PotHunter96 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 hi all as its nearing the end of the season i decided it was about time to start a small cull of the cock pheasants as im a firm believer that to many cocks are bad for the hens at breeding time anyone in the area in front of my uncles house where i shoot there is a big steep hill then a ditch at the bottom with lots of small trees and bracken around it then on the left side there is a small boggy wood anyone there a loads of cock pheasants in that one area and not to many hens. at the top of the hill if you look over the wall there are normally 2 or 3 pheasants but i know theres more than that around and i was wondering would it be wrong to just look over the wall and shoot them with an air rifle as they never seem to fly i could go down with the shotgun and hunt around but the trees are very low and i dont think you could shoot if they flushed? your thoughts please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshLamb Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Too many cocks are never a bad thing for any woman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom&Dexter Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Wrong in my opinion But then again I would not contemplate it let alone ask on a forum for reassurance either way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) there are plenty of keepers who will have no qualms about knocking off a few of the cocks with a rimfire after the shootings finished ,so I cant see where this is much different ,having said that if you think there is a imbalance of cocks to hens why not shoot cocks only during the season ?. Edited January 19, 2012 by fenboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Generally, during the winter you can get areas which attract cock birds, and areas that attract hen birds. Not having many hens on your land now does not mean that they will not appear / the cock irds disperse, as spring approaches. But nothing leagally stopping you thinning out the cock birds with your air rifle, personaly I think it is more of a challenge with a shotgun, but if you are confident in your own and your rifles abilities then go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Be aware that in general you will see more of the cocks than the hens over the course of the year, partly because of their plumage, and also because of their habits. However, if you are sure there are a lot more cocks than hens about, then a cull of some of the cock birds before the breeding season is not a bad idea. Probably much better trying to flush them and shoot with a shotgun, provided you have permission on the surrounding grounds and the shots are safe, pushing out the woodland will also give you a better idea of the birds on the grounds, from what you are saying there don't seem to be a great number of birds around though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PotHunter96 Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Too many cocks are never a bad thing for any woman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomhw100 Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 its not shooting etiquette to shoot game (other than hare ) on the ground especially with an air rifle! as you can guess i personally wouldn't do it and i to wouldn't post something like that on a shooting forum. It just sounds like your being lazy to me... i know they are only old cock pheasants but they still deserve a little respect! anyways if you really have to shoot them make sure you shoot them in the head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hushpower Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 .22 them,can only so many beater/keeper days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PotHunter96 Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 its not shooting etiquette to shoot game (other than hare ) on the ground especially with an air rifle! as you can guess i personally wouldn't do it and i to wouldn't post something like that on a shooting forum. It just sounds like your being lazy to me... i know they are only old cock pheasants but they still deserve a little respect! anyways if you really have to shoot them make sure you shoot them in the head! no i completely agree with you i much prefer the challenge of shooting them rocketing up in front of you i just would quite like to get rid of a few because there really is quite a few weve seen them in groups of seven before!i dont really want to shoot them on the ground id just like to get rid of a few however most people seem to not think it is neccersary so i may not bother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RED BEARD Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 i don't see a problem with using the air rifle,i've done it before as they've been in the same field as the cattle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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