Released birds are not wild. No comparison. It's still a 'canned hunt' in my books. Doesn't matter if they are planted minutes before or days later.
However, it is as good as it can get to train dogs whether a pointing breed or a flushing breed.
I've planted thousands of birds. Spent hundreds of hours training mine and other peoples dogs and judged versatile pointing dogs for 20+ yrs.
Nothing compares to wild.
JW
I didn't say it compares, however it is what we now have to keep dogs in shape and the stocked birds fly just as fast and flush just as noisily and raucously as wild birds. Once again, you are misusing the term canned hunt. If the released species are free to escape it is not a caned hunt, period.