How many of you let birds go?

mstand

mstand

Member
Not shoot at release lol. But how many of you recognize a young rooster from an old bird and make a conscious decision to let a yoker go?
In the beginning I didn't discriminate. Now that I have been around I have made the choice to let a bird fly if I can tell that it is a yoker.
Really this isn't a judgement post as I you buy a licence you can shoot whatever you chose. More of a curiosity question.

BTW, Happy Father's day to the papas out there.
 
Not sure how'd you tell the difference in a second or two when it flushed unless it was lacking color. That's possible early in the season but by November they should all have mature color.

You really should not even be shooting at a pheasant if there is doubt whether it's a rooster.
 
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Redmoose said:
I'll let a couple late hatch roosters go last year. They were about the size of softball and you could see some red around the eyes.
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Exactly. You can tell. ;-)
 
gim said:
Not sure how'd you tell the difference in a second or two when it flushed unless it was lacking color. That's possible early in the season but by November they should all have mature color.

You really should not even be shooting at a pheasant if there is doubt whether it's a rooster.
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I am sure that I am not the only one that can tell. Usually by lack of color, sound, and tail length. Guess I just been at it long enough to know.
 
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McFarmer said:
Yeah, let them go, that’s what I do. Usually I fire a warning shot to condition them and make them more likely to survive the next guy. Yeah, that’s what I do.
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Ya know, there wasnt a need to be a Richard cranium about it. It was a pretty tame question. It wasnt meant to be smart assed. It was conversation big guy.
McFarmer said:
Yeah, let them go, that’s what I do. Usually I fire a warning shot to condition them and make them more likely to survive the next guy. Yeah, that’s what I do.
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If it is a poor year in the area I’m hunting and it cackles when it gets up I pull the trigger. If it is a good year where I’m hunting and it doesn’t have a long tail I pass. If I have already killed a lot of birds I shoulder the gun and say “bang” afterwards praising the dog. If I can’t hit squat I retire to a he camper and peruse new guns.
 
Alaskan swamp collies said:
If it is a poor year in the area I’m hunting and it cackles when it gets up I pull the trigger. If it is a good year where I’m hunting and it doesn’t have a long tail I pass. If I have already killed a lot of birds I shoulder the gun and say “bang” afterwards praising the dog. If I can’t hit squat I retire to a he camper and peruse new guns.
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That's fair. Thanks for the input.
 
gps4 said:
What is the reasoning for letting the younger ones go?
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I just do it so they can grow up. I hunt both private and public. So on public, chances are that it will get harvested. But on private, he will carry over......if nature allows.

There really is no right or wrong answer as I said. If you buy a lic. It is your prerogative. It was more of a curiosity question.

Thanks for the answers.3d24ed63-874d-4e06-bd8e-dcae916209bf-1_all_1544.jpg
 
mstand said:
Ya know, there wasnt a need to be a Richard cranium about it. It was a pretty tame question. It wasnt meant to be smart assed. It was conversation big guy.
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I hope your day gets better.

I admit sometimes humor is hard to convey in the written word.

What is it the kids do ? \s ?
 
When I used to duck hunt a lot I pretty much moved to drake mallards only. Drake duck of another species may get shot if the limit is constructed that way. Others shot the first six ducks they legally could take.

Pheasant hunting - there are sometimes when I am taking a photo of a bird dog on point, I am not in the right position to even take a shot. Oh well ...
 
i've heard over the years that in areas with high birds density areas, roosters have a tendency to push hens out of premium cover in the winter, and the hens succumbing to exposure to the inhospitable weather? is there any truth to that?
 
gps4 said:
i've heard over the years that in areas with high birds density areas, roosters have a tendency to push hens out of premium cover in the winter, and the hens succumbing to exposure to the inhospitable weather? is there any truth to that?
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My observations here in North Dakota strongly support this. I see pheasants nearly daily, year-round. I've consistently noted roosters, often multiple, utilizing the most sheltered spots, such as deadfall trees offering optimal wind protection, while hens remain on the fringes. Additionally, I've witnessed roosters driving hens away from desirable feeding areas with exposed ground. I am not suggesting you won't see roosters sharing but if times are tough they will dominate the prime time food and cover. Your post reflects my experiences well.
 
Not a lot of birds here in Ohio. I’ve hunted smaller coverts and let the first rooster I see fly on. Nobody wants to shoot the last one. Two or three times it’s paid off, I didn’t see any others and felt real good about myself. My Shady lady was less than enthused.
 
NDPheasant said:
My observations here in North Dakota strongly support this. I see pheasants nearly daily, year-round. I've consistently noted roosters, often multiple, utilizing the most sheltered spots, such as deadfall trees offering optimal wind protection, while hens remain on the fringes. Additionally, I've witnessed roosters driving hens away from desirable feeding areas with exposed ground. I am not suggesting you won't see roosters sharing but if times are tough they will dominate the prime time food and cover. Your post reflects my experiences well.
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PF put out an article suggesting that hunters could harvest 93 percent of pre-hunt rooster numbers without harming the population, and that such a high rate of harvest is very unusual, if not impossible. The article goes on to say that the normal range is 45-65 percent. Adding an average crippling loss of 10 percent means that 55-75 percent of roosters are often removed from the fall population. In states where significant harvest occurs (Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota), rooster kill averages around 70 percent. Elsewhere, particularly in western states, fewer hunters and less interest usually result in a reduced harvest rate.

https://www.pheasantsforever.org/Habitat/Pheasant-Facts/Effects-of-Hunting.aspx

If this is true, what benefit is there to the overall rooster population by letting this year's young rooster get away?
 
McFarmer said:
I hope your day gets better.

I admit sometimes humor is hard to convey in the written word.

What is it the kids do ? \s ?
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Agreed. :cool:
 
BRITTMAN said:
When I used to duck hunt a lot I pretty much moved to drake mallards only. Drake duck of another species may get shot if the limit is constructed that way. Others shot the first six ducks they legally could take.

Pheasant hunting - there are sometimes when I am taking a photo of a bird dog on point, I am not in the right position to even take a shot. Oh well ...
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I am not great with the ducks yet. I mainly hunted them until pheasants just for dog work. Obviously I can ID the species. But if a duck comes close....which is rare as my calling sounds like I am replicating a muffled cow fart...I will shot it.
I used to carry my 35mm with me. Then cell phone comes got good. But now I realize that fumbling around for the dam phone ruins the moment. Back to 35 mm.
 
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