Who would shoot a pheasant on the ground
My family came from Italy. We hunted for MEAT, not for sport. My Father used to walk far behind the onslaught of hunters in Clinton WMA and find birds hiding that everyone passed up. He would cleanly shoot their heads off. To me, this is safer than guys sending dozens of shots skyward. The meat was in perfect shape and it was 1 bird, 1 shell. Very efficient. Later as we got more Americanized and got dogs and only shot them flying. So, if done right, shooting them on the ground is no less safe than shooting them in the air.i dont phesant hunt much but someone once told me a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush
50 birds? You must retiredYou paid 40 dollars for a bird stamp .......... So in the name of 40 dollars you would risk injuring another hunter or his dog??? Too many pellets in bird shot and now with the ground frozen up the ricochet factor makes no ground shot a safe shot. And by the way 40 bucks is nothing to complain about for the length of the season and the amount of birds. Lol I hunt strictly public land mid days and non stocking days and have the place to myself and my dog. So far this year i have shot more birds then my buddies who pay 500 plus dollars a year to belong to an upland club. Plus I have no work weekends and no raffle tix to sell. 40 bucks is nothing for 45 to 50 birds a year. last season my 47 birds ran me 85 cents a bird. What private club is giving me that deal?
if rabbits could fly your argument would be validNot that I do it but, what's the different between shooting a pheasant or a rabbit on the ground?
if rabbits could fly your argument would be valid
Good reality check!I never understood the rational behind only shooting birds in flight. It makes zero sense. Some people say it isn't "sportsman like". I think those folks need to re-examine what they are doing. They are basically hunting animals that have brains the size of peas and the most primitive of responses to their environment. They are doing so with a huge mechanical advantage ie firearms. There is no "sporting" about it.
I have guys that bird hunt near where I deer hunt. They bring birds in cages, dump them in the bushes, then come back later with dogs to scare said birds and fill them with lead. To each their own but at that point I have no idea why it matters how/when the bird is shot assuming it is a safe shot.
Duck hunters will buy decoys and calls and work their hardest to bring the ducks in real close. I assume this is because an ethical duck hunter wouldn't take a low % shot at a duck flying 100 yards away. Then if the ducks get close and stay in the water they will scare them so they take off and can be shot. It is counter intuitive. It's akin to grunting in a buck and then scaring him away so you can take a shot at him while he is hauling ass through the woods.
About 20 years ago I got hit with a pellet from some guy shooting at a bird on the ground. It was a riccochet or something because it didn't penetrate. It was like getting shot with an old Daisy BB gun. I had the guy by the shirt with my fist in his face, but it was an old guy (like I am now) so I didn't hit him.