Pheasant

[secretagentmole 1,701]

Aye, it's a funny old world. Wild british pheasants???

 

Went out today for an hour, dog put up well over 40 pheasants from a couple of permission fields i have where i can kill what i like, but me not whacking them there landed me the rights to whack everything else on the 700 + acres next door, so often it's worth staying your hand. This time of year they are dumber than dumb, but as soon as a few shoot days have been done, the minuite they hear a voice, they run as fast as their little legs can carry them

 

Once upon a time when i was younger, and less respectful i went out for them with the air gun, and early season i would shoot more than i could carry, well into double figures with ease, mainly just for ferret food. But now i know the hard work involved in rearing and keeping the buggers so i would rather put the dog up their ass and send them home in a flutter.

 

Wild??? Mine was blasted furious, for about half a millisecond before he expired!!

Edited November 7, 2011 by secretagentmole

[Lab 10,979]

Aye, it's a funny old world. Wild british pheasants???

 

Went out today for an hour, dog put up well over 40 pheasants from a couple of permission fields i have where i can kill what i like, but me not whacking them there landed me the rights to whack everything else on the 700 + acres next door, so often it's worth staying your hand. This time of year they are dumber than dumb, but as soon as a few shoot days have been done, the minuite they hear a voice, they run as fast as their little legs can carry them

 

Once upon a time when i was younger, and less respectful i went out for them with the air gun, and early season i would shoot more than i could carry, well into double figures with ease, mainly just for ferret food. But now i know the hard work involved in rearing and keeping the buggers so i would rather put the dog up their ass and send them home in a flutter.

 

Wild??? Mine was blasted furious, for about half a millisecond before he expired!!

What a poor revamp of an ancient joke.....

[ftm 3,357]

on the land i shoot on there every where but my mates the keeper and i would not dream of taking one but like has been said when i was a lad i would have filled a sack up and never batted an eye over it i dont think the odd one would be missed just dont get caught if your not supposed to kill em

[secretagentmole 1,701]

I am allowed to shoot them, no farm near my permission raises them for shooting, they just meander from field to field!

[secretagentmole 1,701]

Are these birds a bit thick? i have a some on my permission, its so difficult not to give them a pellet between the eyes when they just waddle onto the field right in front of you when your sat in the trees and start feasting on the oil seed that has just been laid.

The permission holder has given me the go to take a few, but i could so easily walk away with 5-6 in less than an hour.

 

beautiful colored birds..........just not that clever bless em

 

Regards

 

Dean

 

Those are the ones that associate humans with being big pink grain feeders. You want to get after the big ones (mine was 2lb oven ready). these have survived for years in the wild. They vanish, trust me, for something so damned gaudy, they can turn invisible, just watch them duck into a furrow, melt into long grass, step into bracken, then blink, see if you can find the goddarn sonofahen. They do have an amusing run as well, identical to Road Runner, hey I wonder if my Tattoo is helping me???

[jeemes 4,480]

Well I shoot them with shotguns to but there is even less skill involved in that, a well placed head shot is humane, Now it's in the freezer for Sunday, anybody else got pics?

 

My gun and kill

 

 

 

And a close up to prove the headshot,

 

 

Sorry if I have offended anybody but I will be having a nice Sunday dinner

 

Cheers Nick

They are not easy with a shotgun if you are shooting at sporting birds 40yds up.Thats the whole idea.Thats what people pay lots of money for.I dont blame you for potting one though.On a legal point I think you should have a game licence unless theyve been fased out.

[Lab 10,979]

Are these birds a bit thick? i have a some on my permission, its so difficult not to give them a pellet between the eyes when they just waddle onto the field right in front of you when your sat in the trees and start feasting on the oil seed that has just been laid.

The permission holder has given me the go to take a few, but i could so easily walk away with 5-6 in less than an hour.

 

beautiful colored birds..........just not that clever bless em

 

Regards

 

Dean

 

Those are the ones that associate humans with being big pink grain feeders. You want to get after the big ones (mine was 2lb oven ready). these have survived for years in the wild. They vanish, trust me, for something so damned gaudy, they can turn invisible, just watch them duck into a furrow, melt into long grass, step into bracken, then blink, see if you can find the goddarn sonofahen. They do have an amusing run as well, identical to Road Runner, hey I wonder if my Tattoo is helping me???

Dont think the wild ones scavanging for feeding since the day they were born would be bigger than pellet fed ones and there after a plentiful supply of wheat on tap.....

Infact its all to do with strain of pheasant rather than whether its wild or not...

[secretagentmole 1,701]

So a 2 or 3 year old bird is going to be no bigger than one that has just got been released after being raised for shooting that year? In that case they should all use the bigger breed, some of the things you see masquerading as pheasants in the butchers look no bigger than partridges!

[Lab 10,979]

So a 2 or 3 year old bird is going to be no bigger than one that has just got been released after being raised for shooting that year? In that case they should all use the bigger breed, some of the things you see masquerading as pheasants in the butchers look no bigger than partridges!

Thats cause the volume shot are of first year birds....do you think that every bird released is shot th year there put down?... Some birds are on shoots for 4/5 years mate.

I agree with you on the larger birds.....i like to rear those type myself as they are a nice large strong bird at the age i sell them at and it looks good. You'll find these smaller types are used on estates with flat ground so they can get up quicker and gain a bit of height and the larger types are good to see on estates which have nice high drives and there like bombers in the sky....

[secretagentmole 1,701]

All the estates here are flat ground, this is Norfolk, land of the anti hill! Thing is where my permission is there are no large estates, in fact the fields round here are a damned jigsaw of bits, this field is owned by one farmer, another owns this one, so nobody raises birds in the immediate vincinity!

 

How far do these things travel before they find somewhere to stay?

[Lab 10,979]

All the estates here are flat ground, this is Norfolk, land of the anti hill! Thing is where my permission is there are no large estates, in fact the fields round here are a damned jigsaw of bits, this field is owned by one farmer, another owns this one, so nobody raises birds in the immediate vincinity!

 

How far do these things travel before they find somewhere to stay?

They'll go where the feeding is. They'll travel miles and miles. Obviously reared birds tend to stay around the estate where they are released because they no where the easy feeding is. Some will obviously stray on to farms and such and if theres is feeding for them there then its hard to drag them home again. Also a suitable roosting place is essential for the birds.

I couldn't guage how far wild birds will travel, they have no home (release pen) like reared birds so the could potentialy travel a long way...