tomme boy Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Some of my family went out yesterday morning on a paid bird hunt at a local hunting lodge. My one uncle in the blue sweatjacket, is having some health problems, and we wanted to all get out for a good hunt before he will not be able to go anymore. I am the the one that is holding onto the two labs. The lab on my left is my first dog I have ever had the honor to raise. He is 3 1/2yo. The lab on my rt is my second lad he is 8 months old. He was supposed to be my old ladies dog, but I took him duck hunting with me a couple of months back, and since then he wants nothing to do with her. The lab behind me is one of my uncles. The guy in blue jeans. His dog is just one yo. It was his and my younger dogs first pheasant hunt. Anyway, we ended up with 30 birds. Since we hunted on a private hunting refuge, that is why we were able to shoot hens. They raise them, then release them for the hunt a couple days before you show up. These birds did not act like pen raised birds at all. They were running and jumping just like regular wild birds. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Ooh boy, that looks like fun! What state? I was raised in SD and loved to go with my dad and grandpa pheasant hunting. Your uncle is a lab?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomme boy Posted February 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Your uncle is a lab?! Nah. if you look real close behind my orange hat, there is another lab there. He's hard to see. We were in Iowa, right on the eastern most part. On the nose as I call it. We were the only people at the lodge that had labs. There were about 50 other guys, and they all had pointers. There were about 3 differant breeds. None of the other groups limited out. The other guys were snubing us and the labs before we went out. You know that pointer vs. the flusher thing! After we all came back and they seen all of the birds we had they couls not believe it. Two of the other groups were able to see the dogs as we were hunting, said that they never seen labs work the ground as well as these three did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 How'd you train them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefly Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 My family raised and used Brittiny's(sorry about the spelling)for years when we had quail in North Texas,and we thought they were the only good hunting dog.Now,everyone but me have Labs,and they love them like their children.They're so smart.The dogs I mean.The family,well,that's a different subject!Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomme boy Posted February 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 FC, there was not really a whole lot of training done for any of the dogs. You just have to make sure they come from good stock. You just have to do a little research and make sure that the dogs do not come from some puppy farm. One thing I looked for is if the owners were hunters themselves. And ask other people that have hunted with the owners or people that have their dogs. My older dog is really meant for duck hunting. He is real short and muscular. He is real good for short burst and plowing though anything in his way. The younger dog is more for pheasants. Long legged and skinny. He can cover a lot of ground fast and last longer threw the day. This is why I went with my old lady to find a dog for her. You have to think ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted February 17, 2006 Report Share Posted February 17, 2006 During the years that I lived in Nebraska, pheasant hunting was one thing we waited all year for. Some years it was great, other years the best dogs couldn't find a bird if their life depended on it. Back in the sixties and even early 70s the bird population was much better than it is today. There was more cover for them to winter in with tree lines and draws containing heavy growth. Starting in the 70s the trend to clear out all the tree lines and draws plus the expansion of urban areas took a major hit on the birds. CRP land in the last few years has helped some in returning their population, but I have doubts it will ever again be what it once was. Still, for those that have never had the opportunity to hunt the bird, it would be worth the effort and time to do so. The first time one flushes from under your foot on a cold still day you will think a small plane just exploded from underneath you. The can quickly acheive almost 50 mph flight speed and make a fine sport hunt. swamp_thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swamp_thing Posted February 17, 2006 Report Share Posted February 17, 2006 During the years that I lived in Nebraska, pheasant hunting was one thing we waited all year for. Some years it was great, other years the best dogs couldn't find a bird if their life depended on it. Back in the sixties and even early 70s the bird population was much better than it is today. There was more cover for them to winter in with tree lines and draws containing heavy growth. Starting in the 70s the trend to clear out all the tree lines and draws plus the expansion of urban areas took a major hit on the birds. CRP land in the last few years has helped some in returning their population, but I have doubts it will ever again be what it once was. Still, for those that have never had the opportunity to hunt the bird, it would be worth the effort and time to do so. The first time one flushes from under your foot on a cold still day you will think a small plane just exploded from underneath you. The can quickly acheive almost 50 mph flight speed and make a fine sport hunt. swamp_thing Sorry folks, I guess I was not logged in. swamp_thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShooterTom Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 Pheasant hunting is something I have yet to do. Those pics now have me stirred up. tomme boy it looks like you all had a great time. Im sorry to hear about your Uncles poor health. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomme boy Posted February 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 ST, the first time one of the birds explodes out from under your feet, You will be hooked for the rest of your life. There is nothing like it. Well, maybe like the biggest buck you have ever seen in your life walking out from behind a tree 10 yds from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emul8 Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 I went pheasant hunting for the first time in October 2004, here in CA. It was a special women's hunt through the CA DFG, in conjunction with Quail Unlimited. I won the hunt after scoring the highest in my hunter education class. It was sort of "canned", which is why I haven't gone again, I'm just not thrilled about "canned hunts". Upon arrival at the hunt, all the women were required to shoot at three thrown clays to ensure that we were somewhat prepared for the hunt. I had practiced for two weeks before my hunt, and so I was the only one to get two clays in rapid succession. The organizers for the hunt just waved me off of my third clay, they seemed to think I was ready! The hunt was supposed to last for 3 hours, maximum. I thought, "no problem". However, there is just no way that I could see hunting pheasants without dogs, which, in the case of my hunt, were matched up with women who didn't have a dog. I had two gentlemen go out into the field with me, one of which handled the dog, and the other, I don't know, was there to sort of assist me during the hunt. It was weird because I ended up feeling like what some English noblewoman might feel like with Ghillies out with her in the field. The dog, a Brittany spaniel, would find the bird and freeze, and we'd get up to the shrub where it was and the handler would have the dog flush the pheasant. All I had to do was take the shot. Once the bird was down, we'd find it and in both cases my birds were still alive, though wounded. The dog-handler would grab the pheasant by the head and swing it around, breaking it's neck. At first I was horrified at this, I was angry with myself for not having killed the pheasant straight off. Then, I was sort of upset at the method used to kill the pheasant, though I know it was probably the most humane thing to do at that point. I told the guy who was finishing off the first pheasant that I would have done it myself, because I didn't think it was fair for him to be stuck doing it...I was the "hunter" in this instance, I needed to get used to putting an animal down if I wounded it. This was another reason I declined pheasant hunting again last fall, I didn't want someone killing my birds for me when I needed to do it myself, that's nothing against the true kindness of the gentlemen who were with me during the hunt, I think their hearts were in the right place. I would have gotten my two roosters early if I had taken this one terrible shot over the heads of my companions, but I refused to take that shot as one of the guys was having to duck under my gun, and he was waving his hand around in the air. Both guys were yelling "Take it! Take the shot", but I wouldn't. I was SO embarrassed at first, but still felt that I had done the right thing. A little later on the guy who wasn't handling the dog came up and told me how impressed he was that I hadn't taken such a questionable shot. He said that they are so used to novice hunters out in the field, who just "blam, blam, blam" through their hunts. That I was concerned for the safety of my companions meant a lot to him. I was astonished that people would be so careless as to just blast fanatically through their hunts, PARTICULARLY novice hunters, like myself. I remember watching this one woman in the field adjacent to "mine", after the whistle sounded to begin hunting, she must have stepped no more than 5 steps into "her" field, when the pheasant flushed. The woman took aim at the bird and fired. It couldn't have been more than 8 feet, maybe 10 at the maximum, in front of the muzzle of her shotgun. I saw the cloud of feathers almost before I heard the report of the gun! She got the bird alright, I just can't imagine it was in one piece! LOL! However, despite all the miniscule "negatives" around the pheasant hunt, I have to say that being out there in the field, carrying a gun on a crisp, cool morning as you get a bit of a workout waiting for your dog to flush a cackling pheasant has GOT to be among the best feelings one can get from hunting. Shooter Tom, I highly recommend you give it a try. Tomme Boy, you are a lucky man to be able to go hunting with your loved ones, and to care enough for your Uncle to bring him hunting so that he will always have the memories of a great hunt when he is no longer able to go hunting anymore, that's a beautiful thing! I too wish your Uncle the best, and I do hope that he may continue to be able to hunt with you fellas for many more years! Thanks for the pictures and the tale! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefly Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Emy,I reckon any bird hunter will kill a wounded bird as fast as they can just because it needs doing as soon as possible and had nothing to do with you being a little girl.If I picked up a quail someone else shot that was still fluttering,I'd pull it's head off before handing it to the dude that shot it.It would be an instant reaction,as soon as the bird was picked up,do the chore.Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emul8 Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Oh, definitely, the bird needs to be killed -- completely, ASAP, horsefly. I didn't think it had so much to do with my being a woman, as much as it was my being a novice hunter. I just wasn't expecting that the guys with me would do it...I figured that since it was my hunt, I should have been the one to do it. I shot the birds, it was kind of my responsibility. I was just sort of shocked by the way it was done! LOL! I could do it now if I were confronted with the situation again. Also, I forgot to add that the pheasants were delicious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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