Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Etiquette Question

I have a group of 3-4 folks that I hunt preserve pheasants with. The Preserve policy is the bird flys and is either killed or lost as there is no follow up on lost singles.At the end of the day all game is divided among the group. A couple of the group are not especially good with a shotgun. They are pretty slow on the shot and connect maybe 20% of the time. Often their hits feather the bird. I have generally followed the practice of calling the next shooter as in you take this next bird. My question is this, If the other shooter is the designated shooter, do you shoot at a missed bird or finish a feathered bird or do you just let it fly and mark it down lost. I have tried both ways and am not quite comfortable with either result as far as what is proper to do . It seems which ever way we try one of the other shooters and I account for probably 75% of the bag it's just bigger if we shoot backup. He wants to shoot rather than let the bird be lost but I get the feeling that the other two sometimes feel a bit put off if you shoot at their missed/ wounded bird. What say you.

Never willingly loose a bird. We should respect the game enough to try to find any game bird or animal shot at. miles

It seems to me that you have an obligation to kill any wounded/feathered bird if you can....if those guys can't do it,
I think you should.....talk it over with them and maybe they will agree....and maybe take them to the trap range for a little practice....

Their missed birds, let'em fly I'd guess. With hit birds you have a responsibility to the animal to make as clean a kill as possible and reduce suffering, so shoot away. All this happens in a split second so it'll be hard for you to make the "right" choice all the time.

We don't hunt preserves but I can tell you how we do it walking fields and crops. The shot belongs to whomever the bird rises in front of. If the bird flies in front of the next guy he gets a shot, and so on down the line. I get the impression preserves see a lot of guys who haven't a clue and set the rules to avoid a Cheney incident.

It's all for fun and we don't take any of it too seriously except for safety. We enjoy the hunt, not getting as many birds as we can. We do stress to the kids proper etiquette is to not poach shots and to stay lined up with the rest of the group. Good way to not get invited back to a group that hunts more formally.

There is an imaginary line that runs straight out from between you and the person on either side of you. In the interest of safety you don't shoot across that line. Once a bird flies into your shooting area, you and only you should be shooting at it. The Cheney incident is overcome with another simple rule. If a bird flies back over your head nobody shoots.

No birds are shot at unless they are completely in the sky. I.E. there is nothing but sky in front of them. Common sense prevails here. If the bird is in front of a tall tree and would by surrounded by sky if not for the tree, then shoot. It can be a problem with preserve birds that often are not strong flyers.

The preserve policy of not following up on missed or crippled birds is BS. You paid for them and as long as they are in the sector you are permitted to hunt, then you can hunt them until dark if you so desire. If they will not agree to such, I would find a different place to hunt preserve birds.

Forgot that point. For the dogs' safety but particularly if you're driving pheasants with blockers! Flushed pheasants pop up high before kicking in afterburners, but not without exception.

Shoooting in front of the next guy is not necessarily unsafe when pheasants are not holding well but is considered boorish behavior. I don't like to hunt with people who do that and I'm pretty laid back about etiquette when hunting with people who I know are safe. Bad form.

Wasn't the Cheney incident where his buddy got out in front of him and Cheney didn't know it? Why you see a lot of orange caps in South Dakota. And why we insist that people stay in line.

One trip to S.D. and driving Pheasants with blockers was enough for me. Shot was raining down and slicing corn stalks more than I was comfortable with. On top of that combined bag shooting interests me little.

If Cheney had not shot a bird going back, the guy wouldn't have been shot. Combined with the obvious fact it was a low flyer.

Had the unique opportunity to hunt all Wild Quail in Georgia. Repeatedly shooting across the line was almost guaranteed to not have you invited back. Shooting at birds that flushed over and back was a guarantee in that horses, wagon and handlers were behind you. Bird could have been 40feet up, it made no difference. It could have been winged and then dive to the ground. A shooters natural inclination is to follow it down.

Ruffed Grouse require one to pay attention in that most never make it to all sky. You either shoot or often you wouldn't shoot all day.

Wow! Never had that happen to me over all the years. Not even once.

Here shooting behind you isn't such an evil thing when hunting with friends that KNOW everyone will do it safely. No horses, wagons or such behind you, it's always walk in from a road. When holding very tight in CRP pheasants will often flush after you walk by. Way too close to shoot so you have plenty of time to turn (at port arms) and line up a shot. Best not do this when hunting with a group you don't know well. Birds flying over the line are not to be shot at, ever. After running the gauntlet we (jokingly) figure they won and deserve to live another day.

Should add this is when hunting pheasants in open fields. Different game, different rules.

First off I absolutely cherish the times I've been to S.D. hunting Pheasants. It is incredible fun for the Dog and hunter.

Admittedly the time I did it, I doubt if there were any from S.D. in the group and the boys had only limited reservations about shooting low flyers while the drivers were still out a piece. At the end of the drive the birds seemed to have a tendency to fly out of one of the corners. I never could consistently figure out which one it would be. Anyway obviously some just didn't know the "rules." Made me nervous and not all that enthusiastic to participate.

Another time I went with a couple guys and paid a farmer to let us hunt. We had the place pretty much to ourselves during the weekdays and did our own thing with the Dogs. I got to the point I didn't care about shooting. The Dog getting all the experience was the highlight. It was great.

First time I ever went, which was years ago, it was just me and a great Springer. Knocked on doors and asked. Most of the time the response was ok, hunt here and they wouldn't take any money. Those days are obviously pretty much a thing of the past. When I think about it, that was around Holdridge, Nebraska and not S.D.

Agree on the flushing after you walk past and if you know your group and everyone keeps up, it is not a problem. Just keep counting heads to make sure you come up with the right count.

If i hunt with others during pheasant drives i insist everyone wear an orange hat an understand the rules and safety during drives. It seems about 1/2 the guys in excitement to shoot a bird do not follow safety procedures.I find myself now only hunting in pairs with someone I trust.

A crippled bird is always pursued

always share game after the hunt whether it be birds elk, deer, fish.

For the OP, I'd find a different preserve to hunt and different hunting partners if they get huffy about you shooting their missed/wounded birds.

Most of my bird hunting is wild Kansas pheasants. The hunting party is usually myself, dad, brother in law, and then a core of a handful of different guys, not all at once, but usually 5 or so on the hunt total, sometimes a few more, sometimes less. We all pretty much know what the other guys are doing and what they're going to do. Unless its a kid on his first hunt or some other inexperienced shooter that we give first chance, if the bird is in the air, and it is a safe shot, it is fair game, whether that is out in front, behind, to the side or straight up in the air. If everybody is walking in a line, there is an overlap area that two or even three can shoot without even being close to being unsafe.

Cheesy,
The line maybe for safety and then maybe for other reasons also. Even when the shooters are all in a line.

As someone else mentioned etiquette comes into play. It is nice-and appreciated by some-that when a bird gets up in front of them they don't have to rush the shot for concern that a shooter next to them will shoot before they are ready. It even goes so far as the shooter just may not want to shoot that particular bird for reasons of his/her own. I.E. the Dog didn't hold point or hup to flush if those things are important to the Dog owner. And just maybe he wanted to watch one fly away for no other reason than that is what he wanted at that moment. Now if the bird crosses into another shooters zone, then that shooter makes the call.

Not sure what you meant by "to the side", but turning and shooting over the head of another shooter should be unacceptable. I'm assuming you mean the shooters on the far ends shoot at birds that are flying off to the side away from all other shooters.

battue-

Yes, "to the side" I meant guys on the ends. At no point should the muzzle point towards a member of the hunting party.

No matter how my post reads, safety is always at the front, almost to the point where its taken for granted, just is an absolute.

I'm glad the guys I hunt with aren't so touchy. Have fun, shoot em and eat em. If they get away they are either injured and will die or a hawk or owl will take them that evening. For what is charged per bird you may as well get a meal