2023 Season

[20super90]

Last day day for us... been a crazy last 4 days..... dogs on the couch snoring away. Taking Tomorrow off to go play some meat bingo and drink beer !!!! Hell of a year. Hope it snows 4 inches every Wed then melts monday next year from mid November to January 1st. We had to pull out some crazy hide and seek tricks this year. Do stuff their not accustomed too to make it work.... dog looked a few times like wtf we doing here.now and why but ya .. season recap with overload of pics coming soon.... good luck to all tmrw... think outside the box. Walk stuff differently. Walk stuff that's short... tall. Then short again.. and if you don't have a plan in mind always always always follow that nose... they know more then we do.

 

[Miforester]

Hard earned Rooster

Shared using GoPro

gopro.com

Not sure if this will work.

Nice video!

 

[Miforester]

Maybe after that season you can get the Guiness sign hung or hand if off to UPH Forum buddy

I'd gladly take the sign off your hands.....Happy New Year!

 

[Miforester]

I've had a touch of covid 22 or a cold, not sure which. We slep in today, and watched football. About 1:30 the dogs were getting wound up and looking at me like I'm a bum. I throw on the old patched up brush pants, case the gun, collar the pups and off we go, to the exact same spot we started at yesterday. Never hunt the same spot twice they say. I just had to know. Walking the gravel road a smart old bird flushed silently way off. Halfway down the thicket line, both dogs are full of vinegar and working at a furious pace. Disappearing into a red willow bush I suddenly hear an ear piercing cackle, the old king of the marsh let loose in all his anger for being disturbed from his cozy roost-throne. Then he flew crossing L to R in front and around some mature trees. I let loose and managed to knock off some bark. Next spot the young dog got hot and charged into the cattail/cane break. As I followed her course by watching the grass shake, out of the corner of my eye I catch a flash as a rooster silently flushed just a bit out front of the dog. He quickly dipped out of sight behind the phragmites. This cattail patch is about 8 acres, and there's a spot the birds always seem to like, I'm not sure why. We were on the edge and a hen flushed, then loud cackling and a rooster rising above the marsh. Out there a ways I leveled up and sent the shot column. POOF! Feathers everywhere. I charged in, a tough mark, headed straight towards a power pole marked in the distance. Threw an orange ribbon on a tall tail, called the dogs and began looking. Nothing nothing, nothing. Losing a shot bird, a reality in this sport, but that doesn't make it any easier. Every time a dog ran by I looked for a bird in her mouth. Just when I gave up hope, here comes the old girl with a beautiful late season rooster still alive in her chops. Man, that made my whole trip. One more day to go. What a season. View attachment 7143

Great description, felt like I was on your shoulder! Love when the vets bring back that winged bird!

 

[gimruis]

I went on Friday and Monday afternoon for about 3 hours each day. Finished the season on a high note. Raised about 40 on Friday and about 20 on Monday. Was much easier to get close on Monday after the fresh coating of snow and colder temps. My dog turns 12 in February. She is an ageless wonder.

This season was better than last season for me. Mostly because of easier walking in December. Last year most of December was trudging through deep snow, which is when I do most of my pheasant hunting. There is a good amount of hens still around the area and so far mortality has to be very low this winter. I'm optimistic for next season if things continue on the current path.

I also raised 2 deer and about 40 wild turkeys on Monday.

The last rooster I got yesterday was interesting. It flushed out of a thick patch of grass heading high to my left. I pounded it with one shot and clearly folded it. As its heading downward, it suddenly comes back to full life and start flying away! I am thinking WTF. It has a leg hanging down and puff of feathers floating in the sky. It makes a big U turn, starts flying over an open field and then drops stone dead out of the sky about 300 yards away. I had this happen to a wood duck about 15 years ago too, never seen it with a rooster.

 

[MNhunter4ever]

Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories from the 2023 season - very fun to read, and definitely some cool pictures too. Looks like people had a great season across the state, even though it always seems to fly by way too fast.

Hopefully this weather continues - it’s been easy for the wildlife to get food so far this year. If the winter stays mild, and we have good nesting conditions next spring, then 2024 could be really, really good.

 

[20super90]

Well here goes ... '23 was a year that started off somewhat slow for us... kids playing football and want to go duck hunting instead so priorities.. but we cranked it up around Halloween.

The area I live by in SC mn gets hunted. Alot. And by alot I mean steady rotation of vehicles at I'd says a dozen spots withing 10 miles of the house all day long for the first couple weeks... so either get there early or basically wait for that guy that was in there at 2 pm to leave and get in for the last hr or 2 . We did that quite often til day light savings time and it paid off. Hard to think the birds still in there after hunted as much as it does.

After deer season we start moving slowly west eventually working our way out to close to the boarder.. usually a couple weekends plus a day or 2 around mid week on our public "hot spots", but you can tell when they start gettin sketchy or seeing to much foot traffic I switch tactics to private pieces I've accumulated over the years.

2 trips to eastern SD this year went as always with 60 public land birds per trip. Well minus about 8 we did get on some private last days 2nd trip..... first trip we hit the cold spell in October before Halloween and the hunting was fast and furious, multiple days done by 12 or 1 ... coolers took a beating that trip. 2nd trip mid December was warmer then the first trip and going in expected birds in the thicker stuff but they wernt. Back to the grass and run em down. This trip in November I watched a hunting partner and life long friend and his yellow lab shoot their #1000 over the dog.. was quite to the site to see and a pleasure to be along with on alot of them hunts.

Lastly I'd like to throw in I think bird numbers were not up 100 percent like they said .... I'd call it pretty average to the last few years for mn anyway... sd is a different ball game with all the land gettin mow and hated and grazed.... I won't even start with that..

Thanks to wife and kids. Friends and family and farmers who help me and trig do all that we do all fall long... here's to next year

 

[gimruis]

Bird numbers were definitely up in the area I hunt, even though the roadside count indicated it was down from last season by a fair amount. I've become more skeptical of that estimate every year as time goes by. Deer and wild turkeys are definitely in good shape too at the moment. I pretty much just hunt solo and only in Central MN so my totals can only go as high as a daily/possession bag limit allows.

If this fake winter pattern continues, mortality will be minimal. Then we just have to hope for decent spring conditions and avoid another annual summer drought.

 

[BRITTMAN]

It was pretty good season ... definitely a nice December for a pointing dog and even better December for introducing the next bird dog to grass and cover. Areas I hunt every year were definitely not up double or triple digit. I also returned to places I had not been too for years, killed birds, but had nothing recent to compare too.

We eat quite a bit of pheasant in our house, but I also give quite a few birds away either vacuum packed or cooked (traditional soup recipe) and ready for the oven.

 

[Bob Peters]

It was pretty good season ... definitely a nice December for a pointing dog and even better December for introducing the next bird dog to grass and cover. Areas I hunt every year were definitely not up double or triple digit. I also returned to places I had not been too for years, killed birds, but had nothing recent to compare too.

We eat quite a bit of pheasant in our house, but I also give quite a few birds away either vacuum packed or cooked (traditional soup recipe) and ready for the oven.

What is the traditional recipe?

 

[BRITTMAN]

Everything is better in Campbell's creamy soup ... just ask the green bean

Here is my current version which is an "upgrade" from the way it was prepared and served some 50 years ago when I first ate it. Great for pheasant and huns ... not so great for dark meat game.

Rinse (wash) and pat dry pheasant breasts

Roll breasts in flour and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

Brown in pan with butter ... (you can use olive oil or cooking oil if you want) ... butter in parts a distinct flavor
> you can brown with fresh garlic and onions sautéed into the pan ... instead of the powder above or use both

In a corning ware (traditional) or le Creuset type cook ware
> add a can of Campbell's creamy soup; chicken, mushroom, etc...
> add a can of milk (whole or 2% is better). If you use 1% or skim add in some sour cream ... or add the sour cream anyways
> dump in browned breasts and make sure they are covered by the soup mixture

Cook at 350F for 60 - 90 minutes, soup should be bubbling.

A parchment liner eliminates almost all mess and greatly reduces clean up

Serve with baked potato, mashed potato, white rice, or macaroni and cheese

 

[Miforester]

I did roughly 8 lbs of breast and thighs for hamburgers and bacon. Yielded about 35 patties tried to keep them around 1/3 lb patties. Sent half back with my son as he headed back to school.

 

[BRITTMAN]

Pheasant stir-fry is my go too right now. Mix of broccoli, carrots, red peppers, onions, garlic, water chestnuts, green peas or pea pods ... I like to vary the sauce; teriyaki, sesame, spicy, etc...

Pheasant Ceasar wraps are darn good too. More so in the summer weaning down the remaining inventory.

 

[gimruis]

More so in the summer weaning down the remaining inventory.

You must have a lot of birds in the "inventory." All 9 of mine are usually gone within 2 months.

 

[BRITTMAN]

Two states (this year) and two hunters over almost 3 months. Nothing killed in October or even November (I think) is still in storage ... all cooked, gifted, or cooked and gifted ...

I try to eat fresh birds during the open season ... so often ... many birds rarely reach storage.

I try to make sure I start the season with no birds carried over from the prior season.

 

[BRITTMAN]

End of season - December 23

 

[Bob Peters]

I finally got my 2023 stats compiled from my pheasant journal, I need to look them over and think on them. I will probably post soon.