How does a pheasent work????
 

When or if i do go on a pheasent hunt what do i look for and how does
it work?????

RE: How does a pheasent work????
 

You will need a dog with a good nose, and retrieving capabilities.
A guide would be nice if it is your first time out.
Go into grassy areas with food resources for the pheasants. This way you will be more likely to get one. They need cover like tall grass, and food like small grain plants.
Walk slowly with your dog. Your dog will find the birds for you. They can hide right under your feet. When the dog has found the bird (depending on the dogs breeding, may point, may flush) he may flush it, or you may flush it.
It pops up like a helicopter, then takes off horizontally, usually. They are also notorious for running. The dog should hold the bird so it doesn't run. But, they do run.
You'll hear a flush of wings and it won't move so fast that you can't hit it. Hungarian partridge and quail are fast and pop up quicker than pheasants.

It is a rush!!!

If you are going onto a preserve, it is about the same. They should supply a guide and dog for you. They may charge extra, if they don't, the guide will need tipped, if he/she does a nice job for you.

I hope I have answered some of your questions. Feel free to ask more if I didn't cover what you wanted to know.:)

RE: How does a pheasent work????
 

Sunset makes good points and I will try to add to them. Pheasants prefer to run if they are able, this makes them a trial for unseasoned pointers sometimes. When you are working cover, look for flushes to come near changes in cover or terrain. A dip, a change from millet to shorter grass, the end of a tree line, all will be places to look for a flush. As you walk, even if you are following a dog, it is a good policy to stop every 20 yards or so, that pause can make birds nervous and flush. I have hunted behind some very good dogs but it is rare that every bird is found by even the best of dogs. Add to that, these are birds who like to double back and sneak. If you use a dog, be certain the dog has learned a good amount of control. Many times a dog will get over excited by the scent and/or site of several birds running in front of him and become temporarily deaf.

A close pheasant flush can stop your heart as effectively as 220 volts on a wet floor. They are big birds compared to most upland birds and make a heck of a racket. Pheasants are not hard to hit, it is just that they are easy to miss. People tend to shoot behind pheasants. Wether that is from misjudging the speed of a big bird or from the size of the bird itself I am not entirely sure even tho I have hunted them all my life. A good practice is to look for the red eye patch on the side of the head and shoot for that.

RE: How does a pheasent work????
 

I like tree lines next to corn fields or tall grass. Seems the birds like to 'run' toward taller cover when possible. I have worked with dogs and without dogs. Much better to have a good dog but you can do it without dogs as well. If you go without dogs, then I generally spike the end of the field I am working with a shooter or two. A group then works the field 'driving' the birds towards the open end. They do like to run before they fly. Space the hunter about 25 yards apart. You will miss some birds but then I figure that is just like catch and release in fishing. The distance will also give another hunter the chance to bring down the bird that invariably you shoot behind. Also remember a bird that is hit is not necessarily a bird that is dead. This is where a dog earns its keep. Pheasants are notorious for running after being downed. A good dog will save a lot of wounded birds from becoming Coyote dinner. Good luck!@

RE: How does a pheasent work????
 

I would like to add one thing on to the already good advice and tips everyone else have given. One way to walk fields is to zig zag throughout the field or whatever you are hunting in.

RE: How does a pheasent work????
 

And another small bit of advice you may not hear...

Do not march through the field as though you are in a war. A pheasant will let you walk by it if you get in a hurry. Treat this hunting more like a fast-paced still hunt. Walk a few yards, then wait and watch. A bird will get more nervouse and have more of a tendency to fly if you make it nervous. HAVE FUN!

OhioDuckHunter

RE: How does a pheasent work????
 

:eek:I spent the first six yrs. of my pheasant hunting days without a dog, did a lot of road hunting till I'd spot birds. Then one person would drive to the other side of the field and block while the others would try to push the birds to the end of the field, where the action usually occured.
Also, would cruise the ditches, streams, canals, etc. anything holding brushy areas that could hold birds, kicking and throwing dirt clods, etc. into the bush in hopes of flushing a bird.
Nowadays, I been hunting with the help a dogs, I've got two good friends with their dogs and mine, we've hit the fields with as many as seven between us. I will hunt till the day I die with my dogs, its the only way to FLY! I prefer pointing dogs, but flushers, just may be the better of the two specificaly for pheasants. The tendency to RUN, can fool the pointing breeds, but that was my first, and I'll stick with what works for me, plus the pump of a rock solid point is TOO MUCH!
Where are you intending to start pheasant hunting? I'm in Cal. and have to travel at least 3 hrs. to get into pheasant central. Northern Cal. has more birds, but that's a 4-6 hr. drive, but usually well worth it. The Sacramento Valley the best, San Jaoquin Valley and Imperial Valleys okay. Its getting harder to get on property now, but I still manage. Hunted Oregon a couple of times, really good up there, and been fantasizing about the mid-west for some time now, I'll get there before I die! Pheasant huntng 's the best, good luck and many years of "keeping your eyes peeled for COCK". You can be cruising a field and all of a sudden, a big o; rooster will pop his head up and give himself away!

RE: How does a pheasent work????
 

great info ;)

RE: How does a pheasent work????
 

Well gentleman, a couple of things about these birds... first off its better to have a flusher for pheasants and a pointer for quail. The reason is since pheasants like to run so much, a pointer will have a dozen points before he can actually pin point the bird, a flushing dog like my chocolate labradore, will run him down and put him up, now u have to train your puppy to range out only so far or he will range out to 100 yds and put birds up outta range. A good tip train your dog on quail first, pheasants are too big for a pup and could scare him. I hunt birds in ohio on a military base where they let 50 go on saturday and 50 on sunday, plenty of birds, but the best way to go is with a dog, and if your a rabbit hunter as well, never shoot a rabbit in front of your bird dog!! Big Mistake, if u do you will have a rabbit dog, instead of a good bird dog. Hope this helps.

"ALWAYS LEAVE THE WOODS WITH SOMETHING"

RE: How does a pheasent work????
 

A pheasant doesnt work very well, they are a pretty lazy bird.;):D