A new adventure for me

Pete Wass

Pete Wass

Well-known member
I spent much of last week shooting at Pheasants in South Dakota. A close friend, who has been going out there for the past 5 years bugged me long enough to where I agreed to help him drive out and back. With the exception of the nasty, cold weather, we had a first class time. We were the guests of some mighty fine folks who showed us the very best of hospitality and some mighty good hunting.

The one thing that always pleases me is the genuinely friendly and open people in the West. There are no mean and nasty words exchanged and people are genuinely interested in where new friends come from and what they do. Easterners could learn a lot from folks out West.

Anyway, it was one of the nicer Sporting trips I have ever been on.

Pete
 
Used to be like that in more places.....don't know what happened...
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Edited to add - and the two of us could just be getting older and notice stuff like that. Don't think so really, but it could be.
 
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Wilbur, we used to have great bird populations up here. Two things happened, lose of habitat, edges and rows specifically, and big time return of raptor populations. It's tough being a pheasant chick in the eastern U.S.
 
Speaking of Raptors-

tim said:
Wilbur, we used to have great bird populations up here. Two things happened, lose of habitat, edges and rows specifically, and big time return of raptor populations. It's tough being a pheasant chick in the eastern U.S.
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There was at least one in every shelter belt we walked through, sometimes 3 of different species. 3 0r 4 Owls. We pushed out one coyote and a red fox as well. Everything seems to like the taste of Pheasant.

Pete
 
There is the age thing

Wilbur said:
Used to be like that in more places.....don't know what happened...
____________________

Edited to add - and the two of us could just be getting older and notice stuff like that. Don't think so really, but it could be.
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the first convenience store I walked into, everyone in it either said good morning or smiled and nodded. We were on a big First American Reservation and everyone was friendly to one another, very pleasing to see and be around.
 
Pete Wass said:
I spent much of last week shooting at Pheasants in South Dakota. A close friend, who has been going out there for the past 5 years bugged me long enough to where I agreed to help him drive out and back. With the exception of the nasty, cold weather, we had a first class time. We were the guests of some mighty fine folks who showed us the very best of hospitality and some mighty good hunting.

The one thing that always pleases me is the genuinely friendly and open people in the West. There are no mean and nasty words exchanged and people are genuinely interested in where new friends come from and what they do. Easterners could learn a lot from folks out West.

Anyway, it was one of the nicer Sporting trips I have ever been on.

Pete
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I like the way you wrote the first sentence "shooting at". Wild Ringnecks are like that. I only hunted "hatchery/pay hunt" one time...no more of that.

I hunted southwest Kansas, Dodge City area for about 10 years then we moved to northwest Kansas in the Hill City/Morland area for about another 10 years. People out there never lock their doors in the areas where we were. One family, the Burkharts, were the third generation living in that house and it has never had locks on the doors.

The people we got to know were descendants of the early pioneers that settled there. They had walked and rode wagons for 1800 miles, plowed the prairies, struggled through the dust bowls and stayed put to do it again next year because it might, just might, rain come Spring.

Yes, Pete, those are not the folks like you find on the subways of New Your City, thank God!!
 
habitat

The high grain prices have brought habitat destruction around here. Waterways and terraces where there used to be brushy draws and fencerows. Quail and pheasants aren't woodland creatures, that's all they've got left, in places.
 
Just trying to be honest Jerry

JerrySharrett said:
I like the way you wrote the first sentence "shooting at". Wild Ringnecks are like that. I only hunted "hatchery/pay hunt" one time...no more of that.

I hunted southwest Kansas, Dodge City area for about 10 years then we moved to northwest Kansas in the Hill City/Morland area for about another 10 years. People out there never lock their doors in the areas where we were. One family, the Burkharts, were the third generation living in that house and it has never had locks on the doors.

The people we got to know were descendants of the early pioneers that settled there. They had walked and rode wagons for 1800 miles, plowed the prairies, struggled through the dust bowls and stayed put to do it again next year because it might, just might, rain come Spring.

Yes, Pete, those are not the folks like you find on the subways of New Your City, thank God!!
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I did actually hit several birds but they are not that easy to hit; for me anyway. Of course this was the first time I had shouldered a shotgun in a half dozen years, at least. Not to make excuses, of course :).

One of the farers who hosted has lived on his place his entire life, born there he said. His son farms with him; very high tech stuff too. I asked a lot of questions and spent a lot of time looking at the huge tractors and machinery. They farm 2000 acres and are diversified with several crops. Very cool stuff for a naïve New Englander.

Pete
 
I understand that

Doug Casner said:
The high grain prices have brought habitat destruction around here. Waterways and terraces where there used to be brushy draws and fencerows. Quail and pheasants aren't woodland creatures, that's all they've got left, in places.
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One of our hosts buys hens in the spring and manages the flock he has on his land. He has a lot of CPR land as well. South Dakota and the Feds seems to try to facilitate habitat with programs to secure land for wildlife among the farms. We saw quite a few deer so they seem to be doing pretty well. The Shelter Belts provide good cover for most of the wildlife I think. I understand it isn't the same as forests, etc. but the abundant food for the animals and birds is unequaled in nature I would think.

Pete
 
Pete, sorry to have missed 'ya. Glad you enjoyed our South Dakota hospitality, if not the weather. Pheasant season weather can be a wild mix of 60's or 20's, but that's part of the fun. After Thanksgiving is when the really good bird hunting starts.....hint, hint. The temps are cooler so the dogs work better and the birds stay bunched up a bit more. A tight choked 12ga. works when the weather is warm and birds are out there some distance. When it gets cooler, the Benelli Ultra Light composite 20 ga., with the choke loosened up a step and some target grade #6's (mine likes Fiocchi) is a good recipe.

Speaking of recipes....pheasant breast goes great with a decent gewurztraminer (Fetzer is a good one). Don't do anything to mask the taste...a little kosher salt and pepper and you're good to go. The gewurztraminer has a sort of peppery taste to it and complements the breast meat.

The Tullamore Dew is for sippin' while you're cookin'. ;)

 
I can recomend one named Knappogue Castle:

It's a single malt; 12 years old, they say. Not bad. Some of the rough edges I find in Bushmills don't appear.

Pete
 
I will try er Al

Al Nyhus said:
Pete, sorry to have missed 'ya. Glad you enjoyed our South Dakota hospitality, if not the weather. Pheasant season weather can be a wild mix of 60's or 20's, but that's part of the fun. After Thanksgiving is when the really good bird hunting starts.....hint, hint. The temps are cooler so the dogs work better and the birds stay bunched up a bit more. A tight choked 12ga. works when the weather is warm and birds are out there some distance. When it gets cooler, the Benelli Ultra Light composite 20 ga., with the choke loosened up a step and some target grade #6's (mine likes Fiocchi) is a good recipe.

Speaking of recipes....pheasant breast goes great with a decent gewurztraminer (Fetzer is a good one). Don't do anything to mask the taste...a little kosher salt and pepper and you're good to go. The gewurztraminer has a sort of peppery taste to it and complements the breast meat.

The Tullamore Dew is for sippin' while you're cookin'. ;)

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I am not much of a cook but will give er a go. The friend I traveled with went a month earlier than last year; has a new grand baby coming in a month - - -. He brought one of those Benelli's with him but shot his old Rem 11-40 something, I think it is. (a 20ga). I shot my Merklel 200-E 20 ga and not very well. Wished I had brought my 11-47 as I think it fits me better. We shot those Fiocchi's.

I noticed a number of Mossberg pumps in our crowd and some LONG auto 12 gauges; one a beautiful Beretta. All of it new to me. I'm more use to shooting Woodcock and Grouse in tight quarters. Don't have to make sure they are roosters :). Fortunately I had monitored the weather so brought most of the extreme cold weather gear I own; glad I brought it :).

Pete
 
Al Nyhus said:
Pete, sorry to have missed 'ya. Glad you enjoyed our South Dakota hospitality, if not the weather. Pheasant season weather can be a wild mix of 60's or 20's, but that's part of the fun. After Thanksgiving is when the really good bird hunting starts.....hint, hint. The temps are cooler so the dogs work better and the birds stay bunched up a bit more. A tight choked 12ga. works when the weather is warm and birds are out there some distance. When it gets cooler, the Benelli Ultra Light composite 20 ga., with the choke loosened up a step and some target grade #6's (mine likes Fiocchi) is a good recipe.

Speaking of recipes....pheasant breast goes great with a decent gewurztraminer (Fetzer is a good one). Don't do anything to mask the taste...a little kosher salt and pepper and you're good to go. The gewurztraminer has a sort of peppery taste to it and complements the breast meat.

The Tullamore Dew is for sippin' while you're cookin'. ;)

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Al

Great taste. I was turned on to Tullamore Dew a few years ago. Excellent Irish Wiskey at a great price.

Pete

It has been my experience that when you get away from the cities and large suburbs you find friendly folks all over the USA.

Good Shooting
 
I also like

JerrySharrett said:
Pete, if you were shooting wild birds with a 20 ga you did well.

I'll see if I can find your Knappogue Castle locally.
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a blended Scotch names Scoresby. While I do drink some single malt now and again, I find the Scoresby to be more pleasing to my taste on a regular basis. Of course, I ruin it with Club Soda but it's the way I like it best. My favorite single malt is Dalwhinnie but can drink Dalmore in a pinch. Age has limited my tolerance for the dern stuff though; a sad state of affairs, I must say.

Pete
 
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