I am going to step into the snakes pit here and offer my observations gleamed from hosting hunters, some from this board and some from three other boards about shooting pheasant way out there aways and framed over about the last twenty years.

I have had the pleasure of the company of many Uplanders in Montana, or in one of the Dakotas and because I am a curious sort and because of all the posts I have read of birds routinely shot at 50 yards, I diligently paced off those birds my guest shot. My accuracy to the fall could only be off by the length of my stride over different grounds, as must often it was to the dog that I sat at the fall site with a stay whistle until I reached her.

When I asked how far they thought their kill was, nearly always the forty yard birds were found inside of 30/35 paces, which means birds were shot as many yards closer and before their momentum carried them to the fall. My journals show of the birds recovered, that only fourteen times were the 50 yard birds really 50 yard birds.

There was many times I was happy that the dogs worked well to their trialing training, because too many birds shoot at what I thought fifty yards, flew on for a great distance with a leg hanging.

I learned well to just smile when handing a bird to my guests that was retrieved from over the next hill.

Bottom line, I don't think many birds hunters really can gauge the distance at which they shoot pheasants. They are about as good at it as the big game hunters who regularly take their quarry at 400/500 yards.

I don't really know why so many folks think that the birds shot, were so much farther than they really were but seldom was it estimated to be closer than they were.

I do love meeting members who love the Uplands and those I haven't ask to join me in my home and in the fields, please forgive me. I hope to correct that as I can.

Please don't take offense when watching this old man count paces. I am just satisfying my own curiosity.



bc