Teams
Forum List
Toggle sidebar

Pheasant Hunting

isu22andy said:
One thing that bugs me the most in taking a hunter I dont know well or is new to hunting is gun safety. Keep it on safety and keep it pointed in the air. I took a friend from college hunting one time and had a rifle go off exiting the rear window in my single cab pickup 2 feet from the center of my head. I like to drink beer and mess around with the best of them but a loaded gun pointed at me makes me pretty uneasy.

Dont go guided, and dont buy alot of gear . The boots you have are fine, grab an orange vest from walmart some shells any coat or hoody or jeans and have fun. Nothing to it .

If your looking for shotguns to buy Id buy a Stoeger M3500. I own a Benelli SBE II but have hunted along side Stoegers for years and they perform flawless . Autoloaders have come along way from the old ones. Spend the extra 200 bucks for a semi automatic vs a pump if you're gonna go more than 2-3 times a year. Id get a 12 gauge. Graduated from the 20 gauge when I was 16 never looked back. 2&3/4 5 Shot or 3 inch 5 shot is perfect. I use modified choke. Youll get alot of opinions on chokes.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've got some experience with shotguns, definitely want to be safe.

I was thinking modified choke as well, but don't know how the pheasants react and how close I'll be shooting? Someone else above mentioned 4 shot to bring the bird down better and prevent destroying the meat. I'll probably go 4 or 5 shot.
 
HardcoreClone said:
Read some good things about Red Wing-Irish Setter boots. Anyone have experience with this brand?
Click to expand...
I've had good luck with Danner boots. There's tons of boot options out there. Just make sure to get something lightweight and waterproof. Also, it's not a good idea to wear brand new boots on a hunt. Your feet will kill you. Try to break them in as much as possible before you go hunting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: isu22andy
arobb said:
I've had good luck with Danner boots. There's tons of boot options out there. Just make sure to get something lightweight and waterproof. Also, it's not a good idea to wear brand new boots on a hunt. Your feet will kill you. Try to break them in as much as possible before you go hunting.
Click to expand...

You recommend insulated or non? I'm sure there's some varying temps depending on what part of season.
 
For pheasant hunting, light insulation is usually plenty(my boots are 400 gram). All of the walking that you will be doing should keep your feet warm.
 
Gun/load: 12ga, 2-3/4", 1-1/4oz, #5 shot
Boots: Waterproof and comfortable. Taller boot will offer more ankle support.
Be sure to break in your boots prior to opening day.

Dog Opinion: Running a dog on wild pheasants with no training is a poor idea. Its a good way to ruin a good dog in very short order. You would be better to expose the dog to pigeons and.22 blanks before going to the field. Get a good training dvd, an e-collar, and a check cord. Once you get the pup with a bunch of controlled gun and pigeon exposure, then head to the field with a check cord (a really long lead rope). Your job changes and you should work to get the dog on as many wild bird exposures as possible. Between hunting trips continue to do your yard work with your pup. The key of an e-collar is to start out by teaching the pup how to turn it off. The e-collar stimulation will be the minimun setting that the dog shows any response to. You start with the kennel command and go from there. I suggest the George Hickox training video.

Have fun!

Brian
 
  • Agree
  • Like
Reactions: 2020cy and arobb
Irish Setter boots should be fine. Goretex waterproofing is the best. Some other brands of waterproofing just don’t cut it.
 
Waterproof hunting pants not a bad idea either. Scheels, Cabelas/bass pro should have some.
 
Pheasant hunting doesn’t require much to get started. Some carhartt pants, lightweight boots, orange vest, shotgun, and common sense and you’re off to a good start. Like every hobby however it gets spendy over time as you buy items made specifically for bird hunting.

The upland brush pants aren’t necessary but are worth every penny. Make sure your boots don’t track mud and get built up and heavy. I’ve switched to an over/under 20 gauge. I like the over under for safety reasons. When we are talking, crossing fence, etc it stays cracked open so there are no questions that it will accidentally go off. My son started off with a semi auto with 2 shells for recoil reasons but has switched to over under as well for the same safety reasons. Plus I like having 2 different chokes.

Be warned, bird hunting is addictive. Pretty soon you will be back on here asking about quail, ruffed grouse, woodcock, partridge, etc. They are all fun and pose different challenges.
 
FarminCy said:
Pheasant hunting doesn’t require much to get started. Some carhartt pants, lightweight boots, orange vest, shotgun, and common sense and you’re off to a good start. Like every hobby however it gets spendy over time as you buy items made specifically for bird hunting.

The upland brush pants aren’t necessary but are worth every penny. Make sure your boots don’t track mud and get built up and heavy. I’ve switched to an over/under 20 gauge. I like the over under for safety reasons. When we are talking, crossing fence, etc it stays cracked open so there are no questions that it will accidentally go off. My son started off with a semi auto with 2 shells for recoil reasons but has switched to over under as well for the same safety reasons. Plus I like having 2 different chokes.

Be warned, bird hunting is addictive. Pretty soon you will be back on here asking about quail, ruffed grouse, woodcock, partridge, etc. They are all fun and pose different challenges.
Click to expand...

Good info. I'm excited but want to keep the expenses in check. I love golfing and it seems like hunting is similar in that the gear and $ can add up.

Have you hunted with dogs before? Any training tips?
 
I wouldnt worry about gear much. Ive never been pheasant hunting over a mile from the truck , if your feet get wet hurt ect just walk back and change. We used to use tennis shoes and jeans as kids .Danners and Irish setters are good boots .
 
Benelli SuperNova - won in a turkey raffle (x) years ago - and still in the box.
 
Anyone going out this Saturday?

I need to talk to my relative, see if the fields are even harvested yet.
 
HardcoreClone said:
Thanks for the info! He is very obedient around the house, but he loves being outdoors and having the freedom to run. I just worry that he will get too far out ahead of me, to where he is in danger of being shot, or that he's flushing birds too soon and out of my range.

Should I just take him out the first couple times with my group and not even bring my gun? Just work on training him as much as possible? Let him off leash or use a long leash to keep him close?
I am planning on buying one of those dummies and scent from Scheels to work on training in the backyard.

Any experience with e-collars, what to buy? I've been doing some research. He is 3yo, never had one (e-collar, shock collar, etc). My first concern would be getting him very used to it so it doesn't adversely affect his behavior. But beyond that, I've read the e-collars should only be used as a reinforcement for commands the dog already knows. Well if we are out in the field at a new place he wants to explore and he's not listening/coming back to me, will the e-collar really work if I buzz him?
Click to expand...

If you are not confident that he will obey your commands I'd strongly suggest not letting him off leash. Nothing ruins a hunting trip faster than having a dog running 200 yard ahead flushing birds. I suggest taking him out on some public ground now and see how he acts.

Get the best shock collar you can afford. Yes, a shock collar is only to reinforce a command. If your dog doesn't understand what you want him to do shocking him will only hurt the situation.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: Cyfan1965, 1100011CS and cyfan92
I trained mine with a long rope I could step on or haul him in if he didn't respond to the specific whistle for circle back. Never had to keep the rope on him in the field but you could. Best thing I ever did was getting another golden to follow the one I spent eons training. Miss them!
 
I was in south dakota for their opener last weekend. Numbers were down a little from last year which were down quite a bit from the year before. They also had a pretty good corn crop with most of it still in the fields which gives the birds more places to hide.

A long way from what it was 15 years ago when a group of 15 could have their limit in 45 minutes opening weekend after walking one field. Still a good time and lots of birds though.
 
The shock collar we had back when I used to hunt had a beep and a shock function. The idea was to beep it before the shock. That way in the future you only need to use the beep because the dog associates that beep with a coming shock. It worked very well.

We also had another collar that made sounds based on the dogs movement, so you could tell if the dog was on point even if you couldn't see it.

I would hope that today's collar have all that tech in a single device.

I also agree with others that you will likely want to keep your dog leashes for the first time with others. Or perhaps make a pretty trip with an experienced dog first. Putting an inexperienced dog with an experienced one can be a big help in training.

Also putting pheasant wings on dummies and hiding them is a great training tool as others have suggested.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Help Support Us

Become a patron
Top Bottom