I could have had a heart attack when I saw what they wanted for a westside pheasant this year! I spent the money because it is good for getting my dogs ready for the real pheasant season in Pullman. Anyone going out tomorrow for the opener?

I drove by there on the way to the river yesterday. Both Cherry Creek and Stillwater were packed! I stopped doing those places when I got peppered by another hunter. It was great midweek when I was training the last pup though. This one is going to have to learn by trial on those wild birds.

No-

I mean HELL NO!

As for a young pup, if you already bought the license, just go there in the last hour and let your pup fetch up all the wounded birds before the coyotes get at them! Loosing the pup in that mob scene could do more harm then good.

I'm with Seastrike. Let em learn on the wild birds.

Both my dogs grew up in Pullman hunting wild birds, this westside hunt is good for getting them ready for the "real season" Gregg and Seastrike, if you guys want I will take you out to Crescent lake and make sure you dont get shot, I promise.

I have been out both yesterday and today, I have seen one other person total, as long as your not out there at 8am on release days you are good to go.

I gave up on that a few years ago when I watched a poor pheasant that had somehow survived a few days "on it's own" and had become hungry. I watched it following a hunter down a trail hoping for a handful of pheasant chow!

It wasn't the crowd that turned me off as I only hunted it during afternoons on days there where no scheduled releases. It was the quality of birds and the over all experiance that turned me off. That and the fact my dog would find three dead/wounded birds for every on that would take flight. I'd rather hunt for days for one wild pheasant then hours for two pen raised pheasant.

Same reason I fish wild steelhead instead of blue creek! I'm a snob and damn proud of it!

I will admit though that the last year I hunted it was when Sage was 6 months old so there is some training oppertunities to be derived.

I've moved here from Minnesota two years ago, and started training a yellow lab last year. So far, I've only introduced him to live Grouse in South Dakota. My family owns a farm there.

I'd like to get some training done close to home at either Cherry Valley, Crescent lake or Stillwater. When and where would be the best times to avoid the crowd? I've never hunted anywhere, where there were other parties in the same field before. Even on public land. Any tips to avoid getting shot at?

Or if you got them, share you're own experience with the westside pheasant release.

Thanks!

I go almost everyday right now, work is slow. If you want to come along sometime let me know. If you dont want to get shot go to Crescent Lake, the fields are seperated by pretty big strips of trees and brush. If you go after 10am almost any day you will find very few people.

havn't done west side before. i usually make 1-2 trips east. cant stomach the cost of the tag.

Thanks for the info, I'll send a PM when I figure out when I''ll be going.

I will be out at Crescent Lake at 8 am.

I 'hunted' the west side release sites a couple of times, but is like going to a trout farm compared to hunting wild pheasants in E. Washington. There is just something about people hunting pheasants with German Shepards and then fighting over who shot the bird that was tame enough to get up between two or three groups of hunters to suit me.

It is an easy 4 hour drive over to the promised land, so I think I will keep doing that.

Just found this forum and I think it is great.

Welcome to the site, it can be both informative and entertaining.