Anyone give up another form of hunting all together to just hunt birds instead?

Keep'er Movin

Keep'er Movin

Member
Last year I purchased my first pointer. I decided to go with a griff. I've pheasant hunted many times before this, but always used someone else's dog or was a guest along for the ride. I trained Penny, my griff, on my own and I feel like she has turned into an exceptional bird dog. I pheasant hunted her as a pup, I took her out for grouse early in Sept, she's helped in the dove field, and has been stellar so far with pheasants this year already. I'm enjoying bird hunting so much, that I rarely consider going bowhunting anymore which has always been a passion of mine. My question for all of you is have you given up another form of hunting just to hunt birds? If so, what did you give up? Did you ever end up getting back into what it was that you gave up in the first place? I'm seriously considering selling all my deer hunting gear and giving bird hunting 100% of my focus, but I'm afraid I will possibly regret that decision later on.
 
I quit waterfowl hunting about 5 years ago. I had done it for about 20 years.

It wasn't because I wanted to focus on another type of hunting though. It was because there weren't enough ducks to hunt. Purchasing waterfowl stamps, getting up at 4am, slogging through a marsh, fighting for a spot with other hunters, and being equipment intensive for a few ducks/season wasn't worth it anymore.

Other than that, I enjoy the variety going from upland to deer to turkey hunting in the spring. I would take up waterfowl hunting again in the future if there was a payoff.

I wouldn't get rid of your deer hunting gear. You might want to use it again in the future. I see you're in Wisconsin. The deer population there is thriving.
 
Don’t sell the deer equipment. You’re just jacked and all in with the new dog you put lots of effort in. We go through phases. I love bird hunting but man do I get jacked about deer hunting. I’m also just a gun hunter so that limits me to one week a year of all in. I like it that way, that’s why I don’t want to start bow hunting. I do want to buy a bow though to mess around with ha.

Keep it and just enjoy the birds for now if you’re feeling it
 
I've rifle deer hunted for years but put off getting into bow hunting because I didn't want to be torn between sitting in a tree and chasing bird dogs around. Finally got into bow hunting 3-4 years ago and I love it. I do most of my bow hunting the end of October before bird season starts but I do manage to sneak some sits in during bird season. I'm a fair weather bow hunter so if it's warm I'll go sit in a tree and vice versa. I would agree with Springer, don't sell your deer stuff. The bird hunting is new and so it's exciting right now. Once that wears off you'll miss sitting in a tree.
 
gim, Springer22, and KansasGsp...I apprecite all 3 of your responses. I also appreciate the honesty in the posts. I went from private land to public deer hunting about 4 years ago. Although I love the adventure of bowhunting public, hunting marshes has it's low points as well. Getting into some of these spots is pure misery and then getting your deer out is even worse. Don't get me wrong, nothing gets me going like seeing a big buck slosh through the marsh, but I'm not getting any younger either. It's a ton of work. I'm also an antsy person by nature so getting out and walking all of these places with the dog is right up my alley. After the pheasant opener on Saturday, GPS said I walked just under 3 miles. It was warm and got up to about 78 degrees that day. Penny and I only hunted for about 2 hours, but we got our limit. I took her home and my wife and I hiked another 4 miles on some of the ice age trails near where I live. I just like to be moving...it's probably why I loved doing deer drives back in the day.
 
At 72 years old I'm thinking about stopping the big game trips out west. Just got home from Wyoming with cheesy and my son in law. cheesy was the only one that drew antelope tags and filled both doe tags after the 12 hour drive up and setting up the wall tent camp. We all 3 had mule deer tags and that opened 2 days later. All 3 filled the tags, nothing fancy, but put meat in the cooler. Climbing those hills at 7200 ft was tough on me. I can hunt all day pheasant hunting with much less wearing out.
 
Keep'er Movin said:
gim, Springer22, and KansasGsp...I apprecite all 3 of your responses. I also appreciate the honesty in the posts. I went from private land to public deer hunting about 4 years ago. Although I love the adventure of bowhunting public, hunting marshes has its low points as well. Getting into some of these spots is pure misery and then getting your deer out is even worse. Don't get me wrong, nothing gets me going like seeing a big buck slosh through the marsh, but I'm not getting any younger either. It's a ton of work. I'm also an antsy person by nature so getting out and walking all of these places with the dog is right up my alley. After the pheasant opener on Saturday, GPS said I walked just under 3 miles. It was warm and got up to about 78 degrees that day. Penny and I only hunted for about 2 hours, but we got our limit. I took her home and my wife and I hiked another 4 miles on some of the ice age trails near where I live. I just like to be moving...it's probably why I loved doing deer drives back in
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I get that for sure. That type of deer hunting is hardcore and tons and tons of work
 
Several years ago, I decided instead of joining a local deer camp here in MS I would spend my annual hunting budget making as many road trips as I could to SD.

I still deer hunt public land around home and go with friends to their camp when invited, but as long as I’m still able to navigate the fields. I’d rather spend time in the upper Midwest a few times a year.
 
gps4 said:
Several years ago, I decided instead of joining a local deer camp here in MS I would spend my annual hunting budget making as many road trips as I could to SD.

I still deer hunt public land around home and go with friends to their camp when invited, but as long as I’m still able to navigate the fields. I’d rather spend time in the upper Midwest a few times a year.
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Where is home for you?
 
I used to bow hunt and gun deer hunt alot.
That was until I bought my 1st lab in 2002. He unfortunately only made 9 seasons, had to lose him when he turned 10. During thar time, I rarely spent time on deer. I bird hunted, both pheasant and waterfowl, alot of waterfowl.
I did revert back to more deer hunting after that.
It took me 4 years before I found myself missing that dog connection so much that I couldn't go another day without one, so in 2016 I found another lab. Now, it's been pretty much all birds again. I may hunt opening weekend of gun deer, but more so out of a bit of tradition. I sold my bow so many years ago I can't tell you when!
I don't really get excited about deer anymore, it has become so commercialized, idolized, or whatever that it kind of turns me off. I would much rather spend a whole day with my dog then sit in a tree stand or blind by myself with a gopro waiting to put on some content....that seems like what deer hunting has become. Not sure if I'll ever go back to it with much seriousness.
I also fall fish alot for musky and walleye.....and you just can't do it all.....
 
In the past I always took a 7-10 day fly fishing trip in the summer, last 3 years I traded the fishing for a northern bird hunt before our seasons open up. I love to fish but with young legs and dogs in there prime it just makes sense… and have really enjoyed learning new country. 2 more years and I get 2 more weeks vacation, can’t wait!
 
I don’t deer hunt near as much. Not ready to give it up but most days I’d rather be out walking up birds with a dog than sitting.
 
Hunting pheasants doesn't even compare to deer hunting. That's to say in one activity you get to cruise around the countryside seeing the sights with a happy dog. And walk. In the other you sit on a stool for umpteen hours and wait for a deer to stroll by. It's not even close, any day pheasant or grouse hunting is so much better than deer hunting. I would sell all your deer stuff if I were you. Go all in on the upland game, you'll be happy you did. I get invited every fall to hunt some top notch private land in SW Wisconsin. No way I'd trade a day with the dogs chasing roosters for sitting in a tree.
 
I've only upland bird hunted mostly but at some point I will probably hunt some deer or antelope. The thing I love about bird hunting is the worst case scenario you are taking a hike through nature with your dog. I have opportunities to hunt deer but I just don't like the idea of staying in a stand and waiting instead of actively pursuing your game.

I've gone duck hunting a couple of times and it was a lot less enjoyable, wake up at 4 am, drive 1.5 hrs to break some ice/put up some decoys etc and hope some ducks want to land while you just sit there....I actually killed my first couple of ducks in 5 years a couple of weeks ago out on the high plains of KS. I was looking for prairie chickens but I didn't find any but it was the same weekend that duck hunting opened so I puddle jumped a couple of ducks....That was a lot more fun then sitting in a blind in 20 degree weather waiting for the ducks to come.
 
So this is odd, that I may be able to put in my novice two cents lol.

I don’t yet have a dog, but just recently got engaged in bird hunting, so I’m about as green as green can be….. but 58 and hunted fairly hard core from 12 to about 50 for big game, but never upland birds…. Just got tired of buying more and more gear to sit and wait for my game to come to me.

I love the fact that I don’t have to be sitting in a tree stand 1 hour before sunrise and back in the stand in the afternoon until 30 minutes after dark. The whole time thinking I should be accomplishing something constructive. I love the fact I don’t need time invest time into getting and staying scent free.

I love the fact I don’t feel the need to shoot my bow on a daily basis. I love the fact I don’t need to compete with all other hunters for hunting land opportunities.

I love the fact I don’t feel the need to spend a day processing meat myself , since I’ve had a couple questionable experiences at butcher shops.

I love the fact I don’t (feel the) need to have 3 different camo patterns in 3 different temperature range clothing.

It seems like there’s less private timber and the parcels are smaller, pair that with thicker understory and deer hunting in the Midwest has evolved, into stand hunting not still hunting.

So I feel when it comes to bird hunting I can go when I want to, and get as much walking as I want to, while keeping my mind focused….. and honestly if I come back at the end of a day without harvesting anything anything I don’t feel as disappointed or feel that I’ve wasted time like deer hunting. If it’s the “Hunt” that you enjoy, it’s probably just as rewarding.
 
I big game hunted for almost 25-30 years and was pretty good at it and lived in some good states, including Wyoming which I think is the best state to hunt big game (at least it was 20-30 yrs ago). Killed over 100 big game animals, deer, elk, pronghorn, caribou, moose. I also bird hunted more starting in early 1990's. For about 10 years I did both, but for the last 20 years I have just hunted upland birds. I've even sold most of my rifles since I don't shoot them anymore. I got kind of tired of eating ducks and geese so I stopped that. I sold all my waterfowl decoys about 5 years ago since I wasn't going any more. I can hunt upland birds in 5-6 states for what it costs to buy a big game license as a non resident in 1-2 states. And then you only get a couple of weeks of hunting and if you are good you only get a couple of shots and a lot of work hauling animal out, cutting it up, etc etc. I learned many years ago that I really like shooting the gun!! And I like moving and walking around. The more shots I get the better I like it. Hunting upland birds you can go with friends and shoot a lot, and if hunting is really good and they are a poor shot you can shoot even more!! Now all I hunt are upland birds and I love travelling to various states to hunt various species of quail, grouse, pheasants, woodcock, huns and chukars. Last season I hunted UT, ID, WY, SD, AZ, LA and GA. Next year I hope to add a couple more states to the list. I miss hunting high mtn country, but...now I just hike there. I may go chase some ptarmagin next year.
 
I used to hunt for deer in New Mexico in the last century. There was no draw bs and you had access to lots of nice places. I even won an prime elk hunt from Ducks Unlimited in 1982 and got one. I now only hunt coyotes in NM (long drive) and upland birds when I can. Hunting has really changed in the last 25-30 years. Good luck to ya'll.
 
While I was never a really big game (deer) hunter, I gave it up entirely in the late 90's. It was boring, and wife did not like venison. Much preferred to be out with the dogs. Moved 15 hundred miles just to pheasant hunt. (I'd do it again).
 
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