# Pheasant hunting. Is it really hunting or just shooting?



## robertj298

To me going out and shooting half tame birds planted by the state isn't hunting. I long for the good ole days when we could go out and actually hunt wild birds.


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## caseyroo

Kinda like catching trout as they are poured out of the hatchery truck


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## longhaulpointer

Some of us still hunt wild ohio birds. Went out and put up 10 or so pheasants and several woodies. Only had 1 shot at a rooster and missed. My buddies had opportunities at 2 other roosters and missed. Some were runners and 1 was pointed in weeds 9 ft tall that flushed with out being seen, heard the cackles. Overall a good day on wild ohio pheasant. Put up 6 roosters between 3 guys and 3 dogs along w several hens and woodcock.
I agree on the release birds. I have a pond in my back yard that I never fish, I prefer the LMR which is right down the rd, even if I get skunked. I guess I could hit up cc which is a 10 min drive, but a wild bird is worth a season full of released birds.


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## 9Left

yea... my BIL and his buddies make a weeklong trip to south Dakota every year to pheasant hunt... Im not sure if those birds are stocked, but they literally shoot 100 birds in a few days time. 
Last year i was invited to an ohio pheasant farm on a hunt with some guys...I watched the people running the farm plant the birds before we " hunted"... The dogs just went straight to the birds and we shot 'em... didnt seem like much of a hunt...


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## STRONGPERSUADER

robertj298 said:


> To me going out and shooting half tame birds planted by the state isn't hunting. I long for the good ole days when we could go out and actually hunt wild birds.


I remember the days 35-40 yrs ago kicking up wild birds while rabbit hunting, or just hunting them period. Those days have been gone unfortunately along with the habitat and planted birds is all we have left for the weekend warriors. For me, it's not so much shooting them as it gives us the opportunity to watch the dogs or an eager pup get some work and I can watch that all day long. I'm going to get out to Kansas or the Dakotas one of these days. Like stated, that would be an awesome hunt.


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## Misdirection

9Left said:


> yea... my BIL and his buddies make a weeklong trip to south Dakota every year to pheasant hunt... Im not sure if those birds are stocked, but they literally shoot 100 birds in a few days time.
> Last year i was invited to an ohio pheasant farm on a hunt with some guys...I watched the people running the farm plant the birds before we " hunted"... The dogs just went straight to the birds and we shot 'em... didnt seem like much of a hunt...


In North Dakota where I go, it is 100% natural population. My shorthairs love it up there!


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## Whaler

Pheasant hunting in our area is actually shooting but when there aren't any or very few wild birds this is all some hunters have to look forward to. The good ole days are gone around here so I say more power to guys and gals who wish to get a shot at a bird. Besides that, hunters pay for a license so they may as well get as much out of it as they can. It's a lot more fun than buying a chicken at the grocery store too. Most people I know can't afford to go to the Dakotas for pheasants so they hunt what is available for them here.


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## garhtr

Give those leftover roosters a few weeks and they can get pretty wild , some become almost impossible to flush. A beagle is a good choice on those that prefer to run ---- if you can keep up 
Good luck and Good Hunting !


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## longhaulpointer

Some make it through the slaughter, ive seen them in Fallsville cackling while walking back to some old farm ponds in august


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## beaver

Some are actually still able to breed and survive in areas. I've seen entire broods of chick's in orient while patrolling the prison farms, and we routinely flush hens in certain areas. According to the ODNR, they only release roosters. If that's the case, they're is an actual wild population in certain areas, or someone else has been releasing a lot of birds.


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## bdawg

I agree that hunting stocked birds is just stupid and a waste of money for odnr to stock them. They shoud be stocking wild birds to reestablish the population. 

I would love to hunt some wild ones. I hunted some stocked ones on friday. We flushed one. Missed the shot. Followed to where it landed and found it in the middle of the main path just standing there 40yds away. We shot twice at it. The shots were 10 seconds apart. It didn't even move after the first shot! After the 2nd shot it flew up 2 feet then came down and ran down the path away from us. We jogged after it and it stopped. We got within 40yds again and fired 2 more shots. It finally ran off the trail and stopped 10yds away. In open woods where we finished it off. That stupid bird gave us 7 shots at it. Not real hunting right there. It had many chances to hide in the brush.


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## STRONGPERSUADER

I wish they could stock wild pheasant but it's the lack of Ohio habitat as to why they don't thrive. They aren't as hearty as say wild turkey, they can't adapt to different environments like turkey can hence huge pheasant pops in Kansas and the Dakotas. If we had hunting access to every available acre in Ohio then yea, we would see some native wild birds but that ain't happening. Those days are gone too. There is always MI and PA grouse which Iam seriously going to start to consider more often.


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## T-180

I have to ask ; how many people hoping for better wild populations are members of Pheasants or Quail Forever, or a game club that works on habitat projects?? Those groups work extremely hard to improve & expand habitat and are available to consult with landowners who are interested. I have had some dealings with PF & was really impressed with their passion & the resources to help. Check into it if you are interested.

There are pockets of wild birds around & at some point many of those birds were released to fend for themselves. Huge problem is that the pockets of good cover are far removed from each other & without secure travel routes, the birds can't safely spread out. I watched a rooster fly from a cornfield to some CRP buffer strips the other day and had 3 hawks try to get him. He made it, but how many don't. My son & I worked with the owner & planted some more strips to connect fields & cover ; hopefully it helps. I think many farmers are open to the buffer strip idea as it doesn't take many acres out of production & it has really helped a couple properties we hunt.


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## STRONGPERSUADER

At the end of the day IMO, it's still about the lack of habitat. PF is a great organization God bless them. But, there just aren't many huge farms anymore. I can remember hundreds if not thousands of acres of private land that exists no more. Malls, condos, developments ect. Farms got hit hard in the 80's, many sold out or lost out.. I can't believe there are a lot of them who are willing to give up prime productive acres to help out any organization. A lot of them struggle now-a-days and that's like taking food off their plate. Just the way of the world unfortunately.


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## STRONGPERSUADER

I can recall some sort of program yrs back where the government or some other org gave farmers tax breaks or something if they had so many acres with the stipulation of letting so many hunters on there land. I believe there were even lists put out. Well of course they still turned people away and or listed family members or friends. Again, it's not like when I hunted 40yrs ago where almost every land owner would allow it. Most private game clubs I've belonged to or visited plants pen raised birds just like the odnr does. And they have a few survive but not many hence the stocking every year. They simply don't haven't enough area/food source to thrive. Habitat...


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## Narwhal

I take the kids every season to a youth only spot by the house. They used to go through 20 shells trying to get two birds -lol-and I loved it watching my sons get better each year. Oldest boy is 18 and youngest is 15 and the dog is 5. A lot of good memories for sure. Pic is from today


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## ckfowler

The dogs enjoy it!


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## T-180

That is a thing of beauty ckfowler !!!


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## supercanoe

T-180 said:


> I have to ask ; how many people hoping for better wild populations are members of Pheasants or Quail Forever, or a game club that works on habitat projects?? Those groups work extremely hard to improve & expand habitat and are available to consult with landowners who are interested. I have had some dealings with PF & was really impressed with their passion & the resources to help. Check into it if you are interested.
> 
> There are pockets of wild birds around & at some point many of those birds were released to fend for themselves. Huge problem is that the pockets of good cover are far removed from each other & without secure travel routes, the birds can't safely spread out. I watched a rooster fly from a cornfield to some CRP buffer strips the other day and had 3 hawks try to get him. He made it, but how many don't. My son & I worked with the owner & planted some more strips to connect fields & cover ; hopefully it helps. I think many farmers are open to the buffer strip idea as it doesn't take many acres out of production & it has really helped a couple properties we hunt.


Did you plant the buffer strips? I just signed up for 7.5 acres of CRP Pheasant Safe. I need to find someone around here with a drill.


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## T-180

No, the farmer had a drill that was usable, we just paid for seed, fuel, & drove the tractor. Contact the area pheasants forever biologist & he should be able to hook you up.


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## c. j. stone

Whaler said:


> Pheasant hunting in our area is actually shooting but when there aren't any or very few wild birds this is all some hunters have to look forward to. The good ole days are gone around here so I say more power to guys and gals who wish to get a shot at a bird. Besides that, hunters pay for a license so they may as well get as much out of it as they can. It's a lot more fun than buying a chicken at the grocery store too. Most people I know can't afford to go to the Dakotas for pheasants so they hunt what is available for them here.


Abt 45 yrs ago, on a very memorable Thanksgiving Day hunt with a deceased friend of yours and mine, he made the only double flush/rooster(wild birds) kill I've ever seen with two shots after my dogs pointed them in a brushpile abt 100 yds from your house near Wft Lake! Man, talk abt the "Good Ole Days"!!


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## c. j. stone

robertj298 said:


> To me going out and shooting half tame birds planted by the state isn't hunting. I long for the good ole days when we could go out and actually hunt wild birds.


YES, IT's still "hunting"! To call it anything less would be(in a way!)-admitting defeat!


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## Misdirection

c. j. stone said:


> Abt 45 yrs ago, on a very memorable Thanksgiving Day hunt with a deceased friend of yours and mine, he made the only double flush/rooster(wild birds) kill I've ever seen with two shots after my dogs pointed them in a brushpile abt 100 yds from your house near Wft Lake! Man, talk abt the "Good Ole Days"!!


I miss pheasant hunting on Thanksgiving in OH, even if they are stocked. Here in PA they don't stock for Thanksgiving....


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## T-180

My adult sons & I go every year, regardless of whether there are any wild birds left or not, it's tradition & a darn good time. Great way to get the old bones loosened up & build an appetite. My nephew raised birds for a couple years & we supplemented the wild population for one day, but not any more.


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## Bowman 08

robertj298 said:


> To me going out and shooting half tame birds planted by the state isn't hunting. I long for the good ole days when we could go out and actually hunt wild birds.


Depends on your bird dog if you have a good bird dog and your a good shot the hunt doest last very long lol


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## buckeyebowman

Narwhal said:


> I take the kids every season to a youth only spot by the house. They used to go through 20 shells trying to get two birds -lol-and I loved it watching my sons get better each year. Oldest boy is 18 and youngest is 15 and the dog is 5. A lot of good memories for sure. Pic is from today
> View attachment 223441


Narwhal, that's a Springer isn't it? I had a Springer a long time ago, back when you could still find honest to God wild birds around here. I saw the ad late and got the runt of the litter, but he had a heart as big as any place I cared to hunt! I didn't know beans about training a bird dog, so I just kept taking him out. He trained himself! Best damn dog I ever had! I have a picture of him on my piano. 

OK, I've dried my eyes now and can get back to the point. I think that habitat loss, basically the "fragmentation" of habitat has a lot to do with the decline in pheasant, as well as other, populations. Back in the day my buddy and I would just drive country roads and see a field that just had "pheasant" written all over it! We'd find the nearest house and stop and ask if they owned it. If they did we'd ask to hunt. If they didn't we'd ask who did.

It was so much easier then! I, and my buddy, were born in 1952, so we're talking late '60's though much of the '70's. Most farmers and land owners didn't look at strangers like they were axe murderers back then! Well, to be fair, some did, but they were the exception. Things just seemed a little "wilder" back then. 

So now, I belong to a game club and hunt stocked pheasant. But I've become convinced that there are stockers, and then there are "stockers". I honestly don't know what supplier we get our pheasant from, but they are big, strong birds just as likely to run away and hide as they are to hold and flush! In fact, more likely to run than fly. We like that!


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## Narwhal

Ya she's a springer and is the best dog I ever had. She will get in the nastiest brush and prickers with no hesitations. She makes it easy for us. People think I trained her but it's the other way around. 


buckeyebowman said:


> Narwhal, that's a Springer isn't it? I had a Springer a long time ago, back when you could still find honest to God wild birds around here. I saw the ad late and got the runt of the litter, but he had a heart as big as any place I cared to hunt! I didn't know beans about training a bird dog, so I just kept taking him out. He trained himself! Best damn dog I ever had! I have a picture of him on my piano.
> 
> OK, I've dried my eyes now and can get back to the point. I think that habitat loss, basically the "fragmentation" of habitat has a lot to do with the decline in pheasant, as well as other, populations. Back in the day my buddy and I would just drive country roads and see a field that just had "pheasant" written all over it! We'd find the nearest house and stop and ask if they owned it. If they did we'd ask to hunt. If they didn't we'd ask who did.
> 
> It was so much easier then! I, and my buddy, were born in 1952, so we're talking late '60's though much of the '70's. Most farmers and land owners didn't look at strangers like they were axe murderers back then! Well, to be fair, some did, but they were the exception. Things just seemed a little "wilder" back then.
> 
> So now, I belong to a game club and hunt stocked pheasant. But I've become convinced that there are stockers, and then there are "stockers". I honestly don't know what supplier we get our pheasant from, but they are big, strong birds just as likely to run away and hide as they are to hold and flush! In fact, more likely to run than fly. We like that!


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## LilSiman/Medina

For you old guys, back in the day hunting wild birds was probably a blast and a lot of fun for you. But times have changed and there aren't wild birds all over the state anymore. I personally think its still a blast to get off work at six in the morning, get a bunch of guys from work and go TRY to find a pheasant over at Spencer Lake. Like this morning, we all planned to get over our hangovers by walking around the park trying to get on some birds. We didn't see a single bird. Most people would call that a failed hunt. But to me and my buddies, that's one of the funnest things you can do on the Friday after thanksgiving. Say what you want about "real hunting" but to us, that's hunting.


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## Bluewalleye

I went pheasant hunting down at salt fork on Thanksgiving morn. I didn't see one bird. But did see a possum trying to cross a field and was able to shoot it. I would have loved to have seen a bird or 2 to take a shot at them. Was really hoping to get a couple of great tasting pheasant breasts to eat....


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