Nebraska pheasants

Am with two buddies and four younged kids, three are shooting age and one is along for the ride. They are having a ball. Got a little warm yesterday but kids are getting some good action. That is what it is all about.

So far we have seen more birds in the fields and side roads vs last year. Numbers are definatly up.

Dogs are working well but I am not shooting well. I missed a limits worth yesterday.

Today not any better. My olded dog Luke had an awsome point in a wind row. Thought the bird surely ran along the trees but no it jumped up picture perfect right in front of me and a poor shoulder mount had me shooting over the bird again. I'll post video soon. Later in the same field I get another chance and finally hit a bird hard and it drops beyond the head height cover into a cut corn field. I get there thinking I'll see him but he has run off. We find feathers and none of our dogs get any scent trails. I hate leaving birds in the field.

Rest of day I did not have any shots on roosters. In our second to last field we were walking some cut winter wheat. Luke ran down some running roosters but they were out of my gun range. After our first push we regrouped and started down another side. Had a rooster jump up at the feet of one of the boys. He and I turned and I held my shot for him. He missed and I was right on the bird. I was just waiting for him to hit or miss his second shot. He hit the bird and we both rushed up to where it fell. He was still alive and took off running. My younger dog Logan was right there and ran the bird down and pinned him for us. I got to really praise him for getting the bird and it was the first time he got excited about the whole hunting thing.

Later in the same field Logan got his first point. Thought he was mousing again but he pointed hard. Too bad it was a hen but I was so proud of him and got to praise him.

I may be light in the bird department for now but my puppy is becoming a bird dog and for that I am so greatful.

One more day tomorrow wish me luck in shooting well so I can put it together for Logan.

Sounds like a great time! Good luck tomorrow

Sounds like a blast!

Kids having fun, Dogs doing what they like to do, great day.

Wish you luck!!

Saturday night the emergency horns went off and I was thinking it was too late for tornado's but I knew the front was moving fast and anything was possible. Was some type of emergency and they were calling the volunteer fire and police. No local news we could log onto to see what was up but still scared the crap out of us for a bit. I was thinking where is the shelter this flimsy motel would be crushed by a tornado.

We only had time for a couple of fields in morning. Older boys had to get back in time to drive down to Pueblo they had college classes on Monday. We were hoping the cold front would bunch up the birds. I thought we would choose some fields to hunt on our way out. They decided to hit a field that we had hunted but only had one rooster taken. It had not rested long enough to let them transition back. We did hunt a field they did well in last year but the roosters had already transitioned out into the feed.

Still a lot of unharvested corn and milo. Winter wheat from last year proved well for us as usual.

Ended up with 15 birds in our group. Not our best but not our worse. I got skunked between not shooting well (not getting my gun to cheek and shooting over the target), preoccupied with keeping track of my dogs and letting the boys shoot first. I would only shoot if the bird was clearly my shot ( I will often take the farthest position inside the field to allow my dogs to work larger parts of the field and push the birds to the edge where the boys are walking or collapse towards them as we pinch off a corner). This does't always present me with the best shots but I get my share.

We will be heading out again after Christmas. It will give the farmers time to harvest and hopefully some weather will drop some snow for us. I will also be doing some shotgun mounting and maybe some skeet shooting between now and then. Maybe some CO hunts as well.

Was a blast as always. For me it is the experience of the hunt and watching the dogs do their thing. We had my buddies two older sons, a boyfriend of one of their daughters and a younger son just walking now and hopefully shooting in December. They very well may be the last generation to enjoy this opportunity so it is really all about them.