Winter pheasants

[ESSGuy]

If anyone agrees or disagrees. My opinion is that for a species like pheasants that are more of a warm weather bird,i.e. They have no feathers on legs, like a native grouse. I always have thought if you hunt pheasants in winter, thus flushing hens out of good habitat and making them use energy to escape hunters and possibly making them roost in poor habitat that it is a disservice to their survival. every time you flush a hen out of good thermal cover makes her use energy that depending on winter conditions, she may not ever be able to recover. Anyone disagree and why?

 

[sartellangler05]

I don't think it is the temperature that has effect on winter survival, but more so food availability and snow cover preventing food. Also, snow cover limits available brush to seek shelter from predation.

[rundrave]

they are tough hardy birds, they get out and fly around to get food and pick gravel whether we flush them while hunting or not.

they know where to go to stay warm and  they no where to go after they get flushed. again its mostly about habitat and food. but all those little pheasant hotels in bent over grass and cattails they stay plenty warm. I have had dogs lock up on point in what looks like a pile of snow only to have a bird come flying out. I dont think twice about hunting in them in the winter.

 

[RoosterRedneck]

On January 4, 2016 at 11:20 AM, rundrave said:

they are tough hardy birds, they get out and fly around to get food and pick gravel whether we flush them while hunting or not.

they know where to go to stay warm and  they no where to go after they get flushed. again its mostly about habitat and food. but all those little pheasant hotels in bent over grass and cattails they stay plenty warm. I have had dogs lock up on point in what looks like a pile of snow only to have a bird come flying out. I dont think twice about hunting in them in the winter.

 

+1

[monstermoose78]

Went out yesterday after the wake and visitation with Finn. He flushed two hens and I saw him chasing a rooster but I am not fast enough to keep up. It flushed about a hundred yards out from me. We seen one grouse but it flushed 60 yards in front of Finn and he was only 10 yards infront of me. Then Finn started going crazy so he headed into the cat tails and wow 50 or so mallards flew at me and then 7 big swans. Finn did not look happy that I just watched them. It was a fun little trip. 

 

Anyone else Lise out there chasing birds yet?

[monstermoose78]

Going out to look for grouse and pheasants in a bit.

[monstermoose78]

No birds today Finn and walked and walked nothing

[monstermoose78]

Pheasants just popped out of no where. I am seeing them everywhere