Pheasants being stocked on public land

[Mature Buck]

I was deer hunting at a public land spot I've been going to for a while and I walk in and all I see is shotgun shells beer bottles cans and misc litter and maybe 2 pheasant kill sites. I get situated in my stand and 30 minutes later it sounds like a war zone. I literally counted 11 shotgun shots a minute it was so crazy these people were shooting everywhere in trees and bushes hoping to hit something they shot very close to my stand too it was so bad I have to leave because i thought I would get shot. When I get down from the tree I find they were shooting 50 feet away from my stand at some points they could have shot into my tree and killed me. What do you guys think about non native species being stocked on public land I personally think it is unethical and damaging to the landscape.is my experience typical of pheasant shooters in or did I just encounter some drunk idiots?

 

[grandejuan]

What did they say when you came by? Did you take any license plate numbers? Most pheasants I know don't hang around waiting to be shot. Did you contact the sheriff or game warden? GJ

 

[Mature Buck]

I didn't confront them but I called a game warden and he said he would contact an officer in the area I just wanted to get out alive because they were probably drunk

 

[JLS]

Something doesn't smell right.

 

[MJE2083]

I was deer hunting at a public land spot I've been going to for a while and I walk in and all I see is shotgun shells beer bottles cans and misc litter and maybe 2 pheasant kill sites. I get situated in my stand and 30 minutes later it sounds like a war zone. I literally counted 11 shotgun shots a minute it was so crazy these people were shooting everywhere in trees and bushes hoping to hit something they shot very close to my stand too it was so bad I have to leave because i thought I would get shot. When I get down from the tree I find they were shooting 50 feet away from my stand at some points they could have shot into my tree and killed me. What do you guys think about non native species being stocked on public land I personally think it is unethical and damaging to the landscape.is my experience typical of pheasant shooters in or did I just encounter some drunk idiots?

Here in PA we virtually have nothing but stocked pheasants on public game lands. Its my understanding that wild populations have all but virtually disappeared as a result of "new age" farming practices and habitat loss. I've hunted stocked pheasants many times this season, mostly because I have a new dog, but I've also hunted them in the past. I have never encountered any dangerous, drunken, or reckless behavior. The only thing I would call dangerous is the fact that it can get VERY crowded in these area's as the game commission publishes stocking date and locations(which are pretty limited). Still I have never felt unsafe and I would say that such behavior is not typical of upland bird hunters. While I would certainly rather be shooting wild birds(pheasant and quail), the fact is that they no longer exist in PA in any significant numbers. The ruffed grouse population is also experiencing great decline IMO so stocked pheasants is pretty much all we have.

 

[Mature Buck]

Is late December early Jan the best month for pheasants or something because it was a sea of orange is there a month where nobody shoots pheasants or is it packed all the time

 

[MJE2083]

Not sure where you are, but here in PA the majority of the stocking in conducted thru Oct. and into early Nov. Last stocking was weekend before xmas. Our pheasant season is closed during whitetail rifle season.

 

[Mature Buck]

New Jersey and season ends on Feb 20th they couldn't care less about deer hunters deer hunters shld always be put first but they completely sold out to the pheasant farmers

 

[Southwind]

"is my experience typical of pheasant shooters in or did I just encounter some drunk idiots? "

NO not typical

 

[bobbydean]

Pretty damn hard to hit a pheasant drunk. Pretty damn hard to hit a pheasant in thick bush sober. Need to be sober and in open conditions.

 

[grandejuan]

Something about this story sounds fishy. Hate to call someone a troll. GJ

 

[teamhoyt]

Several states stocks pheasants on public land. It wouldnt make much sense to stock birds with public money onto private land and off limits to the sportsman that pay for them. On another note when it comes to public land hunting in whatever form or fashion everyone has the right to be there. Deer hunters don't trump bird hunters and bird hunters don't trump squirrel hunters. I Realize that that can be annoying and inconvenient but that's part of hunting public land. Maybe find a funnel or another area where these bird hunters will push deer into or through and use it to your advantage. Also reporting the littering and other reckless behavior, hopefully it will weed out the bad actors.

 

[7mm08mo]

It

Several states stocks pheasants on public land. It wouldnt make much sense to stock birds with public money onto private land and off limits to the sportsman that pay for them. On another note when it comes to public land hunting in whatever form or fashion everyone has the right to be there. Deer hunters don't trump bird hunters and bird hunters don't trump squirrel hunters. I Realize that that can be annoying and inconvenient but that's part of hunting public land. Maybe find a funnel or another area where these bird hunters will push deer into or through and use it to your advantage. Also reporting the littering and other reckless behavior, hopefully it will weed out the bad actors.

+1

 

[FAIR CHASE]

Good grief. How do you even know it was pheasants they were after. Very strange first post.

 

[dannyb278]

I smells a troll I do...

 

[kenton]

I was deer hunting at a public land spot I've been going to for a while

Is late December early Jan the best month for pheasants or something because it was a sea of orange is there a month where nobody shoots pheasants or is it packed all the time

Must not have been hunting there that long if you don't know when pressure is high.

When I get down from the tree I find they were shooting 50 feet away from my stand

You had to get down from the tree to find out they were 50 feet away? This is a swiss cheese story: lots of holes.

 

[shootbrownelk]

He did say he was in New Jersey.....can you even have a gun in New Jersey? LOL

 

[Mature Buck]

Yep you just gotta wait like 100 days once you apply for a license well atleast it's not California right?

 

[LuketheDog]

Hmmmm, between this and the thread about landowner tags...

 

[Joles]

I'm next door in PA and I live for pheasant hunting. This is the strangest story that I've ever seen. None of this makes sense (at least for PA--NJ is a whole other can of worms). Perhaps these folks weren't hunting.
While I have had some slob hunters jump in front of me in a field that I was walking out that's about the worst I've ever experienced.

In terms of the release of birds, pheasants are a gateway quarry, at least in PA. Hunters enjoy pursuing them and that's why they are stocked. Biooogically they are not hurting anything and any improvements that are made to habitat to help pheasants will also help other small game.