Unfortunately you don’t know what you are talking about. Most pheasants hunted in the “wild” are stocked by fish & wildlife agencies. Just like stocking bass or trout in a fishing lake. There are very few wild pheasants and many thousands are released in wildlife management areas each year.
Next, the dogs you talk about as if they were German Shepherd guard dogs unleashed on a chained up bird, are highly skilled and specialized bird dogs such as Brittany Spaniels which detect birds HIDING in brush and come to point so the hunters can flush the birds and take their shots.
Many many of the birds get away, it takes hours for the dogs to locate the pheasants, or chukars, quail (which are like little jet planes), etc.
As for shooting “low flying” birds, you can’t because you need enough elevation so you don’t risk shooting the hunting dog. I’ve gone out in a farm field stocked with 20 quail, and they flew so low and fast that even with a hunting dog and two hunters, I believe one was taken.
It’s a great sport, just watching the dog work the field is beautiful, and hunting on private land is much safer than shooting on public land.
Birds released into the wild by Fish and Wildlife have time to develop full normal flight muscles and instincts. A bird kept cooped up in an enclosure does not.
Thank you for your response here. I was going to respond to the obvious ignorance of these kinds of hunts, but decided I did not have the energy.
I was invited to a private hunt club to participate in a pheasent hunt a few years ago and it was probably the most enjoyable hunting experience of my life.
I was able to watch a fully trained “veteran” lab work with a puppy tagging along to learn and it was a beautiful thing. In addition, you are right, it is not like “shooting fish in a barrell” at all. I believe that the club released 20 birds on our “parcel” and the three of us bagged 10-12 of them.
I would recommend that anyone who gets a chance to participate in this style of hunt, definitely accept that invitation!