Where to look for partridge in August. Hunting for gray partridges by walking. Partridge weapon
Partridge hunting in winter is different in that birds are easy to find by following tracks in the snow, while in summer they are more cautious and secretive. In winter, partridges need a source of food more than ever and settle somewhere near human habitation.
There are two types of partridges living in the CIS countries: regular and bearded. Partridges look like small gray birds with speckled plumage and stripes of brown. Bearded partridges are distinguished by a black spot on the chest. There are also snow-white partridges - these birds live in the northern regions and they are slightly larger than gray ones. White partridges can only be found in winter, because by summer they change their plumage to brownish-brown with many speckles.
Partridge meat is considered quite tasty, and hunting for them is exciting. These birds, which belong to the pheasant family, are often called "field hens" because their habits are very reminiscent of chickens. They prefer a terrestrial existence and can run fast. Partridges fly well but they rarely use this skill: in case of need to move to a new feeding place or to escape from danger. The characteristic sound that a partridge makes when taking off allows the hunter to track its movement.
Partridges roam in flocks, they can be found in the grass and bushes, where they climb in search of food. Birds can quickly maneuver among the stems if you agitate them a little, so partridge hunting is an interesting activity. In winter, partridges sleep in small holes dug in the snow. In case of serious danger, they unanimously break into the air and settle somewhere nearby.
About winter partridge hunting
In winter, partridges can be found in small growths of willow and aspen. Where the branches stick out from under the snow, partridges pluck the buds of these species and feed on them. When deep snow covers everything around, flocks of partridges move towards the villages and appear on the threshing floors. In search of food, they circle around the currents, where they thresh bread and pick up the crumbs on the paths along which the bread is transported to the barn to dry. It is also easy to find a place to sleep for partridges in winter: the birds settle near the village where they feed - in tall bushes, ravines, along the river.
Partridges make small "holes" in the snow and sleep in them, slightly buried in the snow. Even if partridges have white plumage, it will not be difficult to spot them. In addition, they are easy to figure out by patterned tracks on even snow, where the slightest roughness is visible. The hunter can ski to the places favored by partridges in deep snow.
On this hunt, it happens to shoot both migratory birds and sessile ones. Noticing the approach of a person, partridges usually try to hide in the snow. They get close enough, if a person does not go straight, but bypasses them and does not particularly demonstrate his attention. After the shot, the birds break into the air, fly away, but then immediately land and can again let the hunter in.
Winter partridge hunting from the approach
Skis are used in winter partridge hunting. Hunting begins in the morning, when partridges are busy feeding and you can get close to them. The flock engaged in breakfast go around the arc and, approaching, make the first shot. It is very difficult to shoot the fleeing partridges, so the second shot is most often made already in flight.
If the area is rich in food, and the weather is favorable in summer, partridges multiply rapidly by winter and the flocks increase to several dozen. Such groups are hunted from the approach. Birds become shy in places where they are often disturbed, so when hunting them you have to always be ready to shoot.
Partridge hunting with decoy
Using the decoy hunter mimics the sound, similar to the calling cry of a male partridge. A real cry is usually heard at a distance of 200-300 meters. Kuropach calls either at dawn, before sunrise, or at dusk. But the hunter does not have to comply with such limits: sometimes the partridge calls invitingly during the day - if the flock needs to be gathered together.
When hunting partridges, the decoy is most often used when the birds have disappeared from sight and need to be lured into the open. Birds always respond to the call and answer it. By answering calls, it is very easy to determine their location.
Sensing danger, partridges take off one at a time, so the hunter has time to focus on a specific target.
Hunting with a dog
Hunting with a dog is the most common type of partridge hunting. Spaniels, cops and other breeds of dogs are used for it. The dog must be calm and well trained, because the lion's share of success depends on it. A hunter with a dog walks around the places favored by partridges, and the dog scares away the sitting birds.
It is convenient to shoot at flying partridges: they take off straight, with a clapping and a lot of noise. After the shots, the birds scatter, but then land in one place. The dog easily finds them, and the hunt begins again.
Hunting for white partridge in winter
White partridges are brownish-brown in color, shade of the earth. In winter, they take on a snow-white plumage color. and become less visible in the snow. The weight of this bird species fluctuates between 400-900 grams.
If in summer the favorite places of white partridges are dusty hills and roads, and their location is often determined by characteristic pits, in winter they burrow a little in the snow with the same pleasure. Some partridges burrow into the snow one by one - then they can be found and shot one at a time.
Partridges that stay in a flock, having let the hunter in, scatter in different directions - in this case, you can only shoot one - and take off. Hunting them requires good planning. For shooting, a small fraction of 5 and 6 is recommended, 7 - for close range.
Partridges are considered cunning birds capable of some tricks. For example, when a flock goes to land behind a prominent shelter, it is not necessary that it landed there. It happens that ptarmigans descend, and then make a sharp turn and land in a different place.
Photo about partridge hunting in winter.
Gray partridge is distinguished by tender, lean and tasty meat. This bird lives mainly in the northern regions of Russia, mainly in the forest-steppes. You can find settlements of these birds in places that are overgrown with shrubs, with deposits of windfall. Partridges are not afraid to settle next to people, so even a beginner can hunt them. Usually the hunting season for gray partridges starts at the end of August and ends at the end of December, with the onset of severe frosts.
The habits of gray partridges
The diet of gray partridges is rich, it includes all kinds of plant foods, as well as various worms, bugs, larvae and even spiders. If in order to feed in the summer, birds do not have to look for a feeding place for a long time, then in winter everything is much more difficult, since, basically, the bird gets its own food, picking it out of the ground, and in winter it is almost impossible to do this because of the snow .
In order to feed the chicks, flocks of partridges in winter have to stay closer to humans, as there is a chance to eat something tasty and avoid extinction. This makes prey easier for the hunter.
As for the characteristics of the behavior of this bird, it is worth noting that gray partridges almost always keep in flocks. When a partridge breeds, it usually consists of two or three dozen chicks, which means that during the hunt, hunters must be prepared to meet a number of targets. But among the hunters there is unspoken rule that when a flock is found, no more than two or three trophies should be beaten, no matter what to reduce their population, since gray partridges are a rather rare species of birds.
Hunting for gray partridges with dogs
The best four-legged helper when hunting for gray partridges is a spaniel, because these dogs have a mature disposition, with a good sense of smell, smell and hearing.
During such a hunt, the hunter, going out into the field or into the forest belt, releases the dog ahead of him, which goes in front of him at a small, comfortable distance for shooting. Having found a flock of partridges, the dog must frighten them away and raise the birds into the air, allowing the hunter to shoot one or more birds. Birds always fly in a straight line, it is very easy to track a flock that has taken off.
Hunting for gray partridge with decoy
This method of hunting is no less exciting, because when approaching a bird with a decoy, the hunter follows the sounds that the partridge makes when it answers the decoy. Having approached the bird as close as possible, the hunter needs to aim well and make an accurate shot.
Hunting for partridge from the approach
Also exciting is partridge hunting from the approach. This hunt is especially interesting in early autumn, after the opening of the hunting season. After all, it was at this time that partridge chicks are already quite strong and can become good prey for any hunter. Only the hunter needs to be as focused as possible, since with one careless movement he can lift the entire flock into the air with a large number of individuals. It would be wiser to make several aimed shots at once and trace where the trophies fell.
At the same time, in this way, you can not lose sight of the rest of the flock, since it usually sits down somewhere not far away, which will make it possible to repeat the approach and get more than one trophy for your collection. But here the main thing is not to overdo it, after all, the view is quite rare.
Equipment for hunting gray partridge
I would like to add that when hunting for gray partridge, the hunter needs to have camouflage that matches the colors of the area where he is hunting as much as possible, this will make him less noticeable and will make it possible to get as close to a flock of partridges as possible. Such a maneuver will allow you to shoot from a convenient distance.
Also, when hunting, you can use automatic guns to make several shots without additional reloading, thus increasing the chances of success.
It is desirable to use a fraction of a minimum size (5-6 number) so that the bird is not torn apart when fired.
Hunting for partridges in winter is different in that these birds are easy to spot by the tracks left in the snow. In spring and summer, partridges are much more secretive and cautious. With the advent of winter, partridges are in dire need of a source of food and therefore try to settle down, somewhere in the vicinity of human habitation. A lot of people, going on a partridge hunt, order cleaning services at home or in the office.
About partridges
In the CIS countries, two types of partridges can be distinguished - bearded and ordinary. Ordinary partridges are small in size, gray in color with small patches in plumage and brown stripes. Bearded partridges are distinguished by a black spot on the chest.
Winter camp of gray partridges
There are also snow-white partridges in Russia - these birds can be found in the northern regions of the country and they are a little larger than gray ones. White partridges are found only in winter, as with the onset of summer they change their white plumage to brownish-brown with numerous inclusions.
The meat of partridges is quite tasty, but hunting for them is quite interesting and exciting. These birds belong to the pheasant family, they are often affectionately called "field hens", as their habits are very similar to chicken ones. Partridges prefer terrestrial habitation and are able to run fast.
But, anyway, partridges fly well, but they use this skill quite rarely: in situations where it is necessary to move to another feeding place or to avoid danger. The characteristic sounds that a flying partridge makes make it possible for the hunter to follow its movement.
Partridges walk in flocks, they can be found in tall grass and bushes, where they climb in search of food. These birds are able to maneuver briskly between the stems, if you just arouse them, so hunting partridges is interesting. In winter, partridges sleep in small holes that they dig right in the snow. During a serious danger, they take off together and land not far from the previous place.
About winter partridge hunting
In winter, partridges should be looked for in small thickets of aspen and willow, in places where branches of these shrubs are visible from under the snow. Partridges feed on the buds of these plants. If everything around is covered with snow and the branches are hiding under it, then the birds move closer to human habitation and appear on the threshing floors. In search of food, they wander not far from the currents, where they threshed bread and pick up crumbs on the paths along which bread is taken to dry in a barn.
In winter, it is also easy to find a place for partridges to spend the night: they settle down near the village, where they feed - in ravines, tall bushes, on the banks of the river.
Birds make shallow "holes" in snowdrifts and sleep in them, burrowing into the snow. Even if partridges have white plumage, they can be spotted quite simply. Moreover, they can be calculated on even snow by patterned traces, where the slightest roughness is noticeable. To the areas chosen by partridges, the hunter can get on skis through deep snow.
The hunt was a success - white partridges!
If in the summer the favorite places of partridges are dusty roads and hills, and their location can be determined by characteristic pits. And in winter, they are buried in the snow in the same way. Sometimes partridges burrow into the snow one at a time - then they can be found and shot one by one.
On such a hunt, you have to shoot both at flying birds and at sitting ones. Noticing the approach of a hunter, partridges often try to hide in the snow, so the hunter can get quite close to them, especially if the hunter does not show much interest and walks a little to the side. After the shot, partridges take off into the air, fly off a short distance, and then immediately land and again let the hunter close to them.
Partridges, who prefer to stay in a flock, let a person in, scatter around - in this situation, only one bird will be able to shoot in time. Partridge hunting requires excellent planning. For partridge hunting, it is better to use medium-sized shot No. 5 and 6, 7 - from close distances.
They usually hunt gray partridge with a pointing dog, if there is no dog then from the approach, you will learn about the features of partridge hunting in this article.
Habitat of the gray partridge
Before you go hunting, you need to know where and how the partridge lives. The gray partridge lives in the steppe regions, fields, meadows. (Western Siberia, Altai, European part of Russia, Kazakhstan) Partridge's favorite places include spring fields with wheat, buckwheat, potatoes, overgrown meadows, berry places and not wet swamps. Not infrequently, this bird can be found on the edges of the forest or forest plantations near the fields. The partridge leads a sedentary lifestyle, occasionally migrating in search of food. It feeds on plant foods, seeds of cereal plants, berries, grass roots.
In the autumn-winter season, partridges gather in flocks while continuing to graze in the fields and meadows. On the fattening, the flock keeps together without scattering all over the field, while the older male is always on the alert. Seeing the danger, he immediately takes off, trying to distract the hunter's attention as much as possible and take him away from the main flock.
Partridge hunting with a dog
During fattening, partridges roam all over the field, leaving many traces, which facilitates the work of the dog and the hunter. To hunt partridge, first of all, you need to know its habitats, otherwise the hunt will turn into endless and fruitless wandering through the fields.
After the pointer has found the bird and, most likely, scared it away, the whole flock is removed from the place and flies noisily to a new place. Usually, having taken off, the flock flies from 100 to 200 meters before landing on the ground, which allows the hunter to follow the bird without difficulty and continue hunting. Partridge, after lifting, does not fly directly from the hunter, but slightly to the side - this must be taken into account by the hunter. Partridges often use a trick: having practically descended to the ground itself, the bird abruptly changes the direction of flight and after that it still flies several tens of meters on the ground, after which it sits on the ground. These habits also need to know the hunter.
Hunting for partridges without a dog from the approach
As with hunting with a dog, the hunter first of all needs to know the habitats and fattening of the bird. It is better to hunt three, four.
Hunters line up and begin to "trample" the bird across the field to the forest belt. When the hunters approach, the partridge rises on the wing, falling under the hunter's shot. The habits of a bird in this type of hunting are the same as when hunting with a dog.
Due to its coloring, the partridge is well camouflaged, and often, after a well-aimed shot, it is difficult to find a beaten bird in the thickets of grass - it is better to use a dog to search.
Hunting with decoy
You can easily make the voice of a partridge yourself: to do this, put your thumb on the second phalanx of your index finger, put your fingers on your lips so that the thumb touches the lower lip, and the index finger touches the upper lip. By drawing in air through the fingers, the voice of a partridge will be obtained.
Partridge cartridge
For hunting gray partridge, you should use cartridges with shot from No. 5, 6
This sweet, well-built, round, beautiful bird is familiar to many hunters and almost all villagers, young and old, without exception. After all, the gray partridge lives almost side by side with a person, populating all the agricultural land suitable for it.
Flocks of these birds can be found immediately outside the village outskirts, and in severe snowy winters - in gardens, kitchen gardens, and, sometimes, even on rural streets, where partridges, suffering from starvation, try to find at least some kind of food for themselves. Knowing how poor these birds are in severe winters, real hunters always come to their aid, feeding them with grain until spring comes. The result of such care becomes obvious already in autumn, when in the lands in which partridges successfully overwintered, the hunter's four-legged helper now and then raises flocks of these fast birds, which so excite the hunter's heart with their always unexpected, noisy take-off, under the shot.
With like for prey
The female gray partridge is very prolific. And if at least one pair has survived in those places where you hunt, then under favorable conditions, by the beginning of the hunting season, a flock of partridges can number up to fifteen or even more birds! With an abundance of partridges in the lands, hunting for this magnificent game is very exciting and sporty.
Partridge is usually hunted with pointing dogs of all breeds. Beautiful work an experienced, well-placed pointer and the shooting of these birds from under the rack is very spectacular, spectacular and emotional. Hunting is also successful with a tireless gambling spaniel. And the "laikas" should not leave their pointy-eared assistant at home and refuse to hunt this game! Being an ardent admirer of the "points", I have always been very successful in hunting partridges with them and getting no less of this beautiful game, desirable for any hunter, than the "legs" and "spaniels"! At the same time, of course, the husky needs to be introduced to partridges and the lands where they live. And how and where to look for birds, how to interact with the hunter, your smart-like like will figure out very quickly after going out into the field several times. You will have selectivity of search places, and an acceptable range of the dog’s work, and, if you wish, a shuttle! With a good like, you will never be left without a trophy. Agile, hardworking and energetic husky will quickly find you such a delicious-smelling game! Laikas have an excellent upper instinct, which allows them, without digging into the crowds, to quickly, directly lead the hunter after the fleeing birds and raise them under the shot.
When hunting partridges, you always need to know exactly where your faithful husky is at the time of the shot. If the partridges, after rising, went too low, above the ground itself, and your husky drove, it is better to avoid a tempting shot so that, God forbid, you do not accidentally hook the dog.
Where is the partridge sitting?
The favorite habitats of partridges are vast open spaces with a flat or hilly terrain, cut up by a network of ravines overgrown with weeds and shrubs. These can be both cultivated agricultural land sown with various, mainly cereal crops, and abandoned fields overgrown with weeds with islands of shrubs and small forests, old dry reclamation canals and forest belts along their perimeter.
If the area where you arrived to hunt is unfamiliar to you, it will not be out of place to inquire about the presence of favorite habitats of partridges among local villagers. As I said above, these birds very often catch people's eyes. Meetings with them cannot go unnoticed, as partridges running along the side of the road, feeding, or their noisy rapid rise at once with the whole flock of grass or bread, always attract the attention of a person.
In weeds, bushes or tall, but not very dense grass, you can sometimes stumble upon a place where birds spend the night. It is a small, up to half a meter in diameter, patch with crushed grass. Gray partridges for the night sit in a circle, with their tails inside it, closely clinging to each other. The more birds in the flock, the larger the diameter of this area. In the center of it are many sausages of droppings and feathers left by partridges during the night.
Near the puddles left after the rain on the roads passing through the field, partridges often leave their tracks, similar in shape and size to the tracks of a hazel grouse.
Through the dawns, it is sometimes possible to hear the voices of partridges calling to each other during their movement to feed and spend the night. Their voice sounds like a two-syllable cry: “Chirrr-rek! Chirrr river!” If the feeding places are close to the birds' resting places, partridges take walks. With a significant remoteness of the places of fattening, the whole flock at once rises to the wing and, stretching out in a wide front, makes a flight.
To the right place, at the right time
So, having learned where partridge encounters are most likely, you go to those places. It is best to arrive at the grounds before sunrise, in order to be in place even at dusk. It was at this time that a flock of partridges leaves for fattening after a night's rest.
In the autumn invigorating coolness of the morning, the east lights up like a fire. The reflections of its glow browned the clouds hanging at the zenith. Hillocks flared up, the ribbon of a distant river reddened. The October sun lazily floats out from behind the horizon like a yellow brilliant ball, shooting its golden arrows in passing over the squares of compressed fields. Gradually fade the colors of heavenly fire.
After loading the gun, you lower your impatient assistant from the leash. Laika immediately rushes into the search, methodically combing the low thickets of weeds in the course of your movement, not depriving attention of the narrow green strip of alfalfa, stretching across the entire field, bristling with a stiff brush of stubble. Sometimes she looks around, controlling your location and direction of movement. Carefully watching the dog's work, so as not to miss signs of a change in his behavior when he is accustomed to fresh pests or the smell of partridges themselves, move forward with a gun at the ready.
Now a wall of bushes appeared ahead, separating the field from the wasteland, pierced by long tentacles of shallow ravines. At the next turn, the husky suddenly stopped all the way and, bending her head to the ground, began to sniff. Whirling on a small spot and barely noticeably wagging the “steering wheel”, she ran back and forth with her muzzle raised up, deeply drawing in the air with her nose, made a wide arc and, again buried in the ground, quickly led in a straight line. This time, her tail began to work more intensively. Try to keep up with the dog. And she, having caught the intoxicating smell of birds on top, quickly moves forward, slightly correcting her direction.
Here her movements slow down, become smooth, the tail is half untwisted. Squatting slightly on its legs, stretching its muzzle parallel to the ground in line with the body, directing alert ears strictly forward and staring somewhere at one point only to it, the husky approaches an area with low sparse grass. You look at the dog in bewilderment and, slightly relaxed, lower the gun. After all, according to your understanding, there can’t be any partridges here at all, otherwise you would have noticed them long ago!
Full game bag
But in vain you did not trust the instinct of your assistant! A second stop follows and a quick throw forward. A brood of partridges, a dozen and a half, with a loud crackle of wings and characteristic hasty cries of “peep, peep, peep” abruptly breaks off from an “empty” place! How could they hide here?
In the first moment from the unexpected stunning takeoff of the "red-tailed rockets" you forget about the gun. Partridges, often fluttering their wings, are rapidly moving away from you in a straight line in round balls. You throw off your numbness, and finally, the butt in your shoulder. Aim quickly and pull the trigger. Partridge, turning over in the air, falls, and at this time your finger presses the trigger again! One bird, folding its wings, falls like a stone into the withered grass, and the other, losing feathers, gliding on outstretched, motionless wings, descends into the weeds near a conspicuous bush. Having noticed the place of its landing, follow the flock, which, stretching along the front, crosses the field and, having described an arc, hides behind a hill three hundred meters from you.
The dog, running up to you with a partridge in his teeth, puts it at your feet and, without a second's hesitation, hides again in the grass. Soon the second hen migrates to your game bag. Having praised the assistant, you quickly move to the place where the wounded animal landed. Here is the landmark - a bush. Laika without command finds a strong-smelling bird track and quickly leads you further and further along the grass in small zigzags. Fifty paces, seventy have already been passed, seventy... Turning sharply against the wind, the dog poked its front paws and muzzle into the grass. Here is the third trophy!
The secret of success
The basic principle of hunting for gray partridges boils down to two conditions, from which, in the end, success is composed. First condition. After detecting a brood and rising to the wing, you need to try with aimed shots to break it up into separate groups and single birds, so that the partridges, scattered in a wide fan, descend in different places. Hunting in this case on a displaced, fragmented flock is greatly simplified. Singles, couples and trios of birds hide tightly and take off almost from under the nose of the dog, or right from under the feet of the hunter!
In order to break the brood, it is necessary to shoot as accurately and as often as possible. The multi-shot “semi-automatic” used on this hunt has an undoubted advantage over double-barreled, and even more so over single-shot weapons. The rule here is: do not spare shots! The shots following one after another, the shot whistling near the birds frighten them and bring confusion to the flock. After the turn from the "self-loading" the brood almost always manages to be broken. But this does not mean that the hunter should "shoot into the white light, like a pretty penny" - shoot excessively, at random, without aiming, just in the direction of the flying flock. Such shooting, with rare exceptions, will not bring you the desired trophies, but it can make wounded animals! It only seems that the birds are flying in a bunch! In fact, when taking off, they scatter like a fan, so that almost always the intervals between partridges are still significant.
When you aim one particular bird, it happens that you manage to knock out four and even five birds from a flock with one shot! Especially when you shoot partridges moving away from you at an angle. This has happened to me many times! You need to be able to quickly aim, transfer fire from one target to another and immediately stop shooting as soon as the partridges fly out of the lethal range of your gun. For shooting partridges on the first ascent, when a flock usually takes off at a medium shot distance (depending on the degree of maturation of the brood, the density of vegetation at the place of its ascent to the wing, the factor of bird disturbance in the area), I use cartridges filled with No. 6 or No. 5 shot .
From the first time the brood can not always be broken. From the second time it is easier to do this, but only if you manage to approach the birds at a distance of a sure shot. This is especially true when approaching a flock of displaced partridges during late autumn hunts, when mature birds are strict, and withered, fallen grass, not providing the partridges with sufficient protection, force them to rise on the wing long before the hunter approaches for a shot.
Little tricks
To break the moved brood for sure, you need to approach the hidden birds in such a way that they are in a “vice” between you and your dog. If your dog does not have such a quality as bypassing a hidden flock and approaching fleeing partridges, you can try to do this trick yourself by quickly running around in a wide arc the place where the brood is supposed to be, as soon as you realize that the dog has a good sense of fresh tracks and the birds are where - something nearby.
The second condition for a successful hunt is tracking the flock that has moved after rising to the wing. Usually the terrain allows this. Partridges move no further than six hundred meters. Usually 300-400 meters. You need to carefully, with all your eyes, not paying attention to the birds that fell into the grass after your successful shots (if such happened, your dog will certainly find them!), Follow the moving brood and remember as accurately as possible the place of its landing or the landing sites of individual birds, if the brood still managed to break.
Having memorized the landing sites of singles and small groups, you need to move in that direction as quickly as possible. Otherwise, after sitting a little, the partridges, calling together, will again come together and all your efforts will be in vain!
If the partridges descended in a flock, all in one place, you should not rush to approach. It is necessary to wait 20-30 minutes. This time is enough for the birds to calm down, give the trace necessary for your dog to work, and, probably, let him shoot.
If the brood is broken
When shooting a broken brood, that is, at single birds, you can safely charge with an "eight" or "seven", and preferably with a "dispersant". In most cases, you will have to shoot short. Partridges are not tough on the wound. Their shooting is not difficult even for a mediocre shooter. Usually you have to shoot in an open place, at a hijack, at birds flying in a straight line, not high above the ground - approximately the height of a person. The most important thing in this hunt is not to get excited!
Sometimes a single partridge raised by a dog in tall grass or forced to fly across a forest belt, and even with repeated pursuit, can fly up almost vertically to a height of up to ten meters no worse than a pheasant or a teal-whistle, only then switching to a swift, with a decrease, flight. A shot at such a bird is very beautiful and is remembered for a long time.
Rarely is it possible to shoot at a lateral, and even less often at an oncoming bird. This usually happens when your dog, homing birds overhead and catching air currents, bypasses lurking partridges or comes in from the flank.
The only difficulty in shooting this game, in my opinion, is that partridges raised on the wing very quickly fly out of the range of a sure shot, as they have a fast flight with a high starting speed after an always unexpected, powerful bounce from the ground!
You can hunt partridges all day long: either by finding them in the morning or in the evening while feeding, or by finding a flock and raising it on the wing from the place of daytime rest. It is easier for the dog to work in the morning. Birds, widely dispersed, moving from one place to another, leave a trail. In addition, at the beginning of the hunting season, when fine and sunny days are not rare, the heat does not exhaust the hunter and the dog so much. Partridges feed on stubble, preferring high stubble, overgrown with sparse grass, as well as on shamrocks, along blemishes and edges of weeds. In dense, intertwined and tall grass, on fattening, you can not look for a brood. It is difficult for partridges to move there, so they avoid such places. A broken brood, single birds, when pursuing them, often descend and hide in such places!