Here is some basic information of ringneck pheasants for everyone to look over.
Average size Male=27-35 inches, (have has way larger ones than that.) Females=25 inches or so. Weight for both, couldn't find what I was looking for but around 1100 grams. (35.2 oz)
Not bad in size at all. My sponsor would like me to take some this coming season with a RT what do you guys think. Does that sound reasonable? I've heard of it being done but I'm a little a iffy on the whole thing. But who knows I may end up with a bird or two in the bag.
I plan on taking Pheasant with a RT after I trap one this fall. It's completely reasonable although I hear it generally takes two chases to catch the pheasant.
My bird has hit a number of them. 4 last season and 3 this season, but has not managed to hold one. All 7 were cocks and he hit them right between the wings. The ones he managed to hold onto he got kicked off as soon as he was on the ground. But with a nice female or a male that hits the head it shouldnt be a problem.
I flew a female RT at the 1998 CHC meet in Bakersfield that took 2 pheasants at the meet. Both pheasants were hens and the RT followed them in and hit them once they hit the ground.
How do you think they'd do on roosters? Remembering (correct me if I'm wrong) but the males are generally more fierce and larger than the females. Wouldn't the falconer have to make in fairly quick to kill the rooster and prevent injury to his bird?
Between last year and this year, my MRT has has more try's at pheasant than rabbit. Success on Rabbit is now about 1 in 5 trys. The misses are usually off the fist. Success on phesant is 0. Tried off the fist with some really great flights but didn't follow to mark it down. Some long flights from tree tops and some teardrop stoops from trees when we drove the pheasants to him. All no success. He has ripped the back off at least one but his RT full frontal attack mode doesn't seem to work. YET!
I dragged a dead pheasant for him last week and gave him a really hard time trying to catch and hold it. Once he got hold of the neck I let him have it. Then helped him eat it has he didn't have a clue. Gorged him pretty good so he would know it's worth it to keep trying.
I'm going to start stooping him to a swung lure to help him with his turning and next time out on pheasants, will have anouther dead pheasant stashed in cover to swing for him.
I'd welcome any other suggestions on how to help him improve his pheasant abilities as I have 900 acres of pheasant in woods and fields.
Post by Falcon Boy on Nov 21, 2006 22:27:18 GMT -5
My "special" bird BB hit a pheasent and pulled a crap load of feathers at the NY meet. I talked to a harris hawker there who flies 3 HH's, he said he's heard it said that it takes about 100 flushes for a HH to figure out how to take a pheasent. I think experiance is the only way to help them out. Keep flushing them under them and i think they will learn.
Falcon Boy Apprentice Falconry Administrator
Ethics make the individual, not the other way around.
A few live bags will do the trick for all of us on this side of the big pond. You can't use live bags in jolly good England. A cock pheasant is no match for a female RT. The Rt will not be able to keep up the flight speed, but, once the pheasant sets in its a different story. Most RT's that take pheasant do it from the ambush when the pheasant is on the ground.
Post by harrishawker on Nov 22, 2006 5:07:37 GMT -5
raptrlvr said:
A few live bags will do the trick for all of us on this side of the big pond. You can't use live bags in jolly good England. A cock pheasant is no match for a female RT. The Rt will not be able to keep up the flight speed, but, once the pheasant sets in its a different story. Most RT's that take pheasant do it from the ambush when the pheasant is on the ground.
Most HH do by using stealth. Unless its a very fit one and then yes it would catch it. In the first 10 seconds the Pheasant is very fast and not even a gos could take it but after the initial burst a gos or fit HH will take it down as it slows right up. The secret is to get your RT to continually chase it and not give up. If he keeps chasing and chasing he will start to make ground and catch it. But this is in open plains or fields. But if the pheasant makes cover after a long chase it will be knacker ed and it knows it has had it for another burst when a BOP is sitting over it. That's when the swoop comes in. But of coarse that's if you find it when it does reach cover as you would literally have to Hit it with a stick or tread on it to move as it knows one movement and its had it
In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.
Post by Master Yarak on Nov 22, 2006 10:55:47 GMT -5
In Texas the pheasants were about 4-5 hrs away. Once I drove up to the panhandle and put her on them. To my knowledge she had not seen one before. She chased it into cover and when it put in she stooped it. I could not tell if she actually hit it. It took off and I found no feathers. I would have liked to have more access to them as a quarry but alas it was not to be. She did fly on one more before we left. It was down in a ditch. She stooped it, missed and did not pursue it further. No trees up there, and the wind would certainly be a major factor. She came down from a telephone pole on both attempts. More experience and I am sure we would have caught one. Yarak
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away