MaverickUF Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Alright, I see there a quite a few hunting enthusiasts, both with and w/o firearms... BUT, does anyone else shoot upland? Pheasant?? Went for my first time with my father for my 14th birthday in Illinois, the next year, went to South Dakota. Became an annual tradition that continues to this day, and we have since acquired property in SD to support our addiction and host incredibly fun trips with our friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airedale Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Yep, I hunt them with the Airedales. Kentucky is pheasant free so they see many, many preserve birds and then spend a week in Iowa each year. A 16 ga sxs and an Airedale is tough on pheasants! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaverickUF Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 Haha, I bet, but I love those SxS, I shoot and O/U myself, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 BUT, does anyone else shoot upland? Pheasant?? Heck yes! CRP kind of killed the sport here. (No food or cover) All that's left where I live is game-farm birds, which makes shooting fish in a barrel seem exciting. Can't wait to not be in school for bird season so I can spend some quality time in the happy hunting grounds. Upland hunting is one of my first loves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 That's cool.. We don't hunt Pheasant as much as we hunt Dove, and now last season we hunted dove on the late season opener which coincided with the opening of Pheasant season. People looked at us funny when we were all done limiting out on Dove at 8:15a as they were pushing for pheasant. I've gone dove hunting with dad about every year since I was like 8. I didn't start using a shotgun till I was 13, but I did get to bring a BB gun Vince Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD45 Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 About all that's left for us here is doves and a few ducks. Quail got very scarce in the early 1980's. Now they are almost completely gone. I didn't have a clue that those coveys flushed in front of me as a child were the last of a dying era. A good english setter, and a few 15 bird coveys would be close to heaven-on-earth for me. I hear that TX, KS, and OK still have coveys like we had forty years ago. Of course any of the many mountain upland birds in ID or MT could keep me satisfied. I want to move northwest so bad I can't stand it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jef Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 My brother-in-law drags me out a couple times during the fall for futile attempts to slay the elusive rooster. We rarely have any success compared to when I was a kid (no dogs, not as much habitat) but still enjoy the walk though. I really enjoy chukar hunting in the morning and then catching the evening hatch on the South Fork of the Boise River. We call it cast and blast! Pretty cool, you hunt chukars once for fun and then again for revenge with all the climbing they make you do. It does tend to get one in shape for elk season though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 There are many, many recreational opportunities that we do not have here in central Iowa. (No beaches, no mountains, no major professional sports teams, etc.) Fortunately, the great pheasant hunting pretty much makes up for that! Back around 1992 or 1993 (can't remember which) I kept a little diary tracking the wild roosters that I shot during the season, and it totaled 103. All wild birds, legally and ethically taken, half within 10 miles of my house, most over points produced by my (since departed) shorthair and wirehair. (CRP is not great for quail, but wonderful for the pheasant population out here in a great sea of corn and beans.) These days I spend way too much time at work to hunt that much, and the bird-hunting in Iowa has not been spectacular for the past few years, but I still try to get out at least once a week during season. Here's a pic of Sam and his friend Jon from last year (I couldn't carry a gun during the special youth season, so I was relegated to cameraman): pheasant1 Tess's point turned out to be right on the money, and one 20-ga. of bismuth #4s later from Sam's 1100, I snapped this photo: pheasant2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaverickUF Posted March 26, 2005 Author Share Posted March 26, 2005 Carmoney, that's awesome! One of our buddies from KS that comes up to hunt with us in SD several times a year has shorthairs. Watching them work is an art, pointing, honoring points, etc... From what I hear, Iowa is a great rooster state, and having driven through it on the way from FL to SD last summer, it sure looked 'birdy'. I'm still in school, so pulling away to hunt is sometimes hectic, but I try to get up there for my birthday in January, and my dad's birthday in October. Hafta keep the freezer full, as I've a ton of great recipes for them... ROOSTER!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 Mav: Pheasant hunting is definitely a part of the Iowa lifestyle. They even hold the annual "governor's hunt" on opening weekend each year, and the news cameras follow him around. (Our current governor doesn't like guns very much, but he knows he has to carry a shotgun around at least that one day, for political reasons.) You've all probably seen the hat (available in pretty much every Iowa truckstop and convenience store during the fall) with the rooster pheasant embroidered on it, along with the words "IOWA...Big Cock County." Here's one more good pic: pheasant3 Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robomanusa Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 I enjoy pheasant hunting, I go every year on Thanksgiving morning to one of the wildlife areas near here. The State releases X amount of birds 3 times per year. The bad thing about those pheasants are they're pen raised and do not really like to fly. You damn near have to step on or kick them to get them up flying or they will just just stay on the ground and run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 Have hunted most of the edible birds throughout the US, absolutely love it. Watching good dogs work is a true joy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaverickUF Posted March 27, 2005 Author Share Posted March 27, 2005 HAHA, Carmoney, I have seen that hat, I believe I've got one in hunter-orange over the bar. GLAD TO DISCOVER I'VE GOT SOME FELLOW UPLANDERS ON HERE!! (I live in FL and have never even shot at a duck) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geezer-lock Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Stepping into a covey of bob whites on the first day of the season ranks up there as one of the worlds great experiences, second only to that first rooster of the year. Either of these events qualifies for the “What gets your heart pumping” thread. My idea of heaven would be that every day was opening day, with crisp air, blue skies, good friends, good dogs and no limits. geezer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaverickUF Posted March 28, 2005 Author Share Posted March 28, 2005 ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, GEEZER!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 If it flys, it dies, if it runs it rolls, if it can SEE the ground, it is too low..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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