PHEASANT without a Dog
11-11-2002, 03:53 AM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: whittier ca USA
Posts: 251
RE: PHEASANT without a Dog
i hunt without a dog , wish i had one but , just get as mutch friends as poss and beat the brush like me and my buddy's do the more the better, thats all i can give ya , just line up and work your way down a field , and push the birds out the end thats if they dont flush befor the end of a field <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
11-11-2002, 01:10 PM
#3
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: germantown wisconsin USA
Posts: 29
RE: PHEASANT without a Dog
I think that hunting without a dog, could be one of the biggest wastes of time. You could walk all day, and miss so many birds. And, even if you kicked one up and shot it, it will run the second it hits the ground, and you will have almost no chance of finding it, which then takes one bird away from another hunter, because now the bird can't fly, and it will be some foxes dinner. My advice to you is to get a dog, and if you can't afford one, go to the pound, look for a springer or lab ( my preferance) make sure it is trained and see if they hunt. If they don't, you now have a new friend.
11-12-2002, 02:02 AM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: whittier ca USA
Posts: 251
RE: PHEASANT without a Dog
toons dont listen to him you can as i do hunt without a dog with success , maybe jackel cant shoot lol just jokeing <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> and i do have success in my hunting birds without a dog so like i said get as many hunters as you can and woork the fields .
11-12-2002, 12:21 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: dell rapids south dakota USA
Posts: 441
RE: PHEASANT without a Dog
Hunting with a dog is always best but there ways to do it alone also. Look the cover over before starting to walk, then decide where there is a good place to squeeze the birds. Now walk quietly and in a zig zag pattern and also stop every 50 yards or so. Remain quiet and be ready when you stop this will usually drive the birds nuts and they will not be able to take the pressure and will usually fly. Good luck.
11-12-2002, 01:11 PM
#6
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: germantown wisconsin USA
Posts: 29
RE: PHEASANT without a Dog
I'm not trying to be critical, but it makes me mad when people shoot an animal, and then can't find it. I have no problem with people who hunt without dogs, if they can assure me that they will find 98-100 percent of all the birds they have shot. I have never lost a bird once it was shot, because I have a dog to find it. People have to understand that birds run the second they hit the ground, and if you don't have a dog, you have about a 10 percent chance of findind it. Heres an instance of what I am talking about. When I was 12, me and my dad were pheasant hunting, and we kicked one up, I couldn't shoot, my dad missed, but I saw where it landed. We went to where it was, my dog kicked it up, I shot it, ( my first ever), and we ran immediatly to where it fell. We looked all over for about 15 minutes, and couldn't find it, but my dog kept running off, ( He was 7 months old, and we didn't know what to expect from him ), so finally my dad went to where the dog kept going, and there the rooster was , 65 yards from where I had shot it. This was 4 years ago, I am 16 now, and since that first season, we have shot and recovered over 100 birds, all of which are on public land. For wisconsin that is very good. With out my dog, we wouldn't have found 85-90 prcent of those birds. All I am trying to do is help you out, dogs make it much easier, and, I hate to see wounded or dead pheasants while hunting because of some hunter who either didn't look hard enough with a dog, or didn't have a dog to begin with.
P.S. Please don't use my age against me. I may only be 16, but I know a lot about hunting, and more specifically, about pheasants.
P.S. Please don't use my age against me. I may only be 16, but I know a lot about hunting, and more specifically, about pheasants.
11-12-2002, 03:42 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Andover MN USA
Posts: 98
RE: PHEASANT without a Dog
Jackel makes some good points, but he is way off on others. First off, even great dogs lose a bird now and then. We all hate it when it happens, but I have hunted with a lot of dogs and roosters are smart enough that once in awhile even a great dog will not find one. On the other hand, you can find birds without a dog as well. The key is that you shoot them "stone-cold-dead-in-the-air". I put this in quotes to emphasize it. As Jackel says, if it hits the ground alive, you are in trouble. But, if you take good shots and use the right shells ( I would recommend #5s early season, #4 or #2 later on), you can kill roosters before they hit the ground. I don't know why most of Jackels are hitting the ground alive, he may want to consider shooting bigger shot sizes. Bottom line is this, take good quality, close shots and shoot twice if it is obvious the bird will be alive when it hits the ground.
As for hunting, hunt strip cover and places other hunters overlook. You know that little 20 foot by 30 foot low spot 1/4 mile from the road in the middle of the field? Nobody else would walk all the way out to that for a 3 minute hunt, but you should. You will strike out some, but you may walk into 20 birds in another. Plus, these birds will probably be easy to find. Remember to hunt these spots like you are hunting deer--sneak to them. A wary rooster will fly when you are 200 or more yards from the spot. Early and late and mark birds when they are moving and then go get them. If you can find a good feeding area, they will be coming back to the roost just before darkness. Setup an hour or so before dark and wait for them to fly into roosting cover. When they do, mark them and go get'em. Always try and pinch a rooster into something (short grass, plowed fields, a creek, a road, etc). Always stop 5 yards before you exit cover and wait. Take 5 steps to your right. Wait. Take 10 to your left. Wait. Sometimes that will work. Good luck.
As for hunting, hunt strip cover and places other hunters overlook. You know that little 20 foot by 30 foot low spot 1/4 mile from the road in the middle of the field? Nobody else would walk all the way out to that for a 3 minute hunt, but you should. You will strike out some, but you may walk into 20 birds in another. Plus, these birds will probably be easy to find. Remember to hunt these spots like you are hunting deer--sneak to them. A wary rooster will fly when you are 200 or more yards from the spot. Early and late and mark birds when they are moving and then go get them. If you can find a good feeding area, they will be coming back to the roost just before darkness. Setup an hour or so before dark and wait for them to fly into roosting cover. When they do, mark them and go get'em. Always try and pinch a rooster into something (short grass, plowed fields, a creek, a road, etc). Always stop 5 yards before you exit cover and wait. Take 5 steps to your right. Wait. Take 10 to your left. Wait. Sometimes that will work. Good luck.
11-13-2002, 03:46 AM
#9
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: whittier ca USA
Posts: 251
RE: PHEASANT without a Dog
i could'nt have said it better than Codydawg, thanks we all wish we could have dogs but some of us just cant, we as non dog hunters try our best to take a good shot as not to cripple any birds , i watched many of birds get away becouse i did not want to take a chance of crippling a bird and not finding it,,, so let us non dog hunters hunt the way we can without a dog im not asking im saying we will hunt the way we want and thats it, you cant change it, unless you want to donate a $800. brittney,,,,,,,lol <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
11-13-2002, 08:46 AM
#10
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fayetteville AR USA
Posts: 21
RE: PHEASANT without a Dog
Codydawg - good posting and good advice. I train labs for upland hunting and have four of my own very good flushers/retrievers, and yes, an occasional bird still gets away. Codydawg makes a solid point about shells and that is what I want to address. Wild roosters are very tough and can, and will, get away if not hit with the proper load. Of all the shells I've tried, the Winchester DoubleX Magnum, 3", copper plated #5 shot knocks 'em hammer dead every time (assuming decent shot placement). The other key is to not take a shot that you know is too far. Yeah, you may be able to 'hit it', but you want to hit it good. Respect the animal you hunt, always use a lethal load and do not cripple if at all possible. That goes for big game as well as the birds. Just my 2 cents...