Game Farms?

[BMaxus]

What's your opinion on game farms and/or pen raised birds?

[eckum54]

I go to golden meadows up by cold spring a couple times a year and I love it...it was a good way to introduce my dog to field situations and to have him fallow other well trained dogs. Plus the birds there are reasonably priced and you keep what you shot. Its a good way to also get back into the swing of things...I like it cause I could either spend that money on clay pigeons or on actual birds...big birds at that.

I have heard that other farms dont operate the same as Golden Meadows, but I like this place

[Farley]

opinion as far as what? In general I think game farms are great for training your dog. If you're talking about releasing pen raised birds around your area, that can work, we do it, but I've heard it can dumb down the population over the years.

Going to a game farm tommorrow actually to get my GWP pup his first bird hopefully.

[pureinsanity]

What's your opinion on game farms and/or pen raised birds?

If you have the money, and can waste it go for it. It is fun to shoot birds there BUT, I get bored. its like shooting pheasants in a barrel. You get with in 10 feet before they will flush, if they do even. Then you draw on them , shoot , and half the bird is gone because you forget these are not wild and are about 99% slower than a wild bird.

its for some, but not for me.

I do agree it be good for training your dog, but if that is the case, just buy a couple birds and leave them in a coop at home.

[deets22]

if your looking to improve your shooting probably not a good choice. most birds are slow and dont flush till you kick them. i actually killed a chukar by kicking him in the head. it is a good way to get the dogs on birds in a field situation. and to retrieve a live bird. you could buy your own and do the upkeep on them, but really once it all boils down there really isnt too much of a difference. plus afterwards everyone can talk about your 65 yard swat with steel shot over a couple brews. hahahahaha

[BMaxus]

Opinion as far as what?

Just some conversation on game farms. There isn't any upland bird seasons open right now. But we can still run our dogs and shoot something for the grill in the spring. They have their place. Real hunt, not even close but kinda fun to shake the dust off. Oh yeah and the cold ones with some chatting after the shoot, it's good fun.

I don't believe they're that expensive for some folks. If you live many miles away from MN's decent phez hunting you'll spend that money just for fuel, and we shouldn't be shooting wild birds in April. Then after you get there you might get to shoot a few birds, but maybe not.

I ain't pimpin game farms and only run'em a few times a year. When the snow melts, temps are cool, and my pup's going nuts it's nice to have shooting/training options.

[Turbodog]

@pureinsanity- So let me get this right you know the pen birds are 99% slower but yet you still shoot them when they are 10ft. away from you? This sounds like a personal problem not a bird/game farm

relax breath let the bird get out and use your experience from the wild birds and dont pull the trigger at 10ft. maybe shoot when they get beyond 20yrds or so! I think its a great place to bring all age dogs sense they have all been off any kind of hunting for upland for a few months.

[BMaxus]

Yep, let'em flap wings for a minute.

[pureinsanity]

@pureinsanity- So let me get this right you know the pen birds are 99% slower but yet you still shoot them when they are 10ft. away from you? This sounds like a personal problem not a bird/game farm

relax breath let the bird get out and use your experience from the wild birds and dont pull the trigger at 10ft. maybe shoot when they get beyond 20yrds or so! I think its a great place to bring all age dogs sense they have all been off any kind of hunting for upland for a few months.

I'm use to hunting wild birds, so instinctively I get on target and pull the trigger as soon as I have a clear shot. I am not going to practice letting a pen raised bird get a ways out and then shoot it. Then you have to train yourself again when going for wild birds.

I only go to game farms when invited by friends for free. I wont pay for it. But that is just me.

[BMaxus]

pureinsanity, you want to go to a farm soon? I need a gunner.

[pureinsanity]

pureinsanity, you want to go to a farm soon? I need a gunner.

ha. I clean the birds while shooting them

[Dave Benkufsky]

I like hit the game farms especially this time of the year and early fall. It keeps my dog on birds and we have a good time. I know going in, game farms are not the real deal for upland hunting. The farm birds act much different than wild birds but pheasants smell like pheasants to my dog. He doesn't know the difference. I live in the suburbs with no access to land to let a few loose so I have to go the a farm. This year I found several farms with thousands of birds to kill before the end of April. Because the farms have so many birds left over from a bad winter they are offering some supper deals. This year may be the best year to try a farm because it won't hurt the wallet so much.

[Arago]

Never hunted on a game farm. I suppose it would be good for dog training, but as far as "hunting", it ain't.

[herm]

Here's my take, which probably is unique. Game Farms were my first (and my kids' first) pheasant-hunting experiences. (Grew up hunting "up north" in MInnesota and never had the chance to chase roosters until recently.) I started hunting at Game Farms only a few years ago and they got me addicted to the sport. Indeed, once I watched/hunted behind some friends' dogs at a game farm, I was hooked on pheasants. I now have a yellow lab and 2 sons who absolutely love pheasant hunting - and especially going to game farms. We have hunted Minnesota only (so far) and only public lands...so going to Game Farms is like Christmas to us. (But still cheaper than trips to SD/ND/etc.) Sure, the birds are slower and supposedly easier to hit than wild roosters. Still, my joy is the same whether I'm watching my kids and dog work a Game Farm bird or a wild bird. Overall, it's alot like art - the beauty is in the eye of beholder.

[SalmonSlayer]

This year I found several farms with thousands of birds to kill before the end of April. Because the farms have so many birds left over from a bad winter they are offering some supper deals. This year may be the best year to try a farm because it won't hurt the wallet so much.

Could you give some specific examples? I'd like to get my new pup out on some birds.

[CJH]

I go to game farms and hunt wild birds. I like both for different reasons. I don't have a problem with either. I say get out and do whatever you can, or whatever makes you happy!!

[Tom7227]

Salmon - do a search for game farms near you and make some calls. Two weeks ago I went to one and it was only $10 a bird. The problem was that the cover was all beat down and the birds were all under the pine trees that were scattered across the field. A few times that I have gone this late in the year there were problems with running birds. My theory is that the ones that are left in the pens are the fast runners. However due to the lack of cover 2 weeks ago the birds held tight until the pointing dogs were close. Tom

[BMaxus]

$10 a bird, where was that?

I've seen some specials online, but not that cheap.

[gspman]

Game farms are fun. The birds aren't real birds but then everybody should know that up front. You need to be careful with a pointer because the birds can be so stupid that there is a very real temptation for the dog to catch the bird. That can cause problems with some dogs. If you go in knowing that and can read and control your pointing dog when the bird does stupid things then I say have at it.

[Augusta]

Game farms are much cheaper than out of state hunts. Gas, license, food, lodging gets expensive, so I feel they are a good option to those who cannot afford to go out of state to hunt and it's a great way to introduce your spouse or kids to hunting. At least they get to shoot at something and are likely to be successful at it.

[bottomdweller]

I go throughout the fall and winter. One thing I dont see anyone mention is scratch hunting. I do alot of that, keeps the dog in shape and its alot more like a hunt, you dont expect that bird to be there.

[rustysetter]

BMAXUS,

For me it's all about the dog, anytime in the field is a plus, Game Farms are a great opportunity to get out and enjoy the day while your dog gets to do what they live for.

[Dave Benkufsky]

My buddy and I went to Caribou last weekend. It was $150 for 10 birds. Not as good as $10 but we still had fun. The cover was ok, but it looks to be getting better. They were saying a few more warm days and the switch grass will start to pop up.

Randy at Caribou has other deal going on beside this one. I recommend giving him a call. If you Google Caribou hunt club it will prop right up.

[MuleShack]

BMAXUS,

For me it's all about the dog, anytime in the field is a plus, Game Farms are a great opportunity to get out and enjoy the day while your dog gets to do what they live for.

+1

I just joined a club last fall, mainly to train my two dogs. It isn't exactly cheap (I choose a local family run club, not the big $$ one) to me, but it is a very valuable tool to train my two dogs. Yes we will get more experience this fall with wild birds, but will continue to go to the club every so often over winter and spring and early fall just to keep my dogs on birds. And as a previous poster said it is a great way to do something with your dogs while both getting exercise and doing something that they love.

[Farley]

We went up to Princeton on saturday, not oakwood but a smaller shooting preserve that my uncle knows the guy who owns it or something. I think it was $200 for 15 birds, we only shot 11, we had my GWP pup and my buddies vizla who is the best dog I've ever hunted behind (ie, trained at wings and whistles, has had probably thousands of birds shot over him) and we still missed out on 4 birds so its not quite as easy as some people think. I've also hunted Traxlers in LeSuer, which is the higher end, more expensive, really nice fields\easy walking, etc... like pureinsanity, I'd go there if I wasnt paying.

And we stopped at Oakwood and picked up some chuckars for training at home. The price was $90 for 10 birds.