Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Upland Birds => Topic started by: Boom Stick on October 26, 2009, 03:57:54 PM

Title: Pheasant Opener
Post by: Boom Stick on October 26, 2009, 03:57:54 PM: I was wondering how everyone did opening weekend. I hunted the Lower Valley area with my buddy and two cousins. I have to say it's the worst opening I've had in 25+ years of hunting. It was the four of us and four dogs. After a full day of hunting we left with one Rooster and two quail. I think we saw a total of 3 Roosters and five Hens the entire day. Now, I don't have to get my limit each time out to have a good time, but I would like to at least know they are out there. We lost some more property as well. Looks like they are turning it into a pasture. I'm hoping if we get some weather things will improve.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: 270Shooter on October 26, 2009, 04:01:45 PM: I have only been duck hunting really, but I have seen, and heard lots of rooster this year. And heard quite a few shots as well.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: satchel3006 on October 26, 2009, 05:49:08 PM: got one at big flats opening morning didnt hear that many shots only saw one guy that looked like he got two i think mine was last years bird though. me and my friend were wondering if they even planted this year?
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: GermanShorthair on October 26, 2009, 08:41:59 PM: yeah not the best of openers. Didnt see that many or hear that many shots out in sprague but did still mangage to bag a couple.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: TC Larsen on October 26, 2009, 09:18:52 PM: I have never hit pheasant opener till this year, mostly because everyone and there mother is out but i did great, limited out by noon on roosters, but couldnt get my dad anymore than one. he just had surgery on his acl so it was a drag :bash: . lots of hens to, i thought thatt the birds would be scattered witht all the hunters but move slow and work spots overand over again, good times!!!!!!
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: freberd on October 27, 2009, 07:17:39 AM: We went to the new site at Wiskey Dick. We were surprised there were any birds left after the windstorm the night before. It blew for about 6 hours we thought the camper was going to blow over.

They were about 16 vehicles, heard lots of gun shots. We got 3 birds and missed 2.

Watch out for the cantaloupe size cactus... I worry about the dogs stepping on them but they missed them this time.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: T-Bone on October 27, 2009, 10:10:15 AM: I did a hunt near home in the N. Palouse. No sign of any pheasants until the end of the hunt, but my two friends and I did get into a large covey of quail. Actually, a few more birds than I thought after two horrible Winters.

Tom
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: Birdguy on October 27, 2009, 11:13:24 AM: To bad things were so slow. I was supposed to go but had other obligations keep me at home this weekend :'(. Great for those that got out, even if the limits were not a given it was still good to be out. Good luck for the rest of the season.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: halflife65 on October 27, 2009, 02:44:04 PM: Quote from: freberd on October 27, 2009, 07:17:39 AM
We went to the new site at Wiskey Dick. We were surprised there were any birds left after the windstorm the night before. It blew for about 6 hours we thought the camper was going to blow over.

They were about 16 vehicles, heard lots of gun shots. We got 3 birds and missed 2.

Watch out for the cantaloupe size cactus... I worry about the dogs stepping on them but they missed them this time.

That's just 15 minutes from my house. I went there just as it was getting light and could count (literally) 17 guys (and there were more around the corner) starting across the field. I turned around and went home. I had only planned to hunt for 3 hours, anyway, and didn't have time to move to a new spot for pheasants. I probably would have stuck it out if I would have driven awhile to get there or had more time in the day.

I'll go again in a few weeks when the pressure dies down a bit.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: TEX-X on October 27, 2009, 02:47:46 PM: i've been slaughtering them... I missed one bird that my pup went onto point on... some guy had a damn puppy out there that wanted to play..with my dog. i told him to get control of that dog or i would get control of him for him...
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: Balladeer on October 27, 2009, 05:01:33 PM: Yeah...our crew had a good morning, too. Not exactly sure the name of the place (really) but between three of us, we shot 8 birds. I limited in the first 20 minutes. Beginners luck I suppose.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: cabin308 on October 28, 2009, 10:31:19 AM: I agree this was the lowest bird numbers and worst pheasant count we've seen on opener in many years hunting my uncle's ranch outside Walla Walla. It was hard work, ten miles hiking saturday and eight more sunday. Didn't see any quail, only two huns and at best maybe 15 pheasants, 7 were roosters. The dogs did great but there were so few birds for them to point and most of the ones the dogs found were so spooky they wouldn't hold and flushed wild from the deepest cover. No "pleasant pheasant" rises for us. I got one rooster saturday and one sunday. My dad and sis got none.
The best moment was sunday morning as we hunted back to the trucks. The Brittanys got hot and three pheasants flushed up wild under some trees in the creek bottom. I only saw one, yelled out "ROOSTER ROOSTER ROOSTER", shot and missed it with the first barrel, shot the second barrel, saw it crumple and fall about 30 yards away. Dad and sis were shooting at the birds that came out the other side so I marked where it went down, went to the spot and called over Daisy to find the bird. She got the scent and pointed under some densely matted grasses. I put my left foot in the grass and out ran the bird over my right foot! I must've only busted a wing because it stayed down with Daisy in hot pursuit and the chase began! They ran through CRP grass, into the creek bottom, then back into the thick stuff where it looked that the rooster was going to escape. Daisy was still on the chase but losing ground in the thicker cover until the bird made it's final mistake and turned back out in the open. I was ready to ground shoot it but was cautious and watched as she closed the distance quickly, ending in a rolling tumble of dog, grass and feathers. She tackled it, holding it down with her mouth as I ran up, grabbed the neck and spun it. Good girl Daisy!! As Dez Young would say from "Hunting with Hank"....... "That was exciting!" :chuckle:

Forgot to take pics on Saturday before cleaning the bird :bash: so this is Sunday with me and Daisy, a frozen bird and the fresh one.

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi669.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fvv56%2Fcabin308%2FP1010653.jpg&hash=82e671b9106936842b8aa97a6b7ff2917e3d1aa5)

The hunting dogs...Bonny, Tiki, Boomer and Daisy.

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi669.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fvv56%2Fcabin308%2FP1010607.jpg&hash=dee8f211e489f0da37b746aadbeff7f7a75b915a)
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: CoryTDF on October 28, 2009, 10:50:41 AM: This is how my little brother RileyTDF and his two friends did!
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: cabin308 on October 28, 2009, 11:09:39 AM: Congrads Corey! Wow, you fared much better than us. PM sent.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: fethrduster on October 28, 2009, 01:49:49 PM: It was okay. My friend and I brought home four birds (including a quail) in two days, dropped two more but couldn't find them. Lots of wild birds flushing out of range. Probably saw about 30 total.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: highclimber on October 28, 2009, 06:40:07 PM: The wheather was great and their were a lot of quail, my shooting was a little rusty.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: Birdguy on October 28, 2009, 08:55:44 PM: You all had a better time then me. I stayed home cut wood, worked on the dog kennels and did winter preps around the house. Hopefully I will make a few trips later in the year. Great birds to those who got em and posted em. Good times to all who got out.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: sneakyjake on October 29, 2009, 09:12:27 AM: We hunted outside of Dayton on CRP. We averaged 2 birds per hunter, with a few misses. Only the second year I have hunted the area and the guy I hunted with said he thought the numbers were down a bit. We did have to cover a lot of ground and be persistant. 5 hunters and two dogs. Still got plenty of shooting in. Hope I get out again.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: hayes202 on October 31, 2009, 06:50:25 AM: I hunted around Royal city for 3 days got one and mist one. Plus the bonus prize of one coyote.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: Boom Stick on November 02, 2009, 03:40:13 PM: My hunting partner and I hit Sunnyside in the morning and then moved to the Yakima Reservation yesterday. We saw a total of eight hens and two Roosters all day. Neither of us got a bird. No quail either, which is shocking to me. Last year Quail were almost a guarantee.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: Sportfury on November 02, 2009, 07:32:14 PM: My son and I went over around Moses Lake. We got up five hens, three roosters, and a covey of about 40 quail. Unfortunately somethings wrong with my gun because it missed the one rooster I had an easy shot on twice :chuckle: All the quail got up in front of my son and he got one shot and missed. All I could do was watch them fly away. Did get up one single right after that, a nice going away shot, but it flew right toward a road with a vehicle on it and I didn't take the shot.

The phez were holding tight almost like release birds even though they were wild. The one rooster that I did get a shot at let my son walk right by him. We then stopped and talked about twenty feet away before he finally had enough and flushed behind us.
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: shorthair-on-point on November 02, 2009, 08:24:10 PM: I did not get to go out on the openner but I made up for it by making it a long weekend this last weekend. Dog did great. Good times.

(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/11718/cwapheasant2.JPG)
(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/11718/110209.JPG)
(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/11718/110309.JPG)
Title: Re: Pheasant Opener
Post by: Boom Stick on November 08, 2009, 05:35:11 PM: Well, we went out again. Sun up to sun down from the Reservation to Sunnyside. Nothing. More shocking then the lack of Pheasants is the lack of Quail. We saw a total of five Quail all day. I haven't fired a shot in the last two trips. Unreal!