Pheasant
 

I went on a pheasant tower shoot this past sunday. There was forty five guys. Everybody got to take home three birds. There 130 birds. Only four birds made it past the shooting cirlce. It was great!!! It was in upsatae N.Y.

RE: Pheasant
 

Sounds like you had a good time!!

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I did a tower shoot about a month back, 300 birds and 20 guys. Only 140 birds were taken on that ... left a lot of birds to exercise the dogs on.

RE: Pheasant
 

So let me get this right, a bunch of your buddies and you line up and shot birds that have been released from a cage as they fly by bewildered. Dosnt sound like much fun to me, more like shoting fish in a barrel , but mabe I am just old fashion. Ow wait I am only 21 I cant be old fashion. Also I think a box of clay pigeions will cost ya about 2 bucks at Walmart. I guess I just hold animals with alittle more respect then that.

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I've never eaten a box of clays, you got some good recipes for them?
Are your PETA dues all paid up?
What's that saying about glass houses? Throwing stones? To each his own young gun!
RELAX and Keep taking your CHILL PILLS!

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How about ya dont play the peta card from now on, its alittle plaed out. Just because someone dosent see somthing as being that ethical dosent mean he eat soy bean and and goes weeks without showering like those hippie dirt bags. I just dont see the point of letting them go to kill them when ya already had them in a pen and could have just slotered them right there. I hunt from sept 15 to the coldes day in winter and fish more then 200 days a year. I eat more wild game in a year then most city people see in there whole life. I beleve in a quick humane death and that why I practice my sportes so much ( thats the kind of death I hope I get). I would never hunt on a game farm but that is just me, but I understand that not everyone has as much time or opportunity as me and people want to hunt so they do what they can to get out and have the experience. I should have bit my tongue because I do some things that some people might see as not ethical, like hunt deer over bait. To each his own, and thanks for calling me out on it we hunters have to stick together on all issues or we will lose what we have.


That young gun comment was pritty funny and I am being serious.

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tower shoot =/= fair chase

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What do ya mean by =/=, I am not that good with this comp lingo.

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"not equal to"

I'm not making a statement about whether or not one should participate in tower shoots. However, I do not believe they represent the fair chase ethic.

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Ya got it right, oldgrunt. Not at all fair chase. A tower shoot is a good way for a bunch of yuppies to get out and see who has the most expencive gun, and coolest shooting vest. Well have your fun on your Tower Shoots, and just remember when you are out there I will be stalking some wild game in the big "wild" north woods.

Later Yall

Box of pigions $1
!lb. of Chicken $4.50
Actually being able to call you self a hunter "priceless"
The Real Woods Experiance
For Everyone Else
Theirs Tower shoots

;)

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Just to clarify, my comment was specific to tower shoots and not to game farms/commercial preserves in general.

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Gus,
Would those "Yuppies" be included in the hunters that should stick together? I run a very small private game farm and also go to South Dakota for pheasanys every year (100% wild - fair chase). I have clients and hunt with all kinds of people. They have different backgrounds, careers, income, education levels and political affiliations. Once we take the field we are hunting buddies. Not rednecks, liberal democrat lawyers, CEO's, truck drivers, mechanics etc. but hunting buddies. If you really want to keep hunters united, then drop the ignorant labels.
I understand the need for tower shoots by larger game farms due to an over abundance of birds at year end. The cost of carry over into the next game farm season (Sept.) is very high and even the largest operations are preparing for the chicks coming in and don't have the facilities to keep both. It isn't my thing, but I try to understand things before I make judgements of the practice and the make-up of the people involved.
I personally think that hunting over bait is so far removed from an ethical hunting practice. However, I accept that we, the small amount of total hunters in this country, need to stick together or the anti's will defeat us very soon.

Good Luck and safe hunting,

Mathewsconquest2

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I have nothing aginst game farms I just said I would not hunt on one, but I have never done it so I shouldnt nock it and I wasent. This hole thing is not to cool anymore so i am going to lay off. The last report I made was out of anger about the PETA remark. So many guys use that when ever someone says anything that they dont like,and I think it is lame. I am realy not as big of an ass as I come across as. I am trying to get better at my hunting skills so that I dont have to hunt over bait, but it is coming slow. Well I hope this is the last of this, and sorry to any one who was involved in this wast of time.
Latter Guys and good luck out there.

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I think there is more to it than that. Preserves in my area seem to hold tower shoots throughout the preserve season. It seems like a good way to release a whole lot of birds, and generate a whole lot of revenue, in a single afternoon. Perhaps this what allows some of the commercial ventures to remain afloat? That isn't all bad. I'm just concerned that as preserves become more and more common for upland hunting that some people are losing perspective on ethics and the difference between a good hunt and a big pile of dead birds.

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I wasnt going to post on this any more but I just had to. Oldgrunt, I wish I could stay as cool as you. Ya make a good point without offending anyone, Nice, and I agree. I just wish I could have said it like you to begin with.
Now I am done, Later yall

RE: Pheasant
 

I realize that tower shoots have become more popular throughout the season. Like I said, I understand them, and they really don't bother me as much as others apparently. I have never participated myself in one. My biggest thrill is working my labradors and watching first timers shoot their first bird.
However, we need to be honest. As I mentioned, I run a small private pheasant farm. I don't believe that wild pheasant hunting in South Dakota is the same as hunting on a game farm and is far from a tower shoot. But many people don't have the opportunity or time to travel to a state with a good population of birds. They hunt game farms. They are still promoting verbally and financially the sport of hunting. Many of these "Yuppies" pump money into the NRA, Pheasants Forever, DU and hunting retailers just to name a few that help keep all types of hunting afloat. I think the PETA reference to Gus may have been a little over the top, however I believe RedDogRunner undrestands the difference between wild pheasants and game farm raised birds. He and I don't look at these game farm raised birds any different than chickens (future poultry). The farm raised birds that get away rarely, if ever, survive out in the wild.

No one out there is pretending that a tower shoot is traditional hunting. But if the birds were raised to be shot at and eaten then I have no problem with it. Just like I have no problem with beef cows, chickens or pigs meeting the butcher.

Hunters need to focus on the big picture- Anti's want to take away our rights to hunt. Discussion is healthy , but bickering is divisive.

-Mathewsconquest2

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That's a good point.

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guss in ny there arnt enough wild pheasants to hunt them there mostly on preserves but instead of killing 200 brids why dont you try and raise and release them there FREE]

and can someone give me any advice on raising 50 birds? how big of cage the book says 10 sqt per bird thats a alot of room:eek:

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Allseasonhunter7,
I would say the 10 sq. ft. is minimum for a flight pen with the birds having peepers on them. I'm more comfortbale with 20 sq.ft. However, I haven't had peepers on them (all roosters) for the past couple of years.

Are you starting with day old chicks ?

I have only been raising them a short time and learn something new each year. But feel free to contact me with questions. Hope I can help.

-Mathewsconquest2

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yes day old so ill start withthem in side light... etc but when they get bigger ill bring em out side for fifity birds what lenght width should my cage be thanks

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I have a 40' x 40' A-frame flight pen. The height is 12' at the peak and 6' on the edges.
I have a 10' x 10' lean cover built in the Northwest corner. It is 12" high near the bottom and 30" high at the top of the lean. I place a lot of marsh hay and straw under the lean for inclement weather (hey it is Wisconsin after all). I actually found the plans for the pen on the internet. The website also provided the sources for the building materials (top flight netting, galvanized 1" fencing, feeders and waterers etc.). I'm sorry, I don't remember the website, but I thought it was easy to find through the search engine.

Are you raising them to be hunted or for dinner? Two different foods and pens are needed depending on this. The starting food is the same but then hunted birds are feed a "flight conditioner" food, where the dinner birds are feed a growth feed.

The pens for the dinner birds don't need to be as high. Where the hunted birds need a flight pen that should give them some space/height to excercise their wings for flushing in the field.

I will try to get some photos to post on here for you.

-Mathewsconquest2

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there for hunting im going to try central tractor they sell stuff for baby ducks/chick so they might have some of the stuff for my birds

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Anybody have suggestions for hunting pheasant in northern colorado? I know we have wild birds, but I dont know where I can go and what area is best. In just got a new shotgun this year and cant wait to use it. I used to hunt in oklahoma near enid for pheasant and in illinois. Its a whole new game! EJ

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Allseasonhunter7,

I don't know if you searched the NYSDEC website on raising pheasants.

I do know that a license is required to do this unless the laws have change.

Here is a link that may help in construction of pens, brooders ect.

NYSDEC Pheasant Rearing Guide

As far as shooting preserves go and the opportunity for "wild pheasants" in NYS. 90% of the pheasants are release either year round in NYS or during the pheasant-hunting season.

Long Island has drawn thousands of people from all over the state since they started the pheasant release program on state managed lands and co-op lands. All state and co-op lands on Long Island that are stocked with pheasants during the hunting season my be hunted by reservation and standby only on opening day, weekends and holidays. Access to these lands during the hunting season are on a daily permit only. These permits can be obtained from the Ridge Hunter Check Station in Middle Island.

I think the phone # is 924-3156

I can assure you that these pen-raised birds that come from the state run Reynolds Game Farm in Ithaca are a challenge. The birds a released the night before the hunts and have a chance to disperse. Many people return to the check station without seeing a bird, while those that have dogs get there daily limit of (4) hen or cock.

I have hunted Pheasants on long Island for over 30 years and have always gotten my birds. I may not have limited out ever time but I have never come home skunked. The way they have the food plots set up is definitely a far chase scenario.

Stuart Air force base also has the same opportunity for pheasant hunting. The only catch there is it is first come first serve, and if you happen to be to late there is a cut off at a certain number.

Steve/X-LINY
Pheasant Hollow Farm
West Virginia

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thanks i did get a big bookllet and every thing is pretty much sitiuatied