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bird hunting without a dog on off-stocking days?


mazzgolf

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Now that I have my deer, and the bird allocations are up in the south this year, I am thinking trying to pheasant hunt myself.

 

$40 for a stamp is a bargain - most times I've gone pheasant hunting is on a preserve and as you probably know even with a minimum bird allocation it can easily run over $100 just for a single day.

 

Of course, preserve hunting is much safer because you don't have to engage a minuteman army to fight for a bird. To avoid the war zone, I'm thinking of going on off-stocking days. But I don't have a dog. Would it be a waste of time to hunt WMAs on off-stocking days without a dog? I've never hunting without a dog that someone else in my party brought along. Watching the dogs do what they do, I am not sure it is so easy doing it without one.

Edited by mazzgolf
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By all means if you have the time hunting the non stocking days offer some great experiences. That's pretty much when we hunt now in NJ. Hunting without a good dog makes it a lot more challenging but you can still enjoy enjoy yourself and take a few birds. The released birds start to try locate each other after all the commotion dies down and the Roosters will give a cluck, cluck, sound and the Hens more of a peeping chirp. Walk quietly along the grass cut roads and listen. It would be difficult for a single hunter to push fields by yourself, the birds will just run around you, so hunt the hedgerows and thicker cover "slowly". Have fun and enjoy, this time of year goes by way to fast! 

Pennsylvania Upland Hunting

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Now that I have my deer, and the bird allocations are up in the south this year, I am thinking trying to pheasant hunt myself.

 

$40 for a stamp is a bargain - most times I've gone pheasant hunting is on a preserve and as you probably know even with a minimum bird allocation it can easily run over $100 just for a single day.

 

Of course, preserve hunting is much safer because you don't have to engage a minuteman army to fight for a bird. To avoid the war zone, I'm thinking of going on off-stocking days. But I don't have a dog. Would it be a waste of time to hunt WMAs on off-stocking days without a dog? I've never hunting without a dog that someone else in my party brought along. Watching the dogs do what they do, I am not sure it is so easy doing it without one

One of the best times to be at a stocked WMA is on the non stocking days in my opinion. Many times, several birds are seen pecking along the roads, or enjoying their newly discovered freedom and can be seen in the fields that were combed over when they stocked...Without a dog, walk slow and listen like said above...

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My dad said that when he and his brother were teenagers and in-between owning bird dogs, they would cut a length of rope and each of them would tie one end around their waist.  They'd hang a can full of pennies on the rope and then walk along the fields, dragging the can across the fields.  That would usually be enough to kick up whatever was in the field.  Pretty smart for a couple of poor kids from the sticks in PA

Edited by not on the rug
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My dad said that when he and his brother were teenagers and in-between owning bird dogs, they would cut a length of rope and each of them would tie one end around their waist.  They'd hang a can full of pennies on the rope and then walk along the fields, dragging the can across the fields.  That would usually be enough to kick up whatever was in the field.  Pretty smart for a couple of poor kids from the sticks in PA

 

That actually sounds like fun :)

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Move slow, stop, and look. Stop and Go! You can zig zag fields and circle around the edges. I still cover a field in this manner with a dog. Patience and Pace gets the birds. You be surprised how many times a bird just sits very still and let the hunters and dogs walk right by them.

 

Walking the roads is also a good tactic.

image.jpeg

Edited by Batsto
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  • 3 weeks later...

The posters that told you to go on stock days after 11 AM are giving you good advice. So are the folks who are telling you to go the next day after the sun comes up and warmsthe field edges.

 

In the afternoons of stocking days, you will often see a lone hunter with a dog. Wave and head towards their general area. If they veer away, they don't want company. If they don't, they might be willing to let you come along.

 

Many folks with dogs are out there more for the dog work than the birds.

 

RayG

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Another suggestion is look near any water sources especially the day after stocking when the birds had a chance to locate it the day earlier. The birds tend to be near lakes, ponds, swamps and even puddles. I would steer clear from putting one down over a lake unless you can retrieve it. Swamps are difficult to hunt but I get a lot of my birds from there, hard walking, hard shots so most steer clear. I swap hunting boots for muck boots and push rite through them with great success.

 

 

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Edited by Big Joe NJ
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The posters that told you to go on stock days after 11 AM are giving you good advice. So are the folks who are telling you to go the next day after the sun comes up and warmsthe field edges.

 

In the afternoons of stocking days, you will often see a lone hunter with a dog. Wave and head towards their general area. If they veer away, they don't want company. If they don't, they might be willing to let you come along.

 

Many folks with dogs are out there more for the dog work than the birds.

 

I have no problems asking to hook up with other hunters if I see them in the field - I've done that on a couple of occasions. But unless I'm offered the invite, I don't think I would ask to hunt with guys with dogs I see in the field. If I put myself in their shoes, they don't know me from any jack-wagon with a gun and have no idea how safe this person is hunting over dogs.

 

So some guys with dogs don't mind if folks ask to join them in the fields? I would have thought that was a non-starter.

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You don't know.

 

Sometimes I have said: "Sure tag along, but watch your gun muzzle and watch for my dog." Other times I have said "No."

 

If I think the hunter is responsible, and is alone, I may well issue an invite, but I will watch them and if I see something I do not like, I will part company in a heartbeat. Often the hunter I invite is a young person or on the other end of the stick. Most young folks that I have seen out there hunting alone seem to have a pretty firm grasp of the safety aspect.

 

I can tell you that, on several occasions down in Greenwood, when I was looking for my dog and I came upon a hunter just standing there, just watching the dog locked up on quail, I invited them to walk in and take the shot. I kinda figured if they were a good enough sport not to go in and take the bird, but would rather watch the dog...they deserved the chance.

 

RayG

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