Setting up a pheasant shoot tips

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hessian_

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I don't consider this hunting, but I couldn't find a better place to post. I would like to set up a pheasant shoot (without a dog) this fall for a group of about 6 to 8. I plan to buy 10 pheasants and 10 chukars for a day in October.

My plan is to dizzy half of the birds and plant them in the field without the shooters seeing where I've placed them. I will have one group of 4 fan out and walk through the field about 6 meters apart. Hopefully the birds will be disturbed and will fly out for enough action. Then I will plant the other half of the birds and take the second group out.

One of the groups will be keen on stalking any birds that escaped after this traditional shoot.

My concerns are:

- How far apart to 'plant' the birds? If they are too close, would startling the first one start a chain reaction and make them all fly away?

- Dizzying the birds - there's lots of info on the internet on how to do this. Tuck the head in the wing, pull the legs, shake vigorously, etc. I suppose I'll have to find the method that works best.

- Will the birds startle easily enough? If the shooters are 6m apart, could they walk by a bird without spooking it?

- escaped birds: I hear that most pheasants and chukars typically don't fly more than 400 yards away. Hopefully we will have a chance to find the ones that fly away. at about $15-$20 a bird it would be a shame to lose most of them (and no feast that night).

- 10 pheasant + 10 chukars seems to be the yearly limit that you can release for this in Ontario. It doesn't seem a like a lot, so perhaps it would be better to plant them 3 birds at a time, to space out the action?

- Anything important that I may have missed?

I hope this will be a success and I can make it an annual thing.
 
grab the bird by the body and spin the head in circular motion, works ok, usually. of course, the amount of spinning is the variable, it's trial & error. Too much spin and the dog with catch them, too little & you won't make it back to your gun !
 
Thinking about doing the same hear, but maybe with some quail as well. The chukkar and quail are around 7 bucks a bird down this way.
 
Read between the lines for my commentary


hessian_ said:
I don't consider this hunting, but I couldn't find a better place to post. I would like to set up a pheasant shoot (without a dog) this fall for a group of about 6 to 8. I plan to buy 10 pheasants and 10 chukars for a day in October.

You need at least one "good" dog preferably a dog for every two men

My plan is to dizzy half of the birds and plant them in the field without the shooters seeing where I've placed them. I will have one group of 4 fan out and walk through the field about 6 meters apart. Hopefully the birds will be disturbed and will fly out for enough action. Then I will plant the other half of the birds and take the second group out.

One of the groups will be keen on stalking any birds that escaped after this traditional shoot.


The group may be keen but they will not get squat with out a dog.

My concerns are:

- How far apart to 'plant' the birds? If they are too close, would startling the first one start a chain reaction and make them all fly away?

- Dizzying the birds - there's lots of info on the internet on how to do this. Tuck the head in the wing, pull the legs, shake vigorously, etc. I suppose I'll have to find the method that works best.

- Will the birds startle easily enough? If the shooters are 6m apart, could they walk by a bird without spooking it?

Yes, they can walk right over birds without them moving, hens especially, roosters will run and hide. You need a good dog.

- escaped birds: I hear that most pheasants and chukars typically don't fly more than 400 yards away. Hopefully we will have a chance to find the ones that fly away. at about $15-$20 a bird it would be a shame to lose most of them (and no feast that night).

If going to pay money for birds, you might as well get your money's worth and get pheasants. Leave the chukars in the pens a waste of time and money and decent shot shell

You must have a fair acreage if 400 yds is a short distance. Again you be finding any of these birds without a dog.

- 10 pheasant + 10 chukars seems to be the yearly limit that you can release for this in Ontario. It doesn't seem a like a lot, so perhaps it would be better to plant them 3 birds at a time, to space out the action?

- Anything important that I may have missed?

The big thing your missing is at least one "good" dog, your buddies lab that likes to play with tennis balls is not going to cut it. I hunted pheasants every year for about 25 yrs. I was blessed with having very good dogs over the years and so did a couple of my companions. We always did well on our hunts and created many great memories. I can not emphasize enough without at least one "good" dog your wasting your time and money. For example you can go on a hunt such as Pelee Island where they release 7000 thousand pheasants for 700 licence holders. Sounds very easy to go out and shoot your 10 pheasants. Your be very disappointed, as you be lucky to get a couple birds in two days without a good dog.

I hope this will be a success and I can make it an annual thing.
Click to expand...

You want to make it a success it depends on many factors. Having a "good dog" being one of them. Plus the terrain in which you are hunting, wind, weather, etc.
 
... and that was the last he saw of his 20 birds....

Depending on the 'temperament' of the birds, they could just orient themselves and start walking... then you may have to almost step on them to get a flush. Sounds risky without a dog
 
Jeez, $15-20 per bird? I regularly drive by the place that raises what appears to be a couple thousand pheasants (I think they supply the Pelee Island hunt?) and have wondered how much they're worth. Pretty cool driving by seeing all those birds standing completely still in their pens.
 
I can tell you from having worked on a pheasant hunting farm you'd best bring a dog. By the time you plant the last bird the first one has started skulking away and the chances of getting even the few that remain where you planted them are nil without a dog. You can virtually step on the tails of some before they will move and even then most times they will often stand for a second or two and usually try to sneak off rather than flush. They are used to being in close proximity to humans having been fed daily by people walking around in their pens filling feed containers and checking water lines etc to the water trays. I have seen many of them hold still frozen even to a dog as it's their first exposure ever to one. They are not wild birds trained to evade by mama! One of the dogs we used (labs) actually used to put her snout under the standing or walking/running birds and flick them upwards forcing them to fly for the gunners!!
 
Not to be a #### but wouldn't it be easier to go to an organized bird farm and rent their dog?
I've done it several times. Like you said it's not really hunting in the true sense. You're buying the birds anyway. Also you may pick up some that others missed. They usually provide lunch as well
 
brybenn said:
Not to be a #### but wouldn't it be easier to go to an organized bird farm and rent their dog?
I've done it several times. Like you said it's not really hunting in the true sense. You're buying the birds anyway. Also you may pick up some that others missed. They usually provide lunch as well
Click to expand...

A much better idea.
 
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