Why do you go to Hunting Preserves or IDNR Put and Take Hunts

[AGarbers]

I would like to know why you huntat a private preserve or in the state’s put and take pheasant hunts. This is not to put them down. I have hunted at Flat Rock and enjoyed it. Why do you go and what do you enjoy about it?

 

[Goober135]

I enjoy bird hunting, it's a good family/friend time, and it -used- to be a family tradition. I'm going to try to get my dad out there again this year!

 

[Expat]

I used to go with my Brittanies so that I could make fun of the people with lesser dogs.

 

[disengaged]

I love bird hunting. My grandfather had hunting dogs and being out there with my dog - reminds me of hunting with him. I take my boy and hopefully some day my grandson - makes me feel good to think that after I pass, maybe they'll be out in the field being remind of me too.

 

[clfergus]

I am going to Flat Rock this year for my first ever pheasant hunt. Chose to go with Merrill for a few reasons. First off, I am taking my father in-law for his first time as well. At Flat rock I can drive up, the lay of the land is there and and guide and dog are awaiting. Stress free for my father in-law and he will most likely get to shoot some birds.

Second is, I am hoping to learn from a veteran. I am going to be sure to watch the dog and learn, ask questions of the guide and Merrill. I have already gotten instruction on how to dress, ammo selection, choke size for early season and his property, what the birds taste like etc...

 

[TTravis]

I just signed up for two days at Atterbury 11/23 and 11/27 with my father, son, and nephew. The boys are each 15, my father 78, and my English Setter Ellie Mae is 3 years old. On the 27th, Thanksgiving Day, we will hunt in the morning and have stories to tell around the table for Thanksgiving dinner. I will probably cook some pheasant to eat along with the turkey.

At $15/day/hunter, the price can't be beat. $60 for a day for the 4 of us to hunt is a bargain. I think each hunter gets 4 birds. A similar hunt at Lost Creek or one of those places we also like to go would cost nearly $200.

These hunts are great because there are no wild pheasant in the area and wild quail are hard to find. With the boys, in order to keep them interested, having birds put out there virtually assures a successful hunt.

When I signed up online today, my dog was sitting at my feet. I told her that were going hunting. She went crazy and I had to take her for a long walk through some fields to calm her down. With the weather getting cooler, she knows it's going to be huntin season soon!

Bird hunting is a tradition in my family that goes back many generations and sometimes was necessary to put food on the table.

 

[CountryBoy19]

At $15/day/hunter, the price can't be beat. $60 for a day for the 4 of us to hunt is a bargain. I think each hunter gets 4 birds. A similar hunt at Lost Creek or one of those places we also like to go would cost nearly $200.

This ^^^

For people with busy lives etc, you can't beat 2 birds per hunter/ day for $15.

It takes a lot of time and money to make a trip west to hunt wild pheasants. This is a way to get an experience similar to that without investing so much time and money.

I hunt with a group that has been hunting Glendale every year for the last 30+ years. It's a tradition. They are there hunting all week, and each individual hunter can come and go as he pleases. Last year I went Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. This year I'm not sure if I can make it, but if I can, I can just show up, ask the group leader if there are any birds left unclaimed, and if so, hunt. It's more difficult to do something like that if you're hunting out west.

 

[TTravis]

Hunting, like fishing, can be a sport for kings and uber wealthy. I've been invited to go on some pretty fancy hunting trips with doctors and lawyers and such, and I am sure they have a good time. On the other hand I can do just as well with an inexpensive shotgun, dog, and dressed like a farm boy. All that matters to me is that it is a good opportunity to get outdoors and carry on a tradition. There is nothing like being out with your father and son in a field not too far from home for a good day hunting.

 

[jason765]

I used to go with my Brittanies so that I could make fun of the people with lesser dogs.

I used to go with my dad and our shotguns and make fun of guys that brought dogs to hunt farm raised birds. I usually had my birds before them too.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I used to go with my dad and our shotguns and make fun of guys that brought dogs to hunt farm raised birds. I usually had my birds before them too.

If you can get birds faster than the guys with dogs you either aren't hunting the DNR preserves or you have a superhuman nose.

I can tell you, I've hunted the "private reserve" hunts with friends where you have a 5 acre field and you just have to walk around to flush them up no dogs necessary. I've also hunted the DNR preserves where you're seriously screwed if you didn't bring a dog. You might get lucky on a bird or two, but I don't think you're going to limit out. Honestly, I think DNR does a pretty good job of making their birds hunts as close to the real thing as they can possibly get with the constraints they are given.

 

[jason765]

If you can get birds faster than the guys with dogs you either aren't hunting the DNR preserves or you have a superhuman nose.

I can tell you, I've hunted the "private reserve" hunts with friends where you have a 5 acre field and you just have to walk around to flush them up no dogs necessary. I've also hunted the DNR preserves where you're seriously screwed if you didn't bring a dog. You might get lucky on a bird or two, but I don't think you're going to limit out. Honestly, I think DNR does a pretty good job of making their birds hunts as close to the real thing as they can possibly get with the constraints they are given.

Put and Take pheasants at Atterbury. (2 bird limit per) I know some people just do this to work their dogs, and sometimes these birds are a little hesitant to fly. I am not a bird hunter nor do I pretend to be one on the internet. alot of guys with dogs got their birds before we did, but we had our birds on ice and were heading for a deer stand while many of the "real wing shooters" were still trying to get a bead on their first ring neck.