Bird Hunting

[CABilly]

Any BARFers into bird hunting? I'm pretty excited for this year since Gomer is all finished with his formal training. I have a soft lead on some private land (need to confirm formal permission) for dove, and will likely sample the various NorCal clubs for pheasant. I've also got a few spots with good mountain quail prospects, as long as they don't burn down this summer.

Well? D'ya hunt? Wanna see if we can get together and run our dogs together?

 

[Maddevill]

Just a reminder for all the gun users out there. It is very dry so watch where you shoot especially using steel shot. A 22 sparked a fire up near our property yesterday.

 

[burtosa]

This thread is the best thing I saw on the internet today...

 

[wilit]

I usually go hunt ducks in Don Edwards refuge. Weird to be sitting in a blind shooting at ducks and see Google's campus in the background.

 

[CABilly]

We just joined at Camanche, so that's where I'll be spending a lot of time. Still need to figure out the ins and outs of duck hunting. I know nothing about it or where to start.

 

[dtrides]

Only amateurs use guns to hunt birds....:sniperI combine motorcycles and riding and have a kill count of 5 or 6...and counting. :ride Two off the body and the rest the bike did the work...Oh, and a couple of squirrels, if they even count..:laughing
The biggest was a vulture with a wing span of a good 5-6'.
DT

 

[budman]

:laughing

Took down a kamakazi pheasant by hand once

I have not gone in while but pheasant was always my fav. Too lazy to go into the cold duck blind (did it a 100 times)
But always enjoyed quail but a lot of work to clean for a small meal.

I have a great tale of hunting pheasant and a bud who ended up looking like Sachmo if you want to hear it. I sure miss my hunting dog (kakui) and also my grandma that hunted with me when I was a kid. :rose

Dad shot his bro by accident. Another story. :teeth

My browning 12 needs a little warm up.

 

[Slow Goat]

Took down a kamakazi pheasant by hand once
.

Me too. Barefooting in the Delta in a long ago November next to one of the island bird reserves... saw a winged one hit the water. Swam over and rung his neck. Ate him hours later, a Good Day that was.

 

[CABilly]

Here's Gomer and his cousin Dakota in their first day hunting together. Gomer pouted all the way to the club and I think he was bummed we brought her along on what's been until then an all bros activity.

Dakota is still a spaz and learning to work two dogs in the field is quite a challenge. I could tell Gomer would get annoyed when he was working and she would just charge into him instead of looking for birds. But they did great flushing birds. Most we let fly as they either flew low right at another person or stayed low with the dogs chasing them.

Either way, it was a good day. Can't wait to go back

 

[CABilly]

This is Gomer last weekend with my little sister. He sure loves finding and flushing those birds. He blew me away that day. I thought I missed a bird because it kept flying, but Gomer took off after it. All my whistling and calling didn't matter, he went over a hill and I lost track of him. So I started walking, still whistling, and then here he comes a minute later with the bird in his mouth! We talked to a guy later who saw the whole thing and he said Gomer never took his eye off the bird. Was about a 3/8 mile retrieve!

 

[Cali]

Good looking pups :thumbup

 

[KrustyKruser]

I'm stoked to finally get out there for turkey this coming weekend. Need to keep practicing with my bow untill hunt day.

 

[Cali]

What kind of bow?

 

[motofox]

Hi all! You guys have any general advice on getting started on waterfowl? or know of apprentice hunts besides the DFW ones?

I just took the waterfowl hunting clinic with the DFW and am looking to get out there.

 

[tzrider]

This is my only bird hunting story:

Many years ago, I was driving north on I-5 towards Willows for my first ever track day. Maybe about 20 miles south of the town, there was a pickup on the shoulder. Out in the field to the right were two hunters with shotguns slung over their shoulders, accompanied by a dog. All three had their heads down dejectedly and they were empty handed.

A mile up the road, a sedan was pulled over on the shoulder, the driver looking at something on the ground a little ways behind the car. Drawing near, I could see what the driver was looking at: A pheasant.

 

[m0t0_ryder]

I enjoyed bird hunting most of the various hunts I've done.
Well, that and prairie dog hunts (slaughters) in various Eastern Oregon/Idaho farmers fields.

Chukar hunts in the sage brush hills around Susanville. Pheasant and Quail in Oregon.

Couple of my bird hunt stories...
I've actually bagged a couple pheasant with my .22... one on the fly, one on the run.
Also took one out on my '74 Z1 not far from Shasta Lake. My brother was following with the boat behind his truck when the Pheasant spooked up in the field in front of me, flew across the road and hit me square in the chest. It flew straight up about 20 feet (or so my bro told me) and I had to pull over to catch my breath. I was doing about 50 or so.

My Rem 1100 has collected a lot of dust in the locker.
Last used at Morgan Hill gun range. Few years ago.

Never have hunted waterfowl. Duck or Goose.
No wait, I think I did once like 30 years ago in Oregon. Sat in a cold wet blind with a buddy and watched them fly by a thousand feet above. Never took a shot that day. Didn't go back.

 

[KrustyKruser]

Hi all! You guys have any general advice on getting started on waterfowl? or know of apprentice hunts besides the DFW ones?

I just took the waterfowl hunting clinic with the DFW and am looking to get out there.

Not sure what options you have but up here we have a few Type C areas which are more competitive to get good spots on during good hunting weather but I think just scout the areas and plan on a way to get to the areas in darkness. Pre season scouting has worked well but the good hunting doesn't start until December in my opinion/experience.