pheasant farm...real hunt???

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Gunslinger33

New member
Got into a discussion with a Coworker tonight. Just want to know what your thoughts are ongame farms. Do you consider hunting on a game farm real hunting or not? And why or why not? Thanks
 
It's alot of fun and good practice for you and your dog, but i do not get the same euphoric feeling that i do hunting wild birds. Game farm hunting i'll give it a 6. chasing public land wild roosters:10sign:
 
There is nothing like just you and your dog going out after wild birds.
Hunting game farms would seem to be a lot better then not hunting at all.
 
Wild, state-released, Preserve....dogs won't care tho I expect even they can tell a difference.
Especially so with a Preserve, the quality of both the birds and the cover are what will make the experience.
Busy folks, company entertainers, TV shows, kids, elderly or challenged folks, dog trainers, hunters with few local birds can all find a good Preserve workable....a bad Preserve avoidable.
And, some large pheasant hunting operations stretch the word wild into more of a Preserve experience what with all the fiddly stuff of courting customers.
I have not been to a Preserve in 10 years or so...because I simply don't like crowds past two....and, thankfully, one will never see a ruffed grouse on a Preserve's menu.
That would be a terrible thing to witness.
 
OldDublin said:
Wild, state-released, Preserve....dogs won't care tho I expect even they can tell a difference.
Especially so with a Preserve, the quality of both the birds and the cover are what will make the experience.
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Very true.

This can vary quite a bit depending on the preserve and where they are getting their birds. I've seen both ends of the spectrum. I've seen birds that literally needed help getting airborne and I've seen birds that you'd be hard pressed to tell whether pen raised or wild.

If you live in an area where the wild birds numbers are not good, then a preserve will certainly serve a useful purpose. Like you said, the dogs don't care so you put them on birds any way you can. Can't make a bird dog without birds.
 
hunting wild birds is HUNTING period... at a preserve wear you know there is for going to see X how many birds you have placed out that is not HUNTING that is practice for you & your dog to get ready for the REAL HUNTING SEASON...

its like sports the preserve is the practice field & the big game is opening day of pheasant season & every day after...

just because you dont live close to or have the time to HUNT wild pheasants dose not make PEN raised birds WILD FARE CHASE PHEASANTS... but like MNMTHUNTING said i guess its better then not hunting at all...

but you will never see everybody all excited to hit the 1st field like you do on opening day of the real pheasant season if you just preserve hunt placed birds you are missing out BIG TIME...

all that said i have to go to a preserve here pretty quick & get my puppy on good birds numbers for a change MN is not all that EZ on a young pup
 
The preserve that's near where I live will let you go in and go after missed birds from other hunters and charge you on what you get bagged.
 
Is it hunting? Probably not. Is it all I've got? Definitely. I live in new jersey. All I get are birds stocked by the state. Some day when this pug that I have kicks the can, I'll get a hunting dog, and my kids and I will head west for a real hunting trip, but right now, raising kids and not having a dog, I'll call it hunting. It makes me feel better when I can't otherwise afford a real trip. I'm looking forward to the season opener this Saturday.
 
Phil V. said:
The preserve that's near where I live will let you go in and go after missed birds from other hunters and charge you on what you get bagged.
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That is what you call "scratch" hunting. Scratch hunting is usually reserved for members only and in most cases only during weekdays. IMO, scratch hunting can be somewhat like REAL hunting in that you have no idea what... if anything is in the field. These birds have probably had a day or two to acclimate themselves and will generally act more wild then if just recently released.

I don't think anyone here is arguing the fact that hunting a preserve is the same as a good wild bird hunt, even with good flying preserve birds. For some it will be more convenient, while others it will serve as a place to consistently put their dogs on birds, when exposure to enough wild birds is not possible.
 
Scratch hunting, as previously mentioned, can be very challenging. We were out a week ago and had to chase a couple of runners 100 yards. They seem to fly the same and if they have been shot at or hunted, they perform like wild birds.

Hunting on opening day is very similar to hunting preserve birds; the birds are a bit stupid and hold;obviously this changes as the season progresses.

Bottom line: at times, it can make little difference...
 
small munsterlander owner said:
just because you dont live close to or have the time to HUNT wild pheasants dose not make PEN raised birds WILD FARE CHASE PHEASANTS...
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Unless I missed something, I don't believe anyone had made this claim.

What i stated was that not all pen raised birds are created equal. I've witnessed hard flying preserve birds that got up cackling out of gun range just as a wild bird may and if you didn't know any better you'd think they were wild.
 
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i dont get why your singling me out BIRDSHOOTER???

i was in no way directing my comments to you or anybody else??? that is the number 1 reason people go to preserves to hunt... they dont live near a wild population of pheasants ...

& all i was saying is that dose not make PEN raised birds WILD birds so its really not hunting if you have to buy the birds B4 or after the packaged hunt???

as big of reason is to get your hunting dog on pheasants B4 or after the season
 
I'm guessing he singled you out because you were shouting. It kind of felt like you were putting those of us down that don't or can't hunt wild birds. I wasn't personally offended, I'm new and trying to learn everything that I can. These stocked birds are helping me get better so that in a few years when I do get out west to hunt I won't look so amateurish.
 
maybe??? my hole statement was not in caps??? maybe it just had to do with i was the next guy after BIRDSHOOTER to leave a comment & he thought i was directing it to him???

or hes mad at past comments that happens a lot on here...

there was a general question asked & i gave a general answer from my thoughts on the subject some dont like that???
 
If all you have is preserves or Pen raised bird, that all you have for you and the dog. Go for it, its still fun.

But, Truly wild birds are a different animal, and are more fun and more of a challenge for the dog and gun, in my opinion.
 
like setternut said wild pheasants are truly another animal so hunting a preserve for pheasants really wont be the same as hunting wild pheasants the best teacher for that is hunting wild pheasants...
 
Wild birds are few and far between out here. Would I take a new guy out for a 5+ mi hike to see one or two birds, hopefully one a rooster and in range? No! I would take them to a preserve so they could actually get some shots and connect with their first rooster. Would I consider it hunting? Not really but to that person it would be and they might get hooked. I'll chase all wild birds until all seasons are closed but better believe I put my dogs on preserve birds come February.:cheers:
 
Game farms can be good if training a young dog or a refresher course before the season. But nothing like the real thing.
 
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