Pheasants

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gsarria
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Pheasants

Post by gsarria » Sun Oct 09, 2016 10:27 am

Hi All,

I have a 2 1/2 years old pudelpointer. We went to SD last November and saw a lot of birds, but it was difficult for him stop the running roosters. He pointed some hens and some roosters, but a lot of them just never stoped running and you could see this was a struggle for him. We were there for five days and I could see some improvements everyday, but we didn't have enough time for him to completely figure out this running birds.
We just came back from 2 weeks hunting trip in Montana. My dog pointed several roosters and they didn't seem to run as much as the ones we saw last year in SD. I am not sure if this is because they haven't been hunted yet or it is that these birds are not totally wild (Montana has a release program) and therefore behave in a different way. Just curious in any of you have had the same experience.

Thanks

reba
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Re: Pheasants

Post by reba » Sun Oct 09, 2016 2:35 pm

Roosters run.

Hens will flush and the rooster will sneak out the back.

Roosters will drive some pointing dogs crazy.

Some pointing dogs figure it out some never do.

My two GSP's like to tag team roosters.

I hunt roosters in the wilds by myself and not the farm lands, so it is a lot different.

Chukar, huns, quail and sharp tail are a much better bird to hunt with a pointing dog.

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Dakotazeb
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Re: Pheasants

Post by Dakotazeb » Sun Oct 09, 2016 4:11 pm

It just takes time and experience. The more exposure to pheasants the better. One 5 day hunt isn't going to do it. In fact it might take a few years even living here in SD. My dog is exposed to wild roosters every time we take the field 12 months a year. Difficult to duplicate that kind of experience if you don't live here. But dogs will figure it out. Yours is still young at 2 1/2 so give him some time. Good luck.
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tailcracken pointer
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Re: Pheasants

Post by tailcracken pointer » Sun Oct 09, 2016 6:38 pm

I think the answer you were looking for is pheasant behavior? Its weird one day pheasants will run all day blow out the far end as soon as you get out of the truck ,and other days I have seen minus 20 degree days in ankle high cover hold for points, and 50 degree day in ankle high cover hold for points ,but I tell ya the main thing is stay off that whistle and hacking on them dog that's what sends them ditch parrots running imo

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greg jacobs
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Re: Pheasants

Post by greg jacobs » Sun Oct 09, 2016 8:44 pm

I've seen late season, 0° out, I drove up, the instant I shut the motor off birds were flying. Planted birds you almost have to kick up and they starve to death if they happen to survive the hunters and predators for a month. Some young birds will sit tighter in the early part of the season but don't last long. No dogs can handle all pheasants. Really heavy cover helps. Nothing nicer than a huge old rooster busting out with his tail flexing with every wing beat, after a perfect point.

gsarria
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Re: Pheasants

Post by gsarria » Mon Oct 10, 2016 11:14 am

Yes, my question was more related to pheasant's behavior than anything else, but I appreciate everybody's input anyway. I'm aware 5 days in very little time for the dog to figure them out.

tailcracken pointer
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Re: Pheasants

Post by tailcracken pointer » Mon Oct 10, 2016 2:14 pm

That's what I thought some guys got there thoughts else where to busy worrying about what other people are saying on other sites and have no clue what they are talking about :-)

rinker
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Re: Pheasants

Post by rinker » Mon Oct 10, 2016 2:50 pm

For many years, I took an annual week long pheasant hunting trip. There are no wild pheasants where I live. After the first three or four trips, I came to the conclusion that pheasants were nearly impossible to hunt with a pointing dog, they run, they flush wild, etc... My mind was eventually changed, however, by an English Setter bitch that knew what she was doing. She had a knack for getting pheasants pointed. A rooster that ran from her was driving nails in his coffin. She went through the country pointing pheasants like they were dizzied, hand planted quail.

tailcracken pointer
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Re: Pheasants

Post by tailcracken pointer » Mon Oct 10, 2016 6:25 pm

rinker wrote:For many years, I took an annual week long pheasant hunting trip. There are no wild pheasants where I live. After the first three or four trips, I came to the conclusion that pheasants were nearly impossible to hunt with a pointing dog, they run, they flush wild, etc... My mind was eventually changed, however, by an English Setter bitch that knew what she was doing. She had a knack for getting pheasants pointed. A rooster that ran from her was driving nails in his coffin. She went through the country pointing pheasants like they were dizzied, hand planted quail.
Tell us how she handled running birds, I had a green EP I took her to south Dakota and by the time we left she would circle wide in front of them and pin them, best pheasant dog I ever had , but quail was different my other dogs would make her look like she couldn't smell them lol

MSU Aggie
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Re: Pheasants

Post by MSU Aggie » Mon Oct 10, 2016 7:30 pm

My GSP struggled her first few times out. She figured out to circle birds and pinch them between me and her. She only does this in row crops, grass fields she points normally.

rinker
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Re: Pheasants

Post by rinker » Tue Oct 11, 2016 7:00 am

"Tell us how she handled running birds?"

I honestly don't know how she did it. She did not circle them, at least not consistently. Somehow she knew exactly how close to get to them so that they would hold. She would often have to relocate a couple of times but she always got them pinned.

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Cicada
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Re: Pheasants

Post by Cicada » Tue Oct 11, 2016 8:59 am

For young dogs and old hunters we always tried to have a hunter block the end/halfway point of the ditch/pivot corner This did two things it helped stop the runners and gave us a ride back from a long fast walk.
As said not all dogs can handle all pheasants keep working on it it will come around. It may be just me but early mornings the bird hold a lot better.

Have fun

Grant

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