One excellent pheasant hunt

[esheato]

Picture this: The day after Thanksgiving. Overcast day in Northern California. It's drizzling off and on all day long. My two younger brothers set up a pheasant hunt at the local game farm. Twenty birds total.

I went out early in the morning and shot a few rounds of skeet, but boxed up the Browning O/U in favor of the Mossberg pump due to the rain. We rendezvoued at our field in the afternoon as our birds had just been planted. The dog handler and his two German shorthairs met up with us and it was obvious they were anxious to work. Lock and load, it was time to make some memories.

We crossed the field at least 7 times searching out the birds. A few doubles and one fantastic triple presented themselves. Lots of single birds and we took turns bringing them down. It was an absolute joy to watch the dogs work. Every time the dogs went on point, the heart quickened a bit. It doesn't get much better than that.

All in all, we lost 3 birds. The dogs couldn't find them, and we gave up as the sun was setting. A great experience and good shooting by all. All of our freezers are full of birds. Time to warm up the smoker and have a get together.

 

[12-34hom]

Is this what's refered to as a "Canned Hunt"?

Were the pheasants shown raised in pens?

What were the typical ranges that most of your shots were taken at?

12-34hom.

 

[esheato]

Yes, it was "canned." Pen raised birds and all but a few had lackluster tails.

The birds were planted in the field mere minutes before we started the hunt...

Typical ranges really depended on the dogs. Anywhere from 10 yards to about 35. Needless to say, we weren't using very powerful loads...2 3/4 12 gauge with 7 1/2s. I even went down to a 20 gauge shooting 1 ounce 7's and took them down. The pen raised birds aren't the most resilient things, but they'll taste just the same.

esheato...

 

[grampster]

You ought to try huntin' ringnecks in S. Dakota. Those birds have kevlar feathers. Shot one once and knocked all the feathers completely off'n him and he gave me the bird and flew into the corn. My partner and I shot another rooster about 6 times each, as he kept falling and jumping and flyin', when he finally dropped the last time, we picked the rooster up and swung him around by the neck about 10 times and put 'im in the game bag. When we got back to the truck about an hour later, the pheasant jumped out of the bag, ran down the road and lifted off and flew away.
Now that is pheasant huntin',



grampster

 

[Covey Rise]

Preserve Birds = Please God More Habitat for Wild Birds

I normally shoot preserve birds with 1 1/8oz #8's, and never had one get away and the meat is never ruined.

Went to Kansas opening day, had in above round for expected quail covey, my Pointer goes on point, one second later a big rooster gets up, and I nail him at about 35 yards, he didn't even break wing beat, it was like he was just shrugging off some rain drops or something.

Next stop I have in my Pheasant Killer Reloads, Buffered #5's, pointer goes down on point, Covey of quail run/flush 30 yards ahead, pull trigger, bird escapes through hole in pattern somehow at 40 yards.

That's why I like Wild Bird hunting, Preserve hunting is more like killin. Anyway the birds in KS are decent this year, 8 roosters adn 15 quail for 5 hunters on opening day, should have had more roosters but the blockers couldnt shoot for ????. heheh

 

[Dave McCracken]

Sounds like a great day for all. A couple small things...

Preserve shooting,IMO,isn't quite hunting. I've done both, enjoyed both greatly, but there is a difference. The difference is the birds.

Pen raised birds are to a wild Ringneck as your Thanksgiving dinner is to a ridgetop boss with a 9" beard.

The load and choke I used last time for preserve birds was an oz of 7 1/2s through a Skeet Choke.

My old Ringneck whacker of 1 1/4 oz of 6s or 5s is overkill on preserve birds, but I'd use it on wild ones through a Modified Choke or Full.Wild birds can soak up hits like Marciano and keep on getting up.

I'm not knocking preserve shooting. It's all some of us have, it can be done ethically and as I said before, it's great fun. But it is different...

 

[esheato]

Don't get me wrong, it was most definitely different than hunting any animal in the wild. It did feel like killing rather than hunting, but it was still better than work or sitting around the house.

BTW, grampster, that's a pretty amazing story. Thanks for sharing.

esheato...

 

[Dave McCracken]

The best part about it was the company, I venture to guess. Enjoy....

 

[Jaegermeister]

Completely unimpressed with canned hunt

Hunting pheasants on a preserve is on the same level as shooting tame pigeons. I think it is best for corporate executives bored with golf who want a "manly outdoors outing."

For a REAL hunt, try public land in northeast Nebraska or northwest Iowa that has been rampaged by experienced hunters with quality dogs.

After a few weeks, the roosters sit on top of hills or move to places only the fittest hunters would hike in. There are some huge areas of grass out here enrolled in CRP-MAP.

I guess life is different in California. We have something here called the Midwestern work ethic.

I hope you at least cleaned those dodo birds yourself and eat what you "hunted."

 

[12-34hom]

Jag, i understand what your saying, but maybe a little harsh???

If he could hunt those types of birds i'm sure he would be.

12-34hom.

 

[Covey Rise]

I agree harsh world Jaeg

Some people only have preserves now, since wild birds are getting harder to find, and places to hunt are even harder to find. Public hunting can be adventurous and sometimes a pita.

 

[esheato]

It was my FIRST bird "hunt." As McCracken said, it was all about the company anyway.

esheato...

 

[JOE MACK]

Preserve birds

I thoroughly enjoy shooting planted birds with some good friends. It gives me a chance to keep the dog from getting too fat when there's no chance to hunt wild birds. I have family and friends with dairy farms, wheat farms, and ranches in the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Iowa, and Idaho. My first bird was a "wild" ringneck. I've shot "wild" huns, sharpies, B-52s(sage grouse), ringnecks, szechuan, and chukar. I see nothing wrong with tuning up yourself and the dog on some preserve birds, either. As has been said, they taste good, too. Some of the largest preserves are in the "pheasant states" and not all of their birds are wild. Coming from Montana originally, the idea of sitting in a tree for deer is a little strange to me. I won't denigrate it though because it's how it's done there. Thanks for sharing the story, esheato. Hope you find time to do it again.

 

[M. Jager]

esheato,
I can't see anything wrong with what you did. Maybe there are wild pheasants in CA but I have not heard of them. We have a perserve about a mile from my house. I have not hunted there, because I can't justify the cost and can find wild birds to hunt. Those I have talked that have hunted there say it is much like actually hunting, especially if you don't have birds planted and hunt bird that are already running around. This place is rather large though (several hundred acres) so even with planted birds, they rarily find all the birds put out. If I was ever invited on a hunt there I would go in a heartbeat, if nothing else for the chance to work with my aging golden one more time.
Congrats on your outing.
Matt

 

[HSMITH]

The only difference is how far you walked.........

I have personally shot over 300 pheasants, some wild and some planted preserve birds. Over a good solid pointing dog the only difference is how far you walk. Get a Lab and it changes a little but still not a lot.

That sounds like a great hunt and a day I would like to have been in on. Congratulations.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

My brother-in-law took me on a similar hunt (pheasant and chukkar) over the holidays, and it was a lot of fun. I took a pheasant hen and a chukkar--not bad, considering I hadn't hunted in about five years, and was using an unfamiliar shotgun.

As others have said, it was a fun experience, and I'd do it again. Not quite the same as a dove hunt, but better than sitting home and watching TV.

 

[Greybeard]

Type of hunt, birds in the bag (or not) sometimes quite irrelevant if time well spent with friends/family.