Diving Pheasants

[Redpete]

I spent last weekend in South Dakota shooting ringnecks.

We had several birds that would flush, but then drop right down into cover. The first couple of times we witnessed this, we thought the bird was wounded, but after seeing this several times we are wondering if the birds learn to do this to avoid being shot. Our theory is the bird gets up, sees hunters, and then lands right away to take off on foot.

Has anybody else ever seen this behavior?

Thanks

[Birddog]

I have seen it before on occasion, I don't think it's because they see hunters, although it's possible. They are better escapers on the ground, if they flush and don't see any good cover to fly to they drop back down. I've seen this happen more later in the year when the surrounding fields are black and it's a long way to the next piece of cover. Or, they flush and don't think they're in as much danger as they actually are. Just a couple thoughts.

BIRDDOG

FOR BETTER OR WORSE FISHING AND HUNTING COME FIRST

[Ivy not logged in]

I don't think there is a universal habit when they do this. I have seen it to. I believe that bird thinks it's safe to hit the ground. He may sit tight or he may hit the ground running.

The smarter birds do a little of both. And they get lucky as well.

Weather will play apart it what they do as well.

Ivy

[MrSeaguar]

Most birds I see flush and then drop right down. Isnt that what they are supposed to do when you shoot them? O maybe you mean they werent shot? I see that behavior in areas where other birds are on the ground to lure the flushing bird back down. Was it big CRP areas? I only have seen it in the ocean-type areas of CRP.

[Unlogged T-Mac]

Absolutely. Where they get hunted hard...and especially if it is windy.

[pheasantraiser]

It possibly could be that the pheasants were released birds and do not act like wild ones. I know that alot of places supplement their wild stocks with pen raised birds. Just a thought.

[Todd_NE]

I've spent 25 years hunting pheasants pretty hard and the ONLY time I've ever seen this was on a couple of recent hunts on a "preserve". Must be something to do with pen rearing.

I have never seen a wild pheasant duck right back down, occasionally very young or uneducated birds will fly 30-50 yds ahead and sit back down.

Todd
Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed, the glory - Memorial Stadium

[Unlogged T-Mac]

I mis-read the original post. I did not realize the birds were actually landing. No. I haven't seen that except at preserves.

But... I have seen them flush up and quickly get down lower.
Here in Montana, we hunt mostly brushy coulees, or rolling CRP fields. By late in the season, especially when windy (most days), these roosters flush, then quickly lose altitude, and then fly low to the ground....for a long, long ways.
Hard to get a shot at them at all, but especially with the flushing dog in the line of fire.

[Todd_NE]

T - Unfortunately I have seen that one a lot!!! The smart ones don't die young, that's for sure. Of course, none of them live to see 4 either...

Todd
Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed, the glory - Memorial Stadium

[itry]

I've been chasing one that always gets up right next to a barn and flies low and straight at it until you think he's going to crash into the side then pops up over it and right back down on the other side. Impossible to get a shot without hitting the barn.

[Todd_NE]

Can I be your blocker :)

You don't want that one in the gene pool haha

Todd
Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed, the glory - Memorial Stadium

[Unlogged T-Mac]

LMAO, Todd.

[zpeters73]

I saw this last weekend, but only a couple of birds did this. We, too, thought they were just injured and not able to fly well. The one I saw in particular flushed to just above the level of the standing corn and then went immediately back down, not more than 5-10 yards further away, not ever getting high enough to take a safe shot at. To the best of my knowledge, the private land we hunted on had no pen raised birds, but there are always a few "escapees" from area pheasant farms in NE SD.

[swede sd]

only a pen raised bird or a crippel.

[J J Mac]

I have hunted pheasants in Iowa and/or South Dakota (mostly SD) for 14 years and have seen a small group of pheasants get up and move a short distance and then set back down again numerous times. This has occurred mostly in CRP fields holding many pheasants where the pheasants are not spooked. They just get up slowly and relocate a short distance away without flapping their wings hard, mostly gliding.

Also if a hawk or owl is flying overhead, the birds will flush, fly low, and set down again quite rapidly in a short distance.

[SoDakMac]

I agree with Todd. The birds we hunt in my area of SD rarely come right back down after being flushed. They might in very large CRP or sloughs but they usually put a 150+ yards between them and the dog and then run like the dickens.

[Ivy not logged on]

Just thinking about this again from a different point of view. And I'm pretty sure they out-lawed diving pheasants when they out-lawed the practice of diving horses.

Yep,they did.

Ivy

[swede sd]

Thanks, I needed that.