If there wasn't was.

Upland4Ever

Upland4Ever

New member
If you lived in a state that had poor to little wild upland game to hunt would you hunt ranches and preserves or would you take up duck hunting?
 
Living in south central PA I don't have to imagine such things, it is very real. And I go to preserves sometimes and hunt many state stocked pheasants. Sometimes I'm lucky to hit the woodcock migration or make the long drive north for PA grouse but most of the birds the dogs work are the pen raised variety.
 
bauerline said:
Living in south central PA I don't have to imagine such things, it is very real. And I go to preserves sometimes and hunt many state stocked pheasants. Sometimes I'm lucky to hit the woodcock migration or make the long drive north for PA grouse but most of the birds the dogs work are the pen raised variety.
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Well its gotta be better than nothing. Just wish quail forever would get some habitat down south.
 
Living in Ky. there is NO pheasant season !!! I do buy and put out a good number of pen raised birds, fun for the dog and a lot better than doing yard work hehehe !!!. I do a little game farm dog work ( this is not hunting, but good for dog ) Quail are HARD to find !! I am not a duck hunter, I would rather go buy pheasants and get dog a little more prepared for South Dakota.
 
no birds

don't move to kansas or colorado. if i had not much to hunt i would hunt anyway and my girlfriend would appreciated me being gone so as to give her a break. work the game farms, better than staying home and have your girl friend save her money so that you can afford to travel some. like to maybe a good spot. don't get swayed by all these guys telling you preserve birds are low rent, they are better than nothing

cheers
 
mustistuff said:
don't move to kansas or colorado. if i had not much to hunt i would hunt anyway and my girlfriend would appreciated me being gone so as to give her a break. work the game farms, better than staying home and have your girl friend save her money so that you can afford to travel some. like to maybe a good spot. don't get swayed by all these guys telling you preserve birds are low rent, they are better than nothing

cheers
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That is very true when I quail hunted in Louisiana and everyone seeing I'm only 27 they looked at me like I was a celeb, Lol plus once my inlaws shaw the dog point their duck hunting ways were so impressed they couldn't stop talking about it.
 
Pheasants have become as scarce as hens teeth in this part of MN.
But I know where the wild ones are and I will go to extremes to get there.
I recommend you do so also. :thumbsup:
 
Why hunt what you don't like to hunt. I see ducks, deer and doves all over the place but I don't care to drive at all to hunt them. On the other hand, I have driven 6 to 12 hours to hunt pheasants and will do it again.

Pheasants are special don't ask me why, I can't explain it. I don't think that I am alone in that area of thinking, thats why we have this forum.

I don't see why reproducing wild pheasant won't take root in Kentucky or in the farming country of Tennessee. If wild pheasants can get started in Ohio I am sure they can get started in Kentucky. But they won't get started with the tame fat non-way and non-alert pen raised pheasants that are commercially available now.

If we don't try to expland the pheasant range most of us will be driving many many hours just to see a real live wild pheasant. Yes I know we can easily buy tame pen raised birds to shoot at but that is no fun.

I still say we need to start anew again, just like we did 120 years ago, with new authentic wild pheasants from abroad like new pure Chinese ringneck, Sichuan (strauchi) pheasant , new Manchurian pheasant and White-Winged pheasant.
The article below explains how private individuals took the lead 60 to 70 years ago to get wild pheasants started in the Texas Panhandle with wilder strains of pen raised pheasants:

http://amarillo.com/stories/2001/12/02/whe_legionsofspo.shtml

Food for thought.
 
Being a waterfowl hunter my entire life I see no problem with hunting them soley. Waterfowling has a rich history from the dogs involved, the decoys, calls,the boats to the guns. There is so much a person can partake in relating to waterfowling year round, if they so choose.

However, it has become such a "fad" that most of the younger generation is not the least bit interested in the history of it or the history of the equipment that is used to hunt waterfowl. Most nowadays are interested in how many they can kill and putting internet pictures on forums with dead birds and painted faces. I have found their aftermath in dumpsters before and it sickens me.
 
duckn66 said:
Being a waterfowl hunter my entire life I see no problem with hunting them soley. Waterfowling has a rich history from the dogs involved, the decoys, calls,the boats to the guns. There is so much a person can partake in relating to waterfowling year round, if they so choose.

However, it has become such a "fad" that most of the younger generation is not the least bit interested in the history of it or the history of the equipment that is used to hunt waterfowl. Most nowadays are interested in how many they can kill and putting internet pictures on forums with dead birds and painted faces. I have found their aftermath in dumpsters before and it sickens me.
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the fads and gizzmo's keep the companies busy, i tired of it. shoot most of my waterfowl with one of my muzzle loaders, made about 18 hand carved block, make all my own duck call, in my neck of the woods, if it is not new and shinny with a name on it i don't get a second look. keeps me happy. i play golf with wood shaft clubs and can still shoot in the 90's. anyway, enjoy. i find the my shorthairs sitting still in a blind for hours and cold water retrieving is a hoot, they don't know gizzmo's either. ps. most labs by the way won't do that


cheers
 
duckn66 said:
Being a waterfowl hunter my entire life I see no problem with hunting them soley. Waterfowling has a rich history from the dogs involved, the decoys, calls,the boats to the guns. There is so much a person can partake in relating to waterfowling year round, if they so choose.

However, it has become such a "fad" that most of the younger generation is not the least bit interested in the history of it or the history of the equipment that is used to hunt waterfowl. Most nowadays are interested in how many they can kill and putting internet pictures on forums with dead birds and painted faces. I have found their aftermath in dumpsters before and it sickens me.
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With robo duck, no one has learned the art of calling as well!
 
I have tried the duck thing. I sure read everything on old time water fowling, love the punts, call ducks, howling weather, heroic dogs, 10 gauges, brass shells, mason decoys. A lot to like. Now you can't predict where the duck will be, heck I would be happy to see a few more daily forget shooting them! But it's 70 degrees. Teal season is the BIG season around here. Of course the waste is everywhere, lost cripples, breasting birds, thrown away birds. Now you have a pocket full of batteries, and chargers, and a goofy headlamp, an ATV, and a cargo trailer to go to the field. I long for my shotgun a handful of shells, or my muzzleloader, or pinfire, trusting a good dog, and seeing what's over yonder in new territory. Ever notice that water fowling scenes in paintings revolve around the killing, where upland hunting we see scenes of quail under a snowy plum brush, a grouse who wings a way while you step over a log, a group of roosters who flush at the site of pheasant hunters across the field, or a solid point, sometime with backers in good bird cover. You look at it hand know that seeing that scenery if you were in the field you would bet, there were birds there. What more is there?
 
Where I'm from (Niagara Falls, Ontaro) we have almost no pheasants. I get a month maybe month and a half to hunt woodcock, or drive 8 hours north for ruffs. So game farms are an option to spend more time hunting with my dog. Although I do like to fill in the blanks with a good duck hunt too.
 
oldandnew said:
I have tried the duck thing. I sure read everything on old time water fowling, love the punts, call ducks, howling weather, heroic dogs, 10 gauges, brass shells, mason decoys. A lot to like. Now you can't predict where the duck will be, heck I would be happy to see a few more daily forget shooting them! But it's 70 degrees. Teal season is the BIG season around here. Of course the waste is everywhere, lost cripples, breasting birds, thrown away birds. Now you have a pocket full of batteries, and chargers, and a goofy headlamp, an ATV, and a cargo trailer to go to the field. I long for my shotgun a handful of shells, or my muzzleloader, or pinfire, trusting a good dog, and seeing what's over yonder in new territory. Ever notice that water fowling scenes in paintings revolve around the killing, where upland hunting we see scenes of quail under a snowy plum brush, a grouse who wings a way while you step over a log, a group of roosters who flush at the site of pheasant hunters across the field, or a solid point, sometime with backers in good bird cover. You look at it hand know that seeing that scenery if you were in the field you would bet, there were birds there. What more is there?
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O&N, you have a way with words/writing my friend. Nice post:)
 
The way I hunt ducks is much the same as I hunt pheasants.

Wild prairie Mallards flush out of this stuff about the same as roosters.
I like being on the move, no decoys for me. :)

 
No wild game birds anywhere near me apart from woodcock in season but I can't shoot those so all pheasants are reared and released - which is the case everywhere in the UK. There will be birds left from the last season but there are no truly wild game birds.

The only wild indigenous game birds I get to shoot are grouse.

I will be back out after pigeons and rabbits as soon as these horrible storms go away.
 
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