The great bird-hunting debate
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By Chris Bates | Thursday, October 05, 2006 |
EVERY year we upland bird hunters and gundog owners have to hear about the great debate between wild pheasants and the “pen-raised pheasant.”
Heck, we live in Iowa and there are plenty of pheasants, right?
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard over coffee that hunting at a hunt club for pen-raised “chickens” isn’t hunting at all. It’s a barrel shoot. “Wild pheasants all the way’’ is the battle cry for the traditionalist.
They both have their positives as well their negatives, with local as well as national organizations giving their pitch on why wild pheasants are better than pen-raised pheasants.
Pheasants Forever is the largest national organization for habitat restoration, with many local chapters through out the Midwest to push their views on habitat planting and land management.
Habitat restoration is when you plant habitat on your land so that pheasants will come to propagate and prosper. In theory, it’s a great idea. Depending on the area involved, there are many facets that would go into the Pheasants Forever way of thinking.
The main problem for the pheasant hunter is gaining access to private land to hunt wild birds. You hear stories about how easy it is to gain access, but in reality it is very difficult to convince land owners you are a safe hunter. The public lands in Iowa are very good for the wild pheasant but are commonly over-hunted.
You will hear many stories that have mutated over the years on how the wild pheasant is a much better flying bird, a much better bird for your gundogs to find, and a better tasting game bird for your palate. This has simply become part of the legend.
Hunt clubs for pen-raised pheasants and other game birds were started for the hunter who could not get on private land or was on a very tight time schedule, but still loved to hunt.
Hunt clubs have evolved into two types: the hunter-friendly, which simply means that a hunter can walk the fields without a dog and generally be able to harvest a pheasant, and the dog-friendly, which means you will need a dog to find your pheasants.
The dog-friendly hunt club also has become what dog trainers like to call a “school” for training your puppy as well as your adult dog for any upcoming AKC trials or tournaments.
One big benefit that a hunt club offers is you can take a novice hunter in the field and be able to see a hard-flying pheasant without getting bored from all the walking before going out to that great piece of land for the Iowa ring-necked pheasant.
The pen-raised bird has come so far in the way they are raised to act like a wild bird when released. From the way it flies, runs and tastes, you can not find a better bird.
The pen-raised pheasant can be hunted from Sept. 1 through April 1, which will give the upland game bird hunter the extended months to hunt or train the gun dog.
This debate can go on forever which I am sure it will. Personally, I am in favor of the pen-raised pheasant because of the many uses that it can provide to the outdoorsman.
Chris Bates hosts “Hunting the Midwest” on Fox Sports Radio (1230 AM) at 6:05 p.m. Thursdays. He can be contacted at ChrisBates227@msn.com.
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