Pheasant Memories

[Lawdwaz]

Pheasant hunting...........I know there has been plenty a talk on here about the New York State raised pheasants.  I've never hunted (that I know of) the state released birds but have killed lots of private preserve raised birds, hunted on those preserves and on private ground.

 

My first cock bird was killed back in the 70's on my friends land, licensed as a preserve for over 50 years now! 

 

 

For many years he would buy a couple hundred birds each season from a local breeder and hunt them over his labs.  He would have friends and business clients in for the hunts during the fall.  Once deer season started the birds were never bothered, except by the numerous predators.  Very very few ever made it to the spring but occasionally they would.  I killed one such bird in early October many years ago.  It was a beautiful bird with gorgeous, long tail feathers. 

 

 

Here's a picture of the results from another private land hunt.  My buddy in Arcade licensed a portion of his land as a preserve for a number of years.  We didn't release many birds over the years here but did enjoy some great shoots when we did...........I think this would have been the early 90's.  Good times........

 

 

 

 

 

[airedale]

Nice photos and some great memories, for me there are not too many activities more enjoyable than hunting pheasants. 

 

Al

[mike rossi]

Good memories, what a concept Larry! I don't do preserves, clubs, and day old, but love state birds and wild birds.

 

Here are some good memories with my wife! Bass Turds want to take this from her, me and others.....

 

[Skillet]

Great pics, Law. Same dog in #2 & #3?

Btw, you were a fine looking young lad. Love the long flowing locks. ????

[Lawdwaz]

Great pics, Law. Same dog in #2 & #3?

Btw, you were a fine looking young lad. Love the long flowing locks. ????

 

Yes, same dog.  Krista.......born 4/17/1987 died in January 2000. 

 

Not positive on those dates but pretty darn close............

[Lawdwaz]

Good memories, what a concept Larry! I don't do preserves, clubs, and day old, but love state birds and wild birds.

 

Here are some good memories with my wife! Bass Turds want to take this from her, me and others.....

 

SDC10340.JPG

 

Archery hunting has always been my first "love" in the fall so pheasant hunting would come before and after that.  I'd try and do a hunt or two a year with the dog then as I was younger and had more drive for that type of stuff.  It was as much for the dog as for me, I enjoyed the training quite a bit and without preserve birds I'd have been sunk.............

[wildcat junkie]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ants]

Some of the best times I have ever had were pheasant hunting with my friends and our dogs……I haven't hunted them in some time now.

[Lawdwaz]

Great pics, WJ

[wildcat junkie]

Great pics, WJ

 

The "action" PIX were taken by my former neighbor that was a semi-professional photographer.

 

The 2 "bag" photo I took. The 1 W/the river in the background was taken in my back yard, the other at the entrance of my property across the road from the house.

 

[wildcat junkie]

100' X 25' flight pen.

 

 

 

 

The birds have blinders to prevent the onset of cannibalism. They are removed before release.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2016 by wildcat junkie

[Chris B]

This is my GSP, Daisy's first year hunting. My uncle wanted to go to a preserve to get her some experience (I mostly grouse hunt with her) so we did that this fall. Bought 5 birds, watched one of our birds fly from over the knoll and off the property, and still ended up with 6.

 

The rest of the pictures are stocked pheasants, my girl did awesome getting on them and we had a lot of fun. We even managed a couple woodcock too! Enjoy

Edited February 16, 2016 by Chris B

[Five Seasons]

I thoroughly enjoyed pheasant hunting Darien when I lived in Alden. What a great time and great exercise for me and my dog. We were a bunch of noobies but it was fun. My dad tells stories of how abundant they were when he was a boy and I feel I'm missing out. I wish it was a much easier access to hunt species.

My old back yard before our first hunt.

Edited February 16, 2016 by Belo

[hunter49]

 We use to get limits of wild birds back in the late 50's & 60's . We would start at 7 AM  and by 10 Am we would have 4-6 limits  between 6-7 hunters.  Loved hunting over pointers, setters & even beagles ( great in standing corn) we could hear them & be at the end of the corn field when the birds flushed! I have hunted game farms the last few years fun but  not the same as wild birds. I never thought I would be paying $25 bucks a bird plus  tip someone to shoot a pheasant!   But always had a great time along with the rabbit hunts!

[phade]

My house sits on land that my great grandfather owned and farmed. I did not know this until I bought the house and the title search turned it up. Never met him as he passed when my grandfather was real young and the farm was sold off after my grandfather joined the military.

 

Apparently he, my great grandfather was a big bird hunter (both great grand dads were, actually). After sale, the land became a pheasant preserve in the 50s/60s and then was resold out. There is a very very small population of naturally occurring pheasants here now decades later - I've confirmed with the DEC this is the case. I only see them 2-3x a year. I was fortunate enough to take one a couple falls ago. Pretty good experience. I won't take another, but it was an interesting tie that binds.

[hunter49]

  WJ. ,  great pics. & nice looking Britt!

[genesee_mohican]

Nice pictures and thanks for bringing back memories of pheasant hunting. We still had a good population of them here in the 70's and it was a lot of fun hunting them in the vast goldenrod fields and hedgerows on local farmland. My beagle loved running them and had a higher pitched bark when she was on the trail of a pheasant. I can still hear that song and remember how well my 870 swung on those days. Great times!

[wildcat junkie]

  WJ. ,  great pics. & nice looking Britt!

 

Max was a 15 mo old, untrained, totally uncontrollable "freebie" from a co-worker. I spent $1000s to make sure he had birds to play with.

Edited February 16, 2016 by wildcat junkie

[airedale]

Genesee Mohican I hunted wild pheasants when I was a young fellow with Beagles also and like yours their voices changed when running a pheasant, I knew what they were on and I had to run and keep with them until the flush. The good old days!!

 

Al

[mike rossi]

. There is a very very small population of naturally occurring pheasants here now decades later - I've confirmed with the DEC this is the case. I only see them 2-3x a year. I was fortunate enough to take one a couple falls ago. Pretty good experience. I won't take another, 

 

I see you are from Livingston County, that is the DEC's pheasant habitat focus area. If you own property in the HFA you might be eligible for financial incentives to encourage pheasant habitat. If you go to the DEC's page at this link they list Habitat Conservation Assistance Programs among other things. The organization Pheasants Forever can also work with you and the DEC on your property. To work with PF you would contact them and ask to speak to their Private Lands Biologist covering the area where your land is located.

 

Also, I do not want to encourage over harvest and I really do not get a strong sense for the situation you are describing, but you should be aware that unless the situation is dire straights,  harvesting male pheasant has little impact on the population. Pheasants are polygynous meaning one male will breed with multiple females, just like deer. 

 

Here is the link: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72543.html

[mike rossi]

Phade,

 

I see my post #20 in response to yours I missed that your house is near land that is no longer in your family. Well I hope my commentary is useful anyway. But your point is well taken, an animal that is part of the landscape is a tie that binds. It is likely that there are countless people in the state that regard the pheasant in the same way you do, good post! 

[Paula]

Great pictures everyone. Phase that's neat about the land

[shawnhu]

Great pictures everyone. Phase that's neat about the land

You have auto correct too?

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[wildcat junkie]

Great pictures everyone. Phase that's neat about the land

 

 

You have auto correct too?

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It's just a phade she is going through.

[thphtm]

I will never forget the first of anything I ever hunted and got, it was with my 5 and dime fiberglass bow and fiberglass arrow it was a Pheasant, I snuk up to what I thought was close enough  it was sitting on a young tree branch , let the arrow fly and connected.

that was 62 years ago and 20 miles from NYC in Nassau County on Long Island,Just before a devolper bought the land and put up $xxx,000 houses at that time.

Great pictures everyone.