1st Time Hunter; Help

I regard people that "breast out" pheasants and turkeys the same way I do those that kill a deer and take the rack, backstraps and hindquarters and leave the rest to the coyotes ...... wasteful, with no respect for the resource .... but you do whatever floats your boat, guy ......
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That doesn't sound judgemental or antogonistic at all! Game laws require that edible meat from big game animals must be removed from the field. Failing to do so is wanton waste. Birds are not big game animals are they?

My buddy called wyoming game and fish to find out what days the pheasant release sites were releasing birds. The conversation went something like this:

John: Yeah, I was wondering if you could tell me what days they are releasing birds at the Yellowtail site?
Wf&g: No! We can't tell you that!
John: Why not?
Wf&g: Because you will just go out and shoot them!
John: Hmmm... Well let me ask you this: what is the survival rate of the released birds?
Wf&g: Survival rate? Are you kidding? The fox and coyotes have those pen reared birds killed in the first few days!

So you see jimbob, you can't really compare wasting big game animals with leaving part of the birds that were intended for the coyotes anyway. :D
 
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Brad, you seem to be under the impression that all game birds are pen raised .....

Besides, it's the principle of the thing: Waste is waste. Just because a thing is not "illegal" does not make it right.

The unprincipled wouldn't understand.
 
Brad, you seem to be under the impression that all game birds are pen raised .....
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Not quite that naive Sir! Shall we hold in higher esteem wild birds over ones raised in a pen? They look and taste the same...

You seem to be under the impression that because you feel one way about waste, anyone who disagrees with you is "unprincipled". It is possible to make your case without being judgemental. I happen to agree with you, but I found a way to put forth my opinion without alienating anyone or sounding "holier than thou".

You did make a good point about cooking methods though...
 
Looked up some more information. Since I'll be on private land it looks like the lead bans won't apply. Thankfully there are plenty of trap and skeet ranges around SE Washington. 4 within a 45min drive. My friends have their own clay throwers, so I can set it up on our personal range to practice.

We may end of doing that to see if my Buddy's golden Retriever has any instinctual hunting skill. My dog is a Springer Spaniel/Rottweiler mix so i'll bring him along too. Not holding out that he has a clue what to do. Both of our dogs were rescues. Any tips on how to test them and their flushing abilities?

I'm not sure about the free range/pen raised birds. Both of our hunting grounds are within 40miles of the release sites. When I was growing up I used to feed the wild pheasants cracked corn at my parents house; so I guess they were half-wild since they got very comfortable around me.

I'm very excited for all the recipes you've shared with me. I plan to use everything I can plus the heart and liver . I had pheasant tortellini once and It was quite amazing.

Maybe a stupid question- When applying clay practice to the hunt, am I essentially treating the head as the point to lead off of?
 
I live in NE Ohio where few truly wild pheasants exist, so when you do see a bird, it was most likely pen raised and released for hunting. If these are the type birds you are hunting, DO NOT throw away ANY of the meat that you would keep if it were a chicken.

Truly wild birds area different matter.
 
Both birds are worth the effort !!!

When applying clay practice to the hunt, am I essentially treating the head as the point to lead off of?
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Yes, and after the hit, watch his head position as he is coming down. If his head is up, you have a potential "runner". Also, if you have good dogs and handler, the dogs will tell you when there is a runner.

Truly wild birds area different matter.
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They are but it doesn't take long for a pen-raised bird, to get wild. I have hunted mostly free-range birds but have guided on pen-fed canned hunts. Granted, the pen fed, eat better but there is noting wrong with the free-range. My Wife's favorite recipe, is the old reliable Campbell's cream of mushroom soup recipe. Whether free-range or pen-fed, they will challenge you and worth your time. Might add that free-range bird, will educate you !! ..... ;)

Enjoy and;
Be Safe !!!
 
I got into hunting later in life, unlike most of the folks here who have forgotten more about it than I may ever know. My advice is to spend time at the range shooting clay and talking to old timers who know about hunting in your area. You'll learn to shoot and a whole lot more.

Then just enjoy the experience of being in the woods and hunting. I spent a ton of time in the woods before I got into hunting, night and day in terms of how you feel when you're hiking and when you're hunting. Doesn't matter what you bag, hunting is just a great way to enjoy the outdoors. When you are a predator you are more connected, at least in my experience.
 
When i taught my son to pheasant hunt i used a little saying to get him to shoot ahead . move through the bird . had him saying but breast boom seem to work well for him.
 
I see that you plan on taking a couple of dogs. From what you say they seem untested. Have they been exposed to gunfire and do you know how they will react to it? You say they are rescue dogs, bless your heart for doing that. But if if they are frightened by loud noises you might have a re-rescue situation to contend with.

Good luck and good hunting!
 
Measure it well !!!

I see that you plan on taking a couple of dogs.
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Unless you know how they are going to react to the birds, I would leave them at home. The chances of them making for a miserable hunt, could outweigh the "perceived" benefits. ...... ;)

I know dogs and "bird" dogs and there is a big difference. A friend of mine once took his Beagle that was great on rabbits and all he did was berate the dog. ..... ;)

Be Safe !!!
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I regard people that "breast out" pheasants and turkeys the same way I do those that kill a deer and take the rack, backstraps and hindquarters and leave the rest to the coyotes ...... wasteful, with no respect for the resource .... but you do whatever floats your boat, guy ...
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personally, as one may have guessed, I am of the breast out crowd but if at all possible I will take every bit of edible meat i can get. on deer I will drag the entire thing out. on elk I take all 4 quarters, both backstraps and now that I've learned a special trick, both tenderloins unless there is extenuating circumstances.
Game laws require that edible meat from big game animals must be removed from the field. Failing to do so is wanton waste.
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not entirely. one person's definition of edible meat is not necessarily another person's definition. as the conversation here proves, some take the whole thing, other's dislike certain portions. some people around these parts use the meat from the neck, ribs, and other portions of deer, others throw it away. no fish and game regulation I've seen says you have to take any edible meat you find. they will specify some parts of certain animals. for instance, most people would not be expected to eat a wolf, or cougar, as such the only thing that's required to be kept is the skull(for census data) and the hide, everything else could be kicked down a gully. bear, although most of it is edible by most folk's standards is the same way, you have to present the skull to fish and game for census and they could care less about the rest. Idaho only requires quarters above the knees and loins to be taken, everything else can be left should the hunter so choose as everything else which some may consider wanton waste is not considered edible by state mandate.

personally with deer I take everything and whatever I don't eat becomes "organically grown dog food" whatever the dogs can't eat(namely bones and hide) get thrown into the burn pit and become nice, mineral rich, ash for the garden. with else, if someone wants to call my leaving of the ribs and neck as wanton waste they can go right ahead, that's their prerogative.
 
In all matters of the law, I defer to local rules and regulations. It is all subjective as far as I am concerned until Johnny bites you in the arse...still I don not equate breasting with wanton waste..
To each his own, but the newbie should come to his own conclusions as a matter of course...
The coyotes already know what they like!
 
It's all protein

In reality, it's all protein and thus, edible. ..... :eek:
I always recall an Old-Timer that use to let us hunt squirrels on his land. One day, he asked us what we did with the heads. Told him that we leave them in the woods as all we want, is the carcass. Asked if we could save the heads for him and how could we say no? He made squirrel head soup and on another occasion, asked if we wanted to try some. We declined by saying that we had brought sandwiches. He just smiled and walked away. His name was Enslym Winfield and hard to forget his name as well as the picture of him eating his soup. ..... :eek:

The old-timers didn't waste a thing and ate a lot of "different" stuff. Me eating liver sure turns the Grandkids off. They just shake their head and walk away .... :rolleyes:

Be Safe !!!
 
Guys instinctively want to take the easy way out of a chore AND want to fry every piece of game they bring home - which does not equate to the best method or the best eats. Imo, the novice hunter should experience the whole enchilada, meaning, to discover on his own what he/she likes about the sport and what they find palatable in the game. Pretty hard to discover if you like something or not if you leave it for the yotes.
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Best answer!
 
First, make sure that if you take a shot, your dogs won't run for the hills. Shoot several yards away from them, with a .22LR, when they're restrained.

Then, use a dummy with pheasant scent and throw it for them to retrieve. When they do it, train them to find it without seeing it, to see if they will. If they don't, it's not a deal-breaker, since the may flush one that you can shoot, provided they stay close and not flush birds beyond shotgun range.

Clay target practice is very important, especially for longer shots. Trap range shooting is best for pheasant practice IMHO, especially for a guy with a full choke gun.

Lastly, pheasants have long tails causing people to point too far back on the bird. Point ahead of the birds' heads, especially on crossing shots. If under full steam, and 40 yards away, at least two feet ahead.

Finally, don't be discouraged if you don't get birds on your first few trips. Patience and practice will prevail.
 
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