Westside pheasant license. Worth it?

[fethrduster]

$90 seems  steep to shoot a few pheasants.  I understand WA. budget constraints, but the season is only open two months, and since you have to pick odd or even weekends (or did they do away with that?), that means you get to go out four times (assuming you go on Saturdays, since most guys work weekdays and Sundays are slim pickings).   $90 buys a great trip to hunt wild birds in eastern WA.  I have a new pup, and I appreciate getting him on birds, but I have reservations.  Hmm....

[woodswalker]

I sure dont think its worth it...and I live within 30 minutes of several release sites.

[shoot-em-dead]

If you think it is worth it to get shot at- pick pellets out of your dog, and get 1 bird then go for it. The East side has birds and lots of room to roam.

[Birdguy]

Fetherduster, what is your goal with your pup? $90 will not buy you much of a trip east (depending on where you live, where you stay over there and what you eat). With my pup the goal will be getting out and hunting. If you go to the release site after 10am they are pretty empty of people and there are still birds. $90 is not cheap but it gets your dog out several times. Depending on where you live and what site you go to odd or even may not be a factor and it is only by the day. One day of each weekend you can start at 8am with the rest of the crowd, on the other weekend day you just have to wait until 10am to start hunting. Only the busy sites are odd or even (atleast that is how it has been). I will spend $90 or more on fuel for a weekend hunt, and I take my own camper and food, and sometimes my own birds  . It is convenient but like most of our outdoor op pertunities in our state you do not do it because it is cheap, you do it because it is what you like to do even if all you do is take the pup out and let him work.

If you are still don't like your options, find a piece of ground you can hunt and shoot on, and buy some birds for your $90 and have a good day with your pup and do it again when you have the time and money. Either way be sure to enjoy all the time you spend with your pup.

[bobcat]

If you have the time to go it's worth it. I don't have the time, so I'm not going to buy that license this year. I will spend most of my weekends that I can hunt, hunting deer and/or elk. I bought the pheasant license last year, and only went one time, maybe two. But last year it only cost $35 because I bought it before the price went up. But if I didn't have kids and had more time to go, I would buy it, especially since the release site is just across the street from my house. I will still take my Brittany out there for exercise whenever I get the chance, I just won't bring a shotgun, and it will probably be after 4:00 anyway when you can't hunt. If I can find the time I will make one trip to eastern Washington with the dog and hunt pheasants for a week. That trip split between me and another guy will still cost me at least $250. So really I don't think $90 is bad when you figure your gas cost won't be much. Just go in the afternoons when few people are out there. That's what I have always done. It's too crazy at 8 a.m.

[Snowman]

The odd or even days, pretain to the first 2hrs of hunting only on the weekends. So after 10am every one can hunt and you can hunt all week long at a 8 am start time. $90 is the new price as you can shoot more than 8 birds per card. An no more card. It's a great way to train dogs an just get out. It was mentioned that most people are gone by 10am, which is very true. I always get my birds between noon and 3pm. It's also good for kids in the afternoon too.

[sisu]

I spend a week or so in Montana. I see more and shoot more (sharp tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge and ring necked pheasant) in that time span that I see in WA for an entire season. I'd like to hit North Dakota some time. I found out that I have a former student living there that has farms and ranch land all around her that will let my wife and I hunt so....

Ya I've given up on Washington. 

[old boat]

BobCat, you may want to rethink your exercising your dog! I think they can give you a ticket if you don't have the west side tag! I used to do the same thing at stillwater, but after reading the regulations I don't do it anymore. This was about three years ago, so maybe they changed it, but I think it still is, no tag, no trespass. Especially after hours! Really limits the exposure for the dog, now I walk the logging trails once the pheasant season starts. Also; watch out for that sneaky senior/junior hunt that starts two weeks earlier. Anytime the dog and I find birds at stillwater, I high tail it for the truck!
Fethrduster: Except for the price of gas, I think the wild birds are worth the efforts. How about car pooling with some buddies? Just make sure they are older than you and hate chukar!

[bobcat]

old boat, I go out there year 'round, hunting season or not, to run the dog. Been doing it since '98, when I moved here. It's public land, I see no reason to stop now, and I have never seen any rule that said you can't be out there without a pheasant hunting license. If you get a chance would you mind posting as to where you read that law?

[old boat]

....a Western Washington
Pheasant License is required to train
dogs....
Only youth and seniors may train
dogs during their respective seasons
on designated western Washington
pheasant release sites.....
......A valid small game license is required
to train dogs...
These are from the regulations for 09, and the after hours was a warning I got from your friendly neighborhood officer, thankfully he let me slide!

[bobcat]

I'm not training my dog, just taking her for a walk. Which a lot of people that live around here do and I'm sure most of them probably don't even have the $10 access permit required to use the property.

I think when they say "training dogs" they're talking about training with live birds.

[old boat]

Yeah, I understand: but you may get harassed during the pheasant season. I run the dog the rest of the year at stillwater, I just avoid those days it is open. By the way the neighborhood officer is a lot less friendly these days. 

[fethrduster]

$90 will buy me a couple trips to the Columbia (from Tacoma) after chukars.  The last year I hunted Scatter Creek ('08, when it cost $40), I limited each time in about a half hour.  It was fun, but I also worry about the crowds being a tough influence on my young setter.