Pheasant etiquette question

The Friday following Thanksgiving this year was the first time "joining" a stranger has been a negative experience for me. We pulled up to a very good WIHA with our group of family that we do annually. I don't like big groups, but this is kind of a tradition for us. This year, we had 12 people, so I needed to find some big areas. Upon arrival, a guy with a dog was getting out of his vehicle to start hunting. In effort to not disrupt his hunt or ours, I invited him to hunt with us since I have permission on the ground that surrounds this WIHA.
Looking back, there was plenty of signs this wasn't a good idea - He was wearing sneakers, and his hunting dog was a Australian Sheppard.
Shortly into the walk, a bird came up and the "hen, hen, hen" were being communicated across the whole line, followed by 2 shots by him, luckily that didn't connect. This walk continued for roughly 2 miles before we finished, with no more hens being threatened, but we did bag 8-10 birds with lots of shooting opportunities for him. His shoes and socks were full of weed seeds and stickers, but he was very grateful for our invite and guidance/education since he was brand new to hunting, but I was ready to see him go a different direction, simply based on his inexperience.
I am still not opposed to helping others out in a controlled, and highly visible terrain. We all likely started out unsafe, and learned how to become safe in these environments through experience. Hopefully he learned as much as I think he did.
 
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cheesy said:
I’d almost hunt without my gun before I hunt without my dogs.
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Its fairly obvious to me here that you and nearly everyone else here has never hunted over a poorly trained dog.

I've been on several hunts where we wanted to shoot the dog. They can ruin a hunt quickly. I'd much rather hunt without a poorly trained one than with one that ruins a hunt.
 
I would say a "poorly controlled dog", is what I would not want to hunt with. If they just know some basic commands and can be kept in gun range (thru collar simulation or verbal commands--preferablely not a whistle), I would be OK with them.
 
Carguy2Banker said:
The Friday following Thanksgiving this year was the first time "joining" a stranger has been a negative experience for me. We pulled up to a very good WIHA with our group of family that we do annually. I don't like big groups, but this is kind of a tradition for us. This year, we had 12 people, so I needed to find some big areas. Upon arrival, a guy with a dog was getting out of his vehicle to start hunting. In effort to not disrupt his hunt or ours, I invited him to hunt with us since I have permission on the ground that surrounds this WIHA.
Looking back, there was plenty of signs this wasn't a good idea - He was wearing sneakers, and his hunting dog was a Australian Sheppard.
Shortly into the walk, a bird came up and the "hen, hen, hen" were being communicated across the whole line, followed by 2 shots, luckily that didn't connect. This walk continued for roughly 2 miles before we finished, with no more hens being threatened, but we did bag 8-10 birds with lots of shooting opportunities for him. His shoes and socks were full of weed seeds and stickers, but he was very grateful for our invite and guidance/education since he was brand new to hunting, but I was ready to see him go a different direction, simply based on his inexperience.
I am still not opposed to helping others out in a controlled, and highly visible terrain. We all likely started out unsafe, and learned how to become safe in these environments through experience. Hopefully he learned as much as I think he did.
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Sneakers????? Probably could only been worse if he’d been wearing Crocs. Have to ask how bad the dog was?
 
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gim said:
Its fairly obvious to me here that you and nearly everyone else here has never hunted over a poorly trained dog.

I've been on several hunts where we wanted to shoot the dog. They can ruin a hunt quickly. I'd much rather hunt without a poorly trained one than with one that ruins a hunt.
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I’ve been with some poorly trained dogs for sure. Might even have contributed to that a few times… Nothing like your normally decent dog on a hot trail getting too far and busting birds. Makes you want to crawl in a hole and hide for sure.

GPS collars have been a godsend to me in keeping them reined in before they sneak too far through the tall grass and cattails and become a problem.
 
Skadergen said:
Sneakers????? Probably could only been worse if he’d been wearing Crocs. Have to ask how bad the dog was?
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His shoes were actually Vans, which I think are skateboarding shoes?!? The dog wasn't necessarily hunting, it walked beside him the whole time. Possibly it was an emotional support animal? 🤣 It wasn't gun shy, and seemed just happy to be included
 
gim said:
I don't hunt with people I don't now. You never know how safe a person is with a firearm.

You have just as much of a right to the there as another hunter does. The fact that you don't have a dog and he does is irrelevant.

That being said, you did the right thing on having a civil conversation with him. If you hunt public land on the weekends, you are going to encounter other hunters frequently.
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I agree. I'll fish with anyone, but I'll only hunt with people I know well, especially if my dogs are on the ground.
 
gim said:
Its fairly obvious to me here that you and nearly everyone else here has never hunted over a poorly trained dog.

I've been on several hunts where we wanted to shoot the dog. They can ruin a hunt quickly. I'd much rather hunt without a poorly trained one than with one that ruins a hunt.
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Don't worry about it, just be glad that you are above ground and able to hunt.
 
gim said:
Its fairly obvious to me here that you and nearly everyone else here has never hunted over a poorly trained dog.

I've been on several hunts where we wanted to shoot the dog. They can ruin a hunt quickly. I'd much rather hunt without a poorly trained one than with one that ruins a hunt.
Click to expand...
I’ve never lived it but I’ve heard about it. It can be disheartening.
 
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