How about a little CO history
Although I agree that pen raised birds would not entice me to travel very far (I have shot exactly two planted birds in my life although I have let nephews shoot a couple more when I was training my retriver to hunt), I do have some anecdotal evidence of how it has "worked out" (defiantly up to interpretation) in Colorado in the past. When I moved to the San Luis Valley in 1998, I started to duck hunt due to the fact that pheasants are a long way off. However, I heard from local hunters that el Valle used to have great pheasant hunting, and indeed there is a small population still living on the federal wildlife areas and the immediately surrounding farms (although they have always are chased into the off limits to hunting portions of the areas before season starts by the duck hunting activity). The reason for the decline is that farming practices changed, farmers winter till, burn ditches etc. and there is absolutely zero winter cover habitat for birds. Also, alfalfa is grown in large amounts here, and that is a death sentence to nesting hens. However, Speaking to friends in the DOW, I discovered that back in the hay day of SLV pheasant hunting, the division used to release a huge number of birds each year for hunting, these were the birds that my friends remember hunting in the past and whose descendants still survive in the small amount of remaining habitat available to them (USFWS lands). However, they stopped the platings for economic reasons, but also due to the fact that the farming practices switched from primarily food crops to lots of alfalfa and this left no cover for them to survive even for limited amounts of time. They felt that where year round habitat was available, some did survive until the next year as is proven by that remnant population on the USFWS lands.
As for line hunting, although I don't do it a lot anymore and prefer to go with a small group or even myself, I do remember every opening weekend in the late 70s/early 80s when going to Yuma a meeting a large group of my fathers friends was THE ONLY exposure to hunting I had. Nobody had a dog, very few properties were posted, and we walked a heck of along way everyday. The rush of stepping on a rooster at age 10 is the reason I still hunt today. People, especially with kids, need a way to get introduced to the sport and this is an excellent way. Plus I still occasionally do it when invited to participate in large Kansas opening day "shoots" with extended families and locals. Those days are more of an social occasion with these nice folks, and a great way to get my dog a huge number of retrieves in one or two days, and access to private land later in the year when no one else is hunting these properties. Be flexible, enjoy every chance you get to get out there and remember that many of those large groups on opening day COULD very well be locals out with extended families. Chat them up.....
Although I agree that pen raised birds would not entice me to travel very far (I have shot exactly two planted birds in my life although I have let nephews shoot a couple more when I was training my retriver to hunt), I do have some anecdotal evidence of how it has "worked out" (defiantly up to interpretation) in Colorado in the past. When I moved to the San Luis Valley in 1998, I started to duck hunt due to the fact that pheasants are a long way off. However, I heard from local hunters that el Valle used to have great pheasant hunting, and indeed there is a small population still living on the federal wildlife areas and the immediately surrounding farms (although they have always are chased into the off limits to hunting portions of the areas before season starts by the duck hunting activity). The reason for the decline is that farming practices changed, farmers winter till, burn ditches etc. and there is absolutely zero winter cover habitat for birds. Also, alfalfa is grown in large amounts here, and that is a death sentence to nesting hens. However, Speaking to friends in the DOW, I discovered that back in the hay day of SLV pheasant hunting, the division used to release a huge number of birds each year for hunting, these were the birds that my friends remember hunting in the past and whose descendants still survive in the small amount of remaining habitat available to them (USFWS lands). However, they stopped the platings for economic reasons, but also due to the fact that the farming practices switched from primarily food crops to lots of alfalfa and this left no cover for them to survive even for limited amounts of time. They felt that where year round habitat was available, some did survive until the next year as is proven by that remnant population on the USFWS lands.
As for line hunting, although I don't do it a lot anymore and prefer to go with a small group or even myself, I do remember every opening weekend in the late 70s/early 80s when going to Yuma a meeting a large group of my fathers friends was THE ONLY exposure to hunting I had. Nobody had a dog, very few properties were posted, and we walked a heck of along way everyday. The rush of stepping on a rooster at age 10 is the reason I still hunt today. People, especially with kids, need a way to get introduced to the sport and this is an excellent way. Plus I still occasionally do it when invited to participate in large Kansas opening day "shoots" with extended families and locals. Those days are more of an social occasion with these nice folks, and a great way to get my dog a huge number of retrieves in one or two days, and access to private land later in the year when no one else is hunting these properties. Be flexible, enjoy every chance you get to get out there and remember that many of those large groups on opening day COULD very well be locals out with extended families. Chat them up.....
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