Tips for retrieving pheasant without a dog

[mike rossi]

This does not suggest dogs are not desirable. And, even when hunting with good dogs you still should mark birds you shoot!!!!

READ MORE: https://thebirdhuntingsociety.weebly.com/how-to-retrieve-birds-without-a-dog.html

[LooseEye]

Interesting article, thanks for sharing. I have read a few this week on hunting without dogs. I’d love to get into bird hunting and do more pheasant/grouse but never have I been successful in my few trips. I always feel like elmur fudd our there.

Not sure why but I’ve felt a serious draw to birds and small game the last two seasons, even during deer season.

Kyle

[GrizG]

I did quite a bit of pheasant hunting without a dog in the past though these days I generally do hunt with a dog. In either case, marking the hit is important. Perhaps more important is killing the bird in the air so it doesn't run off and/or bury itself in the cover... That requires a combination of accurate shooting and using appropriate shot. For pheasant #5 has proven to be a reliable killer regardless of the angle or the size of the bird. #6 is usually OK but I've failed to retrieve birds when using it. Anything smaller than #6 is doing a disservice to the game in my experience. 

[LooseEye]

Thanks for the info Griz!

[Geezer]

I used to hunt pheasant with a pointer. It is a wonderful thing to have the dog point to a bird and hold it for me while I calmly walk up and flush it. The fetching part is a nice extra, but locating the live bird and holding it is the real value of a dog for me.