Pheasants going out

Raptors will choose a fence post or a hi line pole any day, anywhere.

The native Cottonwood is perfect.

Brushy trees like Russian Olives. Funny stuff.:)
 
brittboy said:
All I know is every time I went to Northeastern Colorado last season, I was asking myself "where is the cover needed for the phez to survive a blizzard"? Eventually the draught will end and the birds will come back, but I think this season is going to be really bleak. Hope I'm wrong.
Growing up, in central Texas, my old man always had a bird dog and there were quail everywhere. 45 yrs later, all the pastures are planted in coastal bermuda and there are zero wild quail.
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Good post, I too grew up in an area (Southeast KS) where quail where abundant and darn near everyone had a kennel out back with at least two bird dogs. Those days are gone and I don't think they're ever coming back. I teach middle school Boys PE and the issue I see is that most kids now a days don't want to put in the work and do the amount of walking that it takes to get into birds. We're in a instant gratification era and "wild" pheasant hunting is not that. It's sad, but most kids now a days tell me bird hunting is too much work, they'd rather sit on their rear ends and deer hunt or duck hunt.
 
KansasGsp said:
Good post, I too grew up in an area (Southeast KS) where quail where abundant and darn near everyone had a kennel out back with at least two bird dogs. Those days are gone and I don't think they're ever coming back. I teach middle school Boys PE and the issue I see is that most kids now a days don't want to put in the work and do the amount of walking that it takes to get into birds. We're in a instant gratification era and "wild" pheasant hunting is not that. It's sad, but most kids now a days tell me bird hunting is too much work, they'd rather sit on their rear ends and deer hunt or duck hunt.
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So in the case that bird numbers are real low and loss of land, is it good enough to take you bird hunting on a game ranch?
 
jsdriggs said:
Not even close. Those birds would not even be a remote challenge for my dogs. They dont taste nearly as good as a wild birds. It cost too much. And there is no "adventure".

I would prefer, and I already do if it doesn't get too hot, to hunt all day every day for my couple of birds. Great fun, great exercise, and the dogs love it.
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Excellent post! I figure if I can sneak up and catch a bird in a pen, why let it go? And have to find it! I enjoy the adventure too. If I get there and see a few birds, have a chance to bag them, it's fine by me. Lack of success, has never swayed me at all. I wish all game farms would use natural grain, insects, and greens in their diets, not just the Purina mush they feed them. When you open up the crock in that debeaked bird, and smell and see what's in there,..... well it's why I never became a school janitor! I like the grasshoppers, rosehips, in a sharptail crop, and the myriad of seeds in a quail crop. With quail we always opened the crop to tell what was in there, to find where to find more. One of the woodlore we don't need at a preserve, after all they go back to the pen, if they survive the hazards of the 40 acres you can hunt. Preserves a great to train dogs and Kids. Those of us with long pants need the gut busting test to hunt the wild ones where they live! When I can't, I'll have the memories!
 
Upland4Ever said:
So in the case that bird numbers are real low and loss of land, is it good enough to take you bird hunting on a game ranch?
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I don't mind walking all day for a chance at a bird or two. I'd rather do that then go to a bird farm. If it ever gets to the point that I can't do that, then I believe I'll quit pheasant hunting and concentrate on goose/ducks/deer or something else to fill the void. I don't have a problem with preserves, I know for some that's all they have. But, they're not for me and my dogs.
 
Those of You that will go out, put in a hard days hunt. Study the habitat, figure out why birds are here and not there. Study what benefits the wild birds and what does not.

Enjoy the work of a good bird dog and now and then bust a rowdy, wild rooster.
Your going to always find wild birds and love the hunt. :thumbsup:
 
jsdriggs said:
Not even close. Those birds would not even be a remote challenge for my dogs. They dont taste nearly as good as a wild birds. It cost too much. And there is no "adventure".

I would prefer, and I already do if it doesn't get too hot, to hunt all day every day for my couple of birds. Great fun, great exercise, and the dogs love it.
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what if you didn't have good bird numbers in your area, and couldn't afford to drive every weekend, would you duck hunt atleast?
 
Upland4Ever said:
what if you didn't have good bird numbers in your area, and couldn't afford to drive every weekend, would you duck hunt atleast?
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I don't have good pheasant numbers in my area, got to drive an hour and a half to get into them. But, I have 3 buddies that I hunt with and we all take turns driving. We usually leave around 5 in the morning, hunt from sun-up till noonish and then head home. We'd rather hunt all day, but we all have little ones at home and this is usually all we can get away with. But, most years we do this every Saturday. Usually hunt the same 4 or 5 areas every year and we usually get into enough birds to stay happy. We usually get away two or 3 times a year for weekend trips and these are always a good time. Usually try new places, eat at small town restaurants and enjoy seeing new areas. I guess if you're by yourself it could get expensive, I'd say try and find some buddies to hunt with to help share the cost.
 
KansasGsp said:
I don't have good pheasant numbers in my area, got to drive an hour and a half to get into them. But, I have 3 buddies that I hunt with and we all take turns driving. We usually leave around 5 in the morning, hunt from sun-up till noonish and then head home. We'd rather hunt all day, but we all have little ones at home and this is usually all we can get away with. But, most years we do this every Saturday. Usually hunt the same 4 or 5 areas every year and we usually get into enough birds to stay happy. We usually get away two or 3 times a year for weekend trips and these are always a good time. Usually try new places, eat at small town restaurants and enjoy seeing new areas. I guess if you're by yourself it could get expensive, I'd say try and find some buddies to hunt with to help share the cost.
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Yes, and that's hoe its done.

You people really wan't good birds numbers in your area??? Better start droping cash at your local PF and QF chapter. They have your back. 100% of all money donated works in your Area. Qu now out of BiZZ, Screw the hell out of it members. QF will not, I met Howard, the head of PF and QF not long ago, This will not ever happen To these two ORG'S. JOIN today, get involved, and contribute to the cause.
 
You guys are getting me charged up. I'm thinking this year I'm gonna find me some dove hunting spots. I may even give Blue Grouse another chance to kick my back side.
 
It's funny how there's different phases of a hunter. When I was in my 20's it was all about hunting fast and killing birds. Then around 30 or so it was more about getting out and enjoying the experience and making memories. Don't get me wrong, still love shooting birds, but that's not what makes the hunt now. I'm in the phase now where I don't need to shoot them, but I gotta be seeing them. Maybe 10 years from now that'll change and it'll be about just being out there. I think a lot of it is because I live in Kansas (Pheasant Country). If I lived somewhere where I had to drive long distances and only went twice a year then I think it'd be different. Kind of like this fly fishing stream I fish twice a year. I just love being there and catching fish is a bonus. But, if I lived close by the stream and went there every weekend, then the novelty of being there would wear off and it'd become more of "put something in the freezer" trip.
 
safari said:
Quail have been done for some time now...
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That's what the old timers tried to tell me when I started hunting, I'm glad I didn't listen.:D Head west if you want quail.
 
mnmthunting said:
Those of You that will go out, put in a hard days hunt. Study the habitat, figure out why birds are here and not there. Study what benefits the wild birds and what does not.

Enjoy the work of a good bird dog and now and then bust a rowdy, wild rooster.
Your going to always find wild birds and love the hunt. :thumbsup:
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I couldn't agree more.
 
mustistuff said:
ya, and you can even keep up with them out there too

cheers
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Or so one would like to believe. :D I have this spot picked out for you if you ever get out this way musti. A covey resides about a 1000ft below those clouds and we might even bump a covey of chuks on the way down.:cheers:

IMAG0197.jpg
 
Don't forget what happened in South Dakota in the mid 1970s. The bird population was so low that they cut the limit to 2 birds and had very short seasons. CRP saved the birds. History can repeat itself.
 
Ringneck Redneck said:
Don't forget what happened in South Dakota in the mid 1970s. The bird population was so low that they cut the limit to 2 birds and had very short seasons. CRP saved the birds. History can repeat itself.
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I do remember those days---I was a lot younger and we hunted HARD in heavy cover, in unconventional places to get a few really wild roosters--it was some of the best memories of bird hunting I have. It is NOT about the number of birds you bag but rather its about the HUNT. :D

Now I spend time and money trying to improve our land so there will be more birds and I find it is still the hunt and not the harvest that counts. Oh there is one other joy and that is watching other people enjoy the hunt. :thumbsup:
 
:D that's why were bird hunters, not everyone can be happy with one bird, and the drive in ourselves to do it.
SDJIM said:
I do remember those days---I was a lot younger and we hunted HARD in heavy cover, in unconventional places to get a few really wild roosters--it was some of the best memories of bird hunting I have. It is NOT about the number of birds you bag but rather its about the HUNT. :D

Now I spend time and money trying to improve our land so there will be more birds and I find it is still the hunt and not the harvest that counts. Oh there is one other joy and that is watching other people enjoy the hunt. :thumbsup:
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I guess I didn't make my point very clear, I'm NOT talking about number of birds shot I'm talking about the population of the birds. There are several states that had abundant pheasant populations years ago and that only have released bird hunting on public land. With urbanization and farming techniques the impact could greatly affect the bird numbers. I live in a part of the state where the bird numbers have been way down due to the flooding in 2011 and the drought in 2012. This year I'm seeing a few more but not many. I hunt what birds are around my. The farthest I hunted from home last year was about 12 miles. It was a tough year but I did get some birds.
 
My dads friend is all the time telling us that he feels sorry for us younger guys, "we have no idea what good bird hunting is". They used to shoot pheasants and rabbit limits when ever they wanted. And they could drive an hour south and jump two dozen grouse a day. Im thirty and in the early 90's I can recall jumping a few roosters every time out and there were big grassy corners in fields and big sections of fields left unfarmed. Some fields held water and good habitat around the edges of the water. Now they farm every inch, have taken out all the fence rows but the property lines and tiled and drained the fields.
 
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