Hunting on Game Farms

[waterfowler_gal]

Just out of curiousity has anyone hunted pheasant and had the game farm owners/workers shake the bird before they place it or throw it.... I was talking to this guy about hunting at school last night and he said that was the only time he went "hunting" in his life and it was the worse experience ever. The bird was so shaken up it was shaking and discombobulated... The pheasant refused to fly and just sat huddled down and their dog brought the pheasant back alive....

My cousin's own a game farm in Minnesota and they never do that! Just wondering if this is a common thing or not....

[too_pointer]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

I hunted pheasants last fall, first time on a game farm.I was quite suprised on how wild they were. Most of them flushed out of range for us. I suppose that game farms differ quite abit. We had a hunter with us that said he had hunted them in South Dakota that was easier than this LOL.

too_pointer

[MUDRUNNER]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

I've never really hunted on a game farm,but here in south central Illinois pheasants don't multiply,so we hunt pen raised birds on state preserves.The birds are so fat they can't hardly fly.These birds aren't placed or thrown,but they are released at each area at like 4 A.M. so you do have to search and hunt for them.I go to South Dakota every year so our state ground is not near the fun as it used to be.

[Squirrelhunter91]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

On a Pheasant reserve my dad went to a while back, you could not shoot the birds on the ground. The dogs were killing the birds before someone could get a shot off. We have it all on video... The dogs almost got shot.

[kooter]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

i have hunted quail on a game farm only once. we were training some pointers and this was a good chance for them to get into some birds, the birds however did not want to fly once they were flushed.

[Tominator]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

Common around here on game farms to do that, except that they put them in a burlap bag and spin them a few times. The idea is to disorient them enough so that they won't run away, but not so much that they won't flush when pressured. If they don't disorient them a bit, they tend to run away, or run back to the holding pen--both cases don't make clients too happy.

[MadHuntinPastor]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

I hunted in WV that did that and we still only got 4 of 8 pheasants. 1 of those four didn't flush real well and unfortunately one of the guys with us shot him a foot off the ground

[carbonhunter]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

?n around here on game farms to do that, except that they put them in a burlap bag and spin them a few times. The idea is to disorient them enough so that they won't run away, but not so much that they won't flush when pressured. If they don't disorient them a bit, they tend to run away, or run back to the holding pen--both cases don't make clients too happy.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is more of a Dog training exercise at all the farms I've been too, you can tuck there heads under the wings and it will do the same thing. The key to pen raised birds is flight conditioning, good owners/operators will raise there birds in near black conditions so introduction to light stirs them up. I've done what you mentioned with every dog I've ever trained, only have five acres to train on so knowing where the bird is key.

[AJ]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

I have done it every year for the past 4 years now. They do disorient the birds when they are put out for the hunters, but thats a 1/2 hour or so before we hunt them. How close they will hold depends on the cover, the wind, if its wet, etc. When the cover is sparse, they can get up when they sence danger. Other times they hunker down in thicker cover and use their natural camo to protect them.

What time of the year can also determine how they are going to react. Preserves in VA operate from September through end of April. This time of year they say the hens are heavy with eggs and do not like to fly.

If the dogs are bringing back the birds before they are flushed, its a dog handler/training problem.

[Ravin R10 man]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

Never saw anyone shake the bird..unless it was in a seasoning bag..LOL most of the farms Ive hunted just tucked the head under the bird and left. I even helped drop birds on a farm with the gal who ran it...sometimes they stay put and others just run like a wild bird. Fun hunting those ditch chickens over a good dog!!

[WaCoyote]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

Kind of a different situation but I took my daughter to a "first timers" shoot for youngsters a couple of years ago and they put pen raised birds in this "thing" that flings them into the air so the kids can shoot them. About half the birds never even tried to fly. It was funny but kind of pathetic really.

[too_pointer]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

It sure sounds like they can all be different. I just read an article on them in one of my hunting magazines that sounded very much like the comments in here. Some were very challenging, and others were pitiful !! I know I plan on going back to the one I hunted last fall. This time I will take my lab pup, and a tighter choke for my 20 ga. LOL.

too_

[JimT]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

All the birds here are stocked. Some fly and some run, but I have never seen one just hold up.

[longislandhunter]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

I sometimes hunt a section of woods that borders a private pheasant hunting club. I hunt the birds that run off into the public land and they are as wild and cagey as wild ones I've shot.

[too_pointer]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

I think the same thing, it would be great to border a game farm !! I know we left 8 birds in the fields last time we hunted one.

too_pointer

[Ohiobucks]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

My buddy and his dad raised pheasants for a few years in a row. I would help place them in a field for clients coming in, or just for us to go out and hunt them. We would tuck the bird under our arm, holding the feet. Give the legs a tug to stretch them out a bit, not to hurt them, but to help them from jumping and flying right away. We would place them in thick cover and walk away. By the time you came back, usually an hour or so, the birds have regained their feet and were moving on their own. They were never where you "placed" them and they would flush just like wild birds.

[MossySNPR]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

The few game farm pheasents here that survive every season after being let out walk around looking for corn all day. They just pretty much sit around and/or die. Years back, we used to drive around in the country and one would just walk around the sides of the road, you could just get out walk up aim and shoot.

[CuzTheyFly]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

most pheasant farms stink....they place the birds head under wing, rock it and it goes to sleep. then they plant it and usually the bird has had his coffee before you come along with a gun....

[Tominator]

Re: Hunting on Game Farms

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The expericnce varies from place to place. We have a place here in Ohio that is excellent. I suggest you try one and see how it stacks up.

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Which one you talking about brian? Elkhorn Lake is the best I've ever been to. It's in Bucyrus.