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Eastern Wa pheasants

4K views 56 replies 22 participants last post by  Tug 
#1 ·
Went out with my GSP Maggie pheasant hunting for a few day. Monday was real windy
And it was hard hunting. We ended up with 2 birds. One bird I hit at 45 to 50 yards
It hit the ground running. Maggie locked that runner down after a hundred yard chase
In 30 mph winds. Tuesday was a beautiful day and cold. We must have hiked 10 miles
For 3 birds. I couldn't be happier with my dog, both of us are having a
Hard time walking because we are so sore! All in all nothing better than walking
Some beautiful country with my shotgun and my dog!
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#12 ·
Yes it was the same area Bill. And Harry pheasant hunting is hard without a dog, but can be done. If you think you won't to start, then by god you should! A dog just makes it that much better.
 
#14 ·
Walk slowly, stop often. Use terrain features as blockers . . . roads/trails, ground bare of cover, etc. Push the birds toward an area where they'll have to flush. Mark downed birds well & don't hesitate to take a follow-up shot; you'll rarely catch-up with a cripple on-foot. Good luck!
 
#17 ·
We'll put Jim. Walk slow stop a lot and push birds to spot we're they don't have a choice but to fly. Look for brushy draws with water and trees. Water is key. I used to fill my pockets with rocks when quail hunting, to toss in the bush's before I got a dog. I also used to send my brother and cousin through the thick stuff while I waited on the out her side. They got wise to that quick! Once you get out and start doing it you will come up with a system that works for you. It's all about getting out and doing it!
 
#18 ·
There is nothing that takes hunting up to the next level like hunting behind a good, hard working dog. I imagine these are wild birds that have the savvy of hatching and growing in a dangerous world which makes them wary and difficult to pin down. High winds add to the challenge by making the birds nervous, their scent more challenging, and shooting difficult.

Congrats and well done.
 
#19 ·
There is nothing that takes hunting up to the next level like hunting behind a good, hard working dog. I imagine these are wild birds that have the savvy of hatching and growing in a dangerous world which makes them wary and difficult to pin down. High winds add to the challenge by making the birds nervous, their scent more challenging, and shooting difficult.

Congrats and well done.
Uptown

All wild birds! Maggie would push them 500 to 600 yards before they would hold. The day after the wind they didn't won't to fly just run! And thanks! I love a good bird dog!
 
#24 ·
Very poor upland year. Odd waterfowl year.[/quote

I've been gone for a mouth, but will be home soon and back in the field. Hope to get on some birds! I guess I'm not the only one that thinks bird numbers are way down. It's also harder to get on private land. I think you just have to be willing to walk farther than most people.
 
#25 ·
Yeah. I've heard that "you gotta be willing to walk" nonsense before. Bull.

It's about things we can control, and things we cannot. One we cannot: the weather. Bad breeding conditions for several years running have devastated populations of native birds and introduced birds like pheasants.

Unfortunately there's no hope of recovering from this, because of one thing we can control:

It is the policy of this state as regards upland birds to toss prison-raised chickens off the back of trucks to satisfy the few of us old geezers who like pheasant dinners and west siders with expensive guns and fancy upland clothes. Habitat development and managing for upland birds in a proven, successful way goes begging. And DFW has not clue.

Go to North Dakota and see what they do. Food and cover go a long way toward increasing the opportunity for native and non-native game and non-game species to not only survive, but thrive. They provide an industry that's accessible to the average person, and a quality of life for the residents.

Until we manage fish and wildlife for the public rather than for those who industrialize fish and wildlife, and get a whole generation to put down the xbox, get outside, and demand access and reasonable success opportunity for recreation, nothing will change. Have fun at your "pheasant preserve" or on your lease.

I'm fortunate to have married into access. The rest of you are screwed. And you don't walk enough.

Sorry. I've hunted a lot of public land this year. With limited possibility of success.
 
#26 ·
Only hunted public land since the opener and ive been taking limits and put my friends into many. They are out there... wild ones too. Walking a little extra never hurt.....
 
#28 ·
Only hunted public land since the opener and ive been taking limits and put my friends into many. They are out there... wild ones too. Walking a little extra never hurt.....
Blake,
I have been hunting my usual spots in Central Wa (Think Hwy 26, 10 miles to the north and the south).
Now 5 days of hunting....$200 of fuel, and only shot quail, not even flushed a rooster.
Any help appreciated.
The dog is moping......
 
#27 ·
Guy

So true. I love hunting North Dakota. The washington crp program is a hard one to figure out. Most land owners hand out there feel free to hunt to guys from the coast that go out once or twice. So the guys that live east and upland hunt all winter can't get access because the land owners have handed out all of there permission slips. Go figure. I will take what I can get and just keep walking.
 
#29 ·
Just spent two days around Brewster chasing quail. Saw 4 coveys (3-8 birds each) and my brother got two, I had two long shots, and that was it. Back in 2001-2002 we were getting our ten bird limit regularly! Used to hunt around Othello with very good luck on pheasants in the 80s and 90s and then the pheasants disappeared around there! (too many irrigation circles!) I go to N Central Montana each year for pheasant opener and always come away with my 9 bird possession limit, although this year the hunting was much tougher due to a spring time hail storm. Keep hoping weather in the spring will cooperate a couple years and the bird populations will rebound.
 
#30 ·
Forest grouse seem no better. Islander and I spend the weekend walking the woods with our shotguns. Never saw a single grouse. We hunted a release site in the valley and never saw a single quail or pheasant (found lots of spent shells). My dog was dead tired after two days of looking bless her heart. The only redeeming factor was the companionship, good conversations, and laughs with the barmaids in town after hunting.
 
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