Strider’s
First Pheasant Hunt
I hope you all enjoyed last month’s
goose hunting observations, because this month I have more observations of a
different type of hunt – pheasant. And
while last month I told you how much I love waterfowl hunting, this month I’m
feeling like upland game hunting is the best thing in the world.
Guess I can’t choose between them – it’s a “love the one you’re
with” thing!
For many reasons, upland game hunting
is a perfect first foray into hunting for those who wish to experience that with
their dog. While waterfowl hunting
requires significant equipment and access to good hunting locations, upland game
hunting can take place at a game preserve. While
the best waterfowl hunting conditions usually involve strong winds, cold
weather, and precipitation of some sort, the best weather for upland game
hunting is dry and pleasantly cool. Heck,
you don’t even need to know how to shoot – first things first - find an
experienced upland game hunter, offer to pay for his birds if he’ll shoot
safely over your dog, and you’re on your way – at least until you take your
hunter education class!
On a beautiful fall day last October,
I took 15-month-old Strider for his first pheasant hunt.
I had just four pheasants released for the hunt in a harvested corn field
of approximately 5 acres. There were
strips of corn left standing for cover for the birds and it was these strips,
about 10 feet wide each, that we hunted.
I’m not training Strider
specifically to be an upland game dog, but I figured that the skills needed to
be a flusher should already exist in a trained retriever.
I’d soon find out if I was right.
Just me and Strider, we started
walking the field along one of the standing corn strips.
I walked slowly on the downwind side – better for scenting, harder for
shooting for it’s not the direction the birds will fly.
Strider acted like we were out for a walk, bounding along, smiling,
sniffing, looking back at me as if to ask “what are we doing next?”
I’d point into the standing corn for him to jump in and hunt up some
birds, but there was nothing there… nothing to make the gears in Strider’s
head go click – or, could it be he was missing them?
So we kept walking – Strider naturally quartering in front of me, me
calling him back if he got too far out. A
quartering dog needs to keep close enough to the gunner to keep the flushed
birds within shooting range. I was
on a hunt once where the Lab we were shooting over broke and ran down an entire
field, busting birds left and right. That
was one unhappy dog owner, unhappy group of hunters, and blissfully ignorant,
happy Lab! That’s why my first
hunt with Strider is he and I alone!
After about 150 yards of walking this
field, Strider suddenly changes behavior. He
stops and puts his nose to the ground right at the edge of the standing corn,
then looks up at me with a surprised expression “hey, there’s a bird in
here!” I encourage him to enter
and he jumps in. The corn starts
moving all around and then a pheasant hen jumps from the opposite side.
This placed the bird at an awkward angle for shooting.
After commanding Strider to “sit”, I successfully brought her down
but it was at a long distance. Strider
marked the perfectly camouflaged hen in the corn stubble and went to retrieve
it. The hen was crippled and she
flapped her way out of strider’s mouth on the retrieve.
Strider lunged for her as she headed for the standing corn and grabbed
her by the tail feathers – all of which came out!
He made another attempt and got a good hold on the body and returned the
hen to me. Oh, how I loved the look
of excitement in his eyes as he looked up at me at heel with the pheasant in his
mouth! After dispatching the hen and
placing her in my vest game pocket, I looked down at Strider to see him spitting
handfuls of breast down and a full contingent of tail feathers from his mouth.
hack…hack…cough… But, instead of hating the feathers, he seemed to
think it a game – good – there are too many dogs turned off hunting by
clumps of feathers filling their mouths!
Adrenaline subsiding, Strider and I
continued our hunt in an adjacent strip of standing corn.
Amazingly, all it took was that one bird in the corn for Strider to fully
understand! No longer was he
aimlessly walking or jumping into the corn only when I pointed, he was on a
mission! To my astonishment, I
realized that he was scenting each section of standing corn just by walking
along the edge. For the first few
groups, I didn’t trust him, and sent him into the corn even when he was
indicating that there were no birds. But,
on the third section, as he trotted up the side of the corn, he stopped and
pointed with his body. “Wait” I
asked as I got into position, “get it” I released him.
I mounted my gun as I heard the bird in the corn, commanded “Sit” as
it burst into the air, and cleanly brought it down just 35 yards in front of me.
“Strider!” and he took off and was back at heel in a flash, more
excited than before. A perfect flush
and retrieve!
So I learned that I could trust his
scenting, and it was really cool to be able to read his body language as he
found a bird.
We took a break to get some water back
at the van, then continued into the opposite field.
I loved the walking and anticipation of finding birds in an upland game
hunt. How quickly Strider and I
settled into a rhythm in this our first pheasant hunt together – beautiful
fall weather, beautiful scenery, the outdoors! - no walls or electric light, and
birds to be found!
Strider found the next bird as if
he’d been doing it his whole life. This
pheasant was a cock, larger and darker, and Strider decided to ignore my sit
command, instead chasing the bird across the field as it tried to land in cover.
Oh well, not quite “steady to wing and shot”!
I don’t take my shot, but instead call Strider back, (I said, call
Strider back… STRIIIDER… here…..Here…..HERE!) and we continue our hunt.
Great job Strider!
We certainly have some things to work on, but we had a blast – and a
pheasant breast meal for two people!. And,
there’s still time for another pheasant or chukkar hunt before the season ends
March 31. Then we have to wait until
September for dove season. Meanwhile,
pray that we lose the snow cover quickly so we can get back to hunt test
training!
Oh, and notice the two different
pheasant hens in the photos, one with a tail, and one without!
Until next month,
Pam
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