Tomahawker
Well-known member
Out over a stubble field where the Shady Lady and I can see the bird go down and maybe run I let em rip. Thicker the cover shorter my shots.
Do you take a poke at the long range birds ?
- Thread starter McFarmer
- Start date
Bob Peters
Well-known member
I'm kinda in the same boat, but I always shoot a 12 so my limit is 46.3 yards.
remy3424
Well-known member
These days I wait for close flushes, high percentage shots. I am not the best wing shooter, but closer shots and an IC choke in a 12-gauge with 1.25 of 5s, makes folks, including myself at times, think I am a better shot than I really am. I find pheasants are much easier to shoot, the closer they are when you start pulling the trigger. Lots of guys aren't ready when birds flush, (watchin the ground, their electonics, not having the gun ready...doing anything but watchin the dog), so even close flushes are longer shots. If you are one of those guys, don't use your IC choke.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
I try not to, when you walk for hours and don't get a shot, you are likely to take a long shot if you get one. Shooting that more than 40 yards, is not a great idea.
LOL. Bro straight up glazin himself. You should search up "virtue signal". you prolly don't know more than a few guys on this forum but thnik you can judge others based on how you seen them based on an internet forum and some youtube videos. Aren't you the guy that don't care about shooting pheasants and yet you shoot pheasants?
LOOK AT ME! i'M MCFARTER AND NO ONE LOVES PHEASANTS AND HABITAT MORE THAN ME AND NO ONE HAS THE ETHICAL GREATNES TO ONLY TAKE 35 YARD SHOTS LIKE ME.
Our land borders two lakes with a narrow strip and road between them at one spot. This narrow strip was called “tennis shoe alley” by the locals. Back in the day during duck season the ditch was noted for folks coming out, laying on the bank and taking passing shots at ducks going between the lakes. Many times there were dozens of “hunters”, the cars blocking the road. The moniker came from when any duck that was dropped resulted in a foot race to claim it as several shots would have been fired at it.
Sometimes the birds came in just over the tree tops and lots of ducks were taken, sometimes they were flying high and you couldn’t tell the species or sex, mallard hens were worth 90 points you may recall.
Anyway, that’s the back ground. One fall I was disking next to tennis shoe alley, had to get some cars moved to get in the field. The ducks were flying high that day and I would watch the show from the tractor. I remember as if it was yesterday one lone duck going over, barley able to see it, thinking, “they will never shoot at that”. Well they did, a volley opened up on it.
To my surprise I saw it start to fly oddly, start to flutter, glide, then flutter again. It went probably 200-300 yards out into the field before it plowed into the ground. No one claimed that one. How many others took a lead pellet or two and fly away, only to be eagle food a few days later ?
Haven’t seen a hunter there for years, the ducks still fly the same. Changes I guess.
That same pasture dad and I were in the cattails bordering the lake, everything seemed to be flying off the water to the other shore, we were there a couple hours. Walking back to the house a loner came over, too high to see anything other than it was a duck. I took two shots with my new model 1200, I can see dads face and him saying “Feel better?”.
On the 1200. Our local CO-OP lumber yard had a Winchester dealership, our family bought all our firearms there. When it was time to get my own shotgun dad and I went there and the manager said “Well, I’ve got one model 12 left but the company says I’m getting a new model 1200 any day. It’s going to be a lot lighter and will make him a better shotgun.” So instead of one of the last model 12s I’ve got one of the first 1200s. Dad made a lot of good choices, that wasn’t one of them.
I think age might have a role in taking those long shots.
I need to take his model 88 out west one more time before the kids sell everything off.
Sometimes the birds came in just over the tree tops and lots of ducks were taken, sometimes they were flying high and you couldn’t tell the species or sex, mallard hens were worth 90 points you may recall.
Anyway, that’s the back ground. One fall I was disking next to tennis shoe alley, had to get some cars moved to get in the field. The ducks were flying high that day and I would watch the show from the tractor. I remember as if it was yesterday one lone duck going over, barley able to see it, thinking, “they will never shoot at that”. Well they did, a volley opened up on it.
To my surprise I saw it start to fly oddly, start to flutter, glide, then flutter again. It went probably 200-300 yards out into the field before it plowed into the ground. No one claimed that one. How many others took a lead pellet or two and fly away, only to be eagle food a few days later ?
Haven’t seen a hunter there for years, the ducks still fly the same. Changes I guess.
That same pasture dad and I were in the cattails bordering the lake, everything seemed to be flying off the water to the other shore, we were there a couple hours. Walking back to the house a loner came over, too high to see anything other than it was a duck. I took two shots with my new model 1200, I can see dads face and him saying “Feel better?”.
On the 1200. Our local CO-OP lumber yard had a Winchester dealership, our family bought all our firearms there. When it was time to get my own shotgun dad and I went there and the manager said “Well, I’ve got one model 12 left but the company says I’m getting a new model 1200 any day. It’s going to be a lot lighter and will make him a better shotgun.” So instead of one of the last model 12s I’ve got one of the first 1200s. Dad made a lot of good choices, that wasn’t one of them.
I think age might have a role in taking those long shots.
I need to take his model 88 out west one more time before the kids sell everything off.
I hope your day gets better, sorry to upset you so.
Nothing upsets me. A lot of people say I have excessively strong character
Tomahawker
Well-known member
On the flip side Jr. shot a bird the other day. I went over to help look. He said he had blood, I found an entire wing. He then picked up a headless horsemen of a bird. Said geez son how close was it? He said close enough
Golden Hour
Well-known member
As a couple others mentioned, it really depends on the day and the habitat. I'll pass up close shots (30 yards) if its over early season wet cattails and I'll take a 50 yard poke at a rooster flying over a snow covered, harvested bean field.
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
Are the cuss words ballistic or verbal?
Golden Hour
Well-known member
Doesn't become a ballistic cuss word until over 65 yards. I'm still dropping em like stones at 50.
gim
Well-known member
30-35 yards max. I use an IC choke with high velocity ammo which helps mask some of my tendencies to shoot behind the bird.
I don't even raise my gun a bird that gets up at 50 yards.
Every time you shoot and miss, you educate. It's worse when waterfowl hunting because then you've educated the whole flock.
I don't even raise my gun a bird that gets up at 50 yards.
Every time you shoot and miss, you educate. It's worse when waterfowl hunting because then you've educated the whole flock.
BRITTMAN
Well-known member
Pointed birds that you flush walking past the dog ? or pointed birds where dog is locked ?
What about when your dog is locked up but they have moved on a bit ... you release the dog, but the bird flushes before it locks up on point again ?
Vast majority of birds I shoot and kill are from dogs on point ... windy days the dog may be locked up 20 yards from where the bird actually is. Educated birds will hold for the dog, but often flush when hunters are within 20 yards of the dog. If the dog is staunch and holding ... I am going to lift my gun and shoot.
Over the many years I have picked up four or five separate and very alive roosters that my dog was locked up on. Walking past the dog I could see the tail or the bird. All but one was wounded, but one flew away unscathed. That one was one for the ages.
remy3424
Well-known member
McFarmer is someone like myself that creates the cover that produces pheasants. I know what he is feeling. You put a ton of your time, energy and money into making a place from the birds to thrive and prosper....you kind of feel attached to them and have a certain respect for them. This is likely an unknown feeling and hard to understand for guys that just go out to public ground and shoot birds that are just seen to them as "an abundant natural resource that is free for the taking". 2 different worlds we have.
Bob Peters
Well-known member
I see, so if a hunter didn't inherit land from his parents and their only option is walking public land they have little respect for wild game. They could never understand pheasants like a guy who was born into a land-rich family. Makes perfect sense.