# Ditch Chickens



## Papa Moses (Sep 27, 2018)

With the dinosaur (cough cough) I mean pheasant hunt this weekend, I can barley hold my excitement, anyone else feeling the same way? What do y’all plan hunting, private? Public? Dogs? No dogs? I know I’ll be hunting a mix of all- good luck to you guys this weekend, and be safe out there, those DNR areas can be a mess


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

I will never hunt a release location ever again after a not so good experience 2 years ago. I will be hunting with another guy and his dog in the middle of the desert where there are a couple ditch parrots that are around. May not get anything, but if we get a shot at a rooster, it will be a wild rooster and there will be no other hunters around. Hopefully.


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## Papa Moses (Sep 27, 2018)

toasty said:


> I will never hunt a release location ever again after a not so good experience 2 years ago. I will be hunting with another guy and his dog in the middle of the desert where there are a couple ditch parrots that are around. May not get anything, but if we get a shot at a rooster, it will be a wild rooster and there will be no other hunters around. Hopefully.


Same, one of the first years the DNR did that we had a dangerous time afield. Whatever pheasants I'll be chasing will be wild on public and private ground. Good luck to you!


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I have had some bad experiences on some of the release areas as well. Most of them look like a giant pumpkin patch with all the orange. However, don't discount some of the waterfowl WMA's. Fewer people and larger areas to hunt.


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## Slap That Quack (Mar 2, 2017)

I am super stoked. I will be hunting with a dog on public grounds. I will be going for a 3 species hunt if i am lucky.


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## Papa Moses (Sep 27, 2018)

Fowlmouth said:


> I have had some bad experiences on some of the release areas as well. Most of them look like a giant pumpkin patch with all the orange. However, don't discount some of the waterfowl WMA's. Fewer people and larger areas to hunt.


I have never tried a WMA, good idea though, my first ever utah rooster limit was with the aid of the DNR, one pen raised rooster, and one wild on the family farm- got that baby mounted


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

I lost enthusiasm for the pheasant hunt when my dog got too old to hunt them. I guess she spoiled me. I'll be out hunting waterfowl - but will keep the gun ready in case I happen to kick one up.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

The WMA's where they dump the birds get hammered real hard. Last year we watched some hunters following the G&F truck out when they dumped them, all the birds were dead in a half hour. 

But if you do decided to try one remember steel shot and follow the waterfowl shooting hours.


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

What's a pheasant?


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

In all seriousness though, I will probably be up the mountain hunting grouse far away from all the people.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

colorcountrygunner said:


> What's a pheasant?


+1. Is there any wild birds left???? The farm I grew up on I could shoot two roosters in ten minutes before I had to go to school. "Gee whiz Wally" those were the days. (1977-1987)


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

taxidermist said:


> +1. Is there any wild birds left???? The farm I grew up on I could shoot two roosters in ten minutes before I had to go to school. "Gee whiz Wally" those were the days. (1977-1987)


My dad and uncle grew up in Cedar City in the 70s and they always talk about the good old days of going out and picking up a limit of wild roosters out in the valley like it was nothing. Now I just go out there and see all the cool new houses being built. :neutral:


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

It is always strange to me, how given the popularity of pheasants that Utah does not release more.


Wyoming releases 30k with a population of 500k. 



Utah releases 10k with a population of 3 million. 



Utah also has a lot more money making features built into the wildlife system. Expo, Draws for everything with app fees, Auction tags, non resident tag fees, etc. 



All Wyoming has is super tag fees and non resident licenses. 



I'm still debating on whether or not to go out, but probably will. The dog pretty much runs my life.


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## Papa Moses (Sep 27, 2018)

MuscleWhitefish said:


> It is always strange to me, how given the popularity of pheasants that Utah does not release more.
> 
> Wyoming releases 30k with a population of 500k.
> 
> ...


Yeah I wish Utah would do more for the pheasants left, and the hunters that still pursue them. I know back east (Maryland or Pennsylvania) release like 50-80k birds, granted they have A LOT more hunters and less wild birds.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

We will be going out. We’ll hunt the WMAs with all the other yahoos. It can get a little nuts, but it beats sitting at home. 

I wish there were more WMAs to spread everyone out. It would also be nice if there were more acreage in the existing ones too. 

Another thing that would help the crowding is to double the number of released birds, and release 1/3 of those on Monday’s, and the rest on Thursday nights or Friday mornings throughout the hunt. If the availability of birds were spread out, I know I would be more inclined to wait until the opener is over to go out. More opportunities on days other than the opener would definitely soften the blow, IMO.


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## guner (Sep 25, 2007)

I bet if they could get money from Phez like they can for Elk, we would magically have a lot of “perfect” Pheasant habitat. 😉


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I can’t go for the opener this year because we are traveling for my wife’s grandfather’s 90th birthday. 

I’m so bummed. 

So is my daughter.


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## wagdog (Jan 6, 2009)

guner said:


> I bet if they could get money from Phez like they can for Elk, we would magically have a lot of "perfect" Pheasant habitat. &#128521;


That's my theory as well. Big game brings in the money. Upland birds not as much. It's too bad. I love hunting birds!


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

I took a drive the other day out in my old stomping grounds and saw eight roosters - I hope they don’t get shot as they are probably the only eight wild roosters in the entire county. ;-)

Once a person experiences the Dakotas, pheasant hunting around here is never the same!


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## maverick9465 (Nov 21, 2016)

I'll be out there tomorrow morning with 600 of my closest friends.  Just a good opportunity to run my dog a bit. Public land for sure.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

Gave it up year's ago. The only thing more exciting than the opening of the deer hunt until I got peppered 3 years in a row.

Have fun boys!


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## Papa Moses (Sep 27, 2018)

maverick9465 said:


> I'll be out there tomorrow morning with 600 of my closest friends.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's what it's all about for me is family and dogs. I gotta clarify I hated on the release areas, but I quite enjoyed them when it was very few people and a lot of birds for my family to shoot and dogs to hunt. The people that hunted them just got too crazy for us and we had to find a new area to hunt. They are fun, if they can be safer and more controlled! As long as they give some dinosaurs for peoples dogs though then that's all that matters.


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