Upland Game Etiquette Question
 

If another hunter, not in your party, flushes and shots at a bird, and misses, can you take a shot? I was out alone, saw no other hunter, heard a shot, saw a pheasant flying that didn't seem to be hit. The shooter must have been a hundred yards away behind corn stalks. I passed the bird up, and it flew off. Should I have taken a shot?

as long at it was safe to shoot at, you certainly could have
but there is also nothing wrong with leaving it for the other hunters to try and flush again!

most pheasant hunters I think will have more issues with hunters that set up waiting for them to drive things towards them, using them as drivers like in a deer drive!
and them someone shooting at things they flush, in there direction,
that to me is POOR sportsmanship as well as a safety issue!
but seen it happen many times in my life time!
had BB's rained on me a few too many times!


I personally hunt as far away from others as I can , as I sadly know there are many bad /unsafe hunters out there!

Yes, there is no problem shooting at a bird that someone else missed so long as it is out of that person's gun range. Hunter A misses a pheasant, it flys a hundred yards past hunte rB, perfectly acceptable for hunter B to shoot the bird.

You haven't lived till you and your arty start moving through a standing corn field and un beknown to you some other hunters saw your push start and the idiots hustle to the other end of the corn field and wait for the birds to start flying and start shooting in your direction. That gets real ugly real fast.

OH I have been trhere many times and had this happen
which is why, I more less stopped hunting if I see others where I WAS going to go
its also why I used to drive out west a lot to hunt wild pheasants, where I never had a problem finding a place to myself and my dog, heck, I've hunted out there for 10 days in a row and never seen another hunter,

I really don't like being used a driver for strangers or shot at over silly game!
SO< YES ,, I sadly have lived to experience that, far too much to be honest!
as I said, there are a lot of BAD hunters out there sadly, that ruin things for the rest and make us all look bad in doing so!

Yes there are too many idiots out there who do not think beyond killing a bird or any other game without a doubt.

Yes. A bird still on the wing is fair game to anyone that can safely take a shot.

My favorite is when another hunter closer to the bird freezes and you wait until the last possible second and bring it down, the same with a missed shot and they wait way too long to take a second shot. They get upset and give you the stink eye. Where I come from the last shot gets the bird. Seems like many times I've stood there for what seems like forever waiting for somebody else to shoot and they don't, no idea why.

great to see the discussion thread