Huge Question

Upland4Ever

Upland4Ever

New member
If you lived in a state with low quail numbers and no pheasants, and could'nt travel out of state to offten, would you hunt to preseves in that state or take up other hunting?
 
Personally, I would hunt other species. I mean no offense to you guys that enjoy the preserves and I have definately thought about that option over the last two bird seasons.
 
I might do both. I have no problem going to a preserve and shooting some birds. And heck, I live in South Dakota. Preserve hunting extends the season. Out here you can do preserve hunting from Sept. 1st thru March 31st. And a place in Minnesota I've been to goes until the end of April.
 
I think I would hunt preserves enough to keep the dog happy and look into other opportunities. As previously stated, preserves extend the season and I usually take Molly out once or twice before the season and plan to take her out after the season ends at least once.
 
Haven't been to a preserve yet to hunt birds. I am seriously considering it.
Feel sorry for the dog working his butt off and lucky to find any birds at all.
 
tame pheasants

it's your crank, turn it, or what ever, i can understand for a lot of people it can be really fun and for some of those maybe even a challenge, me, i'm getting old and when it comes to that i'll just sit on the couch and tell the dog hunting stories. it is a hell-ov alot cheaper than me driving to kansas every 8 or 9 days to chase wild ones, they probably taste the same especially if ya hang em' and then brine them using ol' what's his face's recipes of makers mark
 
I bird hunt becuase of the dogs. If there were no wild birds, the options are:
- buy some ground and grow some birds
- go to a preserve
- Travel to a place with wild birds.
- Give up

Good luck, I know that a bad year here in KS is better than good years in many places.
 
I live in southern PA where there is no late pheasant season (stocked by the state), I'm too far south for grouse, quail season is closed year round so I go to a preserve. The dogs like it and I have fun. It's cheaper than driving to a place that has wild birds and a better alternative when I don't have the time to drive north for grouse. Get a couple of friends to go along or take some family with you and make it a fun day in the fields with your dog. It's your time and money, do what makes you happy.
 
All we have as far as Pheasants in CA is clubs with planted. I go for the dog and we have fun together. Haven't hunted wild birds since 95 or 96 although I could have had a double last season on 2 wild hens, (club only plants roosters) but no need. You guys who live in wild bird country sure are lucky sob's
 
FairOaksRod said:
All we have as far as Pheasants in CA is clubs with planted.
Click to expand...

Not quite, but it's getting closer to that all the time. However, you ought to see the number of wild roosters in the closed zone at the Little Dry Creek Unit of the Upper Butte Basin Wildlife area in a year following a reasonably wet spring. It's truly phenomenal! In years like that, you can also find a scant few on the open parts of several refuges in this area – at least enough to get me out there just about every Wednesday and Sunday afternoon during the season.

I go after some club birds in January and February to extend the dogs' season. I have a longstanding deal with the owner – I provide some PR services for him, and in exchange I get to go out there and pick off up to 20 "scratch" birds (ones that were planted for somebody else but got away) at no charge. Sometimes (today, for instance) I don't find any, but it's still a good way to spend an afternoon.
 
FairOaksRod said:
All we have as far as Pheasants in CA is clubs with planted. I go for the dog and we have fun together. Haven't hunted wild birds since 95 or 96 although I could have had a double last season on 2 wild hens, (club only plants roosters) but no need. You guys who live in wild bird country sure are lucky sob's
Click to expand...

Wild birds aren't easy to come by here in Ca but they are out there if you want to work for them. I probably saw around a hundred wild birds this year and even managed to bag 5 wild roosters. This was a tough year though, I think I shot 8 wild roosters last season and about 15 the season before that. I probably put in over 10 miles per bird this year but to me and the dogs it was worth it. Missed an oppritunity on a double at Graylodge. :( I like when I check out and they tell me I'm the only person who got a rooster that day.:cheers:
 
Only 10 miles per rooster? That's not bad at all. I think you are below my average...:rolleyes: I am walking a couple days per rooster. Maybe California is better than Kansas this year.
 
Toad said:
Only 10 miles per rooster? That's not bad at all. I think you are below my average...:rolleyes: I am walking a couple days per rooster. Maybe California is better than Kansas this year.
Click to expand...

From what I've been seeing from you alls posts I would say maybe. Difference is a lot less serious pheasant hunters here and only a few pockets of wild birds.

Now that I think about it it was probably closer to 15mi per bird but 10 makes me feel better.:cheers:
 
birds

you guys are making me feel bad. so far, to date i am at 38 birds in mostly n. w. kansas and am now at one bird per hour, was one every 50 min. things have slowed down, hunt over two dogs and mostly walk-in property. last week i hunted parts of two days and flushed about 160 birds that were in a hunting situation. not sure why many of you are having such a hard time. most of the birds are in the wheat, especially if it contains weeds. finding good cover is harder than finding birds so have to check out lots of land
 
Don't feel bad, we will take the birds as they come. Most of the birds I saw on public land this year were flushing 60-100yds ahead of the dogs. It gets frusterating sometimes but you just have to keep at them. I look foreward to next season as I'm finally seeing some habitat improvements on our public lands out here. If things get to bad I could just hunt quail, I think I'm averaging about a covey an hour on my quail outings.
 
My part of Wisconsin has almost ZERO wild birds. I remember as a kid seeing 20 in a field at a time. Those fields are now subdivisions. If I want to pheasant hunt much here, my only choices are PHG or preserve hunts. I still enjoy and still look forward to every hunt, so do my pups.
 
Hell, up here in Montana, if I do not start getting some birds up in the first 100 yards, I start to think about heading to a new field. I cannot imagine walking section after section and only seeing a handfull of birds, I enjoy watching the dogs as much as the next guy, but a happy bird dog is a birdy bird dog....
 
big sky birds

never hunted montana, do read and think about it some, just made a post as to the golden valley just over the line in s.w. n. dakota. last year in kansas it was that way for me, this year is work even though i have done really well i am not seeing many birds compared to nearly any other year. if possible would like a hint, private or not where i might start a few days hunt up there. have two dogs, maybe one buddy. just asking. long way to go to just wonder around lost.

cheers
 
wild birds

ya know, my dogs go to hunt, they really don't give a damn what they hunt and mostly i don't either, if i can be picky, i would like to be in heaven with lots of wild birds but if that is not possible be in heaven with some other kind and ya don't have to feel bad about, just do it. not all of us carry a gun into a field for protection against too many birds wild or otherwise, one thing for sure is that planted birds a whole lot cheaper. also, no longer will i bitch about having to pay $8 for a turkey at the super market, the one's in kansas are running about #120 each, they are organic though
 
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