Nice surprise!

[Britsmoothy]

I was out late last night looking for a chicken killing fox on this egg production unit.
Never saw it but when I got up this morning early to go pheasant hunting with a muzzleloader my right foot was in agony with planta so I didn't go out.
Feeling miserable about it my wife gave me some cream to rub on my heel and it improved.
So I phoned the chicken farmer who is next door to us if he had seen any pheasants on the farm. He said there is " just a couple in the pit".
So I set of with the Pseudo Beretta only to find the pit, a small spinney with a small pool in it absolutely full of pheasants! Must of walked off a local shoot that does not come near this farm.
What's a man to do, can't let them go to waste!
I didn't shoot the hens mind.

Looks like I'm eating bird all week!

 

[deermanok]

Some nice birds there!

 

[oldwood]

Very nice.......brings back fond memories........ My dad (RIP), my son.(RIP) and myself hunting pheasants back in the 1980's......oldwood

 

[user 49399]

Nice!

 

[Britsmoothy]

Very nice.......brings back fond memories........ My dad (RIP), my son.(RIP) and myself hunting pheasants back in the 1980's......oldwood

Sorry friend. God bless.

 

[SDSmlf]

Good show. I have not been part of a day like that since the 1970s.

 

[Yewbender]

Congrats on 3 tasty birds

 

[deerstalkert]

Britsmoothy, that sound you are about to hear is my knuckles rapping on your door!

local f&g has been dumping farm raised birds just below me in a management area. 500 birds in the last 3 weeks. works out to one every 10 acres if they all stay on the management land. all cocks. saw a coyote crossing the road yesterday dragging his belly. i see hawks, owls, and eagles perched in my trees with satisfied look on them.
talked to several shooters and they say the birds are scarce.
predators disagree.
one neighbor raises free range chickens to sell eggs. he says the pen raised pheasants are starting to out number his chickens at feeding time!

 

[Old Timer 48]

Nice surprise! Nice success!

 

[Britsmoothy]

Thanks everyone.
The gun was still fouled this morning so I went squirrel hunting first thing.

Got six in the end.
I missed crows on the wing completely and also ran out of wads so used leaf and dry grass.

Now I'll clean the gun but I need to rest my foot first

 

[muzzlediscipline]

When I was a child there were pheasants everywhere. We would often come across their nests even in vacant lots. I haven't seen one in decades. Just now thinking about it there were Red Wing Blackbirds heavily mixed in with the pheasant habitat and once again seem to have gone long ago. Back then I would go with my father out to post land. The local gun club offered the service to all landowners. They had two colors of Do Not Trespass/No hunting signs. One color meant the landowner specifically gave permission to the club members only to hunt their land and the other color meant no permission for anyone. It was a great way for the club to build membership and public good will towards hunters. Now there is practically no hunting in the area.

 

[sportster73hp]

Brit, i love the stories. Are you the only one hunting the area or does the area hold that much game?

 

[JCKelly]

Pheasants, red wing black birds. Their numbers today surely have nothing to do with the nice safe WhatEverIcides used to keep our lands in proper order.

When lived in York Co., PA I had to drive slowly near work to let Mrs. Pheasant cross the road with her children. In the Fall I'd leave home early w my antique double. Mr. Pheasant didn't seem to care that it was a muzzle loader. Then moved to S.E. Michigan in 1972, and pheasant was essentially an extinct species. Though we did have a lot of red-winged blackbirds around south-western shore of Lake Erie through the 1970's. Dunno about today.

Anyone wonder why?

 

[Jaeger]

I was out late last night looking for a chicken killing fox on this egg production unit.
Never saw it but when I got up this morning early to go pheasant hunting with a muzzleloader my right foot was in agony with planta so I didn't go out.
Feeling miserable about it my wife gave me some cream to rub on my heel and it improved.
So I phoned the chicken farmer who is next door to us if he had seen any pheasants on the farm. He said there is " just a couple in the pit".
So I set of with the Pseudo Beretta only to find the pit, a small spinney with a small pool in it absolutely full of pheasants! Must of walked off a local shoot that does not come near this farm.
What's a man to do, can't let them go to waste!
I didn't shoot the hens mind.
View attachment 102866
View attachment 102873
Looks like I'm eating bird all week!

What's a "spinney"?

 

[Britsmoothy]

Brit, i love the stories. Are you the only one hunting the area or does the area hold that much game?

I'm the only one hunting with muzzleloaders. Lot of people shoot around hereThis morning I could hear a friend shooting woodpigeon coming to decoys. He had a lot of shooting! Hundreds of birds were heading his way in flocks of 20-30birds a time.
There are 4 small shoots around where I live and shoot. They use reared birds released to the woods in late summer.
When they start shooting some birds invariably look for a sanctuary. Some find my places. With me controlling fox numbers they find a naturally warm quiet place with some food. I sometimes put some food down for them once I get the squirrel numbers down. About 300 this year I've shot with a 22, hmr, suppository shotguns and of course, muzzleloader oh and air rifle.
So yes, a lot of pheasants, rabbit numbers are down. Hares are abundant this year. Pigeon are good. Plenty of duck and geese.
I am very fortunate.

 

[Britsmoothy]

What's a "spinney"?

A spinney is a small wooded plot amidst pasture or arable farm land. Often with a natural pond from a spring.

 

[Old Timer 48]

Nice shooting! You are having fun! I look forward to your stories.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Brit, rabbits will run in cycles. For a few years they seem too do well and then a drop in population, before a re-bound. I am a big rabbit hunter and the past few years has been good hunting about time for a slow period. Keep Shooting.

 

[user 51067]

Thanks everyone.
The gun was still fouled this morning so I went squirrel hunting first thing.
View attachment 103082
Got six in the end.
I missed crows on the wing completely and also ran out of wads so used leaf and dry grass.
View attachment 103083
Now I'll clean the gun but I need to rest my foot first

How do you actually like your Beretta? I am fortunate enough to actually own two, but have yet to put them to use.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

I'm the only one hunting with muzzleloaders. Lot of people shoot around hereThis morning I could hear a friend shooting woodpigeon coming to decoys. He had a lot of shooting! Hundreds of birds were heading his way in flocks of 20-30birds a time.
There are 4 small shoots around where I live and shoot. They use reared birds released to the woods in late summer.
When they start shooting some birds invariably look for a sanctuary. Some find my places. With me controlling fox numbers they find a naturally warm quiet place with some food. I sometimes put some food down for them once I get the squirrel numbers down. About 300 this year I've shot with a 22, hmr, suppository shotguns and of course, muzzleloader oh and air rifle.
So yes, a lot of pheasants, rabbit numbers are down. Hares are abundant this year. Pigeon are good. Plenty of duck and geese.
I am very fortunate.

I remember back about 50+ years ago we had a good population of pheasants here in N.E. PA but no more, sad. I got one one day driving my Austin Healy, he flew across the road and took my rear view mirror right off, they were mounted on the fenders.