Disgusting display of sportsmanship

[happy honker]

Wow, I can't believe this. They were shooting the birds just as they were being released? Was the guy doing the releasing in danger at all?
These guys are idiots, I hope they break a tooth or two on pellets when they're eating those birds.

Definitely whomever is in charge of releasing the birds needs to alter their schedule/procedure to prevent these tards from doing this.
I just can't believe it.
I can't imagine the "hunting" stories they must tell their friends.

[last minute]

Originally Posted by gitrdone

Well all, I hate to say it but I am totally disgusted with what I witnessed today.
I decided to go hunt some pheasant today and after pounding alot of ground for the morning with no success I made my way over to the Millicent release site as a last ditch effort. What I witnessed was the worst display of sportsmanship I've ever seen.
Upon arriving I saw guys standing around on the road as if waiting for a pizza to be delivered. So I parked, unloaded my dog and gear and started walking out.
A few minutes later I saw the reason why these lazy lums were waiting about. A flat deck truck with pheasant boxes on the back. So never actually seeing a release before I stopped to watch. The "Hunters" on the road readied their shotguns and waited yet again.
I'm sure the man releasing the birds were just as discussed as I was as he opened the boxes and the "Hunters" opened fire from on the road and just inside the wire. After the second box was opened I half expected these "Hunters" to start yelling Pull!
After witnessing this I packed up and headed out taking extra caution not to get shot on my way back to the truck.

This kind of behavior can not be legal and if it is, that must change.

I wonder how they knew the truck would be there, releaseing them after closed hours wouldn't be a bad idea .

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by dickinsonpw

I was speaking with a few hunters that went down to the Taber release. They said the phesants were not moving at all - you could walk up to them and they wouldn't move. they said even with a dog they wouldn't fly.... Are these caged pheasants getting to domesticated?

If anyone knows of a Big Buck release site - please let me know...skunked so far this year!

Even wild pheasants have been known to hold like that, and released pheasants have been known to give a dog a real run for their money- as w.w.birds says, they do what pheasants do and that is unpredictable at the best of times!
Cat

[rccam1]

To those who wish to slam the people releasing these birds. Until you do it, you are just flapping you gums in ignorance. Allot of the time you are one person attempting to release a few hundred birds in one day during daylight hours. I have tried in the dark and have ended up walking a long way for help to get a stuck truck out. And before you say you should not be alone guess what. Most of the people who do this are volunteers and there are not enough. You do not have the time to drive past every site where people are waiting, they are waiting at the next site anyway, you do not have the next day off work to go back and try again, the birds may not make the night in the boxes if you can make it out the next day. So before you do more bashing get off your arses and lend a hand. The clubs and people that do this would really appreciate your help and believe me it's needed.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by rccam1

To those who wish to slam the people releasing these birds. Until you do it, you are just flapping you gums in ignorance. Allot of the time you are one person attempting to release a few hundred birds in one day during daylight hours. I have tried in the dark and have ended up walking a long way for help to get a stuck truck out. And before you say you should not be alone guess what. Most of the people who do this are volunteers and there are not enough. You do not have the time to drive past every site where people are waiting, they are waiting at the next site anyway, you do not have the next day off work to go back and try again, the birds may not make the night in the boxes if you can make it out the next day. So before you do more bashing get off your arses and lend a hand. The clubs and people that do this would really appreciate your help and believe me it's needed.

I have heard of trucks even FOLLOWING the release truck, what' with that??!!
I really don't think that you release truck drivers have much choice , like you say, you have a certain amount of time to get the job done, and trying to get away from a bunch of idjits with guns would amount to a Keystone Cops movie.
Cat

[last minute]

Originally Posted by rccam1

To those who wish to slam the people releasing these birds. Until you do it, you are just flapping you gums in ignorance. Allot of the time you are one person attempting to release a few hundred birds in one day during daylight hours. I have tried in the dark and have ended up walking a long way for help to get a stuck truck out. And before you say you should not be alone guess what. Most of the people who do this are volunteers and there are not enough. You do not have the time to drive past every site where people are waiting, they are waiting at the next site anyway, you do not have the next day off work to go back and try again, the birds may not make the night in the boxes if you can make it out the next day. So before you do more bashing get off your arses and lend a hand. The clubs and people that do this would really appreciate your help and believe me it's needed.

I havent done it but you know how hard is it to open a door and let them out

[rccam1]

Originally Posted by last minute

I havent done it but you know how hard is it to open a door and let them out

You must be one of those who wait for the truck if all you see is opening a door

[elkhunter11]

I have heard of trucks even FOLOWING the release truck, what' with that??!!
I really don't think that you release truck drivers have much choice , like you say, you have a certain amount of time to get the job done, and trying to get away from a bunch of idjits with guns would amount to a Keystone Cops movie.

I certainly don't blame the people releasing the birds, especially if they are volunteers. What does need to happen is that all of the sites close every day at 2pm or even 1pm, so that the birds can be released when people aren't waiting for them. And if the birds must be delivered earlier in the day for some reason, implement a 30 minute closure at each site after the birds have all left the truck. Make the penalties severe for violations, as in an automatic license suspension, and huge fine for violators.

[last minute]

Originally Posted by rccam1

You must be one of those who wait for the truck if all you see is opening a door

yah nice try keep digging I just dont think its that hard to do.

[BrownTrout]

I was at the taber pheasant festival. We watched a release of 17 birds that day. Of the four of us we didn't max out our daily limit. We watched a lot of birds that we didn't get. It's amazing the difference between making those guys wait an hour and a half to letting them shoot them from the truck. There were lots of birds from the days before too

[rccam1]

Originally Posted by last minute

yah nice try keep digging I just dont think its that hard to do.

No it's not rocket science. Never said it was and even you can probably do it. It's a full day of hard work though. "Start early to pick up birds, long drive to Brooks from Lethbridge. Load birds and long drive back to start the releases often in sh*%Y weather. Meet with other groups and transfer birds to them so they can do other areas. Not just one location but many and some not too easy to get to. By the end of about 12 hours and hundreds of kilometers you're cold, warn out, hungry and ****ed off. You should give it a try and see just how hard it can be.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by last minute

yah nice try keep digging I just dont think its that hard to do.

Some of the release sites are quite a ways from the farm, and like was stated it's a volunteer thing.
Everybody's time is limited to a certain extent.
Cat

[finsnfeathers]

Originally Posted by last minute

I wonder how they knew the truck would be there, releaseing them after closed hours wouldn't be a bad idea .

Is there any reason these birds couldn't be released the week prior to season opening? I would certainly volunteer, but under no circumstances would i release birds in front of a firing squad of lunatics.

[rccam1]

Originally Posted by last minute

yah nice try keep digging I just dont think its that hard to do.

What, if I keeping digging I might strike something intelligent

[elkhunter11]

Is there any reason these birds couldn't be released the week prior to season opening? I would certainly volunteer, but under no circumstances would i release birds in front of a firing squad of lunatics.

A one time release won't work well. You need to release them regularly to keep a huntable supply of birds throughout the season.

[finsnfeathers]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

A one time release won't work well. You need to release them regularly to keep a huntable supply of birds throughout the season.

I understand your point, however it sounds like the firing squad is devastating this "huntable supply??

[rccam1]

Not sure about farther north but in the South the birds are released just prior to opening day and every week of the season. They have in the past also carried out spring releases of hens to help support the population.

[Mutter87]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

A one time release won't work well. You need to release them regularly to keep a huntable supply of birds throughout the season.

I have to ask, but can the Phesants not sustain themselves through breeding here?

[Redfrog]

And I have to ask, why would someone take a cheap shot at a guy who volunteers his time so others can hunt pheasants?

Real Classy.

[finsnfeathers]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

And I have to ask, why would someone take a cheap shot at a guy who volunteers his time so others can hunt pheasants?

Real Classy.

He's not only taking cheap shots from this thread, but also ducking blasts at the release sites!

[elkhunter11]

I have to ask, but can the Phesants not sustain themselves through breeding here?

Not in the regions where some of the release sites are located.

[Matt L.]

Could the guy releasing the birds not just sit in his truck and tell the "shooters" that he won't release till they bugger off? Even just from a safety standpoint?

[elkhunter11]

Could the guy releasing the birds not just sit in his truck and tell the "shooters" that he won't release till they bugger off? Even just from a safety standpoint?

I suppose that he could, but the guy is a volunteer, on his own time, and he has a life to get back to as well.

I suppose that one approach might be to have someone videotape the events, and if someone shoots towards the truck or the person releasing the birds, you could pursue charges of careless use of a firearm. If you succeeded in getting a conviction and publicized it, the idiots might back off a bit.

[troutfly]

Originally Posted by BrownTrout

I was at the taber pheasant festival. We watched a release of 17 birds that day. Of the four of us we didn't max out our daily limit. We watched a lot of birds that we didn't get. It's amazing the difference between making those guys wait an hour and a half to letting them shoot them from the truck. There were lots of birds from the days before too

I spent a day releasing birds for the Taber Pheasant Festival. At each site, and there were a few of them, the hunters present all stopped to watch as we released the birds. NO-ONE tried to shoot till the birds were well away from the truck and we had packed up our boxes back onto the truck. Then they commenced to hunt very well dispersed birds, all without us requesting them to hold up etc. Well done goes out to those folks.
Jeff

[gilbertslake]

Originally Posted by finsnfeathers

I understand your point, however it sounds like the firing squad is devastating this "huntable supply??

Some people just don't want to waste energy. I walked 6 miles last week hunting for ruffed grouse and didn't get one although my dog did flush a small covey. At the end of the hunt I was tired and sore, but enjoyed that far more than than I would have sitting on the bed of a truck taking pot-shots.

Unfortunately, there are those that just don't understand that hunting isn't just about firing a gun, it is the whole experience of the hunt.

[Mutter87]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Not in the regions where some of the release sites are located.

Now is this because people shoot them to fast or is it just not their natural habitat? I am not trying to hijack a thread, just curious.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Mutter87

Now is this because people shoot them to fast or is it just not their natural habitat? I am not trying to hijack a thread, just curious.

There has been a loss of habitat, and a series of bad winters and went spring time seasons from what I understand.
That and predatation.....
BTW, when we were out last week we encountered quite a few wild roosters and a few hens as well.....
Cat

[jhl]

Originally Posted by gilbertslake

Some people just don't want to waste energy. I walked 6 miles last week hunting for ruffed grouse and didn't get one although my dog did flush a small covey. At the end of the hunt I was tired and sore, but enjoyed that far more than than I would have sitting on the bed of a truck taking pot-shots.

Unfortunately, there are those that just don't understand that hunting isn't just about firing a gun, it is the whole experience of the hunt.

agree fully, some people do not understand the act of volunteers or just people helping people. Some people are lazy and road hunters, then there are folks like those on this site who voluteered to venture to northern AB to rescue a few geese, Hats off to volunteers.

[Bushrat]

Why don't they make it a 3 or 4 day a week season, the birds could be released on monday and the opening wouldn't be until thursday then close on sunday night. More birds released again on the next monday with a few days to disperse and get accustomed to being out of a cage. i just don't see any sport in shooting them in the immediate vicinity of the release area especially on the same day. About as sporting as letting chickens out of the coop then opening fire on them as they run around the barnyard..

[elkhunter11]

Now is this because people shoot them to fast or is it just not their natural habitat? I am not trying to hijack a thread, just curious.

Some of the release sites, are at the Northern extreme of where pheasants can survive. One bad winter can pretty much wipe them out in some areas.