Reco Areas for Hunting Pheasants with Falcons?

E

Eric

New member
Hello,

I am new to this group and am hoping I can both gain and share some good knowledge.

My situation is a bit unique in that I hunt both ducks and uplands, but with falcons. It is similar in some ways to gun hunting, but has more stringent requirements as far as set ups and terrain. In short, we use dogs to locate and point, put up a falcon who gains height, and when overhead, we flush and let the falcon do its thing.

I have been hunting primarily ducks for the last 20 years with falcons in Nor Cal, due in part to my location, and in part to the very well known crash of pheasant populations in the state.

But as one of my good friends now has a great dog and we are both getting a bit bored hunting just ducks with our falcons, we are starting to "re-explore" the traditional areas in Nor Cal you used to be able to find wild pheasants.

So my big question is: Are there general areas (I don't expect anyone to give up their prime hunting spots!) that people would recommend for running a dog that is fairly open country where pheasants have made a comeback? In the old days, we used to fly our falcons around Arco in Sacto (now very built up) as well as Davis and Dixon.

A buddy and me went up to Colusa last weekend and were a bit shocked by how little we found. The new farming practices seem to have basically eradicated the wild birds from the rice farms.

Anyway, any general pointers would be much appreciated.

Best,

Eric
 
Thanks for joining the forum. I cant help you with your question at all. I am sure all of us would love to hear more about hunting pheasant with falcons. That sounds pretty cool.

I used to work for Pebble Beach out there. Twice a year that would bring a falcon out to keep the seagull population down. It was great fun to watch the falcon work.
 
I would suggest Yolo bypass, probably the most open cover around the valley and there are pheasants. If you're up for a journey Tule lake/ Klamath basin would be worth a trip.:cheers:
 
Eric welcome to uph. Hunting with falcons very cool. What type of falcon do you Have? I friend of mine raises falcons and train them. then sell them in the middle east. Havn't see him in years.:cheers:
 
Thanks guys.

I am familiar with the Yolo Bypass area. That is actually a very "traditional" hawking area that falconers have frequented going back to the '50s. I know it used to be decent for pheasants, but when I last hawked the area about 10 years back, it had been pretty decimated. But we generally flew our birds more around the area off Mace. I think I will definitely check out the area.

Also, thanks for the Tule Lake reco. We have been talking about exploring that area.

QuailHound, who is your old friend? My guess is I probably know him.

I have flown peregrine falcons for about the last 15 years or so. Generally, I hunt ducks, but am starting to want to build in more uplands.

Basically, for ducks you can only fly small water - stock ponds and such. You unhood and release the falcon and they "ring up", gaining altitude, anywhere from a modest couple hundred feet to out of sight (generally somewhere around 2,000 feet usually). Then you flush and they fold into a stoop which is a vertical dive. They are not that big, but translate their velocity into force and can kill anything up to a sage grouse.

For pheasants, you obviously need a dog, but it is the same basics. The issue of course is the little rats running, which makes flushing at the right time (critical) difficult at times. But if you can find them in areas where the cover is conducive, it is a fantastic flight.

Eric
 
Pheasant hunting for wild birds in Ca is what it is Eric and unfortunately it isn't great. We moved more birds at Yolo than any where else in the valley this year, if the numbers don't suffice I would consider a preserve hunt. How about quail hunting? I love watching the coopers hawks that hunt my favorite quail spots.:cheers:
 
Last edited:
Quail Hound,

Thanks. I have not looked for pheasants in that area for a decade so maybe it has recovered a bit. i will definitely check it out. The only downside to that area is that it is close to a bunch of sloughs that are a tracking nightmare. We put transmitters on the falcons because they do wander off from time to time.

Preserve pheasants are unforunately way too easy for a seasoned falcon.

Thanks for the tip!

Eric
 
I saw some falconry action on ducks one day in Colusa about 15 years ago. I was the sports editor of the newspaper in Yuba City/Marysville at the time and the state championship or whatever it was called was being held there. Some guys offered to take me out and give me an up-close look.

It was an awesome deal ? that bird came down in a big hurry when a flock of mallards was flushed off a pond for it and just clocked a big greenhead. A little while later another guy wandered over to our group and said he was having trouble getting his big gyr falcon back. The guys I was with said they hadn't seen it, but they'd keep an eye out for it.

We walked a bit more and a guy looked up and said, "Hey, I think that's the guy's gyr." He pulled that dead duck out of his vest and tossed it to the side, and that falcon just shot down out of the sky right on top of it.

Unfortunately, the dumba$$ who'd said he'd gotten permission for everyone to be out there actually hadn't, or at least hadn't gotten proper clearance. The end of the day consisted of a long visit with a sheriff's deputy, who finally turned us all loose without anybody being charged.
 
Your season runs longer than the regular season. Unfortunately, the wildlife areas may not recognize your longer opportunity to hunt because they are really little kingdoms run by the area's manager. I'd think you also need a place where birds fly a longer distance in order for your falcon to see and get to it. Lots of the wildlife area birds don't fly far before they get right back into cover like tule patches in the duck ponds because there are wild raptors after them there too. Yolo Bypass wildlife area has an area manager that you can check with about using your falcon there and it has more open cover. There is the Sacramento Bypass Wildlife Area and Fremont Weir Wildlife Areas too. They both have a lot of trees however on parts of them that would seem to make it tough for your use.
You've got a tough row to hoe here in Calif. needing to find a bird, have it hold steady while pointed so you can get your falcon up and ready and then have it fly far enough to give your bird time to get it. Ducks are easy. They just want to fly away giving you lots of time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top