So I am going to Sea Island for Thanksgiving and the hotel offers a pheasant hunt. I signed up, but there is a kicker. I have never hunted anything. I have shot years of ATA Trap, I'm a good shot at sporting clays, skeet is average I guess. Guns and ammo are included. They talked about shooting from a blind? Any idea what kid of setup they might use.

I don't really fuss about anything, give me bang stick and I'll have fun.

Any tips I should know? Any must haves. I was going in khakis, light boots and a light jacket I guess. I'm winging it here (shitty pun intended)

Thanks

They do a continental pheasant shoot. That involves releasing birds, usually from a tower, and there is a ring of blinds 100 yards or so out from the tower. The blinds are usually hay bales at various clock positions. Anybody's guess which direction each bird will go. Every so many birds the shooters will rotate blinds so that everyone gets a chance to shoot from multiple positions on the clock. Usually retrievers are on hand to pick up the pheasants. The birds will usually be pretty high by the time they get to the outer ring. Think skeet station 1, 4, and 7. Comfortable casual clothes and boots. I would wear a wide brimmed hat, hunter orange. I would bring a camp chair so you are not standing the whole time and water to drink. A few dog biscuits in your pocket for the retrievers (with the handler's permission) is a nice touch.

quote:

They do a continental pheasant shoot.

Is that what is called a canned hunt?
To me on the same level as bull fighting

That's a skeet shoot with live targets!

We do it a bit differently out here! Involves a lot of walking and wild birds!

I was going to give my experience of hunting pheasants in South Dakota, but based on what Hayes says, I think my experiences were quite a bit different.

Just curious but how much does one of those hunts cost?

There are all types of 'hunts'. Walking for wild pheasants in GA would be fruitless. No matter the cost it's cheaper than driving to SD.

I just returned from a grouse hunt in Upper MI, bird numbers were low, lots of walking, we got a few.

I'd have no qualms against a 'released bird' hunt if that's what was set up. Try it out, shoot safely.

If you hunt ring necks just about anywhere and you paid, you can bet you are hunting some wild birds and a bunch of pen raised birds. That's just the way it is these days.

A tower or driven shoot is a hoot, so who cares where the birds came from.

You will have a blast if you like pass shooting. Don't use too much of a choke. I'd go Improved cyl at most. I find too many folks use TOO MUCH choke in their shotguns. Have fun!!

quote:

Originally posted by Timdogg6:

Any tips I should know? Any must haves. I was going in khakis, light boots and a light jacket I guess. I'm winging it here (shitty pun intended)

Thanks

Check weather forcasts for clothing choices.

Shoot your 'lil heart out.

Enjoy Pheasant dinner!

quote:

Originally posted by 1967Goat:
I was going to give my experience of hunting pheasants in South Dakota, but based on what Hayes says, I think my experiences were quite a bit different.

I just got back from a week of hunting wild birds in SD. Continental shoots are an entirely different game but fun just the same

No advice here, but please take some pics, I've been to Sea Island before and shot with them, the guns will be top notch and the instruction was solid. Go to the Lodge one night and watch the bagpiper .....

Continental shoots are ablot of pass shooting. Fun stuff not extremely unlike dove hunting. You'll have a blast.

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:
To me on the same level as bull fighting

Well that's simply wrong.

I prefer 5 chill lead shot when hunting pheasant. If you are shooting fairly close, you may want to go even smaller so as not to chew up the birds so much. If you can’t use lead, then I believe the conversion is 1-2 sizes larger for steel to have the equivalent energy. Remember that lead and steel also use chokes differently. When hunting with lead, I usually use a modified choke. With steel, I would open the choke to improved cylinder.

I guess tastes differ, and to be honest I don't hunt. But I'm with 45 Cal on this - I wouldn't go fishing at a place where they kept fish in a barrel, and this sounds like more like shopping with a shotgun. Note that they don't actually call this activity hunting, it's a 'pheasant shoot'.

They have a lot of other shooting activities

For instance, they have a half-day quail hunt where it sounds like some actual hunting would be involved.

45cal and Joel 9507, there are places in this world where there are hunts with wild birds that are exactly the same as these tower shoots. It's similar to a deer drive. There's pushers and shooters. Just in this case there's someone tossing the bird from a tower.

I've never done one. But, I don't see any reason to shame someone for enjoying it. It's a shoot, and you get to take some game home.

Thanks for the input. Yes, this seems like a fish in a barrel situation but I am ok with that as it is my first "hunt" despite the lack of hunting.

Ill be sure to take photos and report back when I can, thanks for the help
Tim

Have fun!

I haven't shot a sporting clay that was hauling ass as fast as the pheasants I've missed.
If you don't connect, double your lead...miss again, double it again.

I want to ask about good boots. I want to find good waterproof variant, can you help me? I read some reviews and top picks, and I found such boots Lowa Men’s Tibet GTX Trekking Boot( here it is), is it good variant? How much it heavy and thick?