# Favorite Pheasant Memory This Season



## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

I was just thinking about my hunting season this year and thought I'd like to hear everyone's favorite moment. I have a couple for different reasons, but I'll leave you with this one.

Remmi and I were out for a quick afternoon hunt about 3 weeks ago. We headed for an area that I had heard birds crowing while out deer hunting. The area is not known for holding much of a population, so I figured access wouldn't be too tough. I drove up to the door of the landowner and visited with the wife. She was more than happy to accommodate me so we drove back to the field. As we were pulling into the specific field, 3 hens flew across the windshield of my truck. Remmi went nuts, whining and climbing into my lap (the birds frew from right to left in front of us) to watch them land. We soon began our walk. We found a few hens, then Rem locked up tight....... I could see the rooster in the cover. I shot and winged it. The bird went down going straight away from me into some thinck brush. I headed towards the bird and Remmi quickly circled around and ran in the opposite direction. I called her like crazy because I was sure it continued to run away from me. I was about to use the e-collar (a big no-no, I know!) and then thought better of it. I started walking towards her. After about 10 minutes of walking the opposite direction I thought we should be going, Remmi locked up again. I told her OK to flush it and it attempted to fly but couldn't. We found the bird! I was very proud.

We continued to hunt another hour and got 2 other roosters in the same field. I went back to the farm house and now the husband was home. I introduced myself and thanked him for access to the property and said I was done for the day. The landowner told me that he has had his land posted for about 5 years. He and his wife had not granted permission to hunt anything for 3 years or so because they caught some deer hunters on their land w/o permission a while back. Apparently he was suprised that his wife allowed me on, but he wasn't upset.

The reasons that is one of my favorite hunts is because of the great retrieve Rem had and, more importantly, that I was granted permission. I am lucky that I know a couple gracious landowners that allow me to hunt. I have horrible luck when I knock on doors to talk to farmers about access........but it felt great to get access that day! And, they got a Xmas/Thank you card and a picture of Remmi w/the birds by their place!


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## Coach529 (Dec 22, 2004)

Boy I have had soo many great memories of this past season, I have a hard time picking just one.

This is my first year of serious Rooster hunting, and I am fully addicted!!! :beer: I take my 14 month old Gordon Setter, Harley, out every chance I can!!!

My favorite memory would probley be Harley's first solid point on a wild bird while hunting!! She pointed rock solid and waited for me to flush. The Rooster busted out of the CRP cackling into the sunset. I put a solid shot on it and Harley tracked it down.................

Man I can't wait.....I have two more hunting days planned for the year!!!


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

My favorite hunting moments this year could fill several pages, but the most fun I had was rooster hunting with my son and younger brother, we put on some miles traded a lot of "raspberries" back and forth enjoyed a beautiful day and bagged some roosters. Doesn't sound like much but to me it is what it is all about.

Bob


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

My favorite moment happened the second weekend SW of Bismarck.I was hunting with my 2 brothers and nephew.We had seen a bunch go into some tree belts.So 2 of us started down 2 belts,one on each side.Each pair with a dog.

We got about halfway down when my GWP locked up solid with 1 paw in the air.I whislted to my brother to get ready.I took a couple more steps and the birds started getting up under Rocky's nose.4 roosters got up and the 2 of us dropped all 4 of them.


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## jamartinmg2 (Oct 7, 2004)

Great story, Remmi! Like most of you, I have a ton of good memories from this last season, but one comes to mind right away. It was during the T-giving weekend. I brought my family out to Bismarck to visit my mom over the holiday, and thought I'd enjoy a little pheasant hunting on the side.... I still had 5 days on my NR license that I most definately wanted to take advantange of! Anyway, I took my 1 1/2 yr. old golden, Casey, out on Thanksgiving morning. We went to a nice little spot that I know of which featured a corn field, (which had just been harvested a couple of days before), bordered by a nice cattail slough. We started our walk along a fenceline that separates the field from the "swamp". We didn't walk more than 30 yards when Casey went on "scent", so to speak. We went on another 20 ft, or so, when he stopped dead in his tracks, with his ears perked up and a serious look on his face. He then charged into the cattails like madman. All I could see was the tops of the cattails bending, and moving above the area he was working in, as I waited anxiously to see what he would find. All of a sudden a couple of hens exploded straight up in the air, which startled me a little bit even though I knew something was going to get up. Casey continued working the tails when finally the first rooster popped up, which I quickly dispatched with my first shot of the morning. My shot must have scared the other birds, as all of a sudden roosters and hens started flushing everywhere. I took another rooster with my second shot and missed one on my third. There must have been 20 plus birds in that spot alone. After it settled down, and we were able to retrieve the birds, we continued on down the fenceline. We walked another 40 to 50 yards when Casey flushed another rooster. I took two quick shots missing the thing completely, but on my third shot, I saw the legs drop down. I cursed my poor shooting and watched as the rooster flew about 40 yards and plopped down in some heavy cattail cover. Well, Casey saw where he landed, too, and was quickly on his trail. As I came up to the spot I had marked it down, the dog comes out with the rooster his mouth. Regardless to say, I was very happy with my young dog's performance and the fact I was able to get my limit in a 15 minute time span and get home to an early Thanksgiving meal!


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

Gunnar on point last weekend. I nearly cried I was so happy! :lol:


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

I must be getting older because my best memories this year were more about spending time with friends...Then harvesting birds! Talked my best friend into finally going pheasant hunting with me for the first time! It was a thrill to watch him catch on so quickly and to shoot his first bird! Then over thanksgiving we brought his 13 year old along and he shot his first bird! Had some tremedeous days in the field with friends and my father that I will cherish all winter long and years to come!
My last day of the season a few days ago was equally rewarding! I ended up hunting by myself and got to watch my 3 year old yellow lab really come into her own! We worked small water ways and slough bottoms real slow and Abby made some very impressive points on roosters! Infact, they were jumping at my feet and I managed to shoot 3 in 4 shots! Should have been 3 for 3, but oh well...You need something to work on in the off season! When I went up to the thank the land owner for showing me where to hunt he even invited me in for a roast beef dinner! It was a great way to cap of an incredible season! Thanks to all of my generous land owners for providing me with the opportunity!


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## drjongy (Oct 13, 2003)

What I will remember most about this years upland hunting is the maturation of my dog, Beck. I was just amazed by her nose and her pattern of hunting this year. Other than a few e-collar corrections early dove hunting, I didn't have to use it for correction at all during pheasant or grouse. I feel depressed that I have to wait until next September to see her in action again!


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

I didn't get near as many birds this year compared to last, but this year I had 2 firsts. I shot my first banded bird and also shot my first Black Russian Pheasant.


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## jamartinmg2 (Oct 7, 2004)

Rick Acker said:


> When I went up to the thank the land owner for showing me where to hunt he even invited me in for a roast beef dinner! It was a great way to cap of an incredible season! Thanks to all of my generous land owners for providing me with the opportunity!


I'll second that Rick! The landowners, except for one exception in my case, were very cordial this season, even in the cases where they wouldn't let me on their land. They all seemed appreciative that I stopped to ask regardless if the land was posted or not. Rick..... so where was this landowner that invited you to dinner? Roast beef sounds pretty good!  You can email me the GPS coordinates if you like!


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## jamartinmg2 (Oct 7, 2004)

MossyMO said:


> I didn't get near as many birds this year compared to last, but this year I had 2 firsts. I shot my first banded bird and also shot my first Black Russian Pheasant.


Wow...... Where did you snag that baby? Do you have a picture of it? Don't know as I've ever seen one of those.


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

jamartinmg2

I shot the Black Russian North of Minot and like an idiot, just breasted it out and didn't take a photo. My wifes uncle has gotten a few up there, so hopefully I'll get another someday...........

There is guy in Lansford that raises Chinese Ring Neck Pheasants and for the last 4 years or so, also raises a few Black Russian Pheasants each year. So slowly they have been getting released into the population. I'm not sure how their Winter survival rate has been with bird.........?


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## Springer (Dec 21, 2004)

My best memory this season was tuesday. Got to take out the new puppy (7mo old GSP) we got her Thanksgiving weekend to, excuse this word, replace our 3yr old yellow that got shot earlier this year while hunting. My wife told me to get a puppy and my first mistake was bringing the kids to look at these six month old puppies that this guy by Forman was selling. Needless to say we came home with a puppy that was already taller that my 5yr old springer. Anyways back to Tuesday, I dropped my buddy off a one end of a cut bean field that had a bunch of sloughs in it and we were going to meet in the middle. So I drove to the other end and pulled into an approach and turned around because my ten year old was going to stay in the pickup, I parked along the approach got out took care of mother nature dropped the tailgate and let the dogs out of the crate, when I was walking down the approach I looked over to my right and Jasmine was pointing right at the corner of the ditch and approach. As I looked to my left my springer Brandy 5yrs old was birdy as all get out, so of course I follow her and look back at Jazz and she only stayed there about ten seconds or so, so back to the left with brandy which fizzled after about twenty feet so I said to Reed my 8yr old lets go see if Jazz was actually pointing at something. So we go back to where she was pointing and sure as sh## up comes a rooster, bang, bang, bang, sorry pup we'll get him next time. First time hunting since Nov. 11 accident, a little rusty. Very happy with new pup, get a point on first walk of first hunt twenty feet from pickup. Very excited for next year should give the boys a good chance for a rooster next year. They didn't get any this year. So they are still looking for #1. Till next year.


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## Burly1 (Sep 20, 2003)

On opening day this year, we hunted with my nephew Matt. This was only Matt's second year afield with a gun. He showed up with a beautiful new/old auto 5, 20 ga. This lovely old gun was given to him by a bird trainer from Georgia who stayed at their farm for a few weeks each Summer. Matt had always helped with the dogs and horses. What a great gift! We threw some clays for him and worked on his sight picture until he was hitting pretty well and then headed for the field. The dogs were working well and putting up birds in good range, but Matt just wasn't connecting. After an hour, we moved into a favorite piece of cover where the grass was three feet deep and really thick. The dogs were making game in real close. Suddenly a pair burst out about six feet in front of Matt. The kid pulls up and makes the cleanest double that I believe I have ever seen. I know that I'll never forget that smile on Matt's face as we gathered around him to admire those birds. That experience really reinforces my belief that we, as experienced hunters have an obligation to our youth to pass the torch for the betterment of our sport and the enrichment of all of our lives. Happy new year to one and all! Burl


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Great stories guys. And here's to a champ, the old red running rooster, may he make it through the winter. :beer:

Since my memory is shorter than a .12 ga primer I can't single out one adventure. Once it got cold, and we had the ice storm, and it snowed like crazy, the birds held well.  Early season went pretty good because the weather was nice. Ken and Dave came down for a good day, if short, and I saw some good dog work. Hope we can do it again next year, and it has been great to meet so many of you guys from Nodakoutdoors. 9 months to go and we'll be at 'em again.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

The season is closed..... :fiddle:

Can I reserve the couch a year in advance Dick???? :thumb:


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Ain't it a bummer!!!!!

Predator control is fun though!


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## indsport (Aug 29, 2003)

I have two memories from this year. First, my just one year old lab did her first points, flushes and retrieves this year, of which one adult rooster took her 400 yards before slowing down enough to flush (while she made sure I stayed within range). Second, my 7 year old lab had a rooster go down 30 yards away that he did not see, took a line from me, pushed through 30 yards of cattail, across 20 yards of thin ice the rooster ran over and he broke through, then chased the rooster down almost 100 yards further in the cattail to the point I could not hear him working any more. I pulled out of the cattail back to the edge and 5 minutes later he comes back with the rooster, with just a shot wing tip and still alive and a spur stuck in his muzzle. Blood was running down his face but he had a grin a mile wide.


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## Coach529 (Dec 22, 2004)

I had an unreal last weekend of Pheasant hunting, and I have to change my favorite memory!!!

I snuck away from work to take advantage of the warm temps on thursday, knowing the cold crappy weather was coming for the weekend. I headed down to the Ypsi/ Montpelier area. The roads were crappy from the mornings rain and ice, but by around 1PM the temps were in the 30's and the wind had died down so I was able to hunt with only a hooded sweatshirt and my hunting vest.......how often does that happen in december???

Harley and I walked alot of stuff, but were only kicking up hens. It was still awesome to see her working so good, and pointing solid on every bird!! After our fourth walk I found a couple of nice bean fields with some cattail sloughs that looked promising. Not even 15' into the first slough by the road we kicked up our first Rooster. I was able to put a good shot on it and put it in my vest. We continued through the slough when Harley got really birdy by a patch of grass that seperated the two bean fields. Rather than finish the slough, I thought we should give the grass seperating the two bean fields a shot. I was about 20' wide and ran the whole length of the fields. Within the first 1/4 mile Harley pointed 5 hens and was really birdy. She then pointed yet another bird, which I found to be a rooster after I flushed it. I had no sooner than squeezed the trigger and two more roosters flushed to my right.....I turned and shot another bird, for my first ever double on Pheasants!!!

Even though we had walked for about 4 hours straight and were tired, I felt a sinking feeling knowing that our hunt was done. It was a perfect day.........and one I will not soon forget!!!

We got a couple more chances to get out over the weekend, but only had marginal luck!! I am really bummed knowing we have to wait 9 months to chase birds around!!!


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

This year was a good year. I got out alot and shot a lot of birds. Our English Setter got diognosed with cancer about the second week of the season. So I talked to a freind of mine whose father runs a dog club. He is a Hall of Fame Feild trials runner and raises Setters, he called me up and said I have 5 English Setters I would like to get rid of. Would you like one he said, for Free? I was blown off my feet when he said that. So I got a new pup and was busy training him. I have let him run with the older one to help get him going.
We have shot alot of birds all over but the past week I was off of school so I was out every day and shot 3 birds 5 out of 7 days. 
I saw aso saw a white Owl take out a rooster I was with Tanata, and we didn't have a camara but it was still cool to see. We had saw him swoop as we were driving and as I passed him I saw something under him. I backed up and could see a Tail sticking out behind him and a orange breast. We sat and watched him finish off the bird and I got out to get a closer look. And he decided this was close enough. But he coulden't fly with the bird, so he would drag it. He never let go of it so I never got a free rooster. :beer:


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## rap (Mar 26, 2002)

shooting some roosters off my grandpas land in northern ND... it's just a little to far north to sustain pheasants, but there have been a few around in recent years. i love shooting birds on our land, and one rooster there was better than the twenty bird days in the southern part of the state.

i would also take a hard earned late season rooster on public land in deep snow over a big shoot opening weekend anyday. late late season rules in my book


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## BIG BEN (Jan 4, 2004)

I'm more of a duck hunter myself, but i went on the trip with the group of 15 guys that have headed to bryant SD every year for 20 some years. The only setback was i had to weight in the car for an hour every strip club they passed. Before opening day i had shot 9 ducks without missing one, then i miss 5 roosters in a row ( the problom was i was concentrating on shooting before my brother was. We were on the last hunt of the day when the sun was going down, my brother had shot 2 roosters and wounded another, as we made our loop back to the truck when he said you take the dogs and go that way i'll find that bird. I walkd thinking about how i could've hit a fast flying ringbill ( ringneck duck ), and miss a slow flying rooster. As i was hanging my head my brother yelled get redy they're hot. I just stood thear holding the 20 gauge in my hand as a rooster flew up i took him down with the second shot. As my dog brought it back i felt so proud i took my first wild phesant. Later on the trip a bird got up to my right and went 30 yards behind me and with one shot he fell in the cattails, the guy i was with said it was the best shot he'd ever seen. And later i found out that he wasn't one to complement on shots that were even good. I ended up taking 4 birds, our group took over 50. I must say most of the hunting was done in the local bar though. :lol: I love SD but i wish i could get a duck lisence this year.


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## IAHunter (Sep 1, 2003)

The entire season was great for me because I spent most of it hunting with a great hunting partner, my brother, and a great dog despite my inability to train, Gabby.

But, the last two days of the Iowa season are the real memories. Jan. 9th my brother and I went out for 1.5 hours in the morning and each got one rooster. My brother had to help with an American Legion dinner so I headed to meet up with some co-workers, Andy, Brad, Brad's son Ryan and Brad's brother Dave. Andy had his fathers black lab, Remmy, and I had my GSP, Gabby, with me. We went to a farm that had a creek going through it. Gabby went on point just as we got to the creek and I walked up and had to pretty much kick the bird out. One shot one bird. We started working along the creek when we came to one end, we started in the middle, when Gabby went on point in front of Ryan. This was Ryan's second season hunting, so I set him up and went into the flush so that it would hopefully go right in front of him. It was one of those times when everything went perfect and down came his first bird. The rest of the hunt Ryan never let Gabby out of his site and learned that when she went on point, he had to go in to flush the bird. We had 50+ flushes along that creek and ended up with 12 birds.

The next day, Jan 10, my brother and I went out to some public land that is usually full of birds in the late season with snow on the ground. But the three spots we hit didn't even get the dogs excited once. After the third spot, we just at the vehicle trying to decide what to do next when I remembered a public piece we had driven by earlier in the season. We decided that it would be our last hunt of the season. We ended up discovering another great public spot. One hour and twenty minutes and we had our limit of six roosters. As soon as I find the article on how to post pictures, I will put them up here.

IaHunter[/img]


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## griffman (Jan 17, 2004)

Dick Monson said:


> Great stories guys. And here's to a champ, the old red running rooster, may he make it through the winter. :beer:
> 
> Here Here :beer:


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