What strain of pheasant is best for a small rough shoot?

Wolfhillbilly

Just wondering what strain of pheasant people have on theirshoots. I am having a bad return this year and last after my long-time supplierwent out of business. The strains I havehad this year and last have hit the ground and started wandering, never to comeback. For years I used black necks and they worked well so I’ll be looking togo back to them next year. I had French common last year and I think this year’sare manchurian. We have resorted to releasing the birds on a Thursday morningfor shooting on Saturday which is not satisfactory for hunter, dog or quarryand usually the day’s ‘sport’ is over after an hour. Does anyone have a strainthat they would recommend/have had success with? The shoot I would say is atypical Irish rough shoot – rushy fields, sally bushes, areas of bog, smallwooded areas and is quite hilly – and has very wet ground. The feeding isin hoppers – very little natural feeding in the area.
I would be more interested in a bird that gives the dog adecent hunt rather than a great flying bird. We would shoot no more than threeor four birds a day and release about 50-60 over the season.

Half-cocked

It might be the mild weather and the abundance of natural food rather than the strain that is the problem. I've been finding all our feeders more or less untouched the last few weeks, the birds have plenty of food elsewhere. A good spell of hard weather might bring them back.

FieldandStream

Article in last weeks shooting times discussing the pros & cons of different pheasant strains. They concluded that French ringnecks were best all round birds.

springer90

We tryed a few up our way . . Stay away from blue backs if u dobt hav that much land as they will travel . . Melanastic are very gud strong birds bt will run all day n do wonder a bit . . The best all rounder is the common ring neck. . They hold the best in a tight area . . And most driven shoots tend to use them as they hold better than other types. .