JW

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

Oldtimr

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.

JW

We can agree to disagree.
Most times pen raised birds run, have poor flight feathers and are just plain stupid.
Releasing game birds to me on a game preserve aka pheasant farm is no different than hunting a high fence deer farm.
The new term many bird lodges use to advertise now is wild and 'liberated' population of birds.
Nothing.compares to a natural wild population. Doing otherwise aka planting, releasing, or liberating, pen raised birds is nothing more than a training session for me. A canned hunt.



JW




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Champlain Islander

Its all about the dogs I think is the point you both come to. My initial feeling was kind of mirroring JW's but can now understand the training aspect. I have hunted behind a flushing bird dog a few times and it was a lot of fun. We got a few partridge and woodcock hunting woodland hedgerows and grown up fields. I have rabbit hunted quite a bit behind beagles. It truly is all about the dogs.

JW

The hunt is what we make of it. I choose to hunt only wild birds. Released birds to me is just another training session.
Oldtimer is spot on as you cant develop the inherited skills of any birddog, purebred or mutt without the aid of real birds. My breed of choice is a versatile pointer. Pointing is an inherited instinct. All dogs have rhat instinct with some breeds more apparent. Pointing is the pause before the pounce!

BUT back to the author
Shaking a coffee can of corn to call birds back in is really a canned hunt! Lol
My state has a pheasant release program. They dont last long and there is very little wild population left. A far cry from when i was a boy. As OT said loss of habitat and the use of insecticides. But here i think what also helped reduced the population there was a release of diseased birds that also helped make the population come close to being extinct here.





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DJfan

This is why it's not an issue if he hunts with a can of corn, 300 dogs, or a drone. If it's not a wild hunt, it's just what it is. In the wild, with wild birds, I'm not a fan of such things. In manufactured hunts, I don't care.

Nolan123

I've planted thousands of birds. thats's great

KSBuck1977

"You plant milo and corn, not birds, you release birds". Was told that by an old timer at the National Game Bird convention in Orlando years ago when I asked the guy how he plants his birds. Still to this day that makes me chuckle.

Opliuyers

i've heard of a few people hunting doves. is there some special way to hunt them, and where do you find them? its not real important as the next dove season isn't for almost a year but i'd like to gather some info. and i've found that this is one of the best places.

Oldtimr

Don't know where you live but the next dove season in most states is in about 2 1/2 months.