Hey, I was looking to try my hand at shooting Pheasant in the next few seasons. I walked along on a few hunts with friends in college but never shot any myself.

What would my best course of action be for getting into the sport? I am eager to learn but not to deep in the wallet. I do have a 20 gauge to use.

CF

CF,
Welcome to the club. I hope your ready for a challange.

I've been Pheasant hunting for about six years with mixed success. First off I would consider a good dog a prerequisite. Without a dog go fishing instead. The next big challange is getting access to good land. If you've got access to land then your chances of a successful hunt are increased. I hunt mostly public land and cover lots of miles. For this you'll need good boots. The last big challange are them damned Wild Roosters themselves. I have a young pointer just about to start her second year and the hens will hold to a point but the Roosters run big time. Both the pup and I are still learning.

One of the nice things about Pheasant hunting is it's simplicity. Once you have dog, gun, vest and boots the only expense is gas, food and lodging.

Beware of the Western Release Sites. If you don't mind Blue Creek type crowds with guns then there are certianly lots of birds to be had but it's a mess.

Good Luck!

Thats why you should use (black) labs BroodBuster. Just kidding. Pointers are all right. God how I hate running roosters.

Anyways, BroodBuster is right, a good dog is where it's at. The biggest thing I think though is securing places to hunt. Make friends, or more, if you already have some. Go bang on doors too. It's nice to know someone in a small town that doesn't mind you throwing their name around.

I guess I should mention that I will likely start off hunting in Idaho again. Thats where I was before when I walked along with my friends.

A dog isn't likely in the cards for me as I have one already and he isn't a hunting dog.

Thanks for the advice.

CF

Get ready for a serious adrenaline rush when that bird pops up 2 feet in front of you

I haven't hunted pheasant in years, but when I lived in the Columbia Basin arround Othello I used to indulge on occassion. My biggest problem was with opening morning, what with all the Idiots coming out of Seattle as I have had bird shot bouncing off the side of my truck and as a result I've threatened to paint "I'm not a Bird" on the side of the White 45' Spud Trailer I was pulling. It's scarry as hell to pull over a hill and have a bird fly accross the road in front of you and look down the muzzle of a 12 gage shotgun. It's kind of hard to climb under the seat of a semi when your doing 65 mph.

So Hunt Hard, Hunt Safe, and may you have good hunting.