Aberdeen Opening Week

I get both sides of this. I had never pheasant hunted in my life until attending college at SDSU nearly a decade ago. There was a lot of fun had in driving the backroads with your buddies, listening to the radio, BS'ing each other, and everybody scanning the ditches for a bird. It was fun, and it is how most of my SD friends still do their hunting in the fall when on their own.

Once I got invited on a REAL hunt with a friends local friend and saw a dog work, I fell in love, and pheasant hunting forever changed for me. I was immediately hooked in walking fields with a dog, and got my own as soon as I graduated college. Hands down, I would rather walk all day and get one bird, then shoot 3 birds driving back roads. But each person is different and has different expectations, goals, and desires of the hunt.

While I still lived in SD after I got my dog, I would very often ditch hunt with a dog and that was extremely affective. I no longer see the appeal in road hunting, but it's not my decision to look down on somebody else for enjoying it.
 
jackrabbit said:
I get both sides of this. I had never pheasant hunted in my life until attending college at SDSU nearly a decade ago. There was a lot of fun had in driving the backroads with your buddies, listening to the radio, BS'ing each other, and everybody scanning the ditches for a bird. It was fun, and it is how most of my SD friends still do their hunting in the fall when on their own.

Once I got invited on a REAL hunt with a friends local friend and saw a dog work, I fell in love, and pheasant hunting forever changed for me. I was immediately hooked in walking fields with a dog, and got my own as soon as I graduated college. Hands down, I would rather walk all day and get one bird, then shoot 3 birds driving back roads. But each person is different and has different expectations, goals, and desires of the hunt.

While I still lived in SD after I got my dog, I would very often ditch hunt with a dog and that was extremely affective. I no longer see the appeal in road hunting, but it's not my decision to look down on somebody else for enjoying it.
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its not a hunt it more of a shoot... kinda like buying one of them 30 pt buck u buy they release & u shoot it... not a hunt... each to there own i agree if there was no ditch hunting the guys that enjoy road hunting would have to hunt by me that would be bad...

if u think the road hunting for pheasant is bad go watch the races come rifle deer opener it was kinda funny to see the hunting methods used... sd deer stand aka 4x4 truck parked...
 
Hunting from the road is similar to shooting a deer in a pen. Only difference is one costs thousands and one is free but both are simply shooting not hunting. Both also give hunters a bad name and make us look like idiots to the anti's which will catch up to us and creates issues in the long run for hunters. Anti's do not distinguish between the two.

For clarification, I am referring to driving down the road and jumping out to shoot pheasant not physically walking the ditches.
 
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I'd rather have those guys road hunting than driving through public land with gunners in the pickup bed leaning over the cab. Can't say I've seen this often, but more than once.

Jay
 
The first time I heard
"The one with the biggest truck gets the biggest buck"
was in South Dakota - and I hunted deer that year
It's true and I can't say I agree with it but ..................
I'd prefer to hike miles into a wilderness area for my deer but it doesn't seem like that is very available around these parts.
Running and gunning seems to be very effective but not my cup of tea
 
Shooting vs. hunting:confused: Look up a European pheasant hunt. I suppose that's shooting not hunting? Hunting takes on different forms. Some are not for everyone and that's fine.

If I'm out pursuing game (whether to fill the freezer, put a bird on the dinner table, watch the dog work a field, etc.) it's a form of hunting;)

I haven't road hunted in a few years now, but used to do it later in the trip when guys were getting worn out. It's a good time and a great way to put some meat in the freezer. Many locals do it after work to through a pheasant or two on the dinner table before dark.

I still hunt ditches. Love taking the dog and working ditches with some good cover. Great way for one or two guys to manage a smaller amount of cover. All the more if someone is dog-less. Either-way, there's nothing wrong with it. It's a strip of cover that holds birds, bunny's, and sometimes partridge:thumbsup:

Nick
 
1pheas4 said:
Shooting vs. hunting:confused: Look up a European pheasant hunt. I suppose that's shooting not hunting? Hunting takes on different forms. Some are not for everyone and that's fine.

If I'm out pursuing game (whether to fill the freezer, put a bird on the dinner table, watch the dog work a field, etc.) it's a form of hunting;)

I haven't road hunted in a few years now, but used to do it later in the trip when guys were getting worn out. It's a good time and a great way to put some meat in the freezer. Many locals do it after work to through a pheasant or two on the dinner table before dark.

I still hunt ditches. Love taking the dog and working ditches with some good cover. Great way for one or two guys to manage a smaller amount of cover. All the more if someone is dog-less. Either-way, there's nothing wrong with it. It's a strip of cover that holds birds, bunny's, and sometimes partridge:thumbsup:

Nick
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your correct 1pheas4 european style hunts are shoots not hunts... kings wanted to hunt this way rather then walk around the country side looking for birds with dogs aka hunting...

most dakotans ive met would rather have a steak vs pheasant & dont hunt much.. .

it feels so wrong... just like in ND wear u can hunt on unposted private lands tried it once last year didnt like the feeling of legally tresspassing lol
 
small munsterlander owner said:
it feels so wrong...
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Yeah, It's just not your thing Munster;). I noticed as I get older I'm not into the "shoot" too much anymore either. Though I do have my moments in the field or on the water where I think one can call it a "shoot" rather than a "hunt". I usually have those moments on ducks or, hit the goose migration just right around here and you'll find yourself in a "shoot" situation real fast. lol

I'm one who likes to hunt, but I like shooting too. Too much hunting without shooting can get old after a while.

Nick:)
 
1pheas4 said:
Yeah, It's just not your thing Munster;). I noticed as I get older I'm not into the "shoot" too much anymore either. Though I do have my moments in the field or on the water where I think one can call it a "shoot" rather than a "hunt". I usually have those moments on ducks or, hit the goose migration just right around here and you'll find yourself in a "shoot" situation real fast. lol

I'm one who likes to hunt, but I like shooting too. Too much hunting without shooting can get old after a while.

Nick:)
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I love to hunt with my boys and my dog. But the threat of at least seeing some birds has to be there for me to find it fulfilling. I can take walks with my dog here and net see any birds.
 
1pheas4 said:
Good luck out there Tom:)

Nick
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Nick just like you I have a Lab, luck really has nothing to do with it :D. You know I probably should not go this early trip this year. But my dog will be 7 already in march and he is now in his prime. From experience I know this year and next he should plateau, then the decline will begin. Thinking about that makes me kinda of sad as he is by far the best dog I have ever owned. Birds make dogs and he has been exposed to thousands of wild pheasants throughout his life and it really shows. Honestly if it were not for him I would only go once this year.
 
carptom1 said:
Nick just like you I have a Lab, luck really has nothing to do with it :D. You know I probably should not go this early trip this year. But my dog will be 7 already in march and he is now in his prime. From experience I know this year and next he should plateau, then the decline will begin. Thinking about that makes me kinda of sad as he is by far the best dog I have ever owned. Birds make dogs and he has been exposed to thousands of wild pheasants throughout his life and it really shows. Honestly if it were not for him I would only go once this year.
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Mine's in the same boat Tom. He's six now. I gave up deer hunting last year so I can take advantage of upland hunting with him more. It hit me that I had a good bird dog sitting at home, wasting away his prime years, while I was sitting in a deer stand so with the little time I get to spend hunting these days, most of it is pheasant hunting with him. No regrets.:)


Nick
 
1pheas4 said:
Mine's in the same boat Tom. He's six now. I gave up deer hunting last year so I can take advantage of upland hunting with him more. It hit me that I had a good bird dog sitting at home, wasting away his prime years, while I was sitting in a deer stand so with the little time I get to spend hunting these days, most of it is pheasant hunting with him. No regrets.:)


Nick
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same here have not deer hunted in about 3 years just bird hunted more instead started going to sd during mn gun deer season...:thumbsup:


mite give mn deer hunting a go again this season wear i hunt grouse are all over the place ruffed & spruce grouse shot alot of spruce grouse while still hunting deer... ill carry a single shot 20 ga on a sling for grouse + my 30-30 my dog will be with but dont think ill run her much doing rifle deer season in mn...
 
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