# Dizzy up some bird?



## mnswd (Oct 13, 2005)

This was my first true season hunting both for my pup and myself.
It was a great yr in that we got outs lots (including 2 weekends in ND)and shot a few birds and created a few stories..
However due to a number of reasons (including my poor aim) my four legged friend has not had much practice with retrieving. I am think rather than spending another $60 in gas and 6 hours in a car that I would treat myself and my dog to a few game farm birds. Any thoughts?


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## Shu (Oct 21, 2003)

Unless you have acess to your own training birds, it will be money will spent. The dog won't know the difference and you can get his nose full of scent. Also you might want to save a few shot birds for training in the spring and summer.

Good luck!


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## mnswd (Oct 13, 2005)

Hey Shu

Went down to Murry county - saw lots of bird - but on posted land. Still had a few opp. but I did not do my part.


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## Shu (Oct 21, 2003)

Did you hunt cattails or CRP? How was the snow? Is it melting at all?


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

I thoroughly enjoy and highly recommend shooting preserve action, particularly in the off season. No better way to help a pup get experience or give your experienced dog an enjoyable day of hunting. Pretty cost effective too, when you figure in the price of gas, lodging, food, and the possibility of few birds, on a regular hunting trip.

If you're talking about buying some pheasants to work your dog, I can offer some advice. First, check your state regs on buying/keeping gamebirds. Here in ND, we need a Non-Traditional Livestock Permit to do this. There's also some attendent inventory paperwork, and there are restrictions on when you can shoot them, as well as tagging requirements to differentiate your own birds from wild ones.

Because I train a lot I obtained the permit and buy or raise birds for my own use. I prefer chukar over pheasant for a variety of reasons.

Here in ND (and I believe also in Mn), chukar are considered non-game birds, like a pigeon. Because of this, there are no restrictions on when you can shoot them, how many you can raise, or have in your possession. We still need the permit, but it's free (There's a fee for every other individual species you keep).

Unlike pheasants, chukars are easy keepers, easy to plant, and hold well.
They generally flush hard (unless they get wet, then they fly like wet mops), are a sporty target, and excellent table fare.
I consider chukar to be the perfect dog training bird...


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## Dak (Feb 28, 2005)

I have thought of doing the same thing with chukars. What does your set up for keeping the chukars consist of?


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## mnswd (Oct 13, 2005)

Shu-

Because it was just me and my dog we walk the edge of cattails, treelines.
I ran into some guys at the end of the day - they had luck hunting the crp. They were local boys and hunted private land. The birds were flushing when they were flushing on the other side of tree line. Mosly hens - that is good news for nexrt year.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Dak, I keep a max of 25-30 chukar, so I have a small setup. My training bird pen is 18'X8'X6' with an attached house. I also have a 30'X10'X6' pen attached to my barn, with the coop inside the barn. I start the birds in the small pen, then move them to the larger one so they have more room to fly & run around as they develop....


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## Dak (Feb 28, 2005)

Thanks for the info!


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