Minnesota Ringnecks

What about the Lions, I need some more Stewart Blue

I got a chance to do a little pheasant hunting Saturday morning in southern Carver County at my dad’s place. We haven’t hunted the area since we hunted Sunday evening of opening weekend, so I was eager to get at it again.

There seem to be a lot of birds in this particular area because of the efforts of some conservationists that have planted their marginal farmland in the Conversation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). My dad has about 40 acres in the program and one of the neighbors has probably 60 acres. This grassland provides excellent nesting habitat for the pheasants in this area and we have seen a increase in pheasant numbers in the last few years.

During the past week while deer hunting I have been seeing a lot of pheasants. Since the deer season closed on Friday, I finally had a chance to get out and chase some of these roosters. I started by working a tree line and flushed a rooster out the opposite side I was walking and had no opportunity to shoot. I then proceeded to work a slough edge and before long we were into birds.

My 2.5 year old yellow lab has really come into her own this year and it was fun to watch her move right in on the birds and flush them out. They were holding really tight so she almost had to dig them out. First she put up two hens and then she put up a nice big rooster that I missed on the first shot but dropped on the second shot. It was a very quick retrieve by Zeke and I was halfway to a limit.

I finished working the slough edge and put up more hens. It didn’t take long before she was birdy again and trailing a bird up another tree line. At the end of the tree line we put up a couple of hens but no roosters. I had a feeling that the roosters may have run out the end of the tree line and into a small slough on the edge of a bean field. In short order the dog was birdy again and I could see the grass moving up in front of the dog and the dog was in hot pursuit. I moved up closer to the action and just then the dog put up a nice rooster that I again dropped on my second shot. The dog once again went right to the fall and picked up the bird and I had my limit in about 40 minutes.

It was nice to see my young dog putting things together. Last year she was starting to get it and this year she finally has it figured out.

Here’s a picture of the birds we got.

Good to hear all the hard work has paid off! Good looking dog too!

NICE!!!!