smart hen or

Shadow

Shadow

Banned
was getting ready to head out for a bit of pheasant chasing- 5 hens and 2 roosters were on the edge in the stuff this field has- got the binoculars out-
Red Tail Hawk dove and looked to have caught one- I ran out the door and where it was- it took off and another was circling- looked arround carefully- found some feathers but no pheasant-

walking back- what do I see- a hen in the tree- go get my camera- take a picture- move in close- took this

now was this the one the hawk hit- 1/2 hour later it was still as this- Britt's of course were watching- smart hen to get up off the ground- or not so smart- what do you think


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That is a very smart hen. This is probably an older wise hen with "woodwise" experience with escaping from predators.

I would say this hen pheasant in the past witnessed a hawk catch a pheasant in open country before and realized that the tree offered her a safe place. In addition, this smart bird also realize that it was safer with letting you get close to take a picture than flying off and getting picked off by the hawk.

A Red Tail Hawk would not approach a thick branch tree where the hen is located, the hawk would probably brake its wing.

This is the kind of hen we need to protect to pass those wise, wary and predator alert genes on to the next generation.
 
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I too would suggest she's a smart one. Shadow, thanks for sharing your tales from pheasant country. Sure wish this stuff was happening in my back yard!!
 
I was at a Hunt Test last week, and a rooster did the same thing. He was flushed from the course, but missed by the gunner... flew out over the field, almost to the middle of all the vehicles, banked hard, then grabbed a spot in a tree. Sucker was up there a good hour by the time we left, and not looking to be moving any time soon.
 
I have seen this several times!! Heard all this cackling going on and looked over to see a Rooster fly with a Hawk on it's tail! That Rooster buried himself in a group of 3 bushy trees about 6 feet off the ground and the hawk landed at the top of the tree!!!! The Rooster carried on with the cackling for about 30 seconds and the hawk realized he had no shot and flew off!!! This year I saw 4 Roosters about 20 feet off the ground in a tree looking like Turkey's!!!!
 
hard to see the 2 roosters- group sort of has stuck around for some time now- could be something to that getting in a tree when the hawks are around- wonder if hunters actually look up in trees

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No doubt the pheasants go into trees to get away from predators. I've seen pheasants in trees fairly often. Those few pheasants your seeing are probably all that,s left in the area. . Hope they make it.:thumbsup:
 
After a big snow back home in Spokane, many, many pheasant are sitting in trees. The first half hour of the morning finds you pushing through windbreaks kicking birds out of the trees and into the fields.
 
mnmthunting said:
No doubt the pheasants go into trees to get away from predators. I've seen pheasants in trees fairly often. Those few pheasants your seeing are probably all that,s left in the area. . Hope they make it.:thumbsup:
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yeh- corn field still have some grain on the ground- small section of standing milo the last part of the 1/2 mile- then a slightly dirty cut big area- course there is this burr field- and a small grass field- only trees in 2 miles is here-
like to think what few pheasants arround we make them smart by going out and playing with them- can say they are regular visitors- don't come out in the open very often- think they are well aware of the hawks- 2 roosters arround 5:00pm- now that's a good sign- hope we get a good moisture spring- might just be a reasonable hatch-

thinking seriously about a game feeder- for right now there seems to be ample food-
 
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