One last shot at pheasants NH
 

Took the dog out this am to an area that the state stocks. I was hoping for a straggler...one left over from stocking from weeks back. Perfect weather but the dog never even bumped a bird...pretty sad. I guess I will have to go to some shooting preserve to keep the dog going..
Would rather chase grouse but that’s another story in NH...if you don't get all the way north its a waste of time :mad:

I used to live in NH and have watched the (so called) hunters who follow the stocking trucks It's really sad what they do - and there isn't much left for others after they get through - they mostly have good dogs and are good shots. I liken them to the same mentality as the guys who follow the trout stocking trucks in the spring, and always catch their limits.
On the plus side - I have done a bit of preserve hunting in the past, and if you are careful and do your homework and pick the right one, it can be a very good experience with strong flying birds and good covers.
If you have the time and are interested in Grouse - there is a lot of public land to hunt in the Carroll county area - I used to live there and did a lot of hiking with my Golden Ret. and we almost always jumped birds along the trails on the flats and in the Sandwich mountains. There is a lot of cutting going on around there - making lots of good grouse cover.
Good luck

You need to lobby your game department to release pheasant the day before the actual hunt. In WA, hunting times are 8am to 4pm. They release birds Tuesday, Friday and Saturday at 4pm so no one gets to hunt them directly after release.

As to how to find birds, I usually find them in places where no one else is willing to go including in waist deep water. I have been thinking of getting a pheasant call but someone actually used one this past season. Very effective as after a few calls, he called in three roosters. He went chasing two and snuck in a got the third.

Binoculars worked well as I used them in open area. WA gets wet and pheasants can be found in open areas to dry. I may want to change to an IR scope if birds show up as little red dots?