I've only explored the portions off JB Little road including the power lines and wasnt impressed. I wouldn't call a power line perfect for stocking either as its narrow which doesn't really give anyone space to work and would really hurt any chance at surviving predators that the birds would have as the poles give the hawks and owls good vantage points. As far as being one of the largest fields that possible but means absolutely nothing for the pheasant hunting as they'll just be pushed out quickly anyway. A series of smaller fields with edge cover in between provide better hunting, hold more birds as they get pushed from field to field and allow hunters to spread out.
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Pheasant Hunting
- Thread starter hermes2069
- Start date
ccm75
NES Member
Yep. If the other guy didn't shoot that is totally BS. I've taken my dog over to help a no-dog hunter look for a downed bird many times. Anyone that takes a bird that isn't theirs is a real turd. It's this kind of shite along with unsafe shooting, tree and ground shots, guys constantly yelling at their dogs, those damn beeping collars, guys timing the bird truck and all that crap that makes it hard to enjoy pheasant hunting anymore.
This am my dog found a freshly killed hen in some thick stuff and pulled it out. No one around so I put him in the vest and kept going. We asked the next 2 groups of guys we passed if they had shot at a hen in that area - all said no. I would have gladly handed the bird over to first guy who said "yes".
Once in awhile I get lucky and have a field or two to myself and that makes it worthwhile. But I see so many guys out there that act like they're starving and need to kill a bird....complete morons.
I had my son on gun today with me supervising. We worked the edges and tried to avoid the crowd. He managed to miss a rooster and then a hen in the woods. Disappointed but happy to get some shooting.....Hopefully he'll be able to get out again soon.
I heard a little bit of shooting on the power lines at crane pond wma this mornin . I was x the street again hunting squirrel with the boy. He managed to get a nice fat female. Good work too........he heard it cutting and we waited her out......saw her move on the ground but he knew it was too far for the 20 gauge. Stocked for about 20 minutes and got close enough to get her to run up a tree.......took the shot and down it came. He was happy it was his first shot into a tree to get one to fall. All his others have been on the ground. Well go back a couple hours before such down to try for anothe . Best part is he is enjoying it......and no whining about stocking schedules 
ccm75
NES Member
![[rolleyes]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/042.gif "Roll Eyes [rolleyes]")
It didn't sound like the guy was helping out, only stealing birds. The guys I mentioned, same thing, stealing birds. I have had guys offer their dogs to find birds and I always gladly accepted.
Finished out one day with a guy who asked if I wanted to join him. First time with a dog. I learned more about where the birds hide following that dog for three hours than I learned in four years on my own.
vickers
NES Member
I've been up and down Crane's on a couple of weekdays and a couple of Saturdays in the last couple of weeks. My dog has found two kill spots and then we found a random dead stiff hen not far from the Powerlines. Haven't flushed a thing.
You are going to hate me for telling you this......but I saw 2 cocks walking down center street at about 3:00pm. I was on my way back to try for squirrel again with the wife and son. I pulled over and my wife jumped out and chased em back into the woods.
You probably want to stay in your lane on this one dude. It's painfully obvious you don't know what you're talking about.
45collector
NES Member
The only thing I can imagine is it was one of those guys who thinks only people who have dogs should hunt pheasant.
![[hmmm]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/009.gif "Hmm [hmmm]")
![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
I haven't shot any yet. Not even sure what the season is. I might someday. For now it's cool just to watch them.That is awesome!
My last place had pheasants in the yard all the time. Huntable area and setbacks. Those birds always got left alone
Now if the Turkey that was hanging out in my yard comes back..........
Went to Sandy Neck before work this morning. Walked a long way through the hilly dunes/ marshes/ cattails/ reed grass etc... It's really good exercise out there especially if you don't have a dog and you need to work all the thick stuff yourself. Well that's exactly what I've been doing for several years now trying to get my first pheasant. I just want to cook one up and try it before I decide if I want to get a dog and get serious about it.
Anyhow, I'd like some opinions on what happened: I'm finally starting to learn where the birds like to hide. I made my way into a thick area of scrub pines/ thickets and started moving in a back and forth pattern. When I got to about the middle of the area I heard a guy and his dog approaching me from my right. For the first time ever, on my own without the help of a dog, I spotted a hen sitting under a bush. I could have just shot her right there but I didn't wanna be shitty about it. Plus the guy and his dog would have been somewhere behind it. So I just jumped at her, she burst up and flew to my left and I fired two rounds. First one looked like it winged her, second produced a puff of feathers and she started to go down, just outside the edge of the clearing. I hear the guy shout a command to his dog, I hear the bell ringing as he runs, and before I can make my way out of the thick stuff towards the bird the guy and his dog are already on their way off with the bird I just shot.
So WTF, is it first come, first serve on birds no matter who shoots it? As long as you get to it first? I was pretty pissed about it and I thought of chasing the guy down but at that point I had to start heading back to the parking lot and head to work.
Looking on the bright side, I got a nice picture of the sunrise from the top of one of the dunes. I at least shot my first pheasant even if I didn't get to keep it.And I got a pretty good workout.
View attachment 119444
ETA: Here's a diagram, LOL
View attachment 119445
![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
I agree with everyone else, That guy is a A*****E!! I hunt with dogs all the time. If I see guys looking for a downed bird, I always offer assistance.
I have also been working the dog and found shot birds that had been lost in the brush. I have about a 50% average of finding the owner and giving them their bird. I love the look on their face when you hand them their bird and congratulate them.
One of the most memorable stories. I was out hunting and the dog went on point in some pretty thick grass. I walked in ready to flush the bird but the bird had been shot and was badly wounded. I rung its neck and put it in my vest. I had heard shooting from this area earlier in the morning and I was hoping I would run into the person who had shot it. Kept hunting for about another hour with no luck of running into the owner. So I walked back to the truck and loaded the dog and my gear, when I saw a guy and his son come out of the woods heading to their car. I said, good morning and asked them how their hunt had been. Come to find out the son had dropped a rooster in the area I had found this one and they walked around in the heavy grass but couldn't find it. I told them to hold on for a minute and retrieved the bird from my vest. I handed him the bird and said, this belongs to you then and congratulated him on his first bird. He was so happy, I still remember the smile on his face. That was a good day.
45collector
NES Member
I'm going out again Saturday morning. Staying away from any other hunters is probably a good idea so this doesn't happen again, but it seems like it's extremely rare for someone to act like that so I'm not worried about it.
I hope that guy chipped a tooth on my #7 shot.![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
I hope that guy chipped a tooth on my #7 shot.
I was at Martin Bruns this morning for sunrise and I don't think they stocked it. If they did, then some guys must have been waiting on the stocking truck last night. I got a cheep kill that I'm kind of bummed out about. After about an hour of hearing only one shot I hear 3 rapid shots. I turn and see a rooster flying right at me. I shoot twice and most likely make clean misses. I see where it lands and head over to the spot about 100 yards away, and after about 5 minutes see it in some thick brush right on the horizon up a hill. As soon as I start walking over to it about 4 or 5 guys come up from the other side of the hill and I don't think they can see me since the brush is so thick so I just run off to the side in case they start shooting. I tell them there's a bird in there and one dude is like "yeah my dog is on point" so I just start walking away and the bird flushes. Maybe 4 or 5 shots ring out from the dudes behind me and the bird is still gliding away so I take two shots, my last one perfectly blocked by a tree, maybe some pellets got to it I cant be sure. In any event, it kept gliding about 200 yards on top of a different hill. When I finally make my way over to that spot I see the bird sitting right in the open on the edge of some brush so I hold my gun on it waiting for a flush and it wont move! I walk up to it and it just buries itself in some grass and I pull it out with my hand. The thing cant even move either of its wings at that point and one its legs is hanging by a thread at the ankle. By that time the other pack of guys is coming up the hill so I walk over to them with the bird and tell them it's too hurt to fly or walk and ask if any of them feel like they made a good shot on it and I'd give it to them. They just say if you found it, it's yours (almost reluctant to take it) so I kept it. Kinda sucks not knowing if I even hit the thing and having it count towards my limit. I even pulled all the feathers out afterward to see where it was hit and it looks like a few pellets went right up the ass end of it which could of been either my 2nd or 4th shot on it... We'll never know[sad2]
ccm75
NES Member
That's the way it goes sometimes. You offered it up to them so good on ya for that.
Marinate, grill and eat.
Last Saturday I got my first bird ever. It was a nice big Rooster. I can now officially call myself a hunter not just a guy who walk in the woods with a gun! Haha
Congrats!!! Great feeling!!
Congrats on the bird Ace! You put a lot of effort into staying on that bird. Whether it was wounded by someone else or not, YOU spent the time chasing it and harvested it instead of letting the coyotes eat it.
