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Delaware pheasant "hunting"

Wingman

Junior Member
37
0
Got out to Delaware this morning for the released pheasants...and as a previous poster told me it would be, it was packed to the gills with people. Met and talked to some cool people, sure, but overall it was a complete shit-show out there. I couldn't walk 100 ft. without running into another person and it sounded like World War III out there. Obviously that is what you get with a public place so it is hard to complain I guess. I missed my alarm this morning somehow so I didn't get out there until about 20 minutes after sunrise, unfortunately, which made all the difference in the world. Got one early and just decided it just wasn't worth wading through the people and the brush for another one so I took off. I'll not be going back there ever again, as that was the most worthless excuse for hunting that I ever saw...thus the parentheses on "hunting" in my title. I kept thinking of the trout farms my father took me to when I was younger, and how that wasn't really fishing...pretty much the same thing here. I guess having lived in North and South Dakota spoiled me, where I could hunt REAL pheasants for hours on huge pieces of land without ever seeing anyone. Oh well...it was interesting to say the least. Not to rag on Ohio, but it's pretty sad that farmers in this state are so completely ignorant, selfish, and greedy that they have destroyed so much habitat that you have to resort to these types of "hunts." Add to the fact that every state wildlife area I've gone to is inundated with trash and sparsely, if even at all, populated with the species I want to hunt (I don't hunt deer), and geez...I might just find a new hobby until we move back west when my wife is done with school. It's not like the fishing is good either since the farmers have F-ed that up too. Not having a good day...time for a beer.
 

Wingman

Junior Member
37
0
The next closest place to me is Pleasant Valley...which is about a 2 hour drive. I live in Fredericktown, Ohio, right next to Kokosing Wildlife Area, but they don't really pay any attention to that place at all in any way other than planting a few patches of sunflowers every year...big whoop. Kokosing is probably the worst excuse for a "wildlife area" that I've ever seen in my life...and the locals don't help in any way of course. It's more of a heroin shootup spot with all the junkies from Mt. Vernon and Mansfield areas close, and a drunk hangout for the Amish, than anything else. Meh...
 

Wmiller07

Member
1,132
30
That sucks, I had a good experience other than being soaked. I saw one pheasant run and my dad jumped one 15 yards in front of him. My only complaint was they needed to weed whack some of the tall stuff a bit. Some places it was too thick to walk.
 

Curran

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,971
172
Central Ohio
Haha! Welcome to "hunting" in Ohio. Embrace the frustration. It is what it is.

I had the bright idea of hunting Delaware once on Thanksgiving morning. That was about 10 years ago and the last time I hunted a pheasant release. It's just not worth the insanity.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
I felt bad posting that warning on your other thread. Wasn't trying to be a kill joy but I just remember driving by there last year and thinking that placed looked like Walmart on Black Friday. You may have to drive farther but I'm sure there's better places in the state or at least less crowded places.
 

Wingman

Junior Member
37
0
Have you ever fired a shot that was a complete WTF!?! moment after it happened? That's what happened to me today at Delaware...thought I was going to get out early with two when I took a shot at a rooster on the ground (the farm-raised ones seem to prefer running over flying) from no further than 15 feet away who was sticking his head out from behind a tree...I aimed directly at the head, which appeared easy-peasy, took the shot, and he just ran off into the deep brush! I was like "is there anything coming out of the end of my Benelli?" The head should have been clean off...but nothing, not even injured.

I think I will divert a lot of my time, from hunting when I know there won't be much--to hunting when I know there will be something worth going after...like when ducks and geese are migrating through. I don't deer hunt because I've had two back surgeries and hauling them out of the woods is out of the question. I'm surprised they haven't cut off a lot of seasons short or pushed them back due to the crazy weather this year...the pressure on resident species is probably not a good thing for biodiversity. When I lived in the pacific northwest, they did that a lot, especially with the fish species like salmon or steelhead whose populations and runs fluctuated often every year. I have an education in environmental anthropology, so I think I will put some time and effort into trying to change some local ideology where I live with the whole ignorance at Kokosing...that's my job. Wish me luck.
 

Gooseman07

Junior Member
33
24
NW Ohio
I had a decent morning at Oxbow near Defiance with a buddy. Between the two of us, we got three in just under an hour. Before shooting time, I took a picture but it doesn't do justice to how many bodies we saw. It sounded like WWIII when 7:09 hit! I took my dogs and my buddy and went where no one was headed and landed two real quick. I wasn't 100% sure what to expect as I have only hunted PA and not even opening morning where you could walk for at least 20 minutes before seeing someone on state land. This made me worried at first but when I took myself out of the situation of being so close to other hunters, it was enjoyable.
 

GoetsTalon

Senior Member
Supporting Member
4,294
128
Walbridge oh
Same here when i hunted turkey foot on a release one year. Can't believe nobody was killed and never went back again. Should have been around back in the 70's and early 80's when they didn't have to release birds. It was awesome!!!! Back in the day northwest Ohio was the south dakota of pheasant hunting. Still some good spots in the western countys though.
 

Wmiller07

Member
1,132
30
Another good way to do the releases is to wait until the afternoon if you have a dog. After the first couple hours people leave. I'm hoping in the next couple years to get an English springer spaniel as I have read they are good for pheasant, rabbit, and waterfowl.
 

tjeep

Junior Member
66
0
I done the release thing one time at Indian Creek the first year I moved to Ohio. I was solo with my setter, went about 40yds from the truck dog went on point, woodcock came up and got it. After the dog retrieved my woodcock, I looked up and was surrounded, by orange and groups hunting towards each other (within 100yds) I healed my setter loaded her up and went south to the grouse woods. You can have those pen raised chickens!