Hello from colorado

C

Crew1

New member
Hello, new to the forum and to hunting.

Growing up my dad told my brothers and I he would teach us to hunt when we were older. Long story short he got deployed to Desert Storm and when he returned he told us "he had killed enough in his day and did not have the desire to go." Now that we are adults my brother and I decided enough is enough and took hunters safety last winter.

Anyone, interested on taking a couple rookies scouting &/or hunting this season? So far all we know is what we have read and we would love to get some hands on experience. If nothing else we would love to just talk so we can learn more. I am currently one of the unfortunate souls that unemployed so most days are open for me.

Thanks,

Mike
 
Hello from Colorado

Always interested in furthering the hunting experience with young individuals. PM me and we can begin the discussion of getting both of you involved in the great sport of hunting!
 
Good for you on learing how to hunt. I had a father that was ok with me hunting but he let me do it on my own I learned alot from friends and myself. Lots of reading and walking. Once you figure it all out it's way more fun to help others. I wish I had a hunting forum as a kid.
Welcome to the site:D
P.S. my father lets me take him hunting once in awhile. pretty cool
 
Welcome to UPH, Happy to see you here. Good luck with the up coming seasons........Bob
 
Welcome to UPH Hope we see a lot of you and your brother...........Bob
 
It makes me very happy to see new folks venturing out to give the outdoors a fair chance. I haven't known a single one that has regreted it. Welcome to the fraternity my friend!:cheers:
 
Welcome, I am no expert but more than willing to share what I do know. There are some real stand up gentelmen on this site that have a wealth of knowledge. PM me anytime oh yeah my company is always hiring :) U.S. Army
 
Welcome to the site. I would definitely be willing to take you guys out, but it's kind of a long drive either way.
 
Hey Crew,

I'm a fellow newbie myself. Trying to teach myself as well as finding others on here to help me learn about pheasant hunting. If you find out anything about the WIA areas near Denver, please let me know too. Maybe we can find a time and go hunting.

Steve
 
Hello! Since you and I joined on the same day and are both from CO, I figured I should say something.

I'm new to UPH (as a poster anyway), but not new to pheasant hunting. Like most endeavors, there are probably as many opinions on the "right" way to pheasant hunt as there are participants, but here's what has worked for me:

1) Don't be afraid to go out alone or in (very) small groups. My success rate has been MUCH higher alone than with others.
2) A good dog may not be worth his/her weight in gold, but at least worth a few carats. Plus they make the whole thing more fun. A bad dog is definitely worse than none at all. And you CAN get into birds without a dog.
3) The best part of hunting is outwitting the birds, figuring out the lay of the land, where they're hiding/loafing/feeding/whatever, where they're going to go next, etc. This takes time and patience - don't expect to figure it out the first year, or ever, for that matter - it's a continual learning process.
4) The best part of being out hunting is BEING OUT! Some of my best days afield I haven't taken one rooster. Never get so focused on the hunt that you don't enjoy the scenery.
5) Late season is more fun than early season - and more work.

I could go on and on, but I did say in my other post that I'd keep things short!

Welcome aboard.
 
Cokid,

I just went this week for the first time with a fellow member here on UPH. Had a blast and got to hunt behind some very capable and excellent retrievers. My question is how would you hunt alone without a dog? All the birds they flushed seemed to be in some THICK stuff that I wouldn't venture into on my best day. On top of that, it seems like you'd have to practically step on the bird to get it to flush. Again I'm a newbie in terms of pheasant hunting so I'm looking for some insight here. Thanks.
 
Well, I haven't done it recently as I've had a dog the last 15 years, but when I did hunt without, I found doing the unexpected is key. Don't just park and walk straight through a field. Park, walk down the road a ways, and cut in at a good-looking spot, then perhaps circle back to your vehicle. Concentrate on corners, hedgerows, shelter belts, etc., and try NOT to leave the birds an escape route (which can be hard). Zig-zag a lot, stop/start a lot, even run sometimes - anything to get them off their game. Learn to read sign (especially how old it is) as best you can, as your biggest handicap vs having a dog is not knowing when you're close to the birds. If you are hunting a larger field, don't kill yourself trying to cover the whole thing (unless you're finding birds). Look for the thicker cover, with some type of "structure" nearby, even a small rise in the landscape (hunt on the lee side). And overall, be quiet and sneaky! Use any wind to your advantage - hunt into it as much as possible.

As for having to step on them to get them to flush, that happens more early in the season. Later, your bigger problem is having them flush well out of range. And sometimes they'll do both - hold really tight, or flush wild! When they're holding tight, stop a lot and be silent, even for 3-5 minutes if you think you're close. As long as they hear you moving, and you're not going to step on them, they feel comfortably and will hide. When they don't hear you moving, they (might) get unnerved. If they're flushing well ahead of you, being sneaky becomes a priority.

Oh, and even with dog(s), a lot of these techniques are necessary anyway, especially late season.

Hope that helps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top