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How do we get pheasants to fly towards the guns?

How well birds can be presented from flat ground woodland depends on the angle at wich they can flush and get airborne.

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Monday, 25 June 2007

We have one woodland drive on our farm shoot where it's difficult to get pheasants to fly forward towards the guns. Can we rectify the problem? We are driving the wood towards the release wood and that last season we did not encounter this difficulty.

Keepering
HUGO STRAKER says: It seems to me you are experiencing a problem often caused by tree growth. Remember that pheasants are essentially pedestrian in their habits, flying only when they have to and when they do, they do so in the easiest direction.

My advice would be to stand at the flushing point and look forward in the direction you wish your birds to fly. If all you see is a dense 'wall' of trees and branches there is little surprise that the birds cannot see the way to fly forward.

Pheasants like to rise through open air at an unimpeded 40 degree angle of take-off. You should now get to work with a chain saw and fell any offending trees to create definable flight ways. If these rising areas are carefully cut along the width of the flushing zone, you should also be able toimprove the spread of birds presented to the Guns.

Don't forget that trees in excess of 15 centimetres at breast height may require a Felling Licence which can only be obtained from the Forestry Commission.


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