hunting pheasants without a dog

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  • pbharvey

    Habitual Testifier
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    30,155
    #2 son got a lottery spot to hunt canned pheasants this weekend.
    I will be the dog.

    Any tips for finding and getting these chickens airborne?

    A guy I hunted with once told me when he was a kid they would stand several yards apart and hold a string between them that had cans attached with pebbles in them.

    I really don't have a strategy other than to walk and start kicking cover.
     

    sxs

    Senior Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2009
    3,377
    Anne Arundel County, MD
    #2 son got a lottery spot to hunt canned pheasants this weekend.
    I will be the dog.

    Any tips for finding and getting these chickens airborne?

    A guy I hunted with once told me when he was a kid they would stand several yards apart and hold a string between them that had cans attached with pebbles in them.

    I really don't have a strategy other than to walk and start kicking cover.

    That's what I did as a young man hunting Md pheasants up near the Pa line.

    But it's a canned hunt with no guide and dogs? Most places in Maryland and surrounding areas provide that for little more than an extra tip.
     

    pbharvey

    Habitual Testifier
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    30,155
    No its a Maryland DNR youth hunt. The state puts out birds and locks the place down so only the kid can hunt. Well the kid and the hawks.
     

    kookymonstir

    Active Member
    Feb 8, 2011
    172
    St. Leonard Md
    I used to hunt stocked pheasants in PA years ago. We would just walk along the field edges and (like you said) kick the cover. Sometimes they just wouldn't get airborne but just run along the ground. Try using a long stick to poke into the cover, especially in large briar patches.
     

    AlBeight

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 30, 2017
    4,371
    Hampstead
    Grew up hunting wild pheasants in Northern Carroll County in the late 70’s into mid 80’s before they disappeared from the planet. Many hedgerows on the farm, hunted rabbits with one or two nitwit beagles, which tended to run the pheasants as well. Wild or canned, they often run first, fly last. Watch in particular when you get to the end of cover, like a field ending at a dirt road, end of the hedgerow, end of the briar patch, etc... This is typically when the pheasants and rabbits busted out.

    Be careful with the released birds, I’ve done a few of those hunts and they tend to not fly. You may have to physically “kick” the birds into the air, literally. The dogs on point typically hold those birds, I’m not sure how they’d react without a dog nearby, they may not stop running so keep a sharp eye out in front of you, you may need to cut them off.

    More advice, don’t march straight through the area at a constant speed. Vary your pace, and most importantly - stop for a few minutes every now and then and look behind you a few yards. Pheasants (quail, rabbits, woodcock, etc...) like to stand still and let you pass, then bust out as soon as you get a few yards past. BTW Deer are good for this too.

    Best of luck.
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,665
    Not Far Enough from the City
    Grew up hunting wild pheasants in Northern Carroll County in the late 70’s into mid 80’s before they disappeared from the planet. Many hedgerows on the farm, hunted rabbits with one or two nitwit beagles, which tended to run the pheasants as well. Wild or canned, they often run first, fly last. Watch in particular when you get to the end of cover, like a field ending at a dirt road, end of the hedgerow, end of the briar patch, etc... This is typically when the pheasants and rabbits busted out.

    Be careful with the released birds, I’ve done a few of those hunts and they tend to not fly. You may have to physically “kick” the birds into the air, literally. The dogs on point typically hold those birds, I’m not sure how they’d react without a dog nearby, they may not stop running so keep a sharp eye out in front of you, you may need to cut them off.

    More advice, don’t march straight through the area at a constant speed. Vary your pace, and most importantly - stop for a few minutes every now and then and look behind you a few yards. Pheasants (quail, rabbits, woodcock, etc...) like to stand still and let you pass, then bust out as soon as you get a few yards past. BTW Deer are good for this too.

    Best of luck.


    Great post! I read this and damn I miss pheasant hunting all over again!

    Young and dumb with blue jeans, and later when older and smarter with brush pants. We were the bird dogs! Constantly ribbing your hunting partner to “don’t be walking the highways, get in that thick shit.” Thattttt’s right! If you’re not cut up, you’re a highway hunter! :)

    Work slow and stay abreast of and in view of your partners. That’s both for safety and to keep game in front of you. Identify who has what shooting lanes, and how those lanes are defined.

    If you have dry boots without heavy cleats, wear them. If you’re not used to upland hunting, the mud you carry around in the soles of your heavily cleated boots can make those boots feel like you’re carrying cinderblocks.

    Good Luck!
     

    sxs

    Senior Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2009
    3,377
    Anne Arundel County, MD
    Grew up hunting wild pheasants in Northern Carroll County in the late 70’s into mid 80’s before they disappeared from the planet. Many hedgerows on the farm, hunted rabbits with one or two nitwit beagles, which tended to run the pheasants as well. Wild or canned, they often run first, fly last. Watch in particular when you get to the end of cover, like a field ending at a dirt road, end of the hedgerow, end of the briar patch, etc... This is typically when the pheasants and rabbits busted out.

    Be careful with the released birds, I’ve done a few of those hunts and they tend to not fly. You may have to physically “kick” the birds into the air, literally. The dogs on point typically hold those birds, I’m not sure how they’d react without a dog nearby, they may not stop running so keep a sharp eye out in front of you, you may need to cut them off.

    More advice, don’t march straight through the area at a constant speed. Vary your pace, and most importantly - stop for a few minutes every now and then and look behind you a few yards. Pheasants (quail, rabbits, woodcock, etc...) like to stand still and let you pass, then bust out as soon as you get a few yards past. BTW Deer are good for this too.

    Best of luck.

    LOL...yeah couple of my hunting buddies have had good laughs when I played flushing bird dog and had pheasants erupted almost under me.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,593
    Glen Burnie
    So I guess things are different out here with pheasants on a canned hunt, because in SW rural Nebraska where I grew up, you just walked fields (typically wheat stubble fields) areas of brush, tree rows - basically any kind of place where they had cover - and you waited for them to flush. I know some people hunted with bird dogs, but I never did, except for once on opening day when our friend's springer spaniel was so danged overwound, it was running ahead 90+ yards and flushing birds way way out of range. We ended up leaving the dog in a crate in the back of a pickup.

    In any case, that's all I ever did - I walked areas where I figured they'd be. Sometimes you'd hear them running, but if you just followed them until they ran out of cover, they'd usually flush eventually. Except for hens. Hens would tend to sit tight until you were practically on top of them, then they'd flush really loudly right at your feet, crowing and flapping their asses off and scaring the crap out of you in the process. Of course you couldn't shoot hens, only roosters, so it was much ado about nothing.

    Pheasants are typically pretty plentiful out in rural Nebraska though - lots of pheasant hunters out there.
     

    sxs

    Senior Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2009
    3,377
    Anne Arundel County, MD
    One of my stories involves hunting up near Taneytown back early to mid 80s. On one hunt we spent the morning kicking brush and kept kicking out rabbits! Finally my buddy and I looked at each other and said well it is rabbit season! 2 or 3 hours later, I left with my only , ever limit of rabbits.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,593
    Glen Burnie
    One of my stories involves hunting up near Taneytown back early to mid 80s. On one hunt we spent the morning kicking brush and kept kicking out rabbits! Finally my buddy and I looked at each other and said well it is rabbit season! 2 or 3 hours later, I left with my only , ever limit of rabbits.
    That was standard fare growing up in Nebraska. As a teenage hunter, for me it was about maximizing targets of opportunity based on what was in season at the time. Cottontails? Yep. Squirrels? Sure! Basically if it flew or scrambled around on four legs, was within range, and was in season, I'd take a shot at it. Ducks were different - after age 16 you needed a duck stamp for duck hunting, but upland game was the standard hunting license and habitat stamp.
     

    Juche90

    Active Member
    May 10, 2014
    414
    So I guess things are different out here with pheasants on a canned hunt, because in SW rural Nebraska where I grew up, you just walked fields (typically wheat stubble fields) areas of brush, tree rows - basically any kind of place where they had cover - and you waited for them to flush. I know some people hunted with bird dogs, but I never did, except for once on opening day when our friend's springer spaniel was so danged overwound, it was running ahead 90+ yards and flushing birds way way out of range. We ended up leaving the dog in a crate in the back of a pickup.



    In any case, that's all I ever did - I walked areas where I figured they'd be. Sometimes you'd hear them running, but if you just followed them until they ran out of cover, they'd usually flush eventually. Except for hens. Hens would tend to sit tight until you were practically on top of them, then they'd flush really loudly right at your feet, crowing and flapping their asses off and scaring the crap out of you in the process. Of course you couldn't shoot hens, only roosters, so it was much ado about nothing.



    Pheasants are typically pretty plentiful out in rural Nebraska though - lots of pheasant hunters out there.



    Same in Minnesota.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    rob257

    Active Member
    Jan 17, 2013
    238
    North Central Carroll Co.
    Man-O Man -We done that

    I hunted Pheasants from Westminster N of Rt 31 and N of Rt 496 Bachman Valley Rd in Carroll Co. As far south as Rt 26 ( north of) until Rt 27 (West of).
    Hunted by myself, sometimes with a my dog/s, some times with one to five other hunters. I've literally seen at the end of a "Picked" cornfield/sorgum field that was blocked by standing hunters - hundreds, repeat hundreds of wild birds flush. The birds were true wild in those days. They would run, spread and often flush goofy. I had a German Shorthair that was reliable as hell but every once in a while he'd point but you could see him thinking; stay on your toes Boss!

    The demise of the wild Carroll Co MD.. Pheasants came about with the advent of the Haybine and the demise of the Corn picker Harvestor. Many blame No-Til
    farming. That's kind'a true. No cover-no food-no birds.
    The glory days of true Md. Pheasant are 30+ years gone. When the modern grain combine became the Farmers $ maker (rightfully so) the Md. Pheasants became a critter of the past.

    My son hunted Pin Tail Point on a "canned Hunt" He had also hunted Carroll Co Pheasants. in the 70/80's. He said was "It wasn't fun".


    I hear S/W Ohio is good for wild Pheasants. I to damn old anymore to hunt anymore, but just maybe I can afford to pay for my nit-wit son to go on a real Pheasants Hunt.







    . NAlBeight;5414545]Grew up hunting wild pheasants in Northern Carroll County in the late 70’s into mid 80’s before they disappeared from the planet. Many hedgerows on the farm, hunted rabbits with one or two nitwit beagles, which tended to run the pheasants as well. Wild or canned, they often run first, fly last. Watch in particular when you get to the end of cover, like a field ending at a dirt road, end of the hedgerow, end of the briar patch, etc... This is typically when the pheasants and rabbits busted out.

    Be careful with the released birds, I’ve done a few of those hunts and they tend to not fly. You may have to physically “kick” the birds into the air, literally. The dogs on point typically hold those birds, I’m not sure how they’d react without a dog nearby, they may not stop running so keep a sharp eye out in front of you, you may need to cut them off.

    More advice, don’t march straight through the area at a constant speed. Vary your pace, and most importantly - stop for a few minutes every now and then and look behind you a few yards. Pheasants (quail, rabbits, woodcock, etc...) like to stand still and let you pass, then bust out as soon as you get a few yards past. BTW Deer are good for this too.

    Best of luck.[/QUOTE]
     

    bigmanindc

    Active Member
    Nov 3, 2018
    463
    DMV
    One of my stories involves hunting up near Taneytown back early to mid 80s. On one hunt we spent the morning kicking brush and kept kicking out rabbits! Finally my buddy and I looked at each other and said well it is rabbit season! 2 or 3 hours later, I left with my only , ever limit of rabbits.

    Didn't knoe go pros were out in the mid 80's

    https://youtu.be/UNETiaGVBoE
     

    Derwood

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 2, 2011
    1,075
    DC area
    In addition to the above advice, bring a pole or cane to beat the bushes. That's much easier and more effective than kicking around.
     

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