Southern Pheasants

Lerrooy · #1 10-23-2018, 07:03 AM

Hey guys, not trying to complain or anything, but just curious what the success rate is for these southern alberta release sites.
I've been to 4 so far since the 16th. Put on an average of 10km at each site plus using my flushing lab.
I went to the Don Quinton Lease the evening of the 16th and hiked the coulees
I checked out CPR the evening of the 17th.
Went out to McVinnie on the 21st all afternoon combing the cover and field.
And then checked out the Deerfield Pheasants Forever Lease last night.
I havnt flushed anything every time I go out. It's getting really frustrating.
Am I doing something wrong?

I've talked to a few people and they say they had similar luck. Told me the really serious guys are out first thing and kill everything.
Cant go out in the morning due to work though. I get off at 5 then try and head out

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

sharpstick · #2 10-23-2018, 08:57 AM

Call in sick and join the early birds... LOL

Big Grey Wolf · #3 10-23-2018, 09:00 AM

Most success at release sites is with a good hunting dog and a great nose. If your dog runs around with his head in air will flush only odd bird. My first springer would wear hair off his nose every fall, but would not miss any birds. Had other springers though that could not find bird if they stept on it.

tfm00 · #4 10-23-2018, 10:48 AM

Agree with Big Grey Wolf.

We just got back from hunting pheasants in southern Saskatchewan with a couple dogs and 8 guys. We split up into 2 groups, one group with a 4 year old lab, lots of waterfowl experience and the 2nd group with me and my Large Munsterlander. My LM is a younger dog but works his butt off and uses his nose as bgw described, to the ground. We did very well with a couple days of limits and lots of birds found. The group with the lab really struggled to find birds as the lab didn't want to go into the thick cover or "trust" his nose to the extent of the LM.

We really found this year with the dry summer that the birds were really holed up in the deep cover and if the dog wouldn't go in birds wouldn't leave. More than a few times my LM locked point and I was crawling on my hands and knees to get where the bird and he was as they just wouldn't move (run or fly).

I am coming off a flushing dog (English Springer) and already see a vast improvement in birds in a day. Could be more birds but I would bet on use of nose and following into that crazy deep cover.

Good luck.

Jadham · #5 10-23-2018, 03:58 PM

IMO different breeds have different strengths when it comes to pheasants. Springers can work heavy dense cover a lab simply cant/won’t.

Labs seem to be good with running pheasants and cattail cover. Running birds are probably the hardest and I don’t recommend starting with those. This means cattails. Grab a set of waders and work the cattails with the lab slowly up to shin deep water. Or wait until early November when things freeze up and then work the cattails. The pheasants can’t run fast in the cattails so once he has a hot scent work that area thoroughly.

elkhunter11 · #6 10-23-2018, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfm00

Agree with Big Grey Wolf.

We just got back from hunting pheasants in southern Saskatchewan with a couple dogs and 8 guys. We split up into 2 groups, one group with a 4 year old lab, lots of waterfowl experience and the 2nd group with me and my Large Munsterlander. My LM is a younger dog but works his butt off and uses his nose as bgw described, to the ground. We did very well with a couple days of limits and lots of birds found. The group with the lab really struggled to find birds as the lab didn't want to go into the thick cover or "trust" his nose to the extent of the LM.

We really found this year with the dry summer that the birds were really holed up in the deep cover and if the dog wouldn't go in birds wouldn't leave. More than a few times my LM locked point and I was crawling on my hands and knees to get where the bird and he was as they just wouldn't move (run or fly).

I am coming off a flushing dog (English Springer) and already see a vast improvement in birds in a day. Could be more birds but I would bet on use of nose and following into that crazy deep cover.

Good luck.

We likely kill 3/4 of our birds in the thick brush. I can sympathize with you trying to find and get to a dog on point in the thick stuff. There are times I almost regret him finding the bird in the first place. And even when you get to the bird, you may not get a clear shot through the trees. And then there are the birds that keep running in the thick stuff, and I can't catch up, and the bird eventually makes it to an open area and flushes without presenting a shot. I see many people that won't send their dog into the heavy cover, and those people find far fewer birds as a result. It's nice to have an open field point , but that seems to be by far the minority of the time.

MK2750 · #7 10-23-2018, 05:08 PM

OR you can train a couple of Labs to love the thick stuff. I generally go in the afternoon and the only hunters around are those disappointed from the morning hunt heading home.

There is a method to this madness. Once the birds get over the initial shock of the whole ordeal they start to wander in the thick stuff. This of course leaves a trail for the dogs instead of them having to stumble right on top of a hiding bird.

The biggest mistake I see dogs making is moving too quickly and giving up on scent. Some of these birds hold extremely tight and literally have to be dug out of the cover. Both birds I got this afternoon were flushed after 10 minutes or so digging around in a 30 yard square thicket. If the dogs are too excited, they run right by the birds especially when there is a lot of false scent around on release day.

britman101 · #8 10-23-2018, 08:15 PM

Good points have been made. Also how often have you been out hunting with your pooch. Some guys figure that its hunting season, and rover should be up to speed and ready to go. Unfortunately a dog who is huffing and puffing and out of shape is going to have a tough go of it. That is where it makes sense to work the cover over slowly, to give the dog a chance to lock in on the pheasants And as far as distance covered if a guy walks 10 km, the dog can easily be doing three to four times that distance.

MK2750 · #9 10-23-2018, 09:21 PM

Lots of dogs out there dragging their butts. Many are over weight and in poor condition and I would bet there is many more on a diet that is not capable of supporting a working animal.

A person might get away with a variety of foods in the off season but high protein and fat content (at least 30/20) is a must for a working dog. I feed quality food year round but mix at least 3 different brands to make certain no nutrients are missed from late summer until the end of the season.

Big Grey Wolf · #10 10-24-2018, 08:37 AM

Many good points covered already, but one last suggestion stop walking when dog appears on scent "Let the dog work"

robson3954 · #11 10-24-2018, 12:47 PM

Dogs aside, sometimes it’s just a ghost town. I think some of the lesser frequented spots receive very few birds. I’m not familiar with those sites, but some have very little cover so the birds peace out or are killed really quickly.

elkhunter11 · #12 10-24-2018, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by britman101

Good points have been made. Also how often have you been out hunting with your pooch. Some guys figure that its hunting season, and rover should be up to speed and ready to go. Unfortunately a dog who is huffing and puffing and out of shape is going to have a tough go of it. That is where it makes sense to work the cover over slowly, to give the dog a chance to lock in on the pheasants And as far as distance covered if a guy walks 10 km, the dog can easily be doing three to four times that distance.

Many people treat their dog like their shotgun, they don't use either until the season opens. So of course their dog is out of shape for the first few weeks of the season. I run my dog every day, off leash in a field, all year, except for the days that he actually hunts.