From my understanding, there are 4 different plots to hunt on. Each individual in that certain reserved plot is limited to 2 roosters. After 2pm it is free game for clean up. You can travel to whatever plot you would like to and slay some pheasants.

1) Be safe, number one mistake is one hunter swinging one another. I've seen it and its not good. Guns on safety until your ready to shoot then right back on. Lots of guys will take the saftey off when they see the bird. I've seen it thousands of times. Real easy to trip on grass of holes.

2) Go right to any shot bird like has been said. If I'm hunting with no dog I shoot all birds twice. Never shoot a bird below eye level

3) Walk slow or you will walk past them.

Good luck and have a safe hunt

PS pheasant call is useless

Indian grass on the edges of canary grass and water seem like prime spots. Hey one time my cousin and we’re hunting some pen raised birds and flushed a 2/3 year old wild one and got it, as well as a woodcock

One thing I learned at a very young age Partridge and pheasant hunting.I never killed any that I didn't shoot at.

The birds are PLANTED. They sit where they are placed.

I would use a full choke and number 4’s. You’ll have some long shots from other shooters that miss. If given a choice, take the pointer!

Swing through the bird… butt, belly, beak, bang. The father away, the more lead!

The preserves around here don't dizzy or put the pheasants to sleep, by stretching them and tucking the head under the wing. There's usually a lot of birds that other people didn't shoot out still too.

A friend of mine was a member of a pheasant preserve. We used to go shoot clean up after the corporate hunts. We ran as many as 8 shorthairs and 1 vizsla together. We had really good dogs. We had a son of the 3 time National Gun Dog Champion, GK's Rise "N" Shine, 2 of his grandpups and a lot of dogs out of Rawhide's Clown. One of the dogs I started there championed out near Chicago. We would get lines of 5 or 6 dogs honoring each other. We would shoot more pheasants than I would care to shoot again. Usually they didn't charge us anything to shoot clean up at all. Occasionally we would buy 2 birds each. We often went home with over 40 pheasants, quail and chukar.

Keith

I'd suggest a .410 with 3" 7 1/2's. Plenty of gun for pheasants. I've killed hundreds of them with one over the years. Never hunted with a dog for them either.

A box a bird is still better than getting skunked!

Get a buddy with a dog...

Never hunted tame ones.

This is pretty good advice! LOL

I just returned from a weeklong pheasant hunt near my camp in north central Pennsylvania. The birds I hunted were put and takes raised and stocked on a 4,000 acre State Game Land by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. They actually do a pretty good job of limiting human exposure to the birds and they typically behave about as close to a wild bird as a pen raised bird can.

I swear they cross bred them with road runners this year. I’ve never seen them run as far and as fast as they were last week. Me and a buddy still managed to get our share.

A double limit in the pouring rain.



Drier conditions finally prevailed.



I had the help of a good dog. This guy hunts himself bloody on every hunt, he’s got a super high prey drive. I don’t know how many, if any, we would’ve flushed without him.

fun to hunt and also delicious

Some sound advice on here. Now for some real tips.

For Gods sake don’t slam the truck doors. You’re hunting...be quiet.
Hunt into the wind if you can...it’s quieter
Zig zag when walking and pause every once in awhile.
When a bird drops do not take your eyes off the spot and get your butt to that spot. I run if it doesn’t fall dead.
Have fun, if you shoot right it don’t matter the shot size.
Don’t be afraid to hit a field both directions.
Since they’re preserve birds, let her rip. You already paid for them, pull the trigger.
Have FUN!!!

wear comfortable boots. lol
I haven't hunted pheasants in years. they were all wild birds then.
just

Shot alot of birds in my past. Love to hunt them. I use # 5 shoot. I had a German shorthair and we did zig jaz. Sometimes I put a # 7.5 shell and then #5. I went from full choke to 26inch improved cylinder. You can still get them out to 45 yards. Usually I get them on the first shot with improved cylinder. My gun is always in the ready position and no gloves on. They say how can you shoot so fast, that is because I am ready. No fun in missing them.

here is a pic for inspiration you don't need a lot of money to get birds

this is an Ithaca m37 still getting it done at 75 , I went for a hair cut once and came home with that gun I think I paid 127 dollars for that gun , my son decided to hunt with it today

it wears a new plastic butt stock , the originals are hard to find because they all cracked where they contact the receiver it doesn't look the nicest but it got this old gun back to hunting

Saw this tonight. 3 on the fence before I got stopped.

Not experienced with pen raised birds, or colored chickens as we call them here. But plenty with the genuine king of gamebirds. Much of this has probably been covered:

Wear at minimum an orange hat and shooting glasses.
Take shots at 35 yards and closer. Beyond 35 yards even experienced shooters have trouble.
No straight line walking, you should use a coordinated zigzag pattern.
Lots of pauses and stand ready quietly. Pheasants have the guts of a cat burgler. Often the pause is what unnerves them.
Pound for pound pheasants take more killing than elk. Broken wing birds run forever, so shoot one at a time and pick up a downed bird before shooting a second.
Shoot for the front half. Birds shot in the back half tend to escape.
Quiet. Slamming car door is a huge mistake as is yelling at the dog.

Enjoy