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FINDING LAND GETS TOUGHER
EVERY YEAR
By: Ron Wilson
November 20, 2003.... The Ringed-necked Pheasant is a bird that
was imported into America from Asia and therefore has no place in Audubon's
Birds of America, which is comprised exclusively of wild birds native to
North America.
The pheasant is a bird that averages about 27
inches long with a green head, un-feathered red facial skin around the eye, white ring around the neck, golden plumage with bluish and greenish iridescence and black spots
scattered throughout its body and long pointed golden tail feathers with black
barring.
At one time a hunter could walk up to a farmers door and ask
permission to hunt his land and you could usually go hunting. With new
laws, lawsuits and a few thoughtless hunters this practice has went the
way of the dinosaur.
You used to be able to drive through the country side
and see pheasants all over, both wild or birds that were raised
and released by the DFG. That practice died with the lack of areas for
hunters to pursue the birds that were released!
There are still wild
pheasants to hunt that live and breed naturally on our game refugees but
the true wild bird for the hunter to pursue are getting rare!
The majority
of the pheasants that are taken today are put and take birds that are
raised exclusively for that purpose.
There is pheasant, quail and chucker
hunting available all over the state but it is now big business and the
price per bird is in the $10-$20 per bird neighborhood. That's not
counting cleaning charge, etc.
Ken Moore of Ripon, Ben
VanStaaveren of Manteca and I hunted pheasants, quail and doves
recently on river bottom land that we had permission to hunt on. I am fortunate to
have a friend who knows
farmers that own land available to hunt on. My Brittany, Sierra, and
black Cocker Spaniel, Max, were more than ready for
some pointing, jumping, shooting and fetching.
 Max loves to retrieve the
small birds but he thinks that you are supposed to come and pick up the
pheasants yourself. Of course he guards them once they are down, that is
while he is waiting for you!
Our hunt started when Sierra left
the dirt road and pointed into a bramble patch, Max went in and
a brightly colored rooster pheasant jumped out of the cover crowing as he
tried to escape, Ken quickly downed him as another rooster broke to make a
getaway and Ken killed that one also. A double on one point.
I gave praise to the dogs and we continued
down the levy. Sierra went on point again and
this time quail were flushed. I managed to down a pretty top notch male who
took off like a canon. Quail can be hard to hit as
they zoom around the bushes and through the trees.
We came upon a small
tulle patch where I figured we would get a pheasant, but up came a
quail which I downed. So far Ben was in the wrong place at the right time.
Two coveys flushed and I think Ben
might have gotten one shot and he didn't have any chance on the pheasants.
This
was about to change as we flushed another crowing rooster, Ben slowed it
down and I finished it for him. We were having a ball, jumping quail and
pheasants.
We came upon a dead tree and two doves took
off. I shot one and waiting for the other to fall but nobody fired a shot.
"Hey guys dove season is open also," I reminded them.
We had a great hunt, by 11 a.m. we had
limits of pheasants, had downed a dozen quail and one dove. The dogs were
tired and needed a good evenings rest!
If your out looking for something to bring
home to cook. and would like to try you hand at pheasant hunting I would
suggest you try the Stockton Sportsmen's Club's pheasant hunt that is
going on during the regular season.
You also might use the pay to play
facilities at Camanche Hills or other hunting clubs that have trap and
skeet along with Pheasants, Chuker and Quail, |
