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Saturday is the second season opener for dove and the opener for pheasant. Any one else chasing them this coming weekend? We will be dove hunting at first light then chasing thunder chickens later in the day.

Pheasant opened last weekend here. I'm hoping to get out this weekend sometime. Not sure if any birds will be left though

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Pheasant opened last weekend here. I'm hoping to get out this weekend sometime. Not sure if any birds will be left though

Yeah, we used to have one hell of a population of pheasant around here. Lots of reasons why it took a dump. Still a few hanging around.

GadwallGetter530 wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Pheasant opened last weekend here. I'm hoping to get out this weekend sometime. Not sure if any birds will be left though

Yeah, we used to have one hell of a population of pheasant around here. Lots of reasons why it took a dump. Still a few hanging around.

Same here, but lack of habitat has destroyed the pheasant population here. There are still a few birds around to kick up if you have permission in the hot spots.

Feelin' Fowl wrote:

GadwallGetter530 wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Pheasant opened last weekend here. I'm hoping to get out this weekend sometime. Not sure if any birds will be left though

Yeah, we used to have one hell of a population of pheasant around here. Lots of reasons why it took a dump. Still a few hanging around.

Same here, but lack of habitat has destroyed the pheasant population here. There are still a few birds around to kick up if you have permission in the hot spots.

Honestly, around here I really don't think it's a lack of habitat. Between all the wildlife areas and private property we should have a great population. I blame varmints and mosquito abatement that killed the population.

Coyotes are another problem. Stupid coyotes...

Does Maverick hunt pheasant?

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Coyotes are another problem. Stupid coyotes...

Does Maverick hunt pheasant?

Yup, If they hold he points like a German shorthair. Fuckin love that dog.

That's awesome!

Yeah. I never pushed hunting trial type work on him. He had basic obedience training as a pup and had alot of birds killed over him when he was little. He knows basic had signals and does multiple retrieves and all that. But put that Bullshit to the side. He knows whats up when we go out. I guess it's a mixture of drive and experience. Best dog I've ever hunted with. His a cripple finding S.O.B. We don't lose many birds with him. And with the type of ponds we hunt around here it can be pointless to hunt with out a dog .You'll kill birds but you won't find many of them.

That's extra awesome! That's how a dog should be...sounds like you've got a dog that's as cool as my avatar

Feelin' Fowl wrote:That's extra awesome! That's how a dog should be...sounds like you've got a dog that's as cool as my avatar

YUP!

I'll be out for pheasant on sat.

Anyone get into any pheasants? I wound up with one hen and missed a cock bird that I should have never missed.

We kicked up two birds. A rooster broke first, and I missed the first shot, which caused a hen to flush at my feet. Checked the bird to see it was a hen, looked back to the rooster I missed but it was way out of range by the time I got back on it.

Saw anther pair of hunters in a field next to us who didn't see any birds at all.

15-25 mph winds makes it tough on the dogs.

GadwallGetter530 wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:

GadwallGetter530 wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Pheasant opened last weekend here. I'm hoping to get out this weekend sometime. Not sure if any birds will be left though

Yeah, we used to have one hell of a population of pheasant around here. Lots of reasons why it took a dump. Still a few hanging around.

Same here, but lack of habitat has destroyed the pheasant population here. There are still a few birds around to kick up if you have permission in the hot spots.

Honestly, around here I really don't think it's a lack of habitat. Between all the wildlife areas and private property we should have a great population. I blame varmints and mosquito abatement that killed the population.

I think the only reason we have any to shoot around here is because Unlimited Pheasants plants them. I got heavy into chasing rooster for a couple years, would phez hunt over ducks any chance, and I've only ever killed 3 wild roosters.

3legged_lab wrote:

GadwallGetter530 wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:

GadwallGetter530 wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Pheasant opened last weekend here. I'm hoping to get out this weekend sometime. Not sure if any birds will be left though

Yeah, we used to have one hell of a population of pheasant around here. Lots of reasons why it took a dump. Still a few hanging around.

Same here, but lack of habitat has destroyed the pheasant population here. There are still a few birds around to kick up if you have permission in the hot spots.

Honestly, around here I really don't think it's a lack of habitat. Between all the wildlife areas and private property we should have a great population. I blame varmints and mosquito abatement that killed the population.

I think the only reason we have any to shoot around here is because Unlimited Pheasants plants them. I got heavy into chasing rooster for a couple years, would phez hunt over ducks any chance, and I've only ever killed 3 wild roosters.

Ours are planted too but there still a blast to hunt.

Kansas needs to start planting birds. Congrats to those who got some birds, or even saw any.

I should video what it looks like opening morning here. Some spots you will have 60-70 guys line up along a field waiting for legal shoot. As soon as 8:00 hits guys are literally running around shooting at anything they see. I won't even go out till 10-11:00. At that time 75% of the guys are gone. Its a real shit show.

The Sacramento Valley in California used to be a mecca for pheasant hunters but in a two year period it ended. I believe that the officials now believe that it was the avian flu virus that knocked them back so far.

The year West Nile broke out in the valley is the same Year they started mosquito spraying. Back then they would start in the spring and spray every night all the way into October. The chemicals don't just kill mosquitoes but the entire food chain. The chicks need small bugs the first few weeks of their life. With out the bugs the birds starved. On our family's property it was a common sight to see groups of 100+ birds jumping out of milo fields during the season. And in the summer the levees would look like fleas were running over the roads with baby pheasant chicks. My dad and I used to keep track of how many birds we would take off the property every season. We averaged around 80 to 90 wild birds between three of use hunting the place. The Fall after the spraying started Their was around a 50% decrees. I remember when Gray lodge would kill 2000 birds on opening weekend. Saturday they killed 30 birds for over 350 hunters. It's friggin hart braking.

GadwallGetter530 wrote:The year West Nile broke out in the valley is the same Year they started mosquito spraying. Back then they would start in the spring and spray every night all the way into October. The chemicals don't just kill mosquitoes but the entire food chain. The chicks need small bugs the first few weeks of their life. With out the bugs the birds starved. On our family's property it was a common sight to see groups of 100+ birds jumping out of milo fields during the season. And in the summer the levees would look like fleas were running over the roads with baby pheasant chicks. My dad and I used to keep track of how many birds we would take off the property every season. We averaged around 80 to 90 wild birds between three of use hunting the place. The Fall after the spraying started Their was around a 50% decrees. I remember when Gray lodge would kill 2000 birds on opening weekend. Saturday they kill 30 birds for over 350 hunters. It's friggin hart braking.

Well said. Bugs are the main source of a pheasants diet. Unfortunately the weather is the #1 reason for decline where I hunt. In 2010 close to 1 million birds were killed in KS, last year was 200, 000, numbers this year are said to be down 40%. I'll still work to find a few good pockets.

jarbo03 wrote:

GadwallGetter530 wrote:The year West Nile broke out in the valley is the same Year they started mosquito spraying. Back then they would start in the spring and spray every night all the way into October. The chemicals don't just kill mosquitoes but the entire food chain. The chicks need small bugs the first few weeks of their life. With out the bugs the birds starved. On our family's property it was a common sight to see groups of 100+ birds jumping out of milo fields during the season. And in the summer the levees would look like fleas were running over the roads with baby pheasant chicks. My dad and I used to keep track of how many birds we would take off the property every season. We averaged around 80 to 90 wild birds between three of use hunting the place. The Fall after the spraying started Their was around a 50% decrees. I remember when Gray lodge would kill 2000 birds on opening weekend. Saturday they kill 30 birds for over 350 hunters. It's friggin hart braking.

Well said. Bugs are the main source of a pheasants diet. Unfortunately the weather is the #1 reason for decline where I hunt. In 2010 close to 1 million birds were killed in KS, last year was 200, 000, numbers this year are said to be down 40%. I'll still work to find a few good pockets.

It's so frustrating. The state doesn't give a shit because it's an introduced species. And won't fund any research. And I would like to see Pheasants Forever step up and help out. But I haven't heard much about them. This area used to be a little south Dakota less then 10 years ago. The little towns around here has also felt the effect. People from Nevada to L.A would travel to the North valley to hunt not just the opener but all threw the season. You'd see guys waring orange hats in every gas station or coffee shop and hotel parking lot. Those businesses have lost alot of income on account of the pheasant crash.

GadwallGetter530 wrote:

jarbo03 wrote:

GadwallGetter530 wrote:The year West Nile broke out in the valley is the same Year they started mosquito spraying. Back then they would start in the spring and spray every night all the way into October. The chemicals don't just kill mosquitoes but the entire food chain. The chicks need small bugs the first few weeks of their life. With out the bugs the birds starved. On our family's property it was a common sight to see groups of 100+ birds jumping out of milo fields during the season. And in the summer the levees would look like fleas were running over the roads with baby pheasant chicks. My dad and I used to keep track of how many birds we would take off the property every season. We averaged around 80 to 90 wild birds between three of use hunting the place. The Fall after the spraying started Their was around a 50% decrees. I remember when Gray lodge would kill 2000 birds on opening weekend. Saturday they kill 30 birds for over 350 hunters. It's friggin hart braking.

Well said. Bugs are the main source of a pheasants diet. Unfortunately the weather is the #1 reason for decline where I hunt. In 2010 close to 1 million birds were killed in KS, last year was 200, 000, numbers this year are said to be down 40%. I'll still work to find a few good pockets.

It's so frustrating. The state doesn't give a shit because it's an introduced species. And won't fund any research. And I would like to see Pheasants Forever step up and help out. But I haven't heard much about them. This area used to be a little south Dakota less then 10 years ago. The little towns around here has also felt the effect. People from Nevada to L.A would travel to the North valley to hunt not just the opener but all threw the season. You'd see guys waring orange hats in every gas station or coffee shop and hotel parking lot. Those businesses have lost alot of income on account of the pheasant crash.

I know what you mean. Every small town in the west ern 2/3 of KS relies on hunting season, most of all upland. Motel we stayed at was not sold out, firstvtime I can ever remember that on opening weekend. 3 years ago we had 74 birds at lunch, last year 2, this year 1.

Hopefully a few birds can be found when I make it to Cali here in the near future.

jarbo03 wrote:Hopefully a few birds can be found when I make it to Cali here in the near future.

We'll see what we can do.