Best Memory of the 2011 Season

shorthairs4life

shorthairs4life

New member
Now that the season is over, all that is left are the memories. I've been thinking back alot and for me, I keep coming back to the day I picked up my first wild bird limit in WI. Not only were they my first wild birds but the dog was able to pin both birds down and get them pointed. I was searching the entire season to find grounds that held wild birds and by the end of the season I found a few spots.
My favorite out of state memory was on the SD trip. We had many great memories in the fields but the time I appreciated most was at the end of the day when we would drive around and scout before sun down, just enjoying the beautiful country, great sunsets, and good friends.

Can't wait until next year and can't wait to hear your memories from the season.

P.S. This was the first season that my dog did not puncture himself or need stitches (he will be 4 in 3 weeks).
 
Mine would have to be the entire first season for my pup & watching him develop.
 
shorthairs4life said:
Now that the season is over, all that is left are the memories. I've been thinking back alot and for me, I keep coming back to the day I picked up my first wild bird limit in WI. Not only were they my first wild birds but the dog was able to pin both birds down and get them pointed. I was searching the entire season to find grounds that held wild birds and by the end of the season I found a few spots.
My favorite out of state memory was on the SD trip. We had many great memories in the fields but the time I appreciated most was at the end of the day when we would drive around and scout before sun down, just enjoying the beautiful country, great sunsets, and good friends.

Can't wait until next year and can't wait to hear your memories from the season.

P.S. This was the first season that my dog did not puncture himself or need stitches (he will be 4 in 3 weeks).
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Sounds like "What happens in South Dakota stays in South Dakota" to me. Chillin on a Dirt road, cold beer sittin on the console. I can take ya'll where ya need to go...old dirt road it what ya'll missin.
I would have to agree about the many great memories in South Dakota, especially because it was my first trip...and no pole cats!
Most memeorable dog moment was hunting a field in Wisc, pushing a food plot, rooster got up, shot, left leg dropped. Just kept sailing. Worked the area for quite some time, never found it. Finished working the field and went back to truck for break.
We hunted a little more then decided we were going to push that food plot one more time before leaving. As two of the three dogs were hot in pursuit, never paid too much to the fact that the third, Oskar, wasn't in sight. We got that rooster, then realized Oskar was no where to be found. About five minutes after the commotion subsides, Oskar came walking back between the rows from the direction that wounded bird had sailed...with dead bird in mouth. :cheers:
I don't think I have to explain the thought, the feeling, the emotion, of that moment after searching for an hour and a half, to any of you guys(or gals). To see your dog coming back with the prize...mission complete! Lets go home!
 
This was really my first year pheasant hunting, so it was full of fun memories. It really inspired me to work with my 1.5 year old black lab, Wrigley....I remember the first rooster I got this year as well as the one my son got on Christmas Eve morning....

I can't wait for next year! I'm already thinking of doing a trip out to SD! I've mostly been a bowhunter for deer for the past 20 years, but pheasant hunting this year was so much fun I just might not spend as much time in a treestand in 2012!!
 
gostovp said:
This was really my first year pheasant hunting, so it was full of fun memories. It really inspired me to work with my 1.5 year old black lab, Wrigley....I remember the first rooster I got this year as well as the one my son got on Christmas Eve morning....

I can't wait for next year! I'm already thinking of doing a trip out to SD! I've mostly been a bowhunter for deer for the past 20 years, but pheasant hunting this year was so much fun I just might not spend as much time in a treestand in 2012!!
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Glad to hear you've been "converted." I've always maintained that if I could locate, flush, and retrieve deer w/ my dogs, I'd become an avid deer hunter.

My response to the original post....damn I hate being a "sheep" but my best memory from the season came in SD also. My young GSP (2nd season) was awesome. He pointed my third bird to finish my limit on 2 different days. He teamed up w/ my eldest dog (brit) in the very corner of a CRP field (last field, last chance at a limit) and I dropped it in one shot.

Since it is hard to pick a very favorite memory, I must share one more.

I hunted with SDJIM one day in southern SD. We were in one of his HUGE cattail patches when Tate (the GSP) locked up real tight. He went in for the flush and a hen flew straight up toward his face. He nearly fell on his butt trying to get out of her way:D Yep, the entire SD trip should be considered my best memory of this season. Dad and I spent 4 days together with nothing to do but enjoy life. It was his first trip to SD. That w/e I saw a 60yo man as giddy as a 13yo boy on opening day. That my friends is PRICELESS.
 
Not to be a copycat but, my best memories were also in south dakota.
#1 Watching my middle son shoot his first rooster. He is not easily excited, so it was great watching his face after downing a bird. If you have a youngster, get him on birds. I had the opportunity to get on tons as a young boy hunting in NW Kansas.

#2 Watching my Lab make a 200 yard+ retrieve across a frozen lake in SD on my trip back in December. It was also a very proud moment. He really turned a corner for me this year.
 
I can't really narrow it to one this was a good pheasant year for me here in Wi.

Several time I went out only to hear some cackling or flushing a bird farther out. To return the next day and kill them. Them birds always seem the most rewarding.
 
With all the wonderful memories occuring in South Dakota this past season, there will be many returning this fall to capture new ones. Count me in
 
1.Finding a killer spaniel abandoned in the Red Wing,MN shelter.A big thanks to the moron who ditched his dog,to my great benefit.And a big thanks to the Goodhue CO Humane Society for caring for him for two months until we found each other.


2.Moving back to my native SD where everyone smiles and waves.The hunting ain't bad either.
 
1.Finding a killer spaniel abandoned in the Red Wing,MN shelter.A big thanks to the moron who ditched his dog,to my great benefit.And a big thanks to the Goodhue CO Humane Society for caring for him for two months until we found each other.
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I gotta call this one a winner! Way to go . . .
 
What a great season, where to begin. Let's start with the dogs. Watching my 3yr old male settle in and hunt hard (always has) with no handling even when the jack rabbits tempted him. The 2yr old female going from a "along for the ride" meadow lark chaser to a full on hard hitting bird dog. Watching the 2 of them learn to navigate desert cactus and bag their first gambels quail. The amazing retrieves, the hard flushes, and the proud look on the dogs face after a hard days work. The most memorable bird dog moment though was my young pups first wild rooster at 6 months old. I watched him get birdy and just stood still and watched as he un folded the story of scent left by that rooster, it felt like forever but in reality probably took no more than a minute for him to track him out and by the grace of god I bagged that bird with one shot. Such a proud moment for both of us.

Then there was the amazement on a wardens face as he checked our 1 rooster, 5 quail, and 2 turkeys and told us no one else had bagged any birds that day.

Meeting new friends and hunting new spots.

And lastly getting reports back from owners of my pups elated on how well their new bird dogs are progressing.:cheers:
 
Nov. 19th&20th, the only snow hunts of the year. Fantastic points-- took me ten minutes of kicking snow to flush one rooster and the dog did not flinch. (Pointing dogs are not supposed to flush contrary to some comments found on this forum.)
Had a very rewarding season and feel blessed to live where I do.
 
Ahh yes, the 19th and 20th were magical days in SD. I cannot believe I was lucky enough to schedule my 3 days in SD at that exact time. Nearly every bird we harvested in and after the snow as over a point. Hunting fields took twice as long as usual b/c we had to actively flush every single hen that was pointed (good problem to have). :):thumbsup:
 
ranchodeluxe said:
1.Finding a killer spaniel abandoned in the Red Wing,MN shelter.A big thanks to the moron who ditched his dog,to my great benefit.And a big thanks to the Goodhue CO Humane Society for caring for him for two months until we found each other.


2.Moving back to my native SD where everyone smiles and waves.The hunting ain't bad either.
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Perhaps a little insight to #2,(if you can add more, please do)...
Years ago, farmers virtually were the only ones driving pick-up trucks. Some time back, don't recall where, an acquaintance and I were riding through the countryside. I noticed he would occasionally give a small wave with his index finger , just lifting it off the steering wheel, to passing motorists, but not everyone. After awhile, my curiosity peaked, so I asked him what the incospicuous finger wave was all about. He explained to me in short that you only do it to pick-up trucks, that it was out of respect to the farmer.
I still do when out in farm country, including any farm implement,and tell anyone riding with me about it, that it is the unwritten law of the land. In most rural areas, you'll get the finger wave back. Don't recommend it in urban areas, more likely to get middle finger back.
PS I still pull over if I can for funeral processions and turn on my headlights
 
I see many of you had some great memories in South Dakota in 2011...wondering if I could pick fellow Wisconsinite's brains on this .. being fairly new to pheasant hunting as well as never being to SD before for pheasants, after the fun I had in WI this year I would love to plan a trip out there for 2012...I've already started my research and planning on this but any help would be appreciated..

Do you hunt public or private land?
If private, what is fair amount to pay for access?

If public, how was your experience out there, and (without giving away any secret hotspots) what are some strategies for finding birds on pressured public lands and what general areas of the state offer the best public hunting (for example, if someone from South Dakota asked me for advice on coming to WI for a November bowhunt on public land I would tell them to NOT go to Buffalo county as public land there is highly pressured and nothing like what you see on the outdoor shows, stay away from the southern farmland as it is all likely private and I would give them pointers on scouting the thousands of acres of county forest land in Rusk, Douglas, and Washburn counties...)

So far I'm thinking of doing a midweek trip and going a couple weeks after the season opens. I've gotten a copy of the SD public lands atlas, and am planning on getting a mapping GPS and downloading the maps of public land. But the state is huge and just figuring out where to start is the hard part!
Any info is greatly appreciated!!!
 
gostovp said:
I see many of you had some great memories in South Dakota in 2011...wondering if I could pick fellow Wisconsinite's brains on this .. being fairly new to pheasant hunting as well as never being to SD before for pheasants, after the fun I had in WI this year I would love to plan a trip out there for 2012...I've already started my research and planning on this but any help would be appreciated..

Do you hunt public or private land?
If private, what is fair amount to pay for access?

If public, how was your experience out there, and (without giving away any secret hotspots) what are some strategies for finding birds on pressured public lands and what general areas of the state offer the best public hunting (for example, if someone from South Dakota asked me for advice on coming to WI for a November bowhunt on public land I would tell them to NOT go to Buffalo county as public land there is highly pressured and nothing like what you see on the outdoor shows, stay away from the southern farmland as it is all likely private and I would give them pointers on scouting the thousands of acres of county forest land in Rusk, Douglas, and Washburn counties...)

So far I'm thinking of doing a midweek trip and going a couple weeks after the season opens. I've gotten a copy of the SD public lands atlas, and am planning on getting a mapping GPS and downloading the maps of public land. But the state is huge and just figuring out where to start is the hard part!
Any info is greatly appreciated!!!
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looks like you are directing this at shorthairs4ever, I live in Illinois. Where you at in Wisconsin?
 
I'll take advice from anyone, Kansas and Illinois people included :)

I live in St. Croix County, WI, about 10 miles east of Hudson, WI and about 30 miles east of St. Paul MN
 
gostovp said:
I'll take advice from anyone, Kansas and Illinois people included :)

I live in St. Croix County, WI, about 10 miles east of Hudson, WI and about 30 miles east of St. Paul MN
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Oh, then I'll toss mine in for ya.

Private--$150/day is a fair price for fee access on good land. At that price I expect to have a shot at my limit. Some places charge $100 and are pretty decent from what I hear. I use the same guy every time I go b/c he has great access and he's easy to get along with.

I'd planned to hunt some public land the last time I was there, but realized rifle deer season was going on while I was there and changed plans. The public land looks excellent in SD and in mid-November, we never saw anyone hunting birds in any of those places. The trip before this one we hunted a couple of public places and got 1 bird out of each and that was in late October. The road right-of-ways are inticing, but there's something about taking chances with my dogs that I don't care for. Besides, I don't handle my emotions very well when I'm getting yelled at so I've never bothered.

If you can go, DO IT!! The only regret I've ever felt in SD is linked to the fact it took me so many years to make my first trip up there:)
 
I also have paid an acess fee for hunting. I have ranged from 75.00 a day to 150.00 per day, and yes the 150.00 was worth more than twice as much. You should be able to get by on that. I go once early, and once late. I will hunt 1-2 days on private and 1-2 days on public. I enjoy both greatly. I am also not much for hunting right of way. Although I have shot a few that way, I enjoy the whole aspect of hunting fields and draws were I am welcome, and I can get my dogs out and in the flow of the hunt. Mid week is a good Idea. If I could only go once a year, I would go in late november. The water should be frozen, and the pressure should be down. Don't think you can't see plenty of birds late season there. One field we were in this year in December had a thousand birds in it.
 
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