How well does blocking work for you?

moellermd

moellermd

Super Moderator
I hunt in small groups of 4 to 5 guys. With few exceptions the blocker does not get very many shots. We hunt waterways and cattails. Not very many large chunks of cover. It seems that most of the shooting takes place by the guys walking. A few birds every now and then sneak out the end but the shooter is usually not in the right place or they bust out before the end. The only benefit the blocker provides is they drive the truck to the end of the field so we do not have to walk back. :rolleyes: Anyone else who hunts the same type of cover ever encounter this?
 
Moellermd,

I can see you point but man, I don't think I would even got out without 2 things....dogs or blockers. They both work well. I will walk or block or flank. I don't care. I always get shooting too. Just ask Webguy.

I think most guys vision of pheasant hunting is 1 or 2 guys and there dogs strolling across some great lookin field. I've found that in SD you either hunt solo and stealth or you better go out with no less than 6 guys (2 walkers, 2 flankers and 2 blockers).

And yes it is nice to have the blockers drive the vehicles around to be able to get to that next spot quicker.

That's Allstates stand.....
 
I agree, but when I hunt out here. It is usually just my son and I and we like many other people are set in our style of hunting. We find it nice to be able to go hunt with our 2 Brittany's and have fun in our own ways.---Bob
 
Unless the cover I am hunting is small enough to shoot across I always try to block it. Even with 3 hunters I always try to block the end. I feel this is most imperative after opening weekend. And towards the end of season I've been most successful using as many blockers and flankers as walkers while trying to surround the parcel I'm hunting. I even used vehicles to aid in blocking off escape routes by positioning them with the windows down and the radio blaring. I agree with UHUNT groups of 6-8 hunters can be tremendously effective employing these methods. And I think its more enjoyable for me to hunt with a group of experienced hunters that know how to employ the above mentioned tactics.
 
We rarely block for several reasons. Since blocking can only be accomplished with a relatively large hunting group (6 to 20) safety is a concern especially given how many blocking accidents the GF&P's reports each year. No matter how careful the hunting group is the chance for an accident goes up greatly when hunters don't know exactly where everyone is at any given time and then anyone can have a mental lapse.

Secondly, we believe in fair chase. Blocking isn't fair chase at all, it more like an ambush! We feel that the ambush tactic is more suitable for deer hunting.

And finally, its not fair to the dogs to shorten the hunt by placing blockers where they can shoot large number of birds in quick order. We feel it much better to chase the birds long and hard all day long so that the end of the day man and his dog can reflect on a hard days hunt, whether successful or not. Your dog will be happier for it.

LM
 
I have my wife post while I do the walking and the birds usually figure out pretty quick where she is at. Even when perfectly still they still see the orange. We are the only ones hunting a large piece of property and next year I'm going to try having her not wear orange when she is blocking and see if that helps.
 
The general consensus seems to be that you need more than 4 guys to block effectively. Make sure you have enough to cover the exit points. Since I do not like big groups I guess I have to live with less than ideal blocking conditions. Like BOBEYERITE said everyone has there own way of hunting that they enjoy.

LM-I agree with most of what you said. I do not particularly enjoy blocking either. I would much rather walk then wait for birds to fly over you. You really do not get to experience the fun of the dog work. I would not go so far as to say it is not fair chase. I am sure others will let you know how they feel about that one. :eek:

I also would agree that it is harder to block with a few blockers has the birds quickly see you and fly the other way.
 
moellermd said:
LM-I agree with most of what you said. I do not particularly enjoy blocking either. I would much rather walk then wait for birds to fly over you. You really do not get to experience the fun of the dog work. I would not go so far as to say it is not fair chase. I am sure others will let you know how they feel about that one.
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I admit it's said with tongue in cheek but still more of an ambush than chase. Nonetheless, ambush is better than no chase at all, and some days the chase just doesn't work very well so we resort to the alternative chase-ambush, that is, if we have enough friends to help with the chase-ambush strategy on the day that the singular chase doesn't work. Consider though, any dog will tell you that the chase is all that really matters.

LM
 
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Oh come on LM stick to your guns and say it is not fair chase. It would sure make this thread awful interesting in a hurry
 
Fair Chase it is

Well I'll jump in and say that IT IS FAIR CHASE. My definition of fair chase on native wild birds is that you come by your birds while abiding by the law at all times.

For whitetails to be recorded in the record books you simply must take the animal during legal hours, with legal license and by the fish and game laws for that state. Period.

As for blocking, when you have a 70+ hunter in your group that's sometimes all they can do and love it as it allows them to still enjoy the hunt.

This fall we hunted with a group of 4 without much success. Birds were squeezing out the sides when we walked with 3 and blocked with 1. We switched to 1 walker, 1 blocker and 2 flankers and starting getting birds.

I agree that surround and pound is not the safest strategy. If you wnat safer don't block. Safer yet, hunt by yourself. Safest yet, don't leave the porch.
 
moellermd said:
Oh come on LM stick to your guns and say it is not fair chase. It would sure make this thread awful interesting in a hurry
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Ok, here goes. Hunting using ambush technique's are for hunting Turkeys, Deer and waterfowl. In reality chasing said critters is more dangerous and less sporting than using the ambush, especially when hunting deer or turkey. On the otherhand, the chase method is best suited for hunting upland game such as pheasants and it is the safest and fairest way to hunt them. That is why we use the term fair-chase rather than fair-ambush when talking about pheasant hunting.

It's enough for me to see a smart pheasant evade the army of hunters and dogs by sneaking out the side or making a hasty escape at the end of the field. I know that these are the very best cocks and most prepared to survive the sometimes brutel winters and evasion of the all-to-many predators so their genes are the ones we want for reproduction in the spring. This is why, on my land, we have the wildest and biggest cocks you will find anywhere.

Also our dogs are trained to chase, point and flush pheasants so we can shoot them. If this were not true, we'd train them to sit on one end of the field while we walk to the other end and then on signal the dog would work towards us for the ambush. If your dog could talk he'd/she'd say every time "lets chase these birds today and let's do it all day".

LM
 
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landman said:
We rarely block for several reasons. Since blocking can only be accomplished with a relatively large hunting group (6 to 20) safety is a concern especially given how many blocking accidents the GF&P's reports each year. No matter how careful the hunting group is the chance for an accident goes up greatly when hunters don't know exactly where everyone is at any given time and then anyone can have a mental lapse.

Secondly, we believe in fair chase. Blocking isn't fair chase at all, it more like an ambush! We feel that the ambush tactic is more suitable for deer hunting.

And finally, its not fair to the dogs to shorten the hunt by placing blockers where they can shoot large number of birds in quick order. We feel it much better to chase the birds long and hard all day long so that the end of the day man and his dog can reflect on a hard days hunt, whether successful or not. Your dog will be happier for it.
LM
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I agree with you about safety concerns when blocking, but don't agree with your ethics about unfairness in blocking. One could make the same argument that using a dog is not fair for the bird. In addition, especially at my age (69), whats the difference in shooting 3 birds in one hour or shooting one bird per hour for 3 hours?

I guess it is all in the eye of the beholder.
 
I myself and the small groups I hunt with have never had much success blocking. On the other hand, we have had a lot of success with the Uguide/Webguy school of Super Turbo Power Flanking, particularly when hunting crop strips.

I doubt there will ever be agreement on whether blocking is fair chase or not. IMO, for most of us the decision â??to block or not to blockâ?� is based on success or failure. Nothing more.
 
This is a very highly opinionated topic and I'm not going to get too much into it but I will make a few points of thought.

I'll start by saying this. I am a pheasant hunter. Am I a true pheasant hunter? That is in the eyes of the beholder. Here are some random thoughts on this topic and on the sport of pheasant hunting.



Some Questions to Ask yourself before criticism of Blocking/True Hunters
  • Is a pheasant hunter one that goes out to shoot tons of birds on a perserve where your limit can be 25 birds? Or are you classified as a "pheasant shooter"?
  • Is a pheasant hunter one that goes out by himself with his dog(s) or with a group less than 4 and their dogs? Or does that make your "more" of a pheasant hunter
  • What is a pheasant hunter?
  • Is it pheasant hunters that go out and spend all day hunting or is pheasant hunting getting your limit in 30 minutes?
  • Are lodges considered a true pheasant hunt?
  • Is blocking fair chase?
I think these are all legitimate questions and I've hunted with every end of the spectrum from A-Z and I really respect all aspects because I see how it affects people even at a micro level.

Looking at the macro level of blocking, it can look very ugly. But let's break it down a bit.



In My Opinion & Random Thoughts:
  1. 95% of you guys on this forum are "more" of a pheasant hunter than I will ever be. That's ok, because I'll never be a true pheasant hunter and I don't claim to be. However, I hunt a lot and love to talk the sport, take photography, and have fun. Really, that's what it's all about.
  2. I have as much fun taking photos or walking along, as I do pheasant hunting. If I don't hunt 1 day though, I'd go nuts.
  3. I block. It all depends on where you go hunting at. If you are in a large group, you block. I hunt in large groups a lot, so do the math there.
  4. I like the internet. My whole goal is using the internet as a tool to preserve the sport of pheasant hunting, help the business side of pheasant hunting, as well as carving out a community of pheasant hunters with different backgrounds so we can all experience something different, learn a bit from each other, as well as accept differences.
  5. Don't ever forget about these out of state corporate pheasant hunting groups coming into the state of South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, etc and buying steaks at the local joint or buying beers from "Jim & Mary'" that own the local bar. How about the family that owns the lodge? How about the familys kids? What about the guys packing the birds in town for $3-$4 per bird. What about the local taxidermists?
  6. 5.3 billion dollars is spent on hunting trips and it helps farmers and local's create a living. Yes, not everyone may agree with it, but I've seen how it affect people. Keep in mind, I have seen a lead pellet in a guys throat, so I try and take a unbiased position.
In Conclusion:

Blocking has a place... it's not for everone and yes, it can be very dangerous. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wear eye protection without exception. My first hunt I got splashed in the face.
 
Satire aside, certainly everyone has their own hunting strategy. For me personally, we don't block much but when days are tough and we have a couple of guys WD (without dog) or OH (over hill) then we might let them block a couple of times.

One of the most dangerous scenerios concerning flanking is while hunting tall grass or corn and the flanker suddenly moves up. Sometimes the flanker will move up when approaching the end of the field or if they see birds escaping out the sides. If even one of the group does not see this flanker move up and/or the flanker is not visible to everyone there is a real danger of someone taking a cornering shot in his direction. This can happen too if someone is hunting with the group for the first time and does not know that the flanker may move up without warning. To counter this situation a flanker should always have plenty of orange on and make sure that everyone in the group aware that he is moving up. And yes, wear glasses and any other armour deemed necessary if practicing this method.
 
I think it all depends on the cover you are blocking. If the cover is super thick, most birds will sit tight. If your hunting crop fields the birds seem to run and that is when I have had success with blockers.
 
landman said:
One of the most dangerous scenerios concerning flanking is while hunting tall grass or corn and the flanker suddenly moves up. Sometimes the flanker will move up when approaching the end of the field or if they see birds escaping out the sides. If even one of the group does not see this flanker move up and/or the flanker is not visible to everyone there is a real danger of someone taking a cornering shot in his direction. This can happen too if someone is hunting with the group for the first time and does not know that the flanker may move up without warning. To counter this situation a flanker should always have plenty of orange on and make sure that everyone in the group aware that he is moving up. And yes, wear glasses and any other armour deemed necessary if practicing this method.
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Landman - Safety talk or a group meeting so everyone on the same page is manditory. I've seen too many low shots or stupid shots as I call them over the years.

If you are using the walk towards each other method, wedge, flanker, blockers or box methods everyone needs to know what is going on or someone's taking an unsafe shot plain and simple.

Saftey talk and no exceptions to the rule. Unfortuatley I see too many anxious hunters throw all common sense and logic after they see their first flush of 200 birds!
 
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