Went on my first canned hunt

[Song Dog]

My buddy purchased a pheasant hunt on a Ranch out of Maupin OR for his brother for Xmas and I got to go also.  It was $300.00 bucks for four of us to hunt.  They released 20 birds a mixed bag of pheasants and Chuckers.  This is normally a $600.00 dollar hunt.  We hunted with our dogs, two German pointers and one Springier Spinal.  The Morning we checked in and there was Five other groups hunting on the ranch.  It is a 90,000 ache ranch so we did not see any other hunters for entire day.  Anyway the morning hunt they take us to a nice canyon and the guy points out the area we will be hunting and then he takes off to release the birds.  The guy said he was going to release 12 birds and also said if we saw any more birds to just shoot them because they would be birds other clients had missed.  So we get the dogs out and get geared up and start the show.  Right off the bat the pointers are both on point and the springier jumps in and flushes two pheasants.  Bang, Bang,  Bang both birds are down.  The dogs are in heaven locking up on birds and we are having fun shooting them, although we had to throw our hats at the chucker to fly.  At the end of the first drive we had 12 pheasants and 5 chucker.  We went in for lunch and they took the birds to clean.  After lunch we went back out to another area and the guy released our 8 remaining birds.  we ended up shooting 10 more birds.  Went back and they started cleaning them also.  Now I have a new pup at home, an eight week old Springier and I wanted to get some wings for him so I walked back to where they were cleaning the birds.  The ones we had shoot they had breasted and cut the legs and thighs off.  I asked for some wings and they said I could help myself.  I looked over and I noticed a pile of pheasants that another group had shot and all they were doing was removing the breast.  I asked them what they did with all of the bird carcass and they said they haul them out and dump them for the yo ties.  I asked if I could have some of the bird carcauses to make soup with and they said I could have has many has I wanted   I asked for a garbage bag and proceed to take fifty pheasant minus the breast  When I got home it only took me an hour to skin all of them and cut out the hearts, gizzards and livers.  That came out to almost two pounds.  I got almost ten pounds of meat from the legs and thighs.  I made 20 quarts of pheasant stock. I'm making two types of sausage sausage out of the legs and gizzards. 

Now like I said this was the first time I have ever hunted on a game preserve.  I kind of have mixed feelings.  I'm used to hunting hard for pheasants and chucker and until that day I have never had to throw my hat at a bird to make it fly.  For the dogs it was great.  They got on the birds and it was rewarding to watch them work.  The outfit was good but what kind of upset me was the waste of the birds.  Like I said I'm used to having to work for the birds I shoot and I don't waste any of it, so when I walked in to see how they were cleaning them I was a little surprised at the amount of waste and I think they knew it.  When I started talking to them they told me they will clean the birds how ever the clients want them cleaned and if nothing is mentioned they will just skin,breast and cut off the legs and thighs.  I also learned my buddy who paid for the hunt had instructed them on how we wanted our birds.  Like I said I walked out of there with over 50 birds which added up to alot of good eats.  So I thought I would ask for others thoughts and experiences.  I do know if I ever go back I'm taking my own garbage bags. 

[Old Dog]

With outfits like that, and in fact my own farm, those birds are just livestock.  While I agree with you about the wastage, it's not illegal.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

I went to Texas last year for my first and likely only canned hunt which was paid if full by a company I do business with.

Besides the most boring hunting of my life, (sitting in a stand in a field while corn was released from a feeder, picking your animal when they came out and dropping it) I too was appalled at the waste. This ranch was the Cadillac of Texas hunting ranches and had all sorts of exotic animals from Audads to Ibexes besides the deer and hogs. I'd guess they had about 30 species to "hunt" on a many thousand acre ranch.  Other than deer, elk, and the hogs under 150 lbs, most other animals were caped and the carcases piled in a wagon that was driven out and dumped for the birds and coyotes. As a meat hunter first and foremost, I was appalled at the waste. (Oh, when the whiskey came out at night a few raw exotic testicles and eyeballs were consumed, but that's a whole different story.) I brought home 2 whitetails, a sika deer (great eating) and a nice 120 lb sow.

Now for the cost of this hunt, I could have done a nice remote horseback hunt in Colorado or Wyoming and had change left over. And  would have enjoyed it a lot more. The ranch hunt just wasn't my cup of tea.

[AspenBud]

I think that practice is more common than you might think. I personally don't do so, but I know of many who do, even with wild birds.

[jackmaster]

is the coyote huntn good around those private release sites? did you guys kill all 20 birds that were released? i would think that they wouldnt mind a guy out there coyote huntn? might be worth a look  nevermind just read it again, yes you guys got all your birds plus  i bet a few still escape and become coyote food, bet they still would like those yotes gone

[turkeyfeather]

My wife and I did a game preserve pheasant hunt. We had a blast and I had no problem with it. I don't think I would do it for big game except maybe for exotics.

[jackmaster]

My wife and I did a game preserve pheasant hunt. We had a blast and I had no problem with it. I don't think I would do it for big game except maybe for exotics.

if your lookin to do one of those exotic hunt things, i dont know if its still there but at clarks ranch in oregan, you can kill all kinds of weird stuff, even some goofy looking goat type critters, but the wild pigs they got are cheap to kill and are really good eatn, well the wild russian boar or whatever it was, was good eatn

[arrowflinger]

We used to go out and hunt those released bird before season. This would help the dogs get the bug and we could correct things before the season started. But we cleaned our own birds.

[akirkland]

I have never hunted pheasant on a ranch. But I want to deeply. I imagine it would just be a great time with buddies in the off season. One day I will reward myself and my trust Lab, Drake. I live on the wet side side so I hunt released birds 80% of the time. I will admit, I have only breasted out birds in the past. There has been times when I took everything but the breasts due to being blasted. I am a breast guy in every fashion possible. Lol But I do make stock and soups with the dark meat. You gotta try it with barley by the way. Way better. As far as the waste, I'm not surprised. 90% of people I know usually only eat the breasts. Which is a shame, but obviously not illegal. Post some photos of the hunt. I would enjoy checking them out. Cheers.

[Song Dog]

Im still working on how to post photos, gotta figure out how to do it with the I phone.

[idaho guy]

Let me know when u figure out how to post pictures from the I phone tried for a while and gave up

[mkcj]

If anything it's a great way to get a young dog trained.

[Song Dog]

No doubt about that.  I can say the dogs we had were so pumped up it was fun watching them work.  The pointers work together all of the time and it is really cool to watch them honor each others point. The Springer was fun when he would go in and flush the birds. 

[Bullkllr]

Fly shops sell pheas feathers and skins for pretty good money. I've seen hens go for around 20$ and roosters for more. Could be money in it for someone in that situation.