Quote:
Originally Posted by CDN offroader
I tried it for the first time last year at one of the release sites, went solo with no dog, and took my 20 gauge. Was able to get 2 roosters in an afternoon of walking. There were other hunters out there, but it didn't feel crowded. Definitely a fun time. I think success depends on how close you show up to the release days, which aren't advertised.
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Not just the release days, the actual release time. If you show up within an hour of a release, your odds improve greatly, there are still birds disoriented and in the open. However, once the dogs start working the area, the birds are quickly killed, or driven into the cover. Once the birds are in the cover, you can walk by within a few yards, and not know that the birds are even there. Most will either hunker down in the cover and let you walk by, or run away, rather than fly. Typically, by the next day, almost all birds are in the cover, and you can walk for hours, and never see one, unless someone with a dog puts one up. Two or three days after a release, it can take hours to find birds, even with a good dog.
As far as crowds go, it can get crazy after a release, while some of us head away from the release area, many people hear the shots, and rush towards the release area, hoping to find birds, before they disperse. I avoid weekends, and try to avoid the actual releases, and it can be a pleasant experience, with no issues with other hunters.