Pheasants

[Trout Hunter]

Got one yesterday. Should have had limit. First roster that got up was young so tail feathers were not as pronounced and sunlight did not give me a good look at the neck. Second one I missed went left to right and I was all twisted up and could not swing. Last one hit hard and he fell dead.

Farmers are still harvesting corn. No milo harvested yet so lots of land to keep them spread out. The group next to me had private land to hunt and they only got one between them.

Still lots of fun and dog running well.

Good looking pup. Save yourself some cash on shells and try kent fast lead, hits every bit as hard and usually can be had for $10 a box cheaper. Stuff hits hard.

[SamuraiCO]

Here is my new pup Logan. He is a nephew of Luke's. I got them from October Setters in Idaho. He will get out later in the season but still needs some field work and more basic commands.

I had a blast. Met a lot of nice hunters. Shared a field Saturday am with a group of fathers and their sons from NE. The rest of Saturday I had fields to myself. Sunday morning with a group of guys from Boulder about my age. Didn't see anything that morning to shoot at but was good fun to have company.

Thanks for the info about Kent shells. I will check them out. I really like those Prairie Storm shells. 3" 20ga they hit hard. They are a similar load to the Black Cloud the duck commander boys use. Plus they contribute to Pheasant Forever.

Did a lot of scouting and shared info with other hunters. Will be out again in two weeks hopefully with my buddy from Or and his son and father.

Since it was just Luke and me he got to ride in the cab and not in his kennel. Like Dez Young says "Never, ever spoil your gun dog" and I am a firm believer in that philosophy.

[Marine24]

"Never, ever spoil your gun dog" and I am a firm believer in that philosophy.

So true. Brought my first bird dog in for a few days when temps were running below zero and between my wife and son, they turned her in to a family dog.

Amazing though to see a well trained dog and his trainer work a field.

[rondog]

I couldn't have a hunting dog then, I reckon. To me, dogs are for spoiling! I don't think I could ever treat one like "just an animal" or a possession anymore.

[sniper7]

Mine gets pretty spoiled but repays me greatly in the field. I think the difference is when the shock collar gets put on he knows its time to work.

[rondog]

All I remember about pheasant hunting as a kid is that they take off and climb like F-16's. Dad always told me not to shoot until I'd covered them up with the muzzle. Can't remember if I ever hit one, we only went a couple of times. Friggin' coldest I've ever been.

[SamuraiCO]

Dez Young had a couple of hunting shows Hunting with Hank and Outdoors with Dez and Dash. They were both English Setters and I got to meet him a couple of times at the Sportsman show in Jan. He would always end his show stating "Never ever spoil your gundog" as his guest was sneaking treats to his pup.

Make no mistakes my wife has only one rule. Bring her dog back unharmed. They are our kids so they are treated very well but they know their role in our pack.

[Trout Hunter]

When we go up to SD all the locals we hunt with use the kents too. Best bang for the buck pheasant loads around. Also in the spring time if you watch sportsmans will have them on sale. Picked up 8 boxes of 3" 5 shot for $8 a box.

As far as gun dogs you can find a good balance between treating them good and spoiling them. For our Chessie she has been house trained from 7 weeks old. She gets to be in the house from Feb. to Sept first. Sleeps outside year round in a kennel. But Before hunting season rolls around she gets left out to develop her coat. Spends most of her time out there until the last hunt of the year and then she gets back to spending time in the house. She hunts as hard or harder than any bird dog ive been around. So I think theres a fine line to between being good to them and spoiling them. To me spoiling a bird dog though is playing fetch, tracking games, and getting out doing field work since its what they love.

[th3w01f]

Anyone heading to the Rooster Roundup in Burlington next weekend? We've been going for 10 years and wouldn't miss it.... not that we don't miss a lot.

[sniper7]

I'll be out there but on private ground