# Road Hunters



## bighunter

I live around the carrington area and I often go out alot during the week and wkends hunting phesants around here.The population is getting alittle better but not the greatest.Some roosters are retarded like most and just stay by the road usually if I see them i get out and chase them off the road doesnt teach them much but my point is I go out all the time and here about people limiting out and wondering where they go where hey walk and so on.I asked a couple guys and they said they just go out at sun up and drive down the roads and see one get out and shoot now right there I have a problem with just because anyone can get out and ground ball a bird or shoot at it.I think there should be a law to where the bird has to be on the other side of the ditch to shoot just liek SD had it.Opinions dont FLAME if you disagree just give opinion.
thanks BigHunter


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## taddy1340

BH,

I personally don't like "road hunting." I believe one of the many reasons I'm against it is that I have 2 great labs that I love to see work the fields. It would be a waste of a hunt for both me and the dogs for me to get out and shoot a bird in the ditch.

I used to road hunt deer back in WI while I was young...what an idiot I was! Taking game after a little exercise, scouting, and strategy is so much more rewarding than getting out of the p/u and shooting.

With all that said, as long as the hunter hunts within the confines of the law, they are legal. I personally don't agree with it, but it's legal.

Good Huntin'

Mike


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## tclark4140

to me pheasant hunting is all about the dogs. i know i would give up hunting pheasant if i didnt have a dog, so i agree road hunting is a waste. here in iowa you cant shoot off the road or across the road. i like our deer hunting rule that states you have to be inside the fence line to shoot, i wish they would include pheasants in this law. 6 more days and we get to hunt the pheasants. wow this will be a long week at work !!!


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## bighunter

I also own a black lad and she is about 4 now and i just started taking her out this year with me phesant hunting and ive never seen a lab work for phesants like she does she runs about 15yrds back and fourth infront of you getting them up and retreiving them i was so proud.I tclark4140 like that rule about being inside the fence it gives the bird or animal alittle bit better chance.Good Luck with phesants.
BigHunter


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## 94NDTA

I don't road hunt. I love working the dog in the fields. However, after a full day of working fields and no birds, a pheasant sitting on the side of a dirt road is sure inviting. I have been known to take a couple, but never near posted land, or major roads.


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## DJRooster

Have I ever road hunted? Yup! Is it my favorite kind of hunting? Nope! Do I pass judgement on people just because I see them road hunting? Nope! Matter of fact I wish more people would road hunt because that would leave more spots for me and the dogs to walk! To each his own!


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## DJRooster

I just happen to notice that I have now written over 1000 posts some pretty profound and some not so profound! Sure is fun though giving everyone a line of B.S.!


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## Remmi_&amp;_I

DJRooster said:


> o I pass judgement on people just because I see them road hunting? Nope! Matter of fact I wish more people would road hunt because that would leave more spots for me and the dogs to walk! To each his own!


I somewhat agree with you. The only problem I see is that most of the roadhunting is done on roads where the land is posted. I think if it is done legally it isn't a problem. But, when done in a reckless/illegal way, it gives all hunters a bad name.


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## Rick Acker

I myself have graduated from road hunting...There was a time when the kill was the only thing that was important to me. Now, I would MUCH rather let the dog work and make it a fair chase...Cause let's face it...A pheasant on his own territory can be very smart...On our territory (the road) NOT VERY SMART. When I drive around now, I'm scouting for birds. If you have the legal right to road hunt a piece of land, no judgement on my part, but I bet once you get a good working dog, you will eventually out grow it!


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## Remmi_&amp;_I

Rick Acker said:


> If you have the legal right to road hunt a piece of land, no judgement on my part, but I bet once you get a good working dog, you will eventually out grow it!


Exactly! I forgot about people w/o dogs. If you don't have a dog, it is about the only way to do it until the snow packs them into the heavy cattails!


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## Cinder

I would just like to comment on the other side of using dogs for hunting:

---it is the dog that is hunting - the guy with the gun is shooting and watching his dog. It takes more skill and hard work to get a pheasant in a crp field without a dog than with one
---if dogs were not used for pheasant hunting the birds would not be as wild and people might not have to road hunt to get one. I would say three guys and three dogs is about the same as 15 hunters without dogs working a PLOTS field.
---well trained hunting dogs with good noses probably kill 10 to 20 hens a year, especially if they hunt in cattails with deep snow.
----many dogs I see in the field have a shock collar on them and many get numerous doses of electricty. It is more like a video game than hunting.
----some dog owners train their dogs before the season starts on wild birds. Some even go out in the spring when birds are nesting.
----I see many dogs sitting in kennels and barking for most of the year--- many only hunt a few times a year.


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## 94NDTA

Cinder said:


> I would just like to comment on the other side of using dogs for hunting:
> 
> ---it is the dog that is hunting - the guy with the gun is shooting and watching his dog. It takes more skill and hard work to get a pheasant in a crp field without a dog than with one
> ---if dogs were not used for pheasant hunting the birds would not be as wild and people might not have to road hunt to get one. I would say three guys and three dogs is about the same as 15 hunters without dogs working a PLOTS field.
> ---well trained hunting dogs with good noses probably kill 10 to 20 hens a year, especially if they hunt in cattails with deep snow.
> ----many dogs I see in the field have a shock collar on them and many get numerous doses of electricty. It is more like a video game than hunting.
> ----some dog owners train their dogs before the season starts on wild birds. Some even go out in the spring when birds are nesting.
> ----I see many dogs sitting in kennels and barking for most of the year--- many only hunt a few times a year.


This post is almost as bad as the guy who said people who use live bait are cheating....


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## northerngoosehunter

First let me say I live in SD where Road hunting is legal and I agree that I do get the most satisfaction out of pheasant hunting when I am watching my dogs work. However there is nothing wrong or unethical about walking a section line of ditch between the fence and the road. Sometimes that tends to be the thickest and most challenging cover in a section. Lastly to the individual who thinks dogs are the antichrist I am flabbergasted and speechless. Dogs find and retrieve birds that a human would never find and therefore people who hunt with dogs kill far less birds than those who hunt without dogs and loose two or three birds in the cattails every time they hunt. I would also like to know where he is getting his statistics that a well trained dog is killing 15-20 hens a year.


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## Dak

Northerngoosehunter,

What you describe isn't what I consider road hunting. I think of road as thr drive around, see a bird, jump out (or not) and shoot activity which I don't care for.


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## brianb

My dog is semi well trained and has a better than average nose (used to run Nahra tests where they did a trail as part of the test) and I can tell you he has never killed a hen. The only bird he caught was a crippled rooster.

Now, I would guess that 50% of the birds I shoot would be lost without him. I would really have to be particular about the shots I took and where the birds would fall if I didn't hunt with a dog.

Now, as far as people killing less birds without a dog, maybe if they counted their cripples and lost birds against their limit I would agreee. If they don't I would think they would need to shoot way more than their 3 birds to get their limit in the bag.

An ecollar being a video game controller for a dog is just an ignorant statement. Used properly it is a great tool, used improperly it can be very cruel. The same can be said about a hammer.


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## taddy1340

> I would just like to comment on the other side of using dogs for hunting:
> 
> ---it is the dog that is hunting - the guy with the gun is shooting and watching his dog. It takes more skill and hard work to get a pheasant in a crp field without a dog than with one
> ---if dogs were not used for pheasant hunting the birds would not be as wild and people might not have to road hunt to get one. I would say three guys and three dogs is about the same as 15 hunters without dogs working a PLOTS field.
> ---well trained hunting dogs with good noses probably kill 10 to 20 hens a year, especially if they hunt in cattails with deep snow.
> ----many dogs I see in the field have a shock collar on them and many get numerous doses of electricty. It is more like a video game than hunting.
> ----some dog owners train their dogs before the season starts on wild birds. Some even go out in the spring when birds are nesting.
> ----I see many dogs sitting in kennels and barking for most of the year--- many only hunt a few times a year.


Are you kidding me? Have you ever owned a good hunting dog? Hunting rooster, especially late season, is anything but a day at the trap range :eyeroll:


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## 94NDTA

I must add...MAKE SURE NO ONE IS HUNTING THE LAND WHEN YOU JUMP OUT!

My father and I went out today and had a perfect set up ruined by some idiot in a blue pickup. He saw a rooster on the side of the road maybe 75-100 yards in front of us, got out, shot, missed, and proceded to scare about 10 roosters near by out of hiding. My father and I were working this field and getting near the end, we could tell Bree was onto something, and that we were driving them to the edge. All that hard work was shot in the *** by this guy.

He did stop and say he was sorry, and that he didn't see us (BS, 2 hunters decked out in hunters orange 100 yards away).


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## Fallguy

Cinder said:


> I would just like to comment on the other side of using dogs for hunting:
> 
> ---it is the dog that is hunting - the guy with the gun is shooting and watching his dog. It takes more skill and hard work to get a pheasant in a crp field without a dog than with one
> ---if dogs were not used for pheasant hunting the birds would not be as wild and people might not have to road hunt to get one. I would say three guys and three dogs is about the same as 15 hunters without dogs working a PLOTS field.
> ---well trained hunting dogs with good noses probably kill 10 to 20 hens a year, especially if they hunt in cattails with deep snow.
> ----many dogs I see in the field have a shock collar on them and many get numerous doses of electricty. It is more like a video game than hunting.
> ----some dog owners train their dogs before the season starts on wild birds. Some even go out in the spring when birds are nesting.
> ----I see many dogs sitting in kennels and barking for most of the year--- many only hunt a few times a year.


I don't own a dog but I have some people I know who do and we hunt with them. Hunting dogs were bred for this purpose. It is their passion and they love it. You almost sound like hunting with a dog is like torturing the animal. Whatever!


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## wiskodie1

road hunting, just part of life
my favoret part about this topic, come from two things i see all the time, first its an old couple driven down the road with shot guns, grampa and grandma to old to walk the fields any more and just out for a drive in the country injoying the day. 
second is all the farmers i know that give me crap for spending all my time walking around out in the field hunting for a chicken  LOL
"man if i want chicken ill go to the store and buy it. and if i want to shoot a rooster ill drive down the road at 6pm and shot them out the truck."
heard this more then a few times.
each to there own i guess.


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## Goon

Cinder said:


> ----many dogs I see in the field have a shock collar on them and many get numerous doses of electricty. It is more like a video game than hunting.
> ----I see many dogs sitting in kennels and barking for most of the year--- many only hunt a few times a year.


Two things, your right, my dog has been known to get an emails from time to time while out in the field.

My dog sits on the coach and barks when he wants to go out. :beer:


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## indsport

In reply to Cinder, I'll agree that most dogs meet the criteria that you propose. However, our dogs probably hunt 40 or more times per year. Our dogs, are not "well trained" but they are trained enough that they will not retrieve hens and have not killed any hens of which I am aware, particularly considering our favorite time to hunt pheasants is December. We would rather go into a field with our dogs, quickly get our birds and get out of the field leaving the rest of the field undisturbed than walk the whole field to get the birds. On other posts I have pointed out that many times we have gone through a field immediately after a party of hunters without dogs and been able to take a limit of crippled roosters that the hunters could not find. In the past 10 years, my dogs have lost less than a handful of birds each year we knocked down and have seen my dogs go up to a quarter mile to find that downed bird. As to whether the dogs are happy, you should see the dents in the roof of my vehicle from my dogs bouncing up and down when they know we are going hunting and it is particularly amusing to watch them when they see a pheasant in the road. As a hunting partner with a dog told me, pheasant smell is like cocaine to a dog.

Finally, from the NDGF rules, and I might add, any hunter with a dog should follow them:

14. Dogs. Training of bird and gun dogs is prohibited April first through August fifteenth on all wildlife management areas. Training of dogs on any wildlife management areas by a professional trainer is prohibited at all times.


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## roostman

: Cinder how many birds are lost each year by hunters with no dogs? if the hens are being caught and killed by hunting dogs then they would not fair well with a coyote or a fox, plan and simple the strong survive and the dumb will eventually end up dead. If you ever hunted with a good dog you would not want to hunt without one, plan and simple it's all about watching the dogs, hunting would not be the same without the dog's. Road hunting, i'm not a big fan, but I like to see guy's in there seventy's who like to still go out but don't have the leg's to huff it all day to get the birds, I don't mind these guy's going out or the disabled who have a hard time getting around, theres definely a time and a place for road hunting.


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## bigbrad123

Cinder said:


> I would just like to comment on the other side of using dogs for hunting:
> 
> ---it is the dog that is hunting - the guy with the gun is shooting and watching his dog. It takes more skill and hard work to get a pheasant in a crp field without a dog than with one
> ---if dogs were not used for pheasant hunting the birds would not be as wild and people might not have to road hunt to get one. I would say three guys and three dogs is about the same as 15 hunters without dogs working a PLOTS field.
> ---well trained hunting dogs with good noses probably kill 10 to 20 hens a year, especially if they hunt in cattails with deep snow.
> ----many dogs I see in the field have a shock collar on them and many get numerous doses of electricty. It is more like a video game than hunting.
> ----some dog owners train their dogs before the season starts on wild birds. Some even go out in the spring when birds are nesting.
> ----I see many dogs sitting in kennels and barking for most of the year--- many only hunt a few times a year.


Poor argument Cinder. Many of the dogs that people hunt with were born and bred to work (ie: hunt). Many of those dogs hunt based on instincts they were born with. Why do you think you hear about those dogs that aren't trained at all that are excellent hunters? It's in their blood! That's what they love to do! Have you ever seen a dog that isn't allowed to hunt while others are? They go nuts! I have seen dogs whine in excitement all the way out fo the field because they know they are going hunting. That is nothing that humans train them to do!


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## tclark4140

and......my dogs and i cant wait until morning, here in iowa we get our first chance saturday. way too much corn in the fields yet, but it will be fun. the hunt is for the dog and his owner. and any one fortunate enough to get to hunt with them. my recommendation is find a hunting partener with a dog. enjoy the company and the hunt, leave thedumb ones along the side of the road. my guess is that after hunting with a friend and a dog, you will be owning your own.


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## Bobm

big hunter said



> I also own a black lad


We aren't allowed to use those for retrieving down here in Georgia anymore. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Damn ol honest Abe.........


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## averyghg

yeah roadhunting isn't my favorite, but when every single inch of land is posted within miles its the only thing to do. Its either that or i have to pay some farmer who only sees dollar signs running around on his land. Its sad that they can't let college kids from other parts of the state hunt when we know no one and have no where to go. I love hunting and if that means i have to road hunt for a pheasant, im gonna do it. And don't say go on plots because a lot of plots get to worked around the bismarck area enough to the point if u don't have a dog u might as well not go out


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## jamesavp

Hey guys lets go easy on Cinder, b/c he has a right to an opinion and just like everyone does about road hunting. Do I agree with him :eyeroll: not so much but I respect and will listen to what he has to say. I don't road hunt but have done it on before on legal land. I personally would rather have a dog with me because I see more birds with my dog. As for fair chase I feel (just an Opinion) that the birds have a better chance with out dogs in the field. Those noses are deadly, and birds can't hide from one of the best hunters of all (K-9). Is it legal to hunt with dogs "Yes" and I love a good hunt with ours. I am glad I can hunt with one, its part of the sport. As for fair Chase being gone due to road hunting, I don't agree with that but that is just my opinion. I know that everyone isn't attacking Cinder, I just wanted this to stay nice because I have seen a few posts get ugly. We are all after the same thing Good Safe Hunt + Pheasants.


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## Goon

bigbrad123 said:


> Have you ever seen a dog that isn't allowed to hunt while others are? They go nuts! I have seen dogs whine in excitement all the way out fo the field because they know they are going hunting. That is nothing that humans train them to do!


Thats my dog, whines all the way out to the field. Wouldn't have it any other way.


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## Remmi_&amp;_I

I made the mistake of leaving my dog in my parents cabin last year. She had a bad limp and I didn't want to hurt her anymore. My wife had to get in the truck and drive to where we were and let Remmi out. She was whining, crying, chewing and scratching constantly. My wife said it sounded like some one was beating her to death ~ I said, I supposed it does beat them to death internally not to be out doing what they love!


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## KEN W

That happens all the time with almost every dog I've had....can't feel sorry for them and give them a rest.

What would drive me nuts is to see a pickup go by with dogs in the back barking constantly.I'd be pushing the button on the e-collar.


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## sleeri

I think people are too quick to judge road hunting for pheasants. I just don't think it's as simple as people make it out to be. Only a very stupid rooster sits on the road and waits for you to load your gun and blast him. Normally they jump right off the road into cover and run like mad. Either that or they duck into cover, run a bit, and dig in. When that you happens you need to get the dog out and flush them just like you do when your hunting a field. The "stupid" roosters are pretty much gone by the 2nd or 3rd week of the season. I can see having a gripe against a guy that hunts grouse or ducks from the road, but not pheasant.

My dad is getting older and his days of walking the fields are drawing to a close. I'll be doing quite a bit of pheasant hunting from the road until he just can't go anymore and I won't be feeling one bit of guilt. In fact, I'll be having a blast hunting with my dad and dog.


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## Remmi_&amp;_I

sleeri said:


> My dad is getting older and his days of walking the fields are drawing to a close. I'll be doing quite a bit of pheasant hunting from the road until he just can't go anymore and I won't be feeling one bit of guilt. In fact, I'll be having a blast hunting with my dad and dog.


Thats a good point. We used to have an older guy hunt with us 1-2 time a year. We would drive roads the night before the hunt (road scouting). Then, we would try to find good strips of cover (tree rows, long narrow sloughs, fence rows) and have him post at the end. If there were birds in there, he always had many shots!


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## target

So would you guys consider driving around the hour or two before sunset or after sunrise and watching where the birds off of the road fly into. After seeing where they go hunting that field, is that "Scouting" :lol: or "road hunting"


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## Fallguy

If you are willing to get up a little bit before everyone else and watch where the birds are moving I guess you have the advantage. I don't know if that would technically be "hunting" or "scouting". I would just say your being dedicated at whatever you want to consider it as.

Or did I misunderstand what you said?


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## Remmi_&amp;_I

target said:


> So would you guys consider driving around the hour or two before sunset or after sunrise and watching where the birds off of the road fly into. After seeing where they go hunting that field, is that "Scouting" :lol: or "road hunting"


We tried to make it easier on our older hunter. We wanted to make sure we found an area with birds for the next day.........and it gave us a chance to stop at the small town bars and B.S. when the sun went down. We actually never "road hunted" on these trips as it was more of a scouting/bs'ing session! :beer:


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## target

I guess I was talking about myself. I have been driving around plots in the morning or evening when they were on the road. They would spook and flush and usually go into the plots. I then know for sure where a bird or two are. So I then unload get the dog and hunt that piece of plots. I am not shooting birds in the ditches but I have driven around finding birds on the roads.


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## Dak

What you describe isn't what I consider road hunting. I think of road hunting as the drive around, see a bird, jump out (or not) and shoot activity which I don't care for.

:beer:


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## jamesavp

I don't mind people road hunting for birds. I am more scared of the road hunting for deer. Rifles can shoot a whole farther and can really do some damage. As for a couple of guys jumping out of their truck respecting the land and who owns it, find the birds, and get a few, not a big deal in my book. If I'm driving behind you and you see a dozen roosters on the side of the road, keep driving right. :eyeroll: You will scare them some where or You will stop wait to see where they go then go get them. It sounds like road hunting either way. I like walking fields and brush but I have a couple of friends that are lazy and only road hunt. Does that mean I say anything to them, no not really as long as they are safe and obey the Rules. Lets face it, its all about the birds.


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## sleeri

If you're going to gripe about a pheasant hunting method why not start with those small armies of guys that push fields. I'm betting 10 guys and 5 dogs pushing a field are a lot more disruptive to the bird population. That's just my opinion of course. No facts to back it up.


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## Turner

I do not mind road hunters at all. That means all the spots that require a walk to get to are all mine.


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## Remmi_&amp;_I

target said:


> I guess I was talking about myself. I have been driving around plots in the morning or evening when they were on the road. They would spook and flush and usually go into the plots. I then know for sure where a bird or two are. So I then unload get the dog and hunt that piece of plots. I am not shooting birds in the ditches but I have driven around finding birds on the roads.


Here's a tip for you........ it may be obvious, but :

When you do that, try to drive to the opposite end of that piece of property and walk it from that direction. The birds will hold tighter (generally) because they think there are people on the end that they flushed from. This has been a very successful technique for me. Oh, and be quite when you start your walk.


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## sleeri

That's a great point.


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## Long Spur

There is nothing more fun than walking up roosters behind a dog. Things in SD are so commercialized that if you think your going to knock on a door and get permission you're dreaming. Ninety eight percent of the public land has been over pressured. So that leaves road hunting for a lot of people. If the only way I get to hunt pheasants is to road hunt I'm going to do it.


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## mac_in_mt

In Montana, it is illegal to hunt between the fenclines, thus there is no decision to be made on road hunting. However, my father is getting older as well, and can't work the fields very well. We have at times, had my father post just inside the fenceline at an approach, and then I will walk the ditch with my dog and without a gun to drive any birds towards him. Occasionally this works well, but often it doesn't. 
I am not a big fan of people road hunting, and even though it is illegal, I still see people doing it. Two years ago, on a windy afternoon we were returning home from hunting and approached a couple of guys walking either ditchline working pheasants into the wind. As it was windy they didn't hear us approach. Just about the time we were goind to ease past them, a pheasant launched out of the ditch about ten feet behind the guy on the left. He turned, swung up, followed the bird and shot. The bird was almost directly between the guy and our car. The look on his face was complete shock and shame when he realized that we were right there. I wanted to get out and give the guy the chewing of his life, but just shook my head and kept driving. Needless to say, we saw his vehicle about a 1/4 mile down the road and it had California plates, and even better, a game warden sitting there waiting for them! I hope they will never be allowed to hunt in Montana again!


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## Guest

Bobm, You are a funny guy! I just saw this and lmao!

Quote: 
I also own a black lad

We aren't allowed to use those for retrieving down here in Georgia anymore.

Damn ol honest Abe.........


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