Number of Cock Pheasants about this year

J.R.

Are people noticing that the number of cock pheasants out & about this year is less than other years........or is it just around here?

I'm wondering if the bad summer has anything to do with it or is it just in this spot?

jwshooter

J.R. wrote: »

Are people noticing that the number of cock pheasants out & about this year is less than other years........or is it just around here?

I'm wondering if the bad summer has anything to do with it or is it just in this spot?

shot 11 the opening day with my buddy all mature birds i shot some last weekend mature also did not see a this years bird yet .with the wet summers were not seeing any wild clutches ,and them 6 weeks olds are a total wast of time and money in our big club anyway

bunny shooter

seem to be scarce in my area this year

pullandbang

We're seeing lots of cocks in my patch but they are 95% club released birds. It's rare now to see a wild cock in our area. There is the odd one around the bogs abd they are seriously wild. You wouldn't get within an asses roar of them.

Last Sunday we came across a heap of youg birds in the one area. They all looked about 6 - 8 weeks old and most of them were missing feathers from their backs. I'm not sure where they came from - I think they were possibly reared by a couple of club members and released. However they are only fox food. They can't fly and judging by the scrawny size of them, they don't know how to feed themselves. Our dogs caught two of them and between them they'd barely make a sandwich.

Trojan911

Scarce enough down my neck of the woods as well. I haven't seen any, come to think of it.

jwshooter

pullandbang wrote: »

We're seeing lots of cocks in my patch but they are 95% club released birds. It's rare now to see a wild cock in our area. There is the odd one around the bogs abd they are seriously wild. You wouldn't get within an asses roar of them.

Last Sunday we came across a heap of youg birds in the one area. They all looked about 6 - 8 weeks old and most of them were missing feathers from their backs. I'm not sure where they came from - I think they were possibly reared by a couple of club members and released. However they are only fox food. They can't fly and judging by the scrawny size of them, they don't know how to feed themselves. Our dogs caught two of them and between them they'd barely make a sandwich.

so you got a few shots then PnB

Mellor

Wow 11,
3 is a great day for me.
There is a bag limit here (even you'd do to reach it), not sure if its local gun club or nargc

stevoman

iv seen a few but not alot. iv only shot the one cock this year. iv seen a nice few woodcock though.

cavan shooter

Didnt get any on opening day but got two on the Sunday (tasted lovely) with rahers wrapped around the breasts mmmmm.

There is 3 wild wiley birds around me and a couple of first year birds. I have hunted one big cock twice for the sport when I flushed him I let him off.

The reason why I have so many birds around me is probabally the fact that I have feeders out and in places I know theres birds I am walking out on a Saturday and scattering good feed for them.

By the way €14.99 in Lidl for a pheasant......

pm.

i have beeen out 3 time since the 1st and i only got 2 not 2 many around here

pullandbang

jwshooter wrote: »

so you got a few shots then PnB

Yeah....with the video camera!

c-note

do you eat the phesants? just curious,
only had phesant once, beefy chicken!!:p

patrickdt10

c-note wrote: »

do you eat the phesants? just curious,
only had phesant once, beefy chicken!!:p

c - imho chicken is only ****e compared to a pheasant! no comparison actually:D

patrickdt10

jwshooter wrote: »

shot 11 the opening day with my buddy all mature birds i shot some last weekend mature also did not see a this years bird yet .with the wet summers were not seeing any wild clutches ,and them 6 weeks olds are a total wast of time and money in our big club anyway

do ye release birds down there or what?........... now have ye any bag limit or anything?:mad: 11 - for fek sake, is it any wonder their scarce?

to the original question, there is good numbers of cocks about our parts, there all wild! was out for an hour saturday, and i counted 5 cocks and as many more hens in one area. got 2 on the first - great birds, id say last years!

Cbeirne82

Cool video there pullandbang. Class looking pointers, very steady. You would have had a job shooting the pheasant though, had it been a cock!

pullandbang

Cbeirne82 wrote: »

Cool video there pullandbang. Class looking pointers, very steady. You would have had a job shooting the pheasant though, had it been a cock!

Thanks.
The liver and white is a son of Charlie, the solid liver one. He's not two yet but he seems to be learning fast. That's only his second day out.

Regards shooting the bird.....you should see me drop a camera and grab a gun.......:D

jwshooter

patrickdt10 wrote: »

do ye release birds down there or what?........... now have ye any bag limit or anything?:mad: 11 - for fek sake, is it any wonder their scarce?

to the original question, there is good numbers of cocks about our parts, there all wild! was out for an hour saturday, and i counted 5 cocks and as many more hens in one area. got 2 on the first - great birds, id say last years!

every year mature birds and a few 6 week olds i feed them in the wood beside my house last christmas i had 18 cocks and 7 hens at the feed line i thinned out the cocks before the end , was out for a hour this eve put up 5 cocks and 3 hens one cracker of a cock my pup and a great point a hen at her nose like pull n bangs , i did not fire a shot the big cock broke wild too far and the other 4 were at my feet .nov 1st is the only day i shoot them hard more a wake up call for them . no bag limit patrick the way i look at it is always put in more that you take out

pullandbang

Just passing the Trim Celtic football pitch this morning and there was two fatherly cocks picking in the middle of the pitch. These must have been wild birds because they had massive long tails - definitely the biggest cocks I've seen this year. Goes to show, there is a few about!:)

Keelan

Plenty in co. dublin, i dont shoot them myself, but a lad down their, shot 14, on the 1st, he only goes out that day aswell....
Heard other reports around the country, that the adult wild birds, are doing well, but most youngsters, have perished in the last 2 wet summers we have had, last summer being the worst on record in a long time.
Same goes for the deer, fawns, have sufferd big time and if anyone has noticed, they are smaller then usual for this time of the year.

Keelan.

macadam

Was out today for about4 1/2 hrs dog put up about 8 cocks and at least 12 hens just got the one but tore the ass of another but he kept going flew to the next ditch where i spotted him land , sent the dog in again but no sign .

macadam

Lack of birds out there today, out for 3hrs before we even seen a bird , put up one never got a shot , on the way home seen two feeding.
Will get them again, very windy out there today.

slavetothegrind

Great video pullandbang!

Just back from scotland, near Dumfries. Great shooting!
5 in the bag and i am a poor shot!!

Great to be able to walk through acres of land without seeing a house.

We also saw snipe and a couple of woodcock, the snipe clearly had a matrix like ability to dodge lead.:rolleyes:

Some value over there now with the exchange rate, round of drinks as follows,
3 x pints Lager, 2 x pints of ale, 1 x double jack daniels, 1 x Kaliber and 1 x coke
all for 15.40!

spideog7

Great year around here, best season I've ever had. Was out the weekend of the first got 1 the first day 2 the second. Out with the brother the past two days 2 yesterday 1 today.
Usually the most I'd get in a season is 1 or 2 so 6 is brilliant, even now there's at least 3 or 4 left withing 2-3 mile radius of the house. Could be cause there was grain on the ground around here for the first time in years, alot of it. Some of it didn't even get harvested, so lodged on the ground, great feeding. I'd say at least 2 or 3 clutches locally survived, cause the club didn't let out many near me. We've them well shot now though, what's left are the cute ones, very wild and hard to get too They are the ones to have around. Haven't seen a woodcock yet this year, then again haven't been covering woodcock ground.

cavan shooter

Good so far around me. I have shot 5 birds so far this year (only out weekends) and they have been at least 2 year old good spurs and tails. The young birds we let out are knocking about and so far anyone I know hasnt shot them I have 8 in various spots that I am feeding a mixture of maize, grain (wheat and Barley) peas and bird seed......This stuff is holding them very well.

pullandbang

We got two today and missed another four. In fact I've missed the last seven cocks I fired at :mad: Broke the duck late today though with a nice bird

We 're seeing quite a lot of birds around Trim/Dunderry (Co. Meath) though they all seem to be club birds.

In an earlier post in this thread I mentioned coming across a lot of very small birds, most with no feathers on their backs. In fact I have a video posted of my dogs setting one of them.

Anyway, today we were parked in the same spot having the dinner and we watched a Buzzard work the drain where the young birds were. He spent nearly an hour up and down it clearing them all out - they had no chance with him.

trapmando

You should try this crowd to improve your strike rate!!! My Wife?.......Yes! My Dog?..........Maybe! My Gun?..............NEVER!
www.trapcoach.com

pullandbang

trapmando wrote: »

You should try this crowd to improve your strike rate!!!

I did - that's how I hit the 8th one!!!!!