Roosters Harvested???

KansasGsp said:
That's like asking why they keep score at a baseball game. That the game should be played for fun and it shouldn't matter who wins or loses. I too enjoy watching bird dogs work, but I also like to put birds in the bag. I love walking behind bird dogs pheasant hunting, not just walking! The question wasn't meant to turn into a pissing match and it's not a big deal about who kills the most.
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Well put KansasGSP! I understand his point....it's not all about killing birds, but # of birds harvested/hit/shot at or whatever are all "characteristic" (4 lack of a better word) reminders of each hunt.
 
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mnmthunting said:
I have killed many a rooster. Why keep track? Once a rooster is dead the fun is over. Like! why hurry to kill the limit why pile up dead birds?what is it you don't like about hunting? I like walking, working the dogs and finally when we're all tired out take the limit bird and a Lot of adventure home with me. What's the deal about who kills the most?:confused:
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I really like this comment! I've been thinking whether or not I wanted to post to this thread and what I was going to say. I do keep a log of my pheasant hunting. For each hunt I log the number of birds bagged, hit, lost & missed; the number of shots taken, where I hunted and who I hunted with.

BUT in lines with what MnMT is saying, I also jot down a brief description of the hunt - the type of weather, how the dog was working, how the birds were holding, the number of birds seen. I've been doing this for 5 years now. (I started when I acquired my dog, Ruby.) I can look at anyone of these years and remember a hunting day just as clear as the day of the hunt. It is so enjoyable to pull these up and remember what the hunt is really about and not just a number at the end of the year.

With my health and the chemo treatments I've had this year, I was only able to get out 11 times. Ends up that the hunts were very successful as far as bird numbers, but the journal is going to be more important to me as I relive this year AND look forward to next year.
 
mnmthunting said:
I have killed many a rooster. Why keep track? Once a rooster is dead the fun is over. Like! why hurry to kill the limit why pile up dead birds?what is it you don't like about hunting? I like walking, working the dogs and finally when we're all tired out take the limit bird and a Lot of adventure home with me. What's the deal about who kills the most?:confused:
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I kept a journal for the last 7 years documenting every hunt including every miss, hit, or no shot. Over that stretch I've killed 50-60 birds, only hunting 3-8 days/year. I keep track of totals in order to look back and ponder good/poor shooting as well as how the dog work was, temperature, time of day, crop or CRP etc..I can relive that first kill and the excitement both man and dog experienced. To me, this is the true essence of hunting.

A few years ago, I killed about 100 doves over the course of the season. Towards the end I got tire of killing the little buggers.

PS. Only 3 phesants killed this season

Lefty
 
Yep that's what i do-How many shot, wounded, seen, weather and more importantly who I was with and what dogs I was with and how they hunted. This year I have even started adding some photos-as I write mine on the computer it is easy to copy and paste into the journal.
 
Been repeated many a time, but everyone is in a different stage, I find in interesting that too many Minnesotans visiting SD talk about limits and quickest time to limits. The thoughts of large groups driving big covers do not appeal to me - I have passed often when invited. At the same time I do not diss these people - unless they are being tricked into hunting apparently wild birds supplemented by pen raised roosters ... :rolleyes:

I probably average 25 - 40 (WILD) roosters per season with about 60% coming off private land (no guides needed here) and 40% public land. I burn shoe soles to get these birds because I typically do not hunt areas with greatest concentration of birds. Great dog work with just me or a couple buddies .. sweat equity with a full bag and tired dogs around sunset .. the chill on the skin as the temperature fades with the setting sun...

Whether party hunting is legal or not (ND illegal, MN legal) I chose not to shoot on someone else's limit. The people that I bring along with me and my Britts are given priority if at all possible. Putting them on birds shot over points ...

If we run short on limits it is because my partners (children, nephews, land owners, friends) cannot shoot well and miss :eek: oh well....
 
Benelli Banger - just for reference ... party hunting pheasants in ND is illegal.

That is, in North Dakota each member of a group is allowed to take only his or her daily limit. That’s why when North Dakota game wardens check hunters in the field, they’ll often ask each person to separate out which birds they shot.
Hunters are sometimes confused by this exercise, especially when the total number of birds is not over the
limit for the group. There is, however, sound reasoning behind this exercise.

Party hunting is not legal in North Dakota.

Each individual hunter may take only his or her own daily limit, or fill his or her own deer tag. The same concept
also applies to fishing. There is no legal distinction between shooting someone else’s deer, and catching an
extra fish to “help” your buddy fill out. Once a hunter or angler has reached the limit, they
cannot legally shoot or catch anything that helps a partner reach their daily limit.

For example, the daily limit for pheasants is three, so a group of six pheasant hunters can have cumulatively 18
roosters at the end of a day in the field. The law allows each hunter to take three birds. If one hunter is a bad
shot, there is no provision for someone else to shoot additional birds until the group reaches 18 for the day.
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When hunting with groups (About 50% of my hunts) we put real close to 500 birds in the freezers this year (all wild) as for a number that I, myself harvested, probably real close to about 60. I got to hunt pheasants about 25 days this year.

I try to keep track as good as possible early in the year, not so much for bird numbers, but I really enjoy keeping track of retrieves my labs have (200+ this year!)

2008 has been without a doubt, the best year pheasant hunting I have ever had in my 20+ years of hunting. Even with the early season crops still in and the late season blizzards, we rarely had a problem finding our limit.
 
I knew it was only a matter of time before this thread heated up. I do not think anyone here is saying that the thing that makes a hunt is the number of birds taken. Nor do I think this thread was meant to be "who shot the most birds contest". I think it was meant to be a comparison of what everyone's hunting year was like. Sure I shot a a lot of birds this year, but what I like the most about it was the number of times I got to hunt. If I had to chose between 10 days hunting and getting a limit and 20 days hunting and getting 1 bird I would day the 20 one bird days. If I were only concerned about the number of number of birds harvested i would not be spending my time hunting SE SD (lowest bird # in the state.)
 
For me, this is an interesting thread. I can tell who piles the roosters on the tail gate and takes a bunch of photos, then off to do the fun things.
Well:eek: Some of you will hate me some will be OK, Oh well, I would much rather hunt with a person who kills a dozen WILD birds and hunts, then with those that have all the latest Cabelas, most expensive shotgun,piles of dead birds, the one up attitude, who kills the most, who has the most land, blah, blah.:)
 
HEY! Not bad for my 100'th post.:cheers:
 
BRITTMAN said:
Benelli Banger - just for reference ... party hunting pheasants in ND is illegal.
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I haven't done the party hunting in ND--my hunting there has been decent, but not great, nor has it been in groups...I am usually with a partner. I hunt SD about 30 days a year, ND about 3-4, and MN 1-3. My group hunting is in SD, where I am usually with 4-7 others, depending. Over the past 16 seasons of hunting pheasants in SD I have probably been afield 320 days, probably more...I have hunted alot more over the past 8 years than I did the first 8 years, but it has probably averaged 20 days over those 16 years. Many, many of my hunting partners have had big days as well...I am always glad to see that when it happens, as I shoot enough pheasants each year. Don't get me wrong....I love hunting pheasants!!! And, I do not have conditions for shooting a bird, as long as it isn't on the ground, or, an unsafe shot, or, illegal for some other reason. Some guys won't shoot a bird unless it was pointed by their own dog, or, something along those lines...whatever turns you on. I am turned on by shooting roosters on the wing--flushed, pointed, pass shot, you name it. Please observe more restrictions on when you will shoot a rooster, as it will leave more for me!! Seriously, where I hunt there are enough roosters around, that by the latter part of the season most landowners want the roosters thinned out, and I echo that as well as a landowner out there. Bottom line, this has been a fun post to follow...I have a handful of memories that involve fairly large #'s of birds, but then again that is out of hundreds and hundreds of days afield. I also have some very poignant memories of days when I hunted hard and maybe shot just one bird, but I remember and cherish some of those more spartan days afield as well. Any day out following the pups around searching for pheasants is a good day!
 
benelli-banger said:
I haven't done the party hunting in ND--my hunting there has been decent, but not great, nor has it been in groups...I am usually with a partner. I hunt SD about 30 days a year, ND about 3-4, and MN 1-3. My group hunting is in SD, where I am usually with 4-7 others, depending. Over the past 16 seasons of hunting pheasants in SD I have probably been afield 320 days, probably more...I have hunted alot more over the past 8 years than I did the first 8 years, but it has probably averaged 20 days over those 16 years. Many, many of my hunting partners have had big days as well...I am always glad to see that when it happens, as I shoot enough pheasants each year. Don't get me wrong....I love hunting pheasants!!! And, I do not have conditions for shooting a bird, as long as it isn't on the ground, or, an unsafe shot, or, illegal for some other reason. Some guys won't shoot a bird unless it was pointed by their own dog, or, something along those lines...whatever turns you on. I am turned on by shooting roosters on the wing--flushed, pointed, pass shot, you name it. Please observe more restrictions on when you will shoot a rooster, as it will leave more for me!! Seriously, where I hunt there are enough roosters around, that by the latter part of the season most landowners want the roosters thinned out, and I echo that as well as a landowner out there. Bottom line, this has been a fun post to follow...I have a handful of memories that involve fairly large #'s of birds, but then again that is out of hundreds and hundreds of days afield. I also have some very poignant memories of days when I hunted hard and maybe shot just one bird, but I remember and cherish some of those more spartan days afield as well. Any day out following the pups around searching for pheasants is a good day!
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Interesting thing about the guys that I hunt with, we rarely talk about how many birds each of us shot after each field, or, each day...it is a rarity when two guys even have a "chat" about who shot a particular bird. Many of my buddies have dogs that will end up finding someone else's downed birds, as will my two labs, so when we exit a field and are trying to add up birds harvested thus far, we report how many birds we are "carrying", not how many birds we have "shot". I suspect that many guys keep track of how many they shoot, but it is probably only spoken about if someone else pat's them on the back and congratulates them about their good day afield. I try and surround myself with the type of guys that enjoy doing just that. It is especially fun to spotlight a young hunter or a newer hunter, or, once in a while I get the chance to pat an older guy on the back who has had a good day afield...that is always a fun thing to do as well.
 
By the way, if anyone wants to start a thread about poor shooting, or, being unprepared at the very worst possible time, I would welcome that, as I could fill up lots of pages with my foibles!
 
mnmthunting said:
For me, this is an interesting thread. I can tell who piles the roosters on the tail gate and takes a bunch of photos, then off to do the fun things.
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This guy might be me!! The hunt to me is awesome, but it plays a distant second to the time I get to spend in the field with family and friends and the camaraderie that happens before, during and after the hunt. The post hunt picture has become a very important part to me, memories are great, but as we age our minds slip and people pass, those pictures become priceless. Anyway, whether we have one bird or fifty, a post hunt picture is a must for this guy!!
 
MNMTHUNTING you have busted me. Here is a picture of me loading the pheasants into the back of my pickup with a payloader. We shot so many we could not carry them all. It is a Cabelas brand payloader. I am wearing my Boyt jacket and Filson underware. I shot them with my Super-duper Beretta/Benelli/HK ultra-light composite stocked double barrel, semiauto extended magazine laser guided heat seeking shotgun :)


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There's some like Dewey that keep track for the right reasons and there's others that keep track for the wrong reasons. When your passionate about bird hunting, its hard to listen to some blowhard that doesn't get it. Some Kansas boy's definately get it, they'll travel hrs just to hunt public ground in hopes of gett'n a bird. You go hunting to be going hunting, whether you get your limit or none, its a great day. Mnmthunting touched a nerve for some.
 
Whatever turns your crank, as far as I am concerned. I love the whole package--being out in the prairielands all year round, particularly in the fall...making friends with the locals...walking hard all day...delighting in the great work that the dogs offer up...seeing the birds....shooting the birds...finding the downed birds...enjoying the camaraderie of my fellow hunting buddies, many of whom I consider to be my best friends. The whole package.

I have never officially tallied how many birds I have shot in a full season. I made an estimate of this past season after having kept track for the first half of the season. I have had enough of my hunting buddies ask me over the years how many birds I shoot that I vowed I would keep track. This was probably the third season I made the attempt, but even at that it was just an estimate. Everyone heads out for different reasons...someguys love the dogwork...some the challenge of the shooting required...some may be developing their land for wildlife...some may indeed want to have a freezer of game...some love the camaraderie of the group...some may be the official camp cook...some may be attempting to pass on the hunting tradition to a youngster or two...some may just go because they were invited and they had nothing better to do! Regardless, I hope you enjoy your time afield...most likely, we all go for more than just one reason...I don't think any one reason is more valid than another. I know that I go for lots of reasons...and there is nothing I would rather be doing!!!
 
BENELLI-BANGER, I for one do not doubt your reasons for wanting to hunt. I highly doubt anyone on this board hunts for "blood sport" reasons. At the same time if you hunt a lot of days you are going to shoot a lot of birds. Why some people have a problem with that is unknown to me. Maybe we should meet up sometime and go to Nebraska hunt. I guess you can hunt until the end of Jan there. But that would mean we might shoot more birds making us evil.:eek:
 
Moellermd--that would be fun...if I could, I would pursue that. Bottom line, I grew up in Suburban Mpls, and as a kid, my fun in the winter would be to take our lab, and go for a couple mile walk through the snow and flush pheasants in some small cattail sloughs that were nearby...just seeing and hearing the birds flush was a rush to me at 12 or 13, especially by myself--I felt like I had accomlished something.

Much like fishermen, I originally sought out the spots that had the most "fish", and I lucked into some of them 16 seasons ago. I also bought some land there, and further developed it into wildlife habitat. There are very good bird #'s where I hunt, as there are many other landowners that have done the same thing, thanks to CRP, but also, thanks to the fact that this area, like lots of SD, is not premier farmground, so there is a fair amount of idle ground. I have been down this road before--somehow those that work alot harder for just a few birds are somehow more noble or pure than others who happen to hunt in areas where there is more game. All I know is that I love hunting pheasants no matter where I am, but I would rather be amongst more vs. fewer. As for the judging part, I will leave that for a higher power that will look deeper than what kind of coat I am wearing, or how much my gun cost, or how many birds are piled on the tailgate, or how many miles I walked that day....
 
moellermd said:
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Scooping up dead roosters from snow banks and the thousands being hit along roads as they seek grit and some time away from the snow pack.

The real sad thing is this could be a common seen across much of ND and the northern tier counties of SD. :(
 
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