer, many guide services offer a self-guided hunt. Popular in North and South Dakota, these services will provide lodging and excellent hunting land for the hunter to use, without the guide to accompany him. Guide services often have arrangements with local landowners for just such services. Because of the income provided to the landowner for this purpose, they are often able to leave fields with leftover crop and vegetation to be used as cover for pheasants, thus providing habitat and excellent hunting conditions for the sportsmen come hunting season. Whichever the hunter chooses, doing a little research will provide the hunter with a plethora of information regarding pheasant hunting guide services.