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john555
PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:23 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 14 Jul 2004
Posts: 76
Location: western canada

I am looking for some feedback on preserve hunting for pheasants. For the first time in 35 years of bird hunting me and the dog could not find a single rooster. A complete pheasant season with only three hens flushed. All of my favorite areas are now paved over with shopping malls and subdivisions where the houses all look the same. I browsed the Internet for preserves/gamefarms in the Washington and Idaho areas and there appears to be some possibilities. Being ignorant of the whole process, I wonder if some of you could answer the following questions:

1. Do the birds have any smarts and make the dog work or is it like shooting leghorn chickens in the barnyard.

2. Is it possible to hunt unguided with my own dog?

3. Are there setups where one can pay an access fee and hunt wild birds on private properties?

4. When using a guide service, does the guide stay with you for the full hunting time or drop you and your dog at selected sites?

5. What problems could possibly arise and what questions should one ask of a perspective guide/perserve owner?

As you can see I am a babe in the woods to this type of hunting arrangement, however I cannot imagine next season without rooster hunting.

Regards
John
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Mr. 16 gauge
PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 7:24 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 18 Apr 2005
Posts: 44
Location: Troy, MI

Sorry to hear about your fields turning into condos....it's much the same here where I hunt. Sad

Preserves in MI work something like this: You pay for a set number of birds ( most places have a minimum release, usually 4 birds) and the owner/operateor of the preserve will plant those birds in a field. You then go and find 'em.....it's really that simple. As far as 'smarts' goes, it varies....I have had birds planted that took off and ran circles around the dog, and I have had others that have sat there and let themselves be caught; more importantly (for me, anyway) is the cover.....does it give the dog a work out, or is it all sorghum or cornstalks with a lot of space between rows? Or is it so thick that neither man nor dog can walk through it.?
Some preserves here will let you take extra birds for free, providing you don't take more than you put out.....other places charge for extra birds, usually 50% of the original cost. Most places here charge $15-$20 per bird, and a release is usually 50/50 roosters/hens.
You may have to try a couple of different preserves before you find one that suits your needs. One thing I will tell you is to ignore the hogwash you might hear about preserve birds being 'pushovers' and using target loads with #8 shot.......preserve birds are just as heavily muscled as a wild ringneck, and in addition the feathers are usually thicker and there tends to be more fat on preserve birds.....if anything, I would suggest that you go up one shot size than what you normally use. My preference for preserve pheasants is 1 1/8 oz of #5 shot at around 1300fps. That usually does the trick with minimum meat damage and cripple chasing.
Good luck.................. Very Happy

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Parker Trojan
PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:13 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 24 Aug 2004
Posts: 225
Location: San Rafael, CA

I have used preserve hunting as my core for the last 35 years and then hunt wild birds[pheasant, duck, dove, quail and turkey] as the opportunities present themselves. I NEVER hunt a field of recently released birds; my club charges a set fee for 20, 30, 40, or 60 birds and then you have five months to hunt at your leisure killing as few or as many birds at one time as you wish. The birds are planted at 5:00am and hunting starts at 8:00am; I usually hunt between noon and the 4:00 pm closing time. The birds are excellent flyers and I don't get any great sense of artificiality; living in a Metro area, the club provides my dogs and I with many opportunities to hunt
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TJC
PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:01 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 1522
Location: NH

Here in NJ we have no wild birds. So everything is put and take. I belong to gun clubs that stock on Sat and Sun and we hunt them.
I also frequent a preserve in Pa. Again, you pay they put the birds out and we hunt them.
These are the only ways we get to hunt pheasants. The birds are great fliers in both places. They'll run through the cover to get away like rabbits and as wild birds will do. So it's not like shooting fish in a barrel. Granted you do have a high concentration of birds in a given area. But even at that, some will leave the properties for safety.

The preserve I go to allows you to hunt with your dog by yourself. They will guide you with their dogs if you choose.

The dogs have to work to find the birds and we have a good time. It's what we have if you want to hunt pheasants.

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IDcut
PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 8:12 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 26 Jun 2005
Posts: 376
Location: North ID.

John,
There are a couple of preserves in the area, but I've never hunted on them. The web address for Upland Bird Ranch south of Spokane is www.uplandbirdranch.com. There was an article in the paper, I believe, on this outfit. If I recall, they allowed the use of one's own dogs. I don't recall the other outfit. Although I live in North Idaho and haven't hunted WA, another option might be to purchase a WA. license and hunt wild birds from Colfax south to Walla Walla. My son goes to College in Walla Walla, and I've seen lots of birds on the two trips I've made this fall to Walla Walla.
CH
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16gaugeguy
PostPosted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 3:13 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 6535
Location: massachusetts

I've had both good and bad experiences at preserves and state run WMA's. It depends a lot on where the birds come from and how they are handled and cared for before release as well as when they are released prior to hunting them.

I agree with PT that letting the birds establish themselves in an area well ahead of hunting them always helps. Birds stored in the box too long from transport and negligence tend to be wing bound and fly poorly. I've seen them roosting in the trees long after daylight. They are tired, stressed, hungry, thirsty, disoriented and frightened out of their heads. Birds roughly handled just prior to release show the same negative traits. They ain't much fun to hunt when they won't or can't fly. Many get caught on the ground by less than steady dogs too.

This happens in MA WMA's far too often. But the guys putting them out aren't paid enough to care, nor are their supervisors apt to get involved. Plus the state pays the least it can for birds and the eastern WMA's are a haul from the source.

However, in the areas where the birds have had a minimum of time to recover, things get better quickly. By the end of the season, there are enough holdovers left to give anyone a challenge. Within a few monthes, survivers are damned hard to hunt, especially in the typically thick cover found in our state. They are tricky and quick to run into the thickets away from any intruder. Thats why most hunters think the birds are all shot out. Wrong, tracks in the snow after the season is over has proven otherwise to me. But few folks who hunt venture out after season's close.

The same conditions can be present at pay and shoot preserves. The best hunts I've ever had at these places have been a few days to a week after a tower shoot. There are lots of birds out that have been released long enough to let them recover and let their natural instinctse kick in. This is especially true if the birds come from good stock.

The best advise I can give you is ask around from guys who have hunted the preserve. Ask a lot of them too. And ask the guys that you know prefer a true challange. Some guys want an easy and quick hunt with lots of easy to hit birds. Each to his own.
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Woodcanoeguy
PostPosted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:27 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 09 Oct 2005
Posts: 20
Location: SW Washington State

I second the suggestion to get a license in WA if possible. On the dry side of the mountains we have the best season going for pheasnat that we have seen in 15 years. The whole SE corner from Pasco to Pomeroy and North to Pullman has birds in it. Washington State Dept of Wildlife has several hundred thousand acres of "Feel Free to Hunt" and "Permission to Hunt" lands available through cooperative agreeents with landowners. You can get maps at the Dept offices.The lands along the Snake River are particularly nice to nunt and there are several nice Corps of Engineer lands that are great habitat.
It snowed there this week so we are headed over on Saturday to chase some roosters. Also try North Dakota next year as we have had so much fun there the last several years....you will not believe the birds.
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