Bird hunting

Frack N Cylons

Frack N Cylons

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Hey all! A friend of mine and I have tossed around the idea of doing some bird hunting this fall. Neither of us have any significant hunting experience and are thinking of trying a guided thing somewhere within a reasonable distance to Charlotte. We both have suitable shotguns. I am very experienced with firearms and I feel confident in his gun handling and ability to take direction.

Where would you guys recommend I start looking? Some quick googling takes me to some interesting sites close by, but I know you guys have the inside scoop.

By the way, I intend to eat anything I kill.
 
The Clinton House Plantation in Clinton, SC does guided bird hunts. It ain't cheap. You basically buy the birds, they go toss them in a field, wait a little while, then you go 'hunt' them.
 
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I don't care what anyone says, pen raised bird hunting just isn't the same as wild birds. Problem is, you can't find wild birds unless you go to Tx or Ks. I gave it up when the wild bird hunting around here petered out. Great memories of fine setters and pointers and hunting buddies.
 
Quail Haven and Hunting Creek are in Harmony. Got a buddy that goes to one of them but not sure which. He has his own dog though.
 
frakncylons said:
Thank you, I'll look into those. The idea of "pen raised" hunting doesn't exactly thrill me.
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Not a lot of wild birds left in NC. And you would need to find private land most likely. Quail are pretty tough to find. And Grouse puts you in the mountains. Way in the mountains, and you better like bushwhacking and have a dog.
 
You need to go to a place that turns bird loose for you to hunt with their dogs.
Then you get a taste of what it is supposed to be like.
They aren't many wild quail left in NC. And grouse have really been scarce the last few years here in the mountains, last year I averaged about twenty miles of walking per bird.
So do a hunt on a preserve somewhere to get a feel for it, then if you really like it book a grouse trip up in Mich or Minnesota next fall.
Plenty of wild grouse there and plenty of guides etc.
Then you get a hankering to try to shoot some ringnecks book a guided hunt in Nebraska or Kansas.
I love bird hunting and still have two mostly unemployed but mighty fine American Brittany bird dogs. It is an expensive hobby and much cheaper to pay someone to take you hunting unless you want to go every day.
Try it out.
I have never been to this place but I have a buddy that loves it, looks close to you too maybe. http://devilsribpreserve.com/
 
I did a reserve in upper South Carolina once. Shot a ton of birds. Cost a ton of money. Hated the trip. Had to kick the birds to make them get up off the ground. Blasted at 15 feet. Hunt was 50 yards from the lodge. Lazy bastard owner. Even road with him to shake the piss out of the quail for disorientation and throw them into the grass.

Pheasants were less challenging. Put out with the head tucked under a wing. Even picked one up and tossed him up for the others to shoot. That’s today’s bird hunting. Owner asked why I was sitting on the poarch watching the others. I told him I was tired. Him: “ My huntin ain’t good enough for ya.” Me: Oh no it was fine. Me thinking: You rip off artist trash country bumpkin hillbilly shortbus dried up old cooter.

I’m going to to Kansas once my son can plan a couple days off while stationed in Kansas. Even in Kansas they raise birds and let them out. Don’t be fooled.
 
I hunted Quail Haven in Harmony a few years ago late in the season. We had 3 hunters, 1 had never hunted at all, 1 had never bird hunted, but all were good shooters. The guide was an older guy and very good. They basically set the birds in a dozen different places on a lightly brush covered hillside with minimal woods. It was a good experience and very reasonably priced IMO.

However, it was a bit of a surprise since my first 2 times hunting were at one of the top bird hunting resorts in the country, Rio Piedra in southern GA. Their birds are farm raised but live wild and they have thousands of acres. 2 4hr hunts, private cabins, top notch homemade breakfast/lunch/dinner. Limited to 16(?) hunters on property. This place was just ridiculously awesome. We took customers there for work. It would be an awesome place to take your father for a trip to remember. It’s pricey but worth every penny.
 
I've seen more pheasants in the Dakotas then Iowa, Kansas or Illinois. Can't comment on the quality of upland game birds in NC however. Haven't seen any quail since the mid 80s around Bragg. Usually dove hunt but not this year. Never hunted ducks/geese.

ETA: Only hunted spruce grouse in Alaska. Good times and eats.

CD
 
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Nothing gets the heart thumping more than flushing a wild grouse on a cold clear November day in northern Michigan.
 
Tex in Sept to kick off dove
Wisconsin twice in Oct for grouse
Kansas in Nov for Pheasant
South Dakota in Dec for pheasant and quail
Texas in Jan for geese

Notice a trend?? Nothing in NC, there's just nothing here, but we have plenty of it.....
 
Bailey Boat said:
Tex in Sept to kick off dove
Wisconsin twice in Oct for grouse
Kansas in Nov for Pheasant
South Dakota in Dec for pheasant and quail
Texas in Jan for geese

Notice a trend?? Nothing in NC, there's just nothing here, but we have plenty of it.....
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Oct 19 in Conway for the Wizard is a tough shoot.
 
Try the Rimrock Preserve in Harmony, NC. The birds are set but the quality of dogs is top grade and that is what makes a good hunt, it's all about the dog and handler. Ed's dogs are a sight to see, pure poetry in motion. After a few rises the birds become too easy for a good shot so step back and enjoy the dogs at work.
 
Pen raised birds, tower shoots, shooting deer with their heads in a bucket of corn,...hunting ain't what it used to be. :rolleyes:
 
I have a very hard time these days getting a good crop of sweet corn because of all the crows, deer, bears, coons, turkeys, and other such critters but have an even harder time finding any quail or woodcock. It was the other way around not too many years ago.
 
Ikarus1 said:
Yep, used to be no deer, bear, or turkey to hunt. Now they're everywhere like rats.
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But the trend is down for both deer and turkey. And with the liberal bear season (baiting) we'll have to see what the future holds for them. In the east deer harvest was down 20% last year. Weather is a factor, but the year to year trend is negative. The liberal antlerless season along with a 6 deer limit over the last decade has been a resounding success as the statewide deer herd is no longer expanding. Now with a two buck limit it will put even more pressure on the antlerless portion of the herd. There are still pockets of high density deer numbers, but overall the days of riding around and seeing 30-70 deer in the fields (whether good or bad) is a thing of the past in most areas. In my home county of Bladen, in the heyday of deer hunting we used to register over 5,000 deer. Now the registered hill is a bit over 2,000.

I've heard good things about Allen Brothers Preserve in Bladen county. They have a gunshop on the premises as well but I haven't been there.
 
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Personally I don't hunt preserves unless I have a client that wants to go shoot some birds and then I act as guide not a shooter. On the other hand, when I go to SD (and some places in KS) there are still wild quail and they are a sight to behold.
As for the deer and bear with baiting as prevalent as it is the deer seem to have lost their fear of humans and will almost eat out of your hand. They come through my backyard and just stand and stare at me and the dog, WTH??
For some reason I've never hunted Turkey, it just doesn't seem fair to shoot a bird on the ground with a shotgun....


gunbelt said:
Oct 19 in Conway for the Wizard is a tough shoot.
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I'll be on my first week of Grouse in WI. Besides, no recipe for the wizard, I'll shoot that when I don't have anything else to focus on. And when I do I'll capture it just for you and Billy......
 
I'm not much of a bird hunter, probably because there's mourning doves and that's it here in Central NC. But if I was, I would think Midwest and states that start mostly with M Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, oh and Idaho etc would be destinations. I would love to hunt Pheasant, Prarie Chickens, and Chukkar.
 
"I'll be on my first week of Grouse in WI. Besides, no recipe for the wizard, I'll shoot that when I don't have anything else to focus on. And when I do I'll capture it just for you and Billy......"


It only takes 3 minutes to shoot the Wizard. With all the stuff you do, surely you can take 3 minutes and check your handgun skillset against a known standard. The Wizard and the "truth" box (timer) will take it from there...

Its only 5 shots at (1) 6" circle.

3 yards, 5 yards, 7 yards, 10 yards
 
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Hashknife said:
"I'll be on my first week of Grouse in WI. Besides, no recipe for the wizard, I'll shoot that when I don't have anything else to focus on. And when I do I'll capture it just for you and Billy......"


It only takes 3 minutes to shoot the Wizard. With all the stuff you do, surely you can take 3 minutes and check your handgun skillset against a known standard. The Wizard and the "truth" box (timer) will take it from there...

Its only 5 shots at (1) 6" circle.

3 yards, 5 yards, 7 yards, 10 yards
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It's not the time to actually DO IT, it's the time required to get everything SET UP to do it.... Trust me, I'll get "roundtoit"......
 
[Q




I'll be on my first week of Grouse in WI. Besides, no recipe for the wizard, I'll shoot that when I don't have anything else to focus on. And when I do I'll capture it just for you and Billy......[/QUOTE]


Glad you're back We all figured you were off practicing The Wizard. I told the guys here as you told me...it doesn't pertain or mean anything and it's So easy you really don't have to do it to know you can.

We are waiting with the breath that is baited.


gunbelt said:
@BatteryOaksBilly
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Yep....I see it......but I wanna See It.
 
Bailey Boat said:
It's not the time to actually DO IT, it's the time required to get everything SET UP to do it.... Trust me, I'll get "roundtoit"......
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All you need is a paper plate with a 6" circle drawn with a Sharpie in the center, and a tape measure to verify distance(s). Thats it... Everything you need......

I'm sure you can figure out a way to hang it or staple it to a post.


Since you admittedly have the time to DO IT, I'll help you get everything set up. I will send you a paper plate with a 6" Sharpie circle inscribed in it. :D While you wait on the post office to deliver, find a tape measure and some tacks or small nails. ( Bailing Twine and Clothes Hangars are acceptable target stands as well ). When paper plate arrives, take 5 minutes and hang it up and run the drill. Report back your results here. Easy Peasy..!!


DO IT!!! :D:D:D:)
 
Ikarus1 said:
I'm not much of a bird hunter, probably because there's mourning doves and that's it here in Central NC. But if I was, I would think Midwest and states that start mostly with M Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, oh and Idaho etc would be destinations. I would love to hunt Pheasant, Prarie Chickens, and Chukkar.
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Anyplace where grains and/or grass is grown over massive amounts of land ( mid-western farms ) is generally pretty strong bird hunting territory.
 
BatteryOaksBilly said:
Untrue. He contacted me on May13 and I gave him exactly what it was and we had what I thought was nice conversation. Sorry he doesn't remember.
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I meant for coking the wizard.... jeeze......

Fella's let me give it to ya straight, NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING distracts my bird hunting from the first of Sept until the last of January. It's my hobby, my passion, it's what I live for, the thundering of a bird flushing under my feet, the erratic flight of a woodcock, watching a flight of ducks or geese lock up and comitt to the decoys. It's what keeps my heart beating and the blood flowing, how'd ya like to be married to me during those 5 months?? I have a patient and understanding wife to say the least. BUT, she knew that's what I did before she married me 32 years ago....and she still agreed...

The wizard will need to wait his turn....
 
If you can find someone to take you wood cock hunting is a lot of fun and about the only wild bird hunting worth doing in NC anymore. I would be happy to help a forum member shoot a deer or a rabbit but I keep what few birds I have to myself.
 
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