doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Wild Birds vs. Game Preserves

Like what Dig said. I've shot one preserve where I shot some pheasants and some chukkar behind some dogs. I'll not do it again, unless I am training a dog, letting a new hunter try out bird hunting, or if someone convinces me that their preserve is truely challenging... I don't don't that there are good preserves out there and I have no objections to other people doing it. Also I don't "look down" on people who do hunt them.

However, I don't object to state released pheasants and I've shot a few of them. Also I enjoy driven shooting and have shot partridges and pheasants raised the way Dig mentioned. No its not hunting, but its fine sport and by no means easy.

PRESERVE? ISN'T THAT WHEN YOU MAKE JELLY AND STUFF LIKE THAT....
HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE QUAILS TO HUNT, SO LOTS OF HUNTERS DO THE PRESERVE DEAL....I ONLY TAKE MY DOGS TO DO THE BIRD WORK SO THEY CAN BE IN SHAPE..THEN DRIVE 1600 MILES TO KANSAS FOR OPENING DAY... I HAVE TO "PRESERVE" THE TRADITION.

ENRIQUE.

Only wild birds for me, I do see wear a preserve does serve a purpose but I would not call it hunting.

Michael

There are a few preserves in the US where the cover/environment is managed to maximize its carrying capacity of birds and also stocked with supplemental young birds early to let them get to a fair aproximation of wildness. These work especially well when they are near farms that provide a lot of food but aren't decent shelter or nesting areas. Then the "preserve" can carry even more birds and tends to suck any truly wild or stocked carryover birds out of the surrounding areas for shelter, mating, and nesting. The locals don't like these places because they tend to "have all the birds" and also tend to be monopolized by outsiders who come to shoot for a fee. Some farmers want to have it both ways--"clean farm" to maximize crop yields and still have lots of birds. Doesn't happen.

I hope the trend is toward seeing birds as a "crop" worthy of some acreage of their own. I don't mind AT ALL paying to hunt as long as the experience is "hunting," not "shooting." I've never hunted on a purely stocked preserve and don't intend to. I too would rather chase chukars around the desert ridges.....

I have been hunting wild pheasants for the past five years with my father-in-law. We only miss two or three weekends per year. That only happens because I have to visit my out of town family for the holidays also.

My first invite to a preserve hunt was in February of 06. It was fun but not something I would want to do every weekend. It's not as challenging or fun to me. It will probably be my last unless I get asked by a friend to go with their party.

There is something about going out to the country and talking to the land owners and asking for permission. Creating a friendship and getting to know how they live. Sometimes even helping them out on the farm.

JR

Hunt waterfowl, only wild birds then.
I don't know of any planted ducks - do you?

I'd agree with Chuck.......bird huntin is gettin out with your dog(s) and huntin up birds. To me, what they do across the pond is shootin. Kind of like sittin under a tree and pass shootin doves. It's okay, but it ain't bird huntin it's shootin.
But don't get me wrong I'd never knock anyones huntin priveledges. Here or across the pond.

I did the preserve thing once. Hope I never have to do that again. However I have a friend who has a friend. Who owns 600 acres in Western part of KY. He releases 20 coveys on his land at about 8 weeks old I think in August. His land is quail habitat suited. He swears you couldn't tell the difference when huntin season comes in. No, we havn't got on his land yet. He even hunts off of horse back. Maybe he'll invite us this year! At present I'm trying to put my measly(sp?)100 acres back in native grass so I too can release early coveys to supplement my wild qual. So most of my wild quail huntin takes place in Kansas and Oklahoma. May fly out to Arizona after Christmas and do the desert thing. MAYBE! I been saying this the last 2 years. :rolleyes:

"I don't know of any planted ducks - do you?"
Yeah, unfortunately. They call them "flighted ducks" at a certain place upstate and it's where I draw the line. The sports hang around the pond and a short distance away farm raised mallards are thrown out of a tree house. Bang, bang, high-fives, here's my Amex, let's go eat.

I don't know why it bothers me more than shooting preserve pheasants. Probably because my dog has so much fun with the pheasants.

In these talks of wild versus preserves, unfortunately the released birds are not just in the east. It is also in the mid-west and in the big pheasant states namely South Datkota as well. On all of the Outdoor Network shows of bird hunting, I think I saw one where they were actually hunting wild pheasants. They said so, and I believe it because most of the birds they were putting up were hens. Now that is reality. On these shows where everyone is talking loudly and carrying on and the dog goes on point, and they walk in and have to kick the bird in the air, that is not wild birds. On these shows, in the credits, or the host will say they are hunting such and such place, a lot of those birds are released. They have to to supplement some of the wild birds that are taken with all the hunters that go there.
If anyone has truly hunted wild pheasants, you know that there will be no talking and even then a lot of the birds will be running ahead of you. In the early 90's hunted near Mitchell, S.D., in 3 days hunting saw between 450-600 pheasants. Couldn't talk or make any noise, and they still ran. You could drive down the road between the sections and see birds in the fields, in coveys, or groups 20-50, drive by ok, stop and they ran for the nearest cover. The ones we shot only weighed about 2 lbs., and from what I remember, most of the cocks didn't cackle when they got up, made it difficult where to shoot with all the birds getting up.
I truly envy the people who live in these areas of wild pheasants.
I also hunted in southern Georgia for quail on a big plantation, with a mule drawn wagon and the shooters, only 2, were on horseback. Funny how all the coveys were right along the road. Asked the wagon driver about wild birds, and he said they are there, but deep in the back.
So to everyone that is truly hunting wild birds, good for you, it's almost a thing of the past. But remember that most of these properties that specilize in hunts for wild birds, in fact are using pen raised birds also.

Kinda like tower shoots then, where half dazed birds are tossed-out like so much garbage.
Not very sporting.