The pheasant evokes a strong reaction among sportsman,to a great many of us he is the king of gamebirds, to the old time pointing dog quail fraternity, a cussed, vile bird, refusing to play by the rules one day, and sitting like a planted quail the next, vexing dog and gunner alike. Now I will admit I grew up hunting quail in a time of plenty, and in my heart, I would still pursue bobwhites to all other birds. There are many who feel similarly toward ruffed grouse and woodcock. But as the years pass, and other birds dwindle in number, the resilient and crafty rooster hangs on. If quail hunting is a walk in the fields with a good dog and fine gun, then pheasant hunting is more like guerilla warfare. Quail hunting is all esthetics, pheasant hunting planning, terrain, and execution. Quail are hidebound play by the rules, stay well within the box of conventional behavior, pheasants, don't even know there is a box! While a quail is a cherished addition to the bag, a late season pheasant, hell any pheasant any time is a trophy second to none, no big game animal can match him. The pheasant accepts the challenge before we ever get out of the car, and time and again, he's there crowing derision when we stagger back at the end of the day, after getting fooled by the bird and losing 3 out of 4 encounters. I think sometimes we only actually get the ones which knew better, but made a mistake. One of my long gone mentors, the butt of years of chicanery by pheasants used to say only a low down skunk would ground sluice a covey of quail, but so help me I'd shoot a rooster out of a tree and never think twice just to get even. He never did, get even that is! Is the pheasant the bird we love ? or the bird we love to hate? Greatest gamebird or lawless houligan bird.
The Wiley Pheasant, the noblest of gamefowl or shifty eyed demon?
- Thread starter oldandnew
- Start date
bobeyerite
New member
OAN, To me the pheasant is a "crafty hooligan" with more tricks than a crooked gambler. He is the king of challenges. That is what makes him so interesting to hunt. He can run faster than a world class sprinter. The dog must figure out all these tricks and get it pinned down for a solid point. Watching the dog do this, is a "poetry of motion" second to none. Most of us pointing people could watch our dogs work pheasant all the time and never get enough.......Bob
carptom1
Well-known member
i think one of the greatest differences is with quail once you hit them with a blast from the gun the fight is over. Now with a pheasant the fight only begins when you get them on the ground. I have blasted plenty where i thought that was a good shot, only to get where i thought they lay to find he still had the last laugh.
quail hound
Moderator
A crafty demon for sure. Bob said it best "a crooked gambler" counting cards and always keeping an ace up his sleeve. I believe the many ways he is pursued is one of the main draws of pheasant hunting. He denies no style of hunting dog but scoffs them all.
Upland Hunter
New member
I grew up with quail and ruffed grouse and love to hunt 'em, but there ain't nothin' in my book that compares to the flush of a gaudy, cacklin', flappin' rooster over an honest gun dog! Oldandnew got it right when he said every rooster is a trophy.
1pheas4
Moderator
I can't name a non native (or native for that mater) species that retains/contains/exerts such mind altering power with us human-beings. With his overly dramatic, eruption of a flush, and one thousand and one colors, it's as if he's cast a spell on those who have gazed upon his radiant beauty.
With such "power" even those who oppose and hate this bird because of his none native status have to pause and marvel for a bit, reflect on what they've just witnessed. At times witnessing a wild rooster flush puts an end to their "anti pheasant" rant! I've seen this personally.
So I suppose I must go with the shifty eyed demon. A crafty, spell casting devil. Though, in my heart of hearts he receives the love and respect of a true noble!
Well......I suppose I have to change my answer. It seems to be he's both
--1pheas4
With such "power" even those who oppose and hate this bird because of his none native status have to pause and marvel for a bit, reflect on what they've just witnessed. At times witnessing a wild rooster flush puts an end to their "anti pheasant" rant! I've seen this personally.
So I suppose I must go with the shifty eyed demon. A crafty, spell casting devil. Though, in my heart of hearts he receives the love and respect of a true noble!
Well......I suppose I have to change my answer. It seems to be he's both
--1pheas4
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pheasantaddict
New member
I'll say crafty demon because he not only takes the majority of my conscious thought during the day. He also torments my mind while I slumber. Not a day goes bye that I do not think about pheasants. I saw 16 today while working the dogs.
PairOfLabs
Active member
The pheasants' instincts to evade and survive, coupled with their incredible "will to live", always amazes me. How they can take a blast of lead that blows their feathers into a cloud, drop straight down from 40 feet to hit the ground and then disappear as fast as their remaining legs or wings can drag them is remarkable. Then you hear the stories of them escaping out of game vests, pickup beds and such. They are the ultimate bird challenge.
PairOfLabs
PairOfLabs
1pheas4
Moderator
Your not alone pheassantaddict! It's almost hindering at times isn't it? I enjoy church very much because it's the only thing that breaks my mind of pheasant thoughts
--1pheas4
Your not alone pheassantaddict! It's almost hindering at times isn't it? I enjoy church very much because it's the only thing that breaks my mind of pheasant thoughts
--1pheas4
1pheas4 and pheasantaddict, I sense a kindred spirit connecting both of you.
Both of you guys appreciate the wild pheasant, the bird just by himself, the pheasant alone roosters and hens, just the wild pheasant package. Not just on a fall hunt with a dog and friends, but all the time, all year. Spring crow count, first brood, the summer hatch, flushing half grown young pheasants in late summer and watching them fly.
I am in that ball park also. Years ago when I was a young soldier at Ft. Riley Kansas, myself and another young soldier from New Jersey would walk out (after training) to the fields near the barracks (near the area called Custer Hill) and just flush pheasants, we both simple just enjoyed flushing them and watching them fly.
The other guys in our platoon thought we were kind of weird just watching and flushing pheasant in the summer and fall.
The career soldiers and officers did hunt them in the fall but we did not.
After a while the other soldiers noticed our interest and enthusiasm and eagerly gave us a daily reports on how many pheasants they saw each day and where they saw them. They also gave me reports on prairie chicken and quail sightings.
You guys are not alone.
quail hound
Moderator
Your not alone pheassantaddict! It's almost hindering at times isn't it? I enjoy church very much because it's the only thing that breaks my mind of pheasant thoughts
--1pheas4
You guys are very lucky to be in a place where you can observe pheasants on a routine basis. My closes population is about a 45min drive from home.
For me the valley quail haunts my waking (and slumbering) thoughts. I can observe them daily, watch therir behaviors, listen to their song, see broods hit the ground, name coveys etc. The only time I'm not thinking about quail is when I'm thinking about pheasants.:thumbsup:
1pheas4
Moderator
Good post Preston1. It's nice to know there's other people out there with some serious pheasant issues
--1pheas4
1pheas4
Moderator
You guys are very lucky to be in a place where you can observe pheasants on a routine basis. My closes population is about a 45min drive from home.
Quail hound, those Mt. Quail are an impressive little bird! I really need to get myself out there to hunts those guys
In my book the most beautiful of quail --1pheas4
quail hound
Moderator
Quail hound, those Mt. Quail are an impressive little bird! I really need to get myself out there to hunts those guys
Ah yes the beautiful mountain partridge. The toughest of Californias quail to hunt. A very sporting and elusive bird.:10sign: Their spring call is a very haunting sound known only to few.
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henhenROOSTER!!!
New member
Late-Season Wild Phez are DEMONS for sure, but also the NOBLEST of prize/quarry/opponent or whatever you want to call it - guess it's the old glass half-full or half-empty thing, making the call of demon or nobility depends a whole lot on how the particular day ends up!!!
By far my favorite gamebird & come to think of it wild game of any kind large or small to pursue - them dang ol wily & beautiful roosters can match wits with anything or anyone on the planet!!! :cheers:
By far my favorite gamebird & come to think of it wild game of any kind large or small to pursue - them dang ol wily & beautiful roosters can match wits with anything or anyone on the planet!!! :cheers:
Great, well-composed OP and a great thread! I don't live close enough to observe them year-round, but I'd sure love to. They do occupy my thoughts far more than is good for my work and personal relations, especially in the dog days of winter (now!). I'm not sure I'd characterize them as demons, but I do know I'm enjoying more and more the times I am outwitted vs the times I "win". More than once this year I had to laugh out loud when I realized they'd done it to me again!
Case in point - I was walking a scrawny hedgerow adjacent to an even sparser grass field, 6-10 inches tall, not dense at all. I saw 10-12 birds run into the the corner of the grass about 100 yards ahead of me. My dog and I crossed to the far side of the hedge and ran up about 50 yards, then crossed back into the field. We hunted that little corner as smart and hard as we could for 20 minutes, but never put up a single bird. That corner was surrounded by bare dirt on both sides - to this day I can't figure out how they escaped, but once I gave up on them, I just stood there marveling at their ability to just "evaporate", and feeling a strong need to salute those wily ghosts!
Case in point - I was walking a scrawny hedgerow adjacent to an even sparser grass field, 6-10 inches tall, not dense at all. I saw 10-12 birds run into the the corner of the grass about 100 yards ahead of me. My dog and I crossed to the far side of the hedge and ran up about 50 yards, then crossed back into the field. We hunted that little corner as smart and hard as we could for 20 minutes, but never put up a single bird. That corner was surrounded by bare dirt on both sides - to this day I can't figure out how they escaped, but once I gave up on them, I just stood there marveling at their ability to just "evaporate", and feeling a strong need to salute those wily ghosts!
1pheas4
Moderator
LOL.....Yep, that sounds like wild pheasants to me Cokid!
My dad and I often talk about a similar situation in '07. The two of us watched 15-20 pheasants come in to roost 50-60 yrds ahead of us. They had no idea we were there. Excited, I fired up the video camera for some great pheasant action. Well, we moved in......dog birdy as could be. My dad anticipating the flush of several birds. 5-10 minutes later nothing!! Every one of those wily birds gave us the slip and I'm left with nothing but dry video and a chuckle from my dad and the words "what the hell happened to them?". --1pheas4“Is the pheasant the bird we love? Or the bird we love to hate? Greatest gamebird or a lawless hooligan bird?”
He is both, he runs my dogs and me ragged, he won’t hold for a point most of the time and he is or can be downright difficult to bring to the bag! But hunting him sure is a challenge and a lot of fun!
I’d hunt quail exclusively if there were wild quail to hunt. We all know those days are long gone so I chase the next best thing.
A late season wild rooster is a serious trophy and shooting a limit of them is a grand slam homerun.:10sign:
He is both, he runs my dogs and me ragged, he won’t hold for a point most of the time and he is or can be downright difficult to bring to the bag! But hunting him sure is a challenge and a lot of fun!
I’d hunt quail exclusively if there were wild quail to hunt. We all know those days are long gone so I chase the next best thing.
A late season wild rooster is a serious trophy and shooting a limit of them is a grand slam homerun.:10sign: