This is my favourite game bird. the indian Grey jungle fowl.

This photo was taken by my cousin in India at tadoba national park. They saw 4 tigers too.

Back to the bird - I have shot a few of these in the late 70s & early 80s. They are normally very shy & sulking in dense bush. Very unusual to see them in the open.

When you have the bird in hand, the neck hackle feathers are stunning - gold, red and rust mixed as spots on pencilled grey. The spots look they were painted on. the older the bird the richer the colour.

The hackle skin with feathers can sell for US$ 150 if a really keen trout fly tier wants it bad. I think I have one in my old keep sake box - 30 years old!

This particular photo is a profile I have never seen before. The cock spreading its tail into a fan & the two long feathers crossing and arching over.

I think I hear one crowing somewhere far away. Ooohh.....!

Good looking bird all right and it looks like it would be good enough to eat.

Can you call them in or do you just ambush them?

Naki,

Tell your brother awesome picture! Thanks for sharing..Butch

Naki,

Thanks for sharing, that is one awesome looking

wild rooster! Tell your brother great picture!

Butch

Palmer

They are very good eating if not too old.

You can flush them if you have a friend to help. Dogs are not commonly used in India.

My method was to hunt just before dark along the edge of the tea fields and the dense bush & spook them up. Very challenging birds. From my very limited experience of seeing pheasants here in NZ I would say that shooting a pheasant is way easier.

I ahve seen a coffee estate worker use a piece of a leaf between his thumbs and blow into it to simulate an imature male's call. We did not attract any birds that day.