Question about SD pheasant hunts

[519vx]

Some farms/managers are very selective about the pheasants they buy for stocking. They will only buy mature, long tailed roosters. Helps give the appearance of wild birds. It's fun to see advertisements for "100% wild birds" from some outfits when they just got a delivery of roosters in from a MN pheasant farm. Just another effect of the pay-to-play mantra.
Towards the end of the season I buy "stubbies" from a particular pheasant farm for cheap and we have a shoot/feed with friends and family who otherwise don't pheasant hunt. Nothing like a good kick n shoot to wrap up the season.

Happened to me last year. Sunny kind of warm day and I came up to a shade tree in a ditch. Sage flushed a hen, then all heck broke loose. Rooster after rooster flushed in all different directions in groups of one to three at a time. Cackling wings beating dog is crazy and I just couldnt concentrate. One rooster made the mistake of being the last one to flush. Got him and he is at the taxidermist right now. What an experience! Best I can figure there were nine roosters under that tree.