doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Pheasant opener!

Nice job, LD! You beat my opener score by one . . . but my still-learning Brittany pointed that one, so one was OK.

Good opener for sure. four birds Saturday. Two on Sunday...The 1/2 limit thing is a self imposed rule...Any day we kill limits we only take a max of a 1/2 limit on the next hunting day...Have a good rest of the season, folks...Stay Well

In spite of our differences and disagreements, people could learn a lot from Last Dollar's self-imposed 1/2 limit thing.

I got an all too short taste of hot and heavy Ringneck Pheasant action in my state early in my hunting career, and certainly remember my Dad and Uncles bringing home relatively easy limits of big strong flying native Ringnecks. Then my state game commission, in its' infinite wisdom decided to allow the shooting of hens... the mommy birds that were raising those plentiful broods. A lot of short-sighted hunters gleefully killed as many birds as they could, both hens and ringnecks, and it wasn't too many years before they were all wondering what happened to the Pheasants.

Our game commission has tried a number of things to bring back a viable hunt-able population including the ill-fated introduction of the Sichaun birds., but they steadfastly refuse to admit the error of their ways and restrict the shooting of hens, along with strictly lowered bag limits until things improve. If they simply tried that, and it worked, they would have to admit they were wrong... and that will never happen. The recovery efforts became even more unlikely as coyote and hawk populations took off. And that's why Pheasant hunting here is mostly a put-and-take affair where stocked birds are released and then quickly hunted to near extinction.

Around Downs and Meades Ranch, Kansas, the pheasant numbers are pitiful. Not sure the reason, maybe a hail storm in the Spring? It would seem that around Norton to the West might be where the pheasant numbers pick up but we have found some 25+ coveys of quail w/ around 30 birds per covey. But they are like bumblebees in the wind when you are expecting pheasants. Also, the temperatures are not conducive for quail hunting the day long.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Wester the better, is what I am hearing...Acess is a problem almost everywhere...Maybe some snow tonite...Cool things off...Saw bunches of Mallards yesterday...

Headed to Stockton, Ks today enroute to Webster Wildlife area so hopefully it will be better there. I too saw waterfowl pour in yesterday afternoon but we & the canines are all but spent walking 8 - 10 miles a day for a ditch parrot or 2.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

LOL....I guess the good news about not being able to walk much any more is I don't have to walk much? Had a friend hunt around Stockton on WIHA's..did see some birds....have fun

Many thanks & we will give it a once over.


Typical days bag Downs, Kansas.


Also a reoccurring find on our walkabouts.





Large Moon rising on Sunday night over Lake Waconda. Poor attempt to capture image but a once in a lifetime experience/occurrence.


2016 Leader of the pack, or so she thinks.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Didn't make it to Webster Wildlife today as we had a rear chunk pinion seal issue but boy did the waterfowl pour in to Lake Waconda this afternoon by the hundreds. I guess there a blizzard condition North of us somewhere? Great dog work today on what we did manage to find.


Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Snowing here, lotsa Ducks and geese landing...Stay well