Upland Hunting

[RhythmicGeek]

I know there are probably a fair number of turkey/bear/deer/small game hunters around the forums. I was wondering if anyone here did much upland shooting, though?

Pheasant, grouse, woodcock, quail, that sort of thing.

What type of shotgun do you use? Dogs or no dogs? Just curious if anyone else was into this sort of thing like I am.

[Jabberwocky]

Originally Posted by RhythmicGeek

I know there are probably a fair number of turkey/bear/deer/small game hunters around the forums. I was wondering if anyone here did much upland shooting, though?

Pheasant, grouse, woodcock, quail, that sort of thing.

What type of shotgun do you use? Dogs or no dogs? Just curious if anyone else was into this sort of thing like I am.

My father used to take us out to farms all around Williamsburg, Amelia and Georgetown when I was younger. We also headed out into Adams County for grouse. Mainly, we were after pheasant, quail and rabbits. We had a golden retriever that was a hella rabbit dog and my dad's best friend had an English Setter that could hold any bird (or covey) for hours. I can still feel the thorns ripping my legs from the brambles when I tried to shoot a grouse I flushed out of a thicket. I missed, the brambles didn't. My dad took my 20 gauge side-by-side with him when he retired to the south. It was his gun, but we bought him a Model 870 when i started shooting the 20 gauge better than he. I haven't hunted upland game for 22 years. I have two rifles at home and I can't use them in Ohio, so we go to Texas and target shoot feral hogs and mule deer. That's really good BBQ, by the way-not as fatty, though.

[RhythmicGeek]

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

My father used to take us out to farms all around Williamsburg, Amelia and Georgetown when I was younger. We also headed out into Adams County for grouse. Mainly, we were after pheasant, quail and rabbits. We had a golden retriever that was a hella rabbit dog and my dad's best friend had an English Setter that could hold any bird (or covey) for hours. I can still feel the thorns ripping my legs from the brambles when I tried to shoot a grouse I flushed out of a thicket. I missed, the brambles didn't. My dad took my 20 gauge side-by-side with him when he retired to the south. It was his gun, but we bought him a Model 870 when i started shooting the 20 gauge better than he. I haven't hunted upland game for 22 years. I have two rifles at home and I can't use them in Ohio, so we go to Texas and target shoot feral hogs and mule deer. That's really good BBQ, by the way-not as fatty, though.

I have a Lefever SxS 16 ga that's been in the family for years. I use it for just about everything besides turkey when it comes to birds. I like to go for pheasant out in Montana, but I do some woodcock, quail, and grouse hunting around here as far as birds go.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Originally Posted by RhythmicGeek

I know there are probably a fair number of turkey/bear/deer/small game hunters around the forums. I was wondering if anyone here did much upland shooting, though?

Pheasant, grouse, woodcock, quail, that sort of thing.

What type of shotgun do you use? Dogs or no dogs? Just curious if anyone else was into this sort of thing like I am.

My dad did that with his father for nearly 30 years.

Shotgun indeed, but what I have no clue.

They had just as much success with dogs or without dogs. The one time I went out with them for this type of thing, we had the dogs, and they were useless.

[BengalRugby]

One of my instructors in Public Health took some Pheasant a week or so back. They used dogs, pointers, to flush.


Seemed fun, but those releases are a joke. Most pheasant released into the wild don't know how to live, and with the hunters there, it's worse than shooting fish in a barrel. I would even argue that they don't taste like real pheasant did years back, due to the domesticated diet they eat previous to releasing. Diet influences the flavor of the meat, same as it does in corn versus grass beef.

[RhythmicGeek]

Originally Posted by BengalRugby

One of my instructors in Public Health took some Pheasant a week or so back. They used dogs, pointers, to flush.


Seemed fun, but those releases are a joke. Most pheasant released into the wild don't know how to live, and with the hunters there, it's worse than shooting fish in a barrel. I would even argue that they don't taste like real pheasant did years back, due to the domesticated diet they eat previous to releasing. Diet influences the flavor of the meat, same as it does in corn versus grass beef.

Yeah, that's why even though I know of some preserves around here with pheasant, I never bother. I'd rather spend the money to go out to the midwest for some wild game than deal with the pen raised birds here.