King of Birds

Throughout the years I have harvested a wide variety of game birds. The bird species I pursued were simply magnificent and so grew my collection of memorable hunts. And over time these hunts became part of my being and have transformed into my very own folkloric stories. 

As I have now settled in the West and keep on discovering more of its wonders, I had the privilege of experiencing a ringneck pheasant hunt. There I stood between the golden grass and the glistening white snow, fully immersed like a classic huntsman brushed deep within the canvas pores of a game bird painting. 

Except the cool air passing through the windmill was very real, carrying the smell of the nearby pine to the edge the field. The pointer dog was so excited and between his childish play and disciplined chase, it was a true joy to experience and share the chase. 

Just a few steps more and my eyes caught a glimpse of the white ring and the rusty colour of its feathers on the bird, as it circled around the base of the tree. The dog moved carefully toward it, holding firm like a statue just feet away, and what seemed for an eternity, the bird called out and flushed. The flight of the pheasant was so graceful and majestic, he was without a doubt in my eyes the king of birds. 

In a perfected motion I swung around to the East with just the right amount of lead and subsequently released my shot confirming my harvest, the feathers scattered like gold leafs into the Western breeze like a final brush stroke. Next time, I walk through the aisle of the local thrift store and see a pheasant hunt on a decorative wall hanging plate. I shall not only see but also feel. 

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Upland Bird

The Pheasant is an upland bird that may be hunted in the province of Quebec under the small game license. The Common Pheasant or Ring-necked Pheasant as quoted in Wikipedia; is a name for the species of the bird for the whole of North America.   The adult males have beautiful bright colors averaging in size between 23–34 inches in length with a long feathered tail with black markings, which can help age the bird. The date for this year’s season depending on the hunting zones is: August 1st until the 31st of December. (2012-2013)

Even though hunting dogs are quite often used for hunting Pheasant, the upland birds can be hunted without; setting out early in the morning along dense bushes and fence lines found along the edge of farm fields. The birds may not immediately burst into flight; sometimes the birds will stay close to the ground and move quickly through the thick foliage. Keep a look out for the white feathered ring, blue and red-head and the metallic golden colors found on the belly and flanks.

Experts shot gunners recommend using either a 28 gauge or 12 gauges with #7 ½ shot and generally shots are less than 60 yards in distance. Have a Great Hunt!

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Eclipse Look

In one of my previous blog entries: Furred & Feathered Game, I typed up some bird names that were listed on the MNRF website, its link was also made available. These are in fact birds that you can hunt in the Province of Quebec, under the small game or migratory bird license permits. 

Some of these birds such as the Rock Dove may be hunted all year round; other birds like the Red-winged black bird or Ruffed grouse hunts will normally be managed with the use of specific hunting seasons which include variable dates depending on their provincial zones (Quebec). For the rest of Canada this list may vary slightly; as an example one of the factors could be that your area may not have suitable habitat for certain bird species.

For more information on waterfowl hunting, check out the Environment of Canada website.

This article however does not focus on hunting seasons or zones; it is about mastering the skills of bird identity. Learning is part of the joys of bird watching and this is also true for hunters, but as a hunter we have an added level of responsibility when it pertains to correctly identifying our birds. This is absolutely critical before taking our shots.

I recently finished the book The Birds of winter. I have to say it is quite easy for any of us to pick up a similar book about birds and turn to a page where there is a photograph of a bird we wish to harvest. In my situation it was on page 48 of the book where there was a black and white photograph of a Ring-necked pheasant. I then turned back to page 46 and on this page there was a same sized black and white photograph of an eastern wild turkey in the exact same position. They looked somewhat similar from a distance and with additional factors such as rainy weather, thick grass or woodlands you could begin to understand, how at first glance you could fail to differentiate the two. Yes, the pheasant has bright colors indeed when comparing them to eastern wild turkeys, however when studying some duck species as mentioned in the book Birdwatching, A guide for beginners they write about the word: eclipse.

Eclipse is a term used for dull plumage color, a great example of this is the grayish brown colors of a mallard hen. Some male ducks will lose their eloquent colors once the mating season is over, in turn becoming dull. The change in color of plumage could make it more challenging to identify a specific bird. In my photo gallery page, I have a photograph of two ruffed grouse near a stump and I consider it a great illustration about how easy it can be to walk right past them while still-hunting. When considering behaviour, the eastern wild turkeys will quite often be in a group called rafter.

In the book Birdwatching, A guide for beginners, the authors did a fantastic job in outlining what they consider to be the five major clues to bird identification. I describe these clues in my own way.

Silhouette: In other words the outline of an object in our case a bird; this can help you identify which group of bird they belong to. I am pretty confident that most of us remember our plastic ducks found in almost every bathtub across North-America and if someone were to hold one up you could most likely identify it as a duck just by looking at its outline and noticing its short flat bill or tail.

Plumage: One of my favorite birds to help explain plumage is the mallard drake duck. With its bright green head and white ring color plumage on its neck, it is a rather large duck, and also easily identifiable from far. Study the colors of the birds you wish to hunt and take note of their distinctive colors patterns.

Behaviour: When I am hunting Rock dove, knowing their behaviour as a flock helps me get closer, knowing what movements will cause them to fly away. Pigeons are gregarious and this provides added security, more eyes to help notice danger. I use my environment for the approach, either using low ground or a barn as cover. I can then get closer and identify them as Rock Dove.

Habitat: Eastern wild turkeys normally stay within a five-mile radius of their roost and they can often be found near the edge of tree lines and hay or corn fields. Knowing the habitat of a specific bird will enable you to get closer and identify them. Avoid wearing red, blue or white and use extreme caution during the turkey hunting season when moving around.

Voice: Duck calls are a great example to use for voice identity, the greeting call, or hail call. When you are sitting in the marsh, and you hear such a sound this confirms that there are ducks nearby and eventually you will be able to identify different duck species through their calls.

Have a great season!

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