![]() ![]() I didn't train or teach the sturdy, black cocker (17 inches tall, 35 pounds) to sort out birds according to sex. When I was in high school I started him on squirrel, rabbit, duck, ruffed grouse, woodcock and pheasant. ![]() At least this held true for several of my dogs and some crackerjack hunters belonging to other people.Īn outstanding one comes to mind, possibly because he was the first close-to "purebred" dog I'd ever owned, half English/half American cocker. While on the subject of pheasants and in answer to another question, I haven't changed my belief that, given a great deal of experience, smart gun dogs with good noses can tell the difference between hen and cock pheasants. And, as it might be in humans, bird brains may be unequally distributed, which is decisive in determining both the smarts and the mortality rate ratios between the sexes. Because cock pheasants are show-offs, they expose themselves more often when aground won't sit tight unobserved, more quickly abandon dense cover or switch the game from a "run the ball" offense to "taking to the air" than their determinedly evasive and more patient female significant others. While strutting male birds don't lose all the smarts imparted by their mothers (and are worthy contestants for appreciative sportsmen) the inevitable flow of testosterone prompts giving "the finger" to dog and hunter while taking flight prematurely by raucously cussing them out for pushing beyond the limits of a short-fused patience. After "doing their thing" papa pheasants do nothing except attract unwanted attention. Nature saw to it that mamas not only breed, nest, hatch and nurture chicks, they give the basic lessons in survival when they move their broods out into the reality show that is the world of upland game birds. Were rooster pheasants responsible for the procreation and survival of the pheasant population, representatives of the species would be perched on dinosaur backs in public museums. Smaller and faster flying than blustery he-birds, comparatively silent risers, more females elude shot charges.Ĭontrast that with the garish, eye-catching color and ostentatious demeanor of the loudmouth male, a louder and slower wingbeat and a strutting macho attitude that is frequently more of a challenge to dog and gun than an attempt to survive daring to fly rather than employ any ploy that will ensure survival. It is also their nature to take advantage of their relatively dull color to make the most of vegetation that conceals, select the right time to hold or hike and sprint just as fast as a rooster when they must. Difficult as roosters can be to spot when holding or knocked down in cover, trying to find a downed hen can be impossible without the aid of a dog's nose. Species survival is assured if hens are smarter as acknowledged by most state conservation laws that prohibit hen shooting even when artificially reared birds are "stocked" for state hunting license buyers. A dozen or more hens can be serviced by a single rooster. Physically, in order to survive, they are smaller and require less food. Like there are more mothers than fathers in the nurturing and education fields and more fathers in professional sports and combat action.īy nature, hen pheasants are more secretive, cautious and wily. The shrinking-violet-hen-pheasant hypothesis is a combination of the once acknowledged differences in sex as part of the nature of all beasts, even humans. But please don't piddle on my parade for offering my belief that the preponderance of cunning (when it comes to non-flushing pheasants) lies with the retiring hen, not the audacious cock.Įvery supposition requires a reason of some kind. Why is this? Charge me with blathering about something with scientific background. Whether it is hold tight in sparse cover, skulking and dodging in crop rows or wriggling through dense growth (to let dog and hunter pass unaware), escaping either the hot pursuit of spaniel or retriever or sneaking out undetected from under a pointer's staunch stance, chances are eight or nine to one that it will be a hen, not a cock pheasant.īy my count, when ground hugging birds have finally been put to flight (after an almost completely frustrating chase) the dowdy hen, not the gaudy cock flew on when wild bird hunting as well as when shooting released game in licensed areas where both sexes could be taken. If we disagree, you deserve a hearing should you have scientific backing or you've seriously and contemplatively mulled over this lore during and after a lot of pheasant hunting with dogs. Therefore, I have opinions based upon experiences in those two disciplines, not on something somebody told me or reading something that was literally parroted. ![]() I'm not a zoologist or ornithologist nor have I shot more pheasants and trained better gun dogs than thousands of other sportsmen. ![]()
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