Percent of wild pheasants that hold?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2022 9:39 pm
I realize this is going to vary wildly with location, terrain, cover, how pressured birds are, etc. but I would be interested to hear what percentage of wild pheasants give your dogs a chance to work them. As everyone is well aware it is not uncommon to flush wild before the dog had a chance to lock it down.
I think with my dog in southeastern Washington, hunting birds which are at a fairly low density but are decently pressured I would say about 10-25 % of the pheasants that I see allow me and the dog to get close enough that the dog had a chance to work them. That does not mean they are not still bumped or mishandled but that they didn't flush before my dog had a chance to smell them. I would say 5-10 % of the birds end up holding for a point, generally after some relocating.
What is your observance in your area?
I think with my dog in southeastern Washington, hunting birds which are at a fairly low density but are decently pressured I would say about 10-25 % of the pheasants that I see allow me and the dog to get close enough that the dog had a chance to work them. That does not mean they are not still bumped or mishandled but that they didn't flush before my dog had a chance to smell them. I would say 5-10 % of the birds end up holding for a point, generally after some relocating.
What is your observance in your area?