Where are the Pheasants?

Great white hunter

Hi, Is it me or is there a huge lack of Pheasants this year? I live in a fairly rural part of Laois and im not seeing as many Pheasants this year compared to last year! So is it just me or do other people feel the same?

jap gt

Great white hunter wrote: »

Hi, Is it me or is there a huge lack of Pheasants this year? I live in a fairly rural part of Laois and im not seeing as many Pheasants this year compared to last year! So is it just me or do other people feel the same?

Cant say im the same, loads of pheasants and woodcock around here

Great white hunter

jap gt wrote: »

Cant say im the same, loads of pheasants and woodcock around here

What part of the country are you in?

Shoot2kill

I was delighted at the start of the season, we were meeting a nice number of birds, even with a our release pen being sabotaged.

They have been a bit slack the last two weeks alright but I'm putting it down to the bad weather. I definitely have seen a decrease in the number of woodcock around (north cork/south limerick) area.

dodderangler

I hit my first of season last week and it was only second pheasant to cross my path. Met another 2 mins later in same patch.
I've gotten 3 snipe 1 jack and a woodcock and il be happy to end my season at that. I worked hard for that and the dog proved herself more than I expected.
Not about quantity mate. Some will shoot 6 cocks and 29 woodcock a day but il still be happy with what I've gotten so far.

jap gt

Great white hunter wrote: »

What part of the country are you in?

North cork. Local club has lot of work donr on pheasants. And its prob one of the best places for woodcock

snipe49

It's been one of the best year's hear for a very long time.I put it down to the weather been so good at breeding time a hot of hen had two brood's.they be hard found in this weather in the ditches i'd say.:cool:

ace86

Ah from what I seen before the season alot of people saying there is plenty of pheaants around and I have yet to shoot one as I am down the farm and no gun and up gets 2 in front of ya and the day u go down with the gun no sign of them. I rattled 3 of them an evening ago but i was on my own and couldnt get a shot off at them but there is plenty of woodock and snipe around as well.

snipe02

In kk lots of birds still around well scattered but still meeting birds my best year to date so far

Birdnuts

Definatly more birds about on Blessington Game Club land this season then the previous one which saw numbers take a dive after the washout summer of 2012.

dodderangler

Birdnuts wrote: »

Definatly more birds about on Blessington Game Club land this season then the previous one which saw numbers take a dive after the washout summer of 2012.

From what I've seen in around the blessing ton area it's perfectly managed
We'll looked after. They've a lot of feeders about for the birds and release plenty of birds.
If I was to join a club it'd be them. ( well if try)

Birdnuts

dodderangler wrote: »

From what I've seen in around the blessing ton area it's perfectly managed
We'll looked after. They've a lot of feeders about for the birds and release plenty of birds.
If I was to join a club it'd be them. ( well if try)

Yep - a great bunch of lads running the show there. A very long waiting list though if your thinking of joining. Huge demand by all accounts being so near the big smoke.

dodderangler

Birdnuts wrote: »

Yep - a great bunch of lads running the show there. A very long waiting list though if your thinking of joining. Huge demand by all accounts being so near the big smoke.

I know from chatting to folks that it'd be a long list. I would never join a gun club but pheasants getting so scarce I'd prob end up joining just to get the hunting. All I've ever heard from g.c is bad things but I'd defiantly rate blessington a good club. I do fish the river beside manor Kilbride and I always come across a few pheasants. And well fed ones at that but even the land and area are well looked after. You'd never see a used cartridge on the ground

wexfordman2

Shoot2kill wrote: »

I was delighted at the start of the season, we were meeting a nice number of birds, even with a our release pen being sabotaged.

They have been a bit slack the last two weeks alright but I'm putting it down to the bad weather. I definitely have seen a decrease in the number of woodcock around (north cork/south limerick) area.

How, why was the pen sabotaged and do you know who did it?

Brianmeath

Great white hunter wrote: »

Hi, Is it me or is there a huge lack of Pheasants this year? I live in a fairly rural part of Laois and im not seeing as many Pheasants this year compared to last year! So is it just me or do other people feel the same?

Did ye release many?

FISMA

Great white hunter wrote: »

Hi, Is it me or is there a huge lack of Pheasants this year?

That's the way pheasant populations go, pops and drops. One year there are more pheasants running the roads than people, the next, the only pheasants to be found are over a fireplace.

shotie

loads of birds here in tipp best year for pheasant by far good summer really helped them out

danbrosnan

Great year in kerry, loads of snipe and woodcock, best day was 9 woodcock and thirty snipe between two guns.. About 5 miles walking to get them tho in the mountains.. i love it..

valerossi

Maybe lads neglected vermin control in your area either that or stoats I think the high in number this year.

Shoot2kill

wexfordman2 wrote: »

How, why was the pen sabotaged and do you know who did it?

I know who did it alright....a wanker!! No we have our suspicions alright, more than suspicions even but what can ya do. They tore down all our fences, stole the electric fencer but the best thing they did was spill all the feed we had there, at least that kept the birds around.

Fingers crossed for next year!

blackpearl

thought before season started birds were scarce, how wrong was I, in 3 clubs never failed to reach bag limit on every outing.county louth is one of the best pheasant counties in Ireland.

hunterpajero

shotie wrote: »

loads of birds here in tipp best year for pheasant by far good summer really helped them out

is there???i must put down my dog so cause he aint finding them,Im afraid around Thurles,Holycross,Moycarkey,Moyne and Loughmore there as scarse as hens teeth so other members from these clubs are telling me

djflawless

Great white hunter wrote: »

Hi, Is it me or is there a huge lack of Pheasants this year? I live in a fairly rural part of Laois and im not seeing as many Pheasants this year compared to last year! So is it just me or do other people feel the same?

Where in lao is are you shooting?I'm in abbeyleix.
Definitely only a few birds around but their around for a reason
Wary birds that know where to get away and the likes.
Was after such this morning and went for a walk for pheasants after.was out for 5 hours total with no sign of a pheasant.
Then out of spite I met a nice long tailed bird on the way home roughly 60 yards from my door at the road!!

shotie

hunterpajero wrote: »

is there???i must put down my dog so cause he aint finding them,Im afraid around Thurles,Holycross,Moycarkey,Moyne and Loughmore there as scarse as hens teeth so other members from these clubs are telling me

jayus i dont know about them places but around me the place is full of them .i was out the other day with a lad and we bagged 3 cocks and met a good few more that we missed, same lad shot 2 more tis eveing ,we be starting on the foxs now very soon and ill be trapping the greys and mags soon enough.

valerossi

hunterpajero wrote: »

is there???i must put down my dog so cause he aint finding them

Don't blame the dog if you trained him:)

John_Rambo

Shoot2kill wrote: »

I know who did it alright....a wanker!! No we have our suspicions alright, more than suspicions even but what can ya do. They tore down all our fences, stole the electric fencer but the best thing they did was spill all the feed we had there, at least that kept the birds around.

Fingers crossed for next year!

I'm a bit lost when it comes to this sort of stuff, but, why, why, why would someone do this to you? Simple old fashioned theft?

(reason for interest, keen appreciative game cook)

johnny3

Wos very hard to hold pheasants around pens this yr they just kept wandering wit all the berrys and food suff available for them they don't really have to be bothering wit hoppers we need cold weather early and then they will hang around

djflawless

John_Rambo wrote: »

I'm a bit lost when it comes to this sort of stuff, but, why, why, why would someone do this to you? Simple old fashioned theft?

(reason for interest, keen appreciative game cook)

Spite I blame it on
We had a lot of feeders and 2 fencers stolen last year.
A vexed farmer, members of other clubs that hate seeing someone else doing well, anti blood protesters, bored young fellas. .
Endless list of feck in gombeens with nothing better to be at

sniper83

djflawless wrote: »

Spite I blame it on
We had a lot of feeders and 2 fencers stolen last year.
A vexed farmer, members of other clubs that hate seeing someone else doing well, anti blood protesters, bored young fellas. .
Endless list of feck in gombeens with nothing better to be at

you should invest in a trial camera for next year and catch the p*#*k thats doing it..


meeting plenty of pheasants here in the west, good summer made all the difference we released 100 cocks but shooting a good number of wild birds too..

Half-cocked

sniper83 wrote: »

you should invest in a trial camera for next year and catch the p*#*k thats doing it.

+1 to that.

Mount it high up in a tree out of reach and camouflage it a bit.

joe man utd

We have had a very good season so far.. Between me my father and uncle we have shot 26 pheasant 35 duck and 9 woodcock... We see alot of birds each day we go out and its all credit to the gunclub.. Also we have caught 20 mink in the past 8 months....