Bob Peters
Well-known member
First, let me get this out of the way. There are members here who are old timers, to you I tip may cap, hats off to you. Men who've lived life and are no longer able to bust the cover, that time comes for us all. Those who live in Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, California, Maryland, places where wild birds have been wiped from the map or so diminished in number that a real hunt is no longer feasible. This I can understand. If I lived in a place with a bird dog where wild birds had been extirpated due to advancing civilization and nonstop progress I would no doubt take them to a game farm. I have done it myself, to initiate a dog to bird and gun. The frequency of this has decreased to nil over the years. I first brought Skye out hunting wild birds in Iowa and later took her to a game farm. I myself had early experiences "hunting" at preserves in MN. This can prove valuable in training a new dog and hunter, but in the end resembles nothing in the way of actual hunting of wild birds.
For those who travel to rural America, South or North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska in order to "hunt" pheasants at a preserve, this is the biggest farce of all. An artificial affectation pretending to do and be something which couldn't be farther from natural if you tried. You might as well shoot a world record non-typical in high-fenced Texas or a fettered bison and proclaim to the world you are a world class hunter. A hero to the ignorant and imposter to those who know better. To travel to South Dakota and shoot a "limit" of confused pen-raised domesticated birds is an insult to the word hunter. You could do that within 30 miles of any home within the United States.
I wouldn't take such a hard tack on the issue if through hard experience I didn't know the importance of killing a wild rooster. To enter his world, on his terms. There is much importance on the word wild. On the term fair chase. You see if you hunt a bird where he was hatched and born and from day one learned to avoid predation, then you can say you've done something. I realize dogs being the loving and trusting creatures they are, you might say, "they don't know the difference." Whether this is true I cannot say. Through all my attempts at discourse with Skye and Roxy on the matter all I've gotten is a paw shake, a muzzle rub against my nose, or happy whine. But take your dog to an environment that is more artificial vs. one that is wild and free and let me know if they see a difference.
I don't know what to tell you if you live in a state devoid of wild birds, you've been cast a hard lot. A game farm and a trip or two a year to wild bird country if you have that luxury. One thing I can say with all certainty, nothing brings more satisfaction than a wild bird in the vest. I'm a member of a few hunt clubs every year even though I only shoot clay birds there. To me I wouldn't trade a truck bed full of flare nares for one wild bird sniffed out and flushed up by a Skye or Roxy. When I travel I've hunted mostly public land, have knocked on a few doors, but it never crossed my mind to shoot at a preserve or with a guide. I'd rather bust cover all day, have one shot at a wild rooster, and miss, than head out and shoot a pile of domesticated chickens from a manicured path next to a food plot. When you shoot a brace of wild birds you've done something. When you've shot a brace of barnyard pheasants you've payed someone.
If all this has your mind twisted into a pretzel, as mine has been at times, there's an easy fix. Just ask the question, which activity is an imitation of the other?
As for Skye and Roxy, I have too much respect for them, living where we do, to let them loose on anything but wild birds. They've given more to me than I can ever repay, it's the least I can do.
For those who travel to rural America, South or North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska in order to "hunt" pheasants at a preserve, this is the biggest farce of all. An artificial affectation pretending to do and be something which couldn't be farther from natural if you tried. You might as well shoot a world record non-typical in high-fenced Texas or a fettered bison and proclaim to the world you are a world class hunter. A hero to the ignorant and imposter to those who know better. To travel to South Dakota and shoot a "limit" of confused pen-raised domesticated birds is an insult to the word hunter. You could do that within 30 miles of any home within the United States.
I wouldn't take such a hard tack on the issue if through hard experience I didn't know the importance of killing a wild rooster. To enter his world, on his terms. There is much importance on the word wild. On the term fair chase. You see if you hunt a bird where he was hatched and born and from day one learned to avoid predation, then you can say you've done something. I realize dogs being the loving and trusting creatures they are, you might say, "they don't know the difference." Whether this is true I cannot say. Through all my attempts at discourse with Skye and Roxy on the matter all I've gotten is a paw shake, a muzzle rub against my nose, or happy whine. But take your dog to an environment that is more artificial vs. one that is wild and free and let me know if they see a difference.
I don't know what to tell you if you live in a state devoid of wild birds, you've been cast a hard lot. A game farm and a trip or two a year to wild bird country if you have that luxury. One thing I can say with all certainty, nothing brings more satisfaction than a wild bird in the vest. I'm a member of a few hunt clubs every year even though I only shoot clay birds there. To me I wouldn't trade a truck bed full of flare nares for one wild bird sniffed out and flushed up by a Skye or Roxy. When I travel I've hunted mostly public land, have knocked on a few doors, but it never crossed my mind to shoot at a preserve or with a guide. I'd rather bust cover all day, have one shot at a wild rooster, and miss, than head out and shoot a pile of domesticated chickens from a manicured path next to a food plot. When you shoot a brace of wild birds you've done something. When you've shot a brace of barnyard pheasants you've payed someone.
If all this has your mind twisted into a pretzel, as mine has been at times, there's an easy fix. Just ask the question, which activity is an imitation of the other?
As for Skye and Roxy, I have too much respect for them, living where we do, to let them loose on anything but wild birds. They've given more to me than I can ever repay, it's the least I can do.
. Canned Elk and Whitetail hunts bother me much more than pheasants because these "farms" tend to be epicenters for spreading CWD.