Fall hunting is like a walk in the park

[pramaglia]

Went for a walk through some fields today, hoping to flush a pheasant or two. No pheasants, but the scenery made for a great day anyway.

 

[Uzi]

Where was this photo taken? It's not dark, overcast, gloomy, wet, cold, or depressing looking, and I see a strange blueish color in the sky?

 

[GOYABEAN]

Where was this photo taken? It's not dark, overcast, gloomy, wet, cold, or depressing looking, and I see a strange blueish color in the sky?

Hallmark calendar

 

[pramaglia]

Where was this photo taken? It's not dark, overcast, gloomy, wet, cold, or depressing looking, and I see a strange blueish color in the sky?

Today at the Vernooy Kill State Forest in Wawarsing.

 

[Blimey]

Love October in ny!

 

[Acer-m14]

hunting pheasant's here is like hunting woodchucks in the winter ..

 

[MothMan]

Today at the Vernooy Kill State Forest in Wawarsing.

Yeah easy for you to say!

 

[kev74]

Yeah easy for you to say!

Just like its spelled.

 

[Saltwater60]

I saw a pheasant the other day driving. It was sitting at the edge of a corn field. It was seriously a very large bird. Biggest I’ve every seen. Beautiful male. I’d have shot it. I try to go pheasant hunting but there aren’t many by me. I also go alone with no dog so there that. Most that get hinted by me are released birds.

 

[pramaglia]

I saw a pheasant the other day driving. It was sitting at the edge of a corn field. It was seriously a very large bird. Biggest I’ve every seen. Beautiful male. I’d have shot it. I try to go pheasant hunting but there aren’t many by me. I also go alone with no dog so there that. Most that get hinted by me are released birds.

All of the places I hunt pheasant are locations that are supposedly stocked by NY State, but they appear to be cleaned out on opening day. I hunt alone with no dog and usually only find piles of feathers here and there. Years ago I would hunt my uncles farm without a dog and could kick up pheasants all day long. I even hunted along the Hudson River in Dutchess County with a few guys and we would kick up flocks of pheasants at a time. Not sure what has happened, but pheasants in the wild don't seem to exist anymore. Same goes for ruff gross. I've have never seen or heard one anywhere in the lower Hudson Valley. Most of my bird hunting is just my way to get out and scout for deer.

 

[Saltwater60]

All of the places I hunt pheasant are locations that are supposedly stocked by NY State, but they appear to be cleaned out on opening day. I hunt alone with no dog and usually only find piles of feathers here and there. Years ago I would hunt my uncles farm without a dog and could kick up pheasants all day long. I even hunted along the Hudson River in Dutchess County with a few guys and we would kick up flocks of pheasants at a time. Not sure what has happened, but pheasants in the wild don't seem to exist anymore. Same goes for ruff gross. I've have never seen or heard one anywhere in the lower Hudson Valley. Most of my bird hunting is just my way to get out and scout for deer.

Glad I’m not the only one. I pretty much see the same. I do lick up a grousse every now and again but they are in areas so thick I usually just hear them not even seen them. There are some wild populations just north of me but there’s really no where to hunt them.
Basically from what I’ve read is it’s habitat loss. Meadows and farmland have been turned into housing developments.

 

[Robin]

I used to hunt pheasants without a dog back in the 60's and there were plenty of them. The lands I hunted are pretty much the same with the exception of farmers removing vital pheasant habitat, hedgerows. That and the plethora of, coons, possums, skunks, fox, coyote's, raptors, and semi wild cats, the population has pretty much gone to zero. There are too many raptors, period. The anti fur idiots have all but shut down the hunting and trapping of the animals mentioned which raid nests for eggs and chicks. The cats(?), in NY it is against the law to shoot them now, they are killing machines. No more pheasants and now the turkey population around here appears to be in decline.
Robin

 

[Saltwater60]

I used to hunt pheasants without a dog back in the 60's and there were plenty of them. The lands I hunted are pretty much the same with the exception of farmers removing vital pheasant habitat, hedgerows. That and the plethora of, coons, possums, skunks, fox, coyote's, raptors, and semi wild cats, the population has pretty much gone to zero. There are too many raptors, period. The anti fur idiots have all but shut down the hunting and trapping of the animals mentioned which raid nests for eggs and chicks. The cats(?), in NY it is against the law to shoot them now, they are killing machines. No more pheasants and now the turkey population around here appears to be in decline.
Robin

Yes I agree with the turkeys. Three years ago I shot a turkey in 2 hours would have been immediate had a car not driven by and scared them. I was walking in the woods to hunt a bit late and the birds started calling. Three trees with 15-20 birds in each flew down 30 minutes later. Had 4-5 birds responding all around me. There were feathers and shit all over the place on the roads by my parents. Fast forward three years and I see zero signs. Coyote signs but no birds.
Even grousse we used to flush 4-5 grousse on a simple walk but I’ve seen none in a few year. Their driveway was flush with rabbits and I’ve seen none this year. Just asked my mom and she said come to think of it no I haven’t either. Doubt I’ll hunt much out there other than for deer. I will hunt coyotes out there this year as well. I have no gear for it but I’ll get a sound machine and give it a shot.

 

[Shoots100]

Go to the local butcher or processing plant and beg for scraps, raid the freezers of family for expired meats and bait the coyote.
Use your deer rifle and gear, and wait for them to come to you.

 

[Shoots100]

Of course this is after bow season ends.