Ditch birds - public or private acting?

[Limitless]

To say that an unpressured private bird is equivalent to a pen raised bird is not even close.

I don't think I said they were equivalent. If I did, that was a typo. What I meant is I view the level of challenge in this order (near the end of the season too):

Public land birds > private land birds > Pen raised birds

How much each is greater than the next lowest type of bird is subjective and has a lot of variables at play. And not every bird in each bucket is going to behave the same as every other bird in that bucket. Could even be some overlap with a small percentage of birds between one bucket and the next, I suppose.

 

[Tomahawker]

There’s many factors at play regarding wild bird behavior. Weather and hunting pressure may be the biggest. And I don’t just mean 2 legs. A couple yotes sweeping thru a cover at daylight is going to have an impact, along with a hawk or 3 hanging around. I’ve hit the same cover twice a week apart and one they flush wild and no shots. The next I’m limited out and didn’t hunt half of it.

 

[Miforester]

Short answer is yes.

 

[airmedic1]

In my 50+ years of pheasant hunting this is what I have found:
Pen raised roosters: Most, but not all have to bevkicked out from under a pointing dogs nose.
Wild private land roosters that receive little hunting pressure: A pointing dog will have a better chance at pinning them but they are wild and still have a will to live that pen raised birds don't possess.
Pressured public land roosters: Rarely hold for a pointing dogs unless there is an extenuating circumstance like snow or extreme cold. In my mind these are real trophies if you can outwit them.