Pheasants not playing ball.

snipe49

Any finding there birds are running the first sign of danger' which would be ok if they were blue backs they would keep on the move.But the birds here in my side of the country are running straight away and lifting after a short sprint. we have mostly ring necks.Hard shoot even with pointers.

mallards

Are you hunting them on stubbles or short cover snipe? I find Pheasants tend to run more in short cover and tend to hide in thicker cover and rely on their camo instead.

snipe49

mallards wrote: »

Are you hunting them on stubbles or short cover snipe? I find Pheasants tend to run more in short cover and tend to hide in thicker cover and rely on their camo instead.

On every thing there flushing.I remember back in the day. when the would be on point and you would have to poke the bird to make it flush.Were seeing a lot of birds but there just lifting on sight.

PDAhunter

Find them the same as soon as the dog sets there gone running

mallards

My uncle claims pheasants acting like that are plagued by foxes hence they're very wild and flush easily. Maybe he has a point but then maybe all the slow ones have all been shot in the past and it's just a really wild strain of birds left in your area?

RICKYD

Is your area bein hunted before season?found dat happened round here with lads exercising dogs.the few pheasants we hav ar pure mad because of it

helqui

Pulled up at a gate yesterday and as soon as the cock saw the vehicle he ran like the clappers and took off. Another bird took to running and i was only coming in the gate of a different field, he was 170 yrds away when he saw me .... but i guess with a bit of field craft they can be got and they imo are the ones worth getting.

RICKYD

Ah ya you cant beat a good hunt after a truely wild pheasant.

warehouse1

You can tell the difference between an average and a good pointer/setter by how they work wild running pheasants.

Spaniel heaven

Ye all seem to have had similar opening weekends, released birds were very straight forward, wild birds however proved to be harder to get near than a nervous old stag.

blackpearl

with the 1st on a sat next day sun the birds were hounded every one in the country was out with it been the weekend,birds are mad some of them are now living in a different townland than where they use to live,they don't no what end of them is up,they will relax in a week or two when the pressure comes off.

snipe49

warehouse1 wrote: »

You can tell the difference between an average and a good pointer/setter by how they work wild running pheasants.

Trouble is the birds down my way are just running and flying before the dog even gets going. were thinking of introducing michegan blue backs next year. they should be better.

warehouse1

snipe49 wrote: »

Trouble is the birds down my way are just running and flying before the dog even gets going. were thinking of introducing michegan blue backs next year. they should be better.

They are fully wild birds that do that, there is a good few of them around my part some of them will get up the minute they see you and some will run like f**k. There is one pheasant near me that iv been trying to get for the last 2 years, iv met him about 10 times and out of those 10 times once he was in range and i missed . I enjoy hunting truly wild pheasants its a lot harder to get close to them and they test any dog and shooter.

As for the michegan blue backs they are a waste of time, if you release them today they will be in the next parish by tomorrow.

dodderangler

Ah sure when ya do get one it'll make the hunt a lot sweeter. Birds around my way are also like that but they run into cover and most will stay in cover.
I've probably walked past plenty but without the dog I'm pi55in into the wind. Might get lucky this weekend

snipe49

warehouse1 wrote: »

They are fully wild birds that do that, there is a good few of them around my part some of them will get up the minute they see you and some will run like f**k. There is one pheasant near me that iv been trying to get for the last 2 years, iv met him about 10 times and out of those 10 times once he was in range and i missed . I enjoy hunting truly wild pheasants its a lot harder to get close to them and they test any dog and shooter.

As for the michegan blue backs they are a waste of time, if you release them today they will be in the next parish by tomorrow.

I was told they are a great bird to hunt they will keep moving tesing any dog.

snipe49

dodderangler wrote: »

Ah sure when ya do get one it'll make the hunt a lot sweeter. Birds around my way are also like that but they run into cover and most will stay in cover.
I've probably walked past plenty but without the dog I'm pi55in into the wind. Might get lucky this weekend

What dog are u shooting over. ?

warehouse1

snipe49 wrote: »

I was told they are a great bird to hunt they will keep moving tesing any dog.

Ya they will keep a dog moving alright. Its up to you to keep the dogs moving if you see bird starting to run because some dogs can be very sticky on the point.

shotie

im finding so far this season birds are holding very tight in cover(released and wild) this only till the dogs are on top of the bird it gets up. met a few runners which i love gives the dogs a great hunt but never get a shot in .

dodderangler

snipe49 wrote: »

What dog are u shooting over. ?

Don't have a dog anymore. Still like t go out in the mornings though hoping for a pheasant but mostly just t shoot few pigeons and odd fox

RICKYD

Think blackpearl makes a gud point bout the 1st bein on a wkend day.any lad with even the slightest bit of interest was out.def round these parts anyway.hfully birds wil settle down ina wk or so when the pressure is off em.

snipe49

dodderangler wrote: »

Don't have a dog anymore. Still like t go out in the mornings though hoping for a pheasant but mostly just t shoot few pigeons and odd fox

U need to get a dog pal why don't u have one.

ben 11

One observation that was made around these parts (Kildare),especially on the re-sown tillage fields is the number of larges birds of prey (buzzards) hunting the fields. Please don't turn this thread into a debate on shooting protected birds which is illegal and should never happen, but the behaviour of pheasants in these fields have changed.More and more farmers seem to be re-sow early leaving the fields bare even though they might be surrounded by decent hedges. Pheasant numbers in these fields seem to be getting smaller year on year and the ones that are there are exceptionally wary, run along the hedge and gone at the merest hint of danger. Buzzards to the best of my knowledge generally hunt for pigeons and I don't know weather they take pheasants or not but the days of spotting a few pheasants in tillage field seem to be gone. My tuppence worth...

blackpearl

buzzards don't take pigeons,but they have done a lot of harm to wild pheasants in the last couple of years in my county,to the point in another couple of years their will only be released birds to shoot,again we don't want this to turn in to a debate I am only stating a fact.i have seen first hand 2 cluches of pheasants been wiped out inside of 10 days with buzzards, as the law stands their is nothing we can do,until it hopefully changes some day.

Capercaille

ben 11 wrote: »

One observation that was made around these parts (Kildare),especially on the re-sown tillage fields is the number of larges birds of prey (buzzards) hunting the fields. Please don't turn this thread into a debate on shooting protected birds which is illegal and should never happen, but the behaviour of pheasants in these fields have changed.More and more farmers seem to be re-sow early leaving the fields bare even though they might be surrounded by decent hedges. Pheasant numbers in these fields seem to be getting smaller year on year and the ones that are there are exceptionally wary, run along the hedge and gone at the merest hint of danger. Buzzards to the best of my knowledge generally hunt for pigeons and I don't know weather they take pheasants or not but the days of spotting a few pheasants in tillage field seem to be gone. My tuppence worth...

With spring sown crops the overwinter stubble can provide an important winter food source for seed eating birds such as yellowhammer, skylark, grey partridge and pheasants. With the autumn sown crops you describe the stubbles are present for a short period of time and provide nothing for seed eating birds during the winter. If you walk through a stubble field during winter you will often throw up a few skylark, yellowhammer (east of Country). The autumn sown plots will be usually barren as you walk through them.

270WIN

As regards buzzards they were never here before but now there are at least 10 hunting my patch every day. There were three large wild clutches here in the early spring and all were wiped out...i even seen the carcasses of the hen pheasants licked clean by the buzzards..but sure who cares..the twitchers love em and they seem to be the only ones that matter as regards wildlife these days.:(

PDAhunter

Find it d exact same with me years ago before before der were buzzards in my area der was loads of pheasants about now ders very few it a case of the fittest and strongest survive shur wot can I do about them

ben 11

I can's say i've seen them taken pheasants but I would well believe that they do, but to snipes49 original post they definitely seem to be affecting the number of pheasants and the way pheasants are re-acting in the open fields.The birds in the cover, bogs and rushy fields seem to be unaffected or at least not as bad. Just curious to know if buzzards are down his neck of the woods or is this a similar trend across the country

They definitely do take pigeons as I came across one last week which had just made a kill on a pigeon, which the dog promptly retrieved back to after the buzzard left it behind.Head eaten off and starting into the breast.

snipe49

ben 11 wrote: »

I can's say i've seen them taken pheasants but I would well believe that they do, but to snipes49 original post they definitely seem to be affecting the number of pheasants and the way pheasants are re-acting in the open fields.The birds in the cover, bogs and rushy fields seem to be unaffected or at least not as bad. Just curious to know if buzzards are down his neck of the woods or is this a similar trend across the country

They definitely do take pigeons as I came across one last week which had just made a kill on a pigeon, which the dog promptly retrieved back to after the buzzard left it behind.Head eaten off and starting into the breast.

No pal we don't seem to have any here in the west yet. Our only predator's here taking pheasants are foxes and f.....s shooting them from car windows.

shotie

seeing alot more of buzzards here too in north tipp in the last few year numbers have gone well up

blackpearl

bad weather the last 2 summers were the best for wild pheasants in over 20 years, and years ago(pre buzzards) when we had good summers their was plenty of wild birds,not anymore,in our clubs in the last few years foxes ,grey crows, magpies and mink were hammered loads of members and farmers have all seen buzzards killing young pheasants,people can trow up all the surveys they like it will not change my mind.but as it stands their is nothing that can be done about it.

Cass

Right lads & ladies,

I think we can draw a line under this discussion and get back to the OP, and the original theme of the thread.

Failing that i see no reason to keep these posts and will move them to N&BW where they are more appropriate.

Thank you.

Cass

So i've split off the non relevant posts into their own thread. It's also closed as it's conservation/N&BW based.

thehound

my shooting buddy had dogs out two weeks before season in stubble here in Westmeath saw 25 pheasants in field 4 buzzards in same field on the 1st November 2 pheasants was all we put up in this stubble have seen buzzards take fully grown pheasants on two occasions

Birdnuts

thehound wrote: »

my shooting buddy had dogs out two weeks before season in stubble here in Westmeath saw 25 pheasants in field 4 buzzards in same field on the 1st November 2 pheasants was all we put up in this stubble have seen buzzards take fully grown pheasants on two occasions

Pheasants wander around alot. Did you expect them all to be sat in the same field 2 weeks later?? The first of November this year was very wet so they were probably sheltering in cover most of the day. At the risk of repeating myself the OP has already stated he doesn't have buzzards on his permission so I'm not sure of what relevance this is. As someone else mentioned in the locked thread alot of pheasants will move from GC land to santuaries for obvious reasons once the season starts. The fact that the OP has also stated he has a problem with poachers would more than likely explain why his pheasants are acting "odd"

meathstevie

thehound wrote: »

my shooting buddy had dogs out two weeks before season in stubble here in Westmeath saw 25 pheasants in field 4 buzzards in same field on the 1st November 2 pheasants was all we put up in this stubble have seen buzzards take fully grown pheasants on two occasions

Good job that, disturb them plenty just before the start of the season so you can be sure they've upped sticks

Staloejunior

never before have I seen so many buzzards, seen a maybe one or two out the mountains over 10 years when hunting grouse but i know of atleast where abouts 10-15 of them are in the gun club now.

Also noticed that where the are the pheasants aroud them are skiddish, dog or handler wouldnt be within 100 yards of the pheasant and they already be rising.

Birdnuts

Staloejunior wrote: »

never before have I seen so many buzzards, seen a maybe one or two out the mountains over 10 years when hunting grouse but i know of atleast where abouts 10-15 of them are in the gun club now.

Also noticed that where the are the pheasants aroud them are skiddish, dog or handler wouldnt be within 100 yards of the pheasant and they already be rising.

Not sure about that theory - If buzzards were bothering pheasants alot they would more likely run to the nearest cover and stay there. Taking to the air would leave them more exposed to aerial attack. If pheasants are acting like that its more likely foxes or some other ground based predator. In any case the OP's problem appears to be poachers. In addition you'll find on heavily shot permissions that the birds will obviously get more jumpy the further you get into the season as the dogs work them more and more

dodderangler

From reason posts it seems some are giving out cuz the pheasants are too hard to get a shot off at them. It's hunting lads. If it was easy then it wouldn't be hunting. Enjoy being out and when you do get a pheasant it makes the hunt a lot more exciting.
Predators are part and parcel of the countryside.
I was out on Sunday without a dog and finished with a rook and rabbit. Enjoyed the day hunt and met 4 hens. All of which in range. Two got up right in front of me. Also 3 snipe caught me off guard.
Heard a cock crowing all morning an seen him when I was in me car driving back down the lane.
Seen plenty of deer and 5 ravens up on the hills circling over the forest. Beautiful big birds. While watchin them stood back and looked at pretty much the whole of dublin from the hills.
Enjoy the day out lads. Not always about the kill.