Pheasant Hunting

[Bert Orange 1120]

That’s a multi-thousand dollar shot on a dog. I’d be livid. Hunt would end promptly. 

[HouTex 1863]

Dafuk?  Killed one of the dogs?  That mother fu***r would have a reckoning on his hands.  As well as those that took this guy out and turned him loose without an understanding of how bad he really is.  Hunt would have been called.  And hell to pay.  

This. I don't think I've ever hunted with someone in relatively close quarters so new or inexperienced that he might shoot a dog, or worse, me.

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

19 hours ago, kevwun said:

Pheasants are very tough birds.  You have to hammer them pretty good for them to hit the ground and not take off running.  It does not help that you are usually shooting them in the ass because they are almost always flying straight away from you.

One trick is to focus on the head because the long tail makes the center of the silhouette to be behind the kill zone. Most wounded birds are shot in the hind end, and even if you drop a leg, they can quickly bury themselves in the cover where only a good dog can find them. Shooting behind them is especially problematic if they are hauling ass left-to-right with a tail wind (for a right-handed shooter) because that’s when hunters (at least me lulz) tend to stop swinging through the target.

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

20 hours ago, Hugh G. Rection said:

I've done the same with quail and those things can't fly worth a damn.  They flutter up about 6 feet and away at about 2 mph.  I had some newbs with me and they found it somewhat more challenging, one of them shot and killed one of the dogs, another time a quail flew between us and one of them wheeled around and shot the vehicle and dog cages.  It was an adrenaline-fueled hunt, trying to stay out of their way.  We flushed up a wild covey and they couldn't even level their guns before the covey got away. 

Newbs can sure as hell get excited and try to “ground pound” pheasants (wounded or not), only to have a dog in hot pursuit get shot. Shooting a running pheasant not only is less rewarding than dropping one from the sky, but it can be a bit futile because their folded wings are like birdie-Kevlar. It’s best to let the dogs chase down the wounded birds or trust that the runners will hold and eventually flush at the end of the end of the field. 

[BabaYaga 15282]

48 minutes ago, HouTex said:

This. I don't think I've ever hunted with someone in relatively close quarters so new or inexperienced that he might shoot a dog, or worse, me.

This just blows me away.  I've taken out so many new hunters.  As a young guide, a friend, and a neighbor.  You don't give a toddler matches any more than you give a novice shooter a device in such close proximity so as to endanger others.  There is a process.  Testing.  Conversations.  Proper placement.  Just so much that goes into this for the safety of everyone.  

And the dog.  Does anyone appreciate how many years it takes to really grow and train a proper field dog.  It's such a laborious process.  Teaching a dog to retrieve is on thing.  But to point and flush AND retrieve is next level stuff.  

[BabaYaga 15282]

7 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

Newbs can sure as hell get excited and try to “ground pound” pheasants (wounded or not), only to have a dog in hot pursuit get shot. Shooting a running pheasant not only is less rewarding than dropping one from the sky, but it can be a bit futile because their folded wings are like birdie-Kevlar. It’s best to let the dogs chase down the wounded birds or trust that the runners will hold and eventually flush at the end of the end of the field. 

This is on the experienced hunters.  You set the expectations.  You lay the ground rules.  You mitigate this stupidity and have contingencies on place.  You establish parameters.  Fields of fire.  Zones of coverage.  Lock that shit down.  

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

When I was in elementary school in SD, kids used to bring empty shotgun shells stuffed with tail feathers to throw around at recess.

No zero-tolerance back then.

However, that fun ended when one kid brought a live shell with the pellets removed but stuffed with tail feathers. He taped a steel shooter marble over the primer, and in one epic WATCH THIS moment, he tossed it into the air and it discharged upon impact. It was quite the show that didn’t even get him expelled.

Different times...different times. 

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

Just now, BabaYaga said:

This is on the experienced hunters.  You set the expectations.  You lay the ground rules.  You mitigate this stupidity and have contingencies on place.  You establish parameters.  Fields of fire.  Zones of coverage.  Lock that shit down.  

And then hope they don’t get too excited and forget all that. 

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

I get you though, my cousin and uncle would host hunters every year, and he was constantly barking out orders to them to maintain their positions, empty their chambers at the end of a drive or when crossing fences, etc., etc., etc. some of them made me nervous though, and my dad and I would try to position ourselves as far away from them as possible

[BabaYaga 15282]

4 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

And then hope they don’t get too excited and forget all that. 

I took some pretty haughty guys out in my day.  Important, stubborn guys.  And I had them locked down tight.  To quote Something about Mary:  "you're in my word now, grandma".  I was usually on their 6 and talking them through what we were doing.  Often, they'd have their guns empty on the first few flushes.  Watch what I do.  Follow my actions.  Keep your tubes above the horizon.  Watch your spacing.  Know your zone and stay within it.  

My father told me the story when I was just a boy of himself and his best friend running the ranch with .22's chasing rabbits.  Came to a fence.  Dad laid his rifle down, butt first, crossed, pulled the rifle to him, muzzle facing away.  His friend tried to hop over, rifle in one hand.  Went off.  Shot himself in the head.  They were 12.  My son is 12.  It stayed with me (obviously as I'm a little too worked up, sorry guys).  They were 5 miles from the nearest dirt road.  Imagine that happening to your best friend at that age.  Murphy's Law doesn't care about your intentions.  Please be safe people.  Please.

[HouTex 1863]

18 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

I took some pretty haughty guys out in my day.  Important, stubborn guys.  And I had them locked down tight.  To quote Something about Mary:  "you're in my word now, grandma".  I was usually on their 6 and talking them through what we were doing.  Often, they'd have their guns empty on the first few flushes.  Watch what I do.  Follow my actions.  Keep your tubes above the horizon.  Watch your spacing.  Know your zone and stay within it.  

My father told me the story when I was just a boy of himself and his best friend running the ranch with .22's chasing rabbits.  Came to a fence.  Dad laid his rifle down, butt first, crossed, pulled the rifle to him, muzzle facing away.  His friend tried to hop over, rifle in one hand.  Went off.  Shot himself in the head.  They were 12.  My son is 12.  It stayed with me (obviously as I'm a little too worked up, sorry guys).  They were 5 miles from the nearest dirt road.  Imagine that happening to your best friend at that age.  Murphy's Law doesn't care about your intentions.  Please be safe people.  Please.

All of this.  You can't always insist on the type of weapons (my Dad's term--former military) used on a hunt, but I mostly hunt with guys that use over/unders.  It's easy to just bark the order to crack open your gun when birds aren't around or when the dogs aren't working, and everyone knows that the weapon can't be fired.

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

I know an Arkansas kid who played college football in South Dakota. He was a lifelong hunter, but one of his teammates from California had just taken up hunting in college. A few years ago, this kid invited his dad to come from California to hunt, and while relaxing during a break, his dad put the butt of his loaded shotgun on the ground and draped both hands over the muzzle.  For some reason, one of the dogs raised a paw to get his attention, and the dog's paw came down on the trigger. The dad had one hand completely blown off, and the other one was so severely mangled that is was basically non-functional.

Another cousin of mine brought his new boss from Colorado Springs up to hunt one year.  This guy was an experienced hunter, but he was careless with his gun.  One time, I was sitting next to him in the back of a pickup while we drove to another field, and I turned towards him to see that I was looking straight down his barrel about six inches from my face.  I calmly grabbed his barrel and pointed the muzzle straight up and said, "I'm sure your chamber is empty, but this makes me a bit nervous."  He was offended, but I didn't give a shit.  He deserved a little public humiliation.

[HouTex 1863]

4 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

I know an Arkansas kid who played college football in South Dakota. He was a lifelong hunter, but one of his teammates from California had just taken up hunting in college. A few years ago, this kid invited his dad to come from California to hunt, and while relaxing during a break, his dad put the butt of his loaded shotgun on the ground and draped both hands over the muzzle.  For some reason, one of the dogs raised a paw to get his attention, and the dog's paw came down on the trigger. The dad had one hand completely blown off, and the other one was so severely mangled that is was basically non-functional.

Another cousin of mine brought his new boss from Colorado Springs up to hunt one year.  This guy was an experienced hunter, but he was careless with his gun.  One time, I was sitting next to him in the back of a pickup while we drove to another field, and I turned towards him to see that I was looking straight down his barrel about six inches from my face.  I calmly grabbed his barrel and pointed the muzzle straight up and said, "I'm sure your chamber is empty, but this makes me a bit nervous."  He was offended, but I didn't give a shit.  He deserved a little public humiliation.

He was offended that you didn't like staring down the barrel of gun?  Had I been that careless I would have apologized and been completely embarrassed. You know, the first rule about guns . . . treat all guns as if they are loaded and ready to fire.

[BabaYaga 15282]

2 minutes ago, HouTex said:

He was offended that you didn't like staring down the barrel of gun?  Had I been that careless I would have apologized and been completely embarrassed. You know, the first rule about guns . . . treat all guns as if they are loaded and ready to fire.

Yep.  One trick I used with my son and daughter was to tape an office laser pointer to their bbgun (which I made them carry around constantly.  In and out of vehicles.  Crossing fences.  In and out of blinds.  Everywhere).  I'd then stop them in their tracks.  Flip the laser on, and have them watch the trajectory of their tube.  Again, and again, and again.  Never cross the tube.  Always know where it's pointed.  

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

He didn't like being publicly humiliated, although I said it as nicely as I could given that he was my cousin's new boss.  He had a bit of an ego, plus the most expensive gun in the hunting party.  I'd take my dad's Model 12 over his Euro shot gun, but that's just me.

[BabaYaga 15282]

2 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

He didn't like being publicly humiliated, although I said it as nicely as I could given that he was my cousin's new boss.  He had a bit of an ego, plus the most expensive gun in the hunting party.  I'd take my dad's Model 12 over his Euro shot gun, but that's just me.

I'll take your money with 870 Wingmaster and fixed choke.  All day, every day.  Just a "friendly" wager.....

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

That's what I hunt with, but there's just something about an old Model 12.

7 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

I'll take your money with 870 Wingmaster and fixed choke.  All day, every day.  Just a "friendly" wager.....

 

[Hugh G. Rection 156]

You continued to hunt with them after the 1st episode?  What about after the 2nd?  Did y'all call it quits then?

We quit early, especially after the guy was told he killed the farm’s best retriever and wrote a check for a couple thousand dollars. Most expensive quail ever. That would my my best dog if someone killed it, too.

[Hugh G. Rection 156]

Wow. I can’t imagine y’all’s guide not shutting it down after killing his dog. Wtf. 
Eta - the guy who shot me had never been hunting before. Never again.  Anyone can make a mistake, but I’m pretty particular with who I am around firearms with, now. 

Me, too...now. I thought people were smart enough to be careful with a deadly weapon. Not so much.

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

Just as a side note/csb, my old next door neighbor had a long-running syndicated outdoors show, and he shot one episode featuring my black lab, Anna (RIP...brain cancer sucks).  It was about introducing pups to hunting.  He filmed it at another friend's hunting preserve.

Halverson Hunts 

He intended to shoot a follow-up episode with my dog the next year, but he up and died on us.

Regarding the owner of the preserve I linked above, he told me one time that his favorite group of hunters is from Texas.  He says when the oil business is good, they spend like drunken sailors. He also said they tend to be less attentive to his guides' instructions than most other OOS hunters, but I told him that's because they're Texans.

[BabaYaga 15282]

55 minutes ago, Hugh G. Rection said:

I thought people were smart enough to be careful with a deadly weapon. Not so much.

The automobile and the cell phone both say hello.

[BabaYaga 15282]

57 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

He says when the oil business is good, they spend like drunken sailors

Guy a few ranches over in Millersview/Dule area is a family friend.  Sold his oilfield x-ray company for some ungodly amount ($60+M) before the crash years back.  Operated an exotic ranch (Twisted 5) for a while, then realized that's a big PITA.  Now just hunts and relaxes at his lake-house in Angelo.  Salt of the earth people.  Smart.  Hardworking.  And hell of a good timing.  

[mapplewhite132 309]

Went to South Dakota for a wild bird hunt on private land. No dogs were shot during the hunt.

[El Diablo 4232]

On ‎12‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 8:07 AM, Shoxthemonkey said:

If they are Mennonites I probably know them. I'm ex. That area is being gentrified quickly. Lots of folks fleeing Wichita and homesteading a few acres up there.

Not Mennonites. The BIL just ran for state rep a month or so ago, ought to make it easy enough to figure out, lol. The place they have, as far as I know it can't be broken up into anything smaller than 40 acres which is kinda nice.

[Spaulding Smails 1551]

I've refrained from chiming in on this thread for a while, but the dog thing struck a chord.  

I love to bird hunt.  Dove, duck, goose, quail, pheasant.  All of it.  I absolutely prefer wild birds, but I also like to work my dog, and we'll buy a few dozen quail 2-3 time a year so he can work.  Dove, duck and goose hunting lends more control to your dog, but the first time I took my dog quail hunting, I was a nervous wreck.  Hell, I was afraid I'd do something stupid.  I can't tell you how protective I am of my dog and how belligerent I am on gun safety with my son (at all times) and with my guests when my dog is around.  There are no second chances when you pull the trigger.  I won't let anyone shoot quail anywhere near my dog until I've had a chance to watch them.  Regardless of the cost or the training, that's my best friend, dammit.  I have no idea how I'd react if someone blasted my dog.  Dude doesn't point, but is a flushing / retrieving machine.  He's a great family dog, but flips the switch when the gun comes out of the safe.  

With my kids, it's all about repetition.  I love the idea of the laser pointer.  I'll ask them 20-30 times while we're hunting, "where is your barrel pointed."  We check and re-check the chamber, we talk about crossing fences and climbing stands.  Hell, we took my six year old daughter out to the ranch a few weeks ago.  I laid down the laws to her the same way I did with my son at that age, and she was too freaked out to shoot the BB gun that afternoon.  

[Reagan1k 3021]

Many years ago we did a pen-raised quail hunt on a buddy's ranch in Burnett.  Hired a guy to bring in the birds and his dogs.  Grass was tall, green and there was pollen everywhere.  Dogs were miserable and couldn't get on many birds. They were hunkered down and the dogs just couldn't smell them.  We still had fun but it was a beating on, and I felt sorry for his pups.  Finally just had to call it a day without shooting many.

That night we were sitting by his creek where they had built a big fire pit and brought in stonework to create a seating area.  This was adjacent to the field we'd hunted.  We'd grilled steaks and the few quail we shot and everyone was just hanging out and drinking by the fire.  At about 10pm, one of the guys looked up and 1/2 dozen of the quail were walking down the road out of the field and to the fire.  The came within about 10 yards and just sat down and milled around.  My guess is that they were attracted to the light as if it were coming from their pens.   We had a pretty good laugh that we'd have done better hunting the fire than the field.

Side note - I don't LOVE hunting pen birds but there is nothing wrong with it, especially if it gives a new hunter an experience and turns them on to the sport...done it multiple times and would probably again, but I get that some purists don't want anything to do with it.  That's fine...to each their own.....but when purists degenerate those that do it....well....I hope you don't eat chicken either.

[Bert Orange 1120]

Degenerate. Nice. 

[Reagan1k 3021]

14 minutes ago, Bert Orange said:

Degenerate. Nice. 

Yeah - that's pretty bad.  The quick edit window got me on that one!!!  

[HouTex 1863]

I've refrained from chiming in on this thread for a while, but the dog thing struck a chord.  
I love to bird hunt.  Dove, duck, goose, quail, pheasant.  All of it.  I absolutely prefer wild birds, but I also like to work my dog, and we'll buy a few dozen quail 2-3 time a year so he can work.  Dove, duck and goose hunting lends more control to your dog, but the first time I took my dog quail hunting, I was a nervous wreck.  Hell, I was afraid I'd do something stupid.  I can't tell you how protective I am of my dog and how belligerent I am on gun safety with my son (at all times) and with my guests when my dog is around.  There are no second chances when you pull the trigger.  I won't let anyone shoot quail anywhere near my dog until I've had a chance to watch them.  Regardless of the cost or the training, that's my best friend, dammit.  I have no idea how I'd react if someone blasted my dog.  Dude doesn't point, but is a flushing / retrieving machine.  He's a great family dog, but flips the switch when the gun comes out of the safe.  
With my kids, it's all about repetition.  I love the idea of the laser pointer.  I'll ask them 20-30 times while we're hunting, "where is your barrel pointed."  We check and re-check the chamber, we talk about crossing fences and climbing stands.  Hell, we took my six year old daughter out to the ranch a few weeks ago.  I laid down the laws to her the same way I did with my son at that age, and she was too freaked out to shoot the BB gun that afternoon.  

Your approach to gun safety is exactly the same way my Dad taught me. It's the only way to go.

[fattyflattie 4638]

10 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

This is on the experienced hunters.  

I generally agree, however I was standing 90* to the offender, and had just taken the bird about 1/10 a second before I heard...wwwwhhhheeeww wap.  I, to this day, don’t know how he was 90* off the bird   Trashed a pretty damn nice stock too, with the pellets that didn’t penetrate my chest.  

Hit the the right side of my face, a lot of my neck, and a lot  of my body. I’ll try to dig up some pics. 

I’ll never forget, we roll into camp and my friend comes out to greet us (RIP Jimmy).  He turns ghost white and asks what happened. “I got peppered”.  “No bud, you got shot. That’s what I was afraid of”. 

Sorry newbies, aside from my kids, someone else can get you taught up. 

[Brisketexan 104921]

Guy a few ranches over in Millersview/Dule area is a family friend.  Sold his oilfield x-ray company for some ungodly amount ($60+M) before the crash years back.  Operated an exotic ranch (Twisted 5) for a while, then realized that's a big PITA.  Now just hunts and relaxes at his lake-house in Angelo.  Salt of the earth people.  Smart.  Hardworking.  And hell of a good timing.  

Huh, I’ve been deer hunting at a friend’s place in Millersview the past few years. Decent deer there, and I like the rough country.
As for the people and dogs getting shot...holy shit. Seriously, holy shit. I’ve hunted all kinds of critters my whole life, and I have zero tolerance for bullshittery. I’ve flat out taken a gun from someone who was careless. Only had to do it once.

[BabaYaga 15282]

Yep, Trey sold it.  Killed many a brain cell on that front porch.  It was (IMHO) too small to high game fence.  He get the exotic itch and primarily ran those.  Exotics are dicey.  You generally need a biologist on call and a DAMN GOOD ranch manager.  Your whitetail get the chit kicked out of them.  Axis especially pressure them heavily.  Then you have to deal with d*ckhead hunters, etc.  Giant money suck.  For the money people pay, the amenities they expect is an ever-escalating arms race.  

To tie this back in to the conversation, not everyone who can write a check knows what they are doing.  Trey's son guided quite a bit.  Great stories of O&G mouth-breathers flinching on 60yd shots, falling over rifles getting in/out of stands, etc..  

Twisted Five Ranch (Sold)

Video of the place

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

I came across a Facebook pic of a former Texas Volleyball player posing with her husband and their limit of South Dakota pheasants.

I’d like to post the pic, but if they’d suspect it was my son if they found out.

Sorry for not coming through. 

Edited January 3, 2019 by ImissWallyPryor

[ROFL BOX 6647]

Wrong thread.

[Al Czervik 1229]

Old thread getting a bump.

I want to try Pheasant hunting, wild birds, not pen raised, up in the Panhandle when this season.  Unfortunately I'll probably be doing this solo as my friends do not hunt.  Any help on finding an outfitter/guide up that way from any of y'all in the know?  Looking to get away but not South Dakota away.

I could go to Central Market and buy a whole bird but it probably won't be the same.   

[ROFL BOX 6647]

If you can find a spot within 8 hours of the Austin area, I might could jump in as a second.  Would need details, pricing, etc.  It's also something I've always wanted to do.

[TexasEd 8066]

I could get away too.  Used to have a dog but no more.  Challenge is that a lot of birds learn to run instead of flushing.

No Dick Cheney shit.

[ROFL BOX 6647]

2 hours ago, TexasEd said:

Used to have a dog but no more.

Yeah, she was a good one for sure.

 

 

[BabaYaga 15282]

On 8/20/2020 at 9:02 AM, Al Czervik said:

Old thread getting a bump.

I want to try Pheasant hunting, wild birds, not pen raised, up in the Panhandle when this season.  Unfortunately I'll probably be doing this solo as my friends do not hunt.  Any help on finding an outfitter/guide up that way from any of y'all in the know?  Looking to get away but not South Dakota away.

I could go to Central Market and buy a whole bird but it probably won't be the same.   

Without a dog, on public land, be ready to walk your ass off.  You won't have a nose to follow and isolate birds, so it becomes a matter of time and distance.  Those damn things don't always flush either.  Some wait until you are almost on top of them and go straight up, which can scare the shit out of you if you are not ready.  I'd start hitting up upland bird forums for guide suggestions as you mention.  Best way to maximize your experience and time.  Good luck

[Al Czervik 1229]

Still looking.  Not really much to be found online unless you want to venture way further North.  Seems like many of the links found on the bird forums related to Texas Pheasants are old or broken.  Not giving up yet, my left handed Remington 1187 needs to get out and take a long walk this year.