Tomorrow please

[salmonchaser]

This was my Son & I this past Thursday .

Blessings,
Dan

I'm unsure the traditional greeting, Happy Boxing Day Dan.
It looks as though your son's (as I recall) shorthair and your shooting skill came together well. Nice work.


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[cloverleaf]

Troy,

It looks to be a melanistic mutant ring-neck cross. Here are a couple of references that may help clarify.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...tant_Ringneck_Cross_Pheasant_(4482356808).jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...tant_Ringneck_Cross_Pheasant_(5293726943).jpg

Strange looking when you're used to seeing ring-neck pheasants.

Thanks DR Mike. So where did the Melanistic come from? These were what I was used to:



Both look like fun! CL

 

[Guy Miner]

Okay, I've GOT to get back out for pheasant again!!!

Congrats.

Guy

 

[longrangehunter]

Wow, those are some beautiful pictures of those birds, and the bird dogs. I wondered the same thing with no white collar on the Pheasant next to the Ring Neck. Very nice to see you sneaked out, and well worth a day in the field it appears!

My English Lab Zuri is six today, so we hiked out down the road to apprehend the Moose that for the last two years on Christmas day had taken out my landscaping! Last year it was the Aspen trees, this year the Yellow Twig Dogwood.

 

[salmonchaser]

Ok that I gotta see, a Lab retrieving a moose
Troy,
The Melanistic was first documented in England in the late 1800. They are very hardy and in released populations get wild much quicker then regular ringneck. Contrary to what I've read cross bred birds will produce birds colored like an obvious cross. They are beautiful.
We release 25% melanistic, 75% manchurian ringnecks. We typically kill about 70% of the birds released each week. By the time our season ends and throughout the spring the hold over/wild population is close to 50% melanistic. When we start hunting in the fall we kill a lot of birds that are obvious wild crosses.


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[salmonchaser]

TD the melanistic hens are harder to identify then a common ringneck hen. Because we are a shooting preserve we can shoot the melanistic hens we release.
While the melanistic is a popular curiosity our guests still prefer the traditional ringneck.
We don't release any Goldens, they seem to get whacked by predators immediately.
We also supplement a small population of Reeves pheasants. These will also cross with the ringneck. A good reaves has a larger body, strong flyer, is given to running and can grow a four foot long tail. I've had groups shooting 90% on pointed birds, (very high) go bat shit crazy when one gets up, empty four guns and watch him fly away.


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[salmonchaser]

Speaking of shooting:
Typical group is 3 or 4 hunters per guide and dog.
I recommend they carry a box of shells for a three hour morning hunt. I always carry a box. Throw in the quail and chukar the average is a bird for 5 shots. I replace my ammo every other day or so.
Shooting deteriorates in the afternoon. To be fair, a few of the misses occur because a bird just doesn't hold for the point, resulting in long shots.
I once had a group run completely out of ammo in two hours, but they killed quite a few quail, routinely down to a few rounds back to the lodge for lunch.
Worst group of shooters; 3 guys, 3 roosters 125 +\- rounds fired.


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[cloverleaf]

I bet those cross breeds are really pretty too. Great that they work out where you are. No such thing as too many pheasants. As far as the moose goes... yup I'd like to see that one retrieved too. :grin: CL

 

[cloverleaf]

"I once had a group run completely out of ammo in two hours, but they killed quite a few quail, routinely down to a few rounds back to the lodge for lunch.
Worst group of shooters; 3 guys, 3 roosters 125 +\- rounds fired."

"A good reaves has a larger body, strong flyer, is given to running and can grow a four foot long tail. I've had groups shooting 90% on pointed birds, (very high) go bat pooh crazy when one gets up, empty four guns and watch him fly away."

No I wasn't part of either group...but I could have been. Nothing quite so heart stopping and fun as a pheasant. CL

 

[salmonchaser]

Yep pheasant are a lot of fun. I enjoy the chukar as well.


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