BritChaser
Well-known member
"You get pheasants with your legs, not your gun." The truth of this hunters' saw was proven again on a recent Saturday when my buddy and I bagged three cocks between us after a long day afield. But the weather was beautiful and so was the land in the slanting winter sunlight.
We started in southern Norton County on an 80 of milo stalks with two pocket draws along the west edge. The dogs got birdy right away in the stalks, were not birdy through the first pocket, and then got birdy again in the second pocket in the NW corner. My dog froze on a high point looking into the distance. A cock took frantic flight too far away for me, but I emptied both barrels anyway. My deadeye buddy dropped it with one shot as it crossed NW through his line.
A mile south of there in Sheridan County we hunted a wide deluxe draw though a quarter of irrigated cane stubble. We did a pincer movement hoping to keep the birds from far flushing out the end like last time. My buddy saw a covey of five quail, making no attempt on them, and a hairless coyote that was out of range. We also put up two hens.
Two miles farther south we took on a 3/4 mile long deep draw with four side draws through a section of corn stalks. With a brisk NNW breeze, we started at the koshia patch at the south end. As I crossed to the west side to take a position for our line a "surprise" cock exploded right in front of me and made a tight aerial U-turn to go north up the draw. My two shots and my buddy's one shot didn't touch a feather. About halfway through the main channel a bird back-flushed from the east edge of the cover up high where my buddy was walking. One shot and he had his second in the bag. A few minutes later my dog locked up on another koshia patch in the bottom of the draw and then flushed the northbound rooster. I managed to drop him with a single shot, tearing off a wing with my windy day/late season choke at pretty short range. On the last part of the section, a grass strip along the east edge that my buddy walked alone as I blocked, he knocked down another but we could not find it.
Then it was lunch time and we had the buffalo vegetable stew in Morland.
After our long, leg-resting lunch we hunted the shelter belt, south draw and south edge of a half section of CRP in western Graham County. No birds sighted on the long trek. We gave our legs another rest with a long drive to an 80 of walk-in CRP in Graham County that has always been good for us. We saw but one bird, a rooster who sprang from the road edge out of range on our return pass. My dog trailed it for 150 yards as I quick marched behind him hoping for a shot. We were both panting when the trail ended. No shot, yet I enjoyed the challenge.
And thus our day was done. We had seen about 12 pheasants and had seven miles on our legs. We had a few minutes to sit on the tailgate, admire the setting sun, and enjoy some ache-easing potations before it was time to keep our dinner date, our last of the season.
We started in southern Norton County on an 80 of milo stalks with two pocket draws along the west edge. The dogs got birdy right away in the stalks, were not birdy through the first pocket, and then got birdy again in the second pocket in the NW corner. My dog froze on a high point looking into the distance. A cock took frantic flight too far away for me, but I emptied both barrels anyway. My deadeye buddy dropped it with one shot as it crossed NW through his line.
A mile south of there in Sheridan County we hunted a wide deluxe draw though a quarter of irrigated cane stubble. We did a pincer movement hoping to keep the birds from far flushing out the end like last time. My buddy saw a covey of five quail, making no attempt on them, and a hairless coyote that was out of range. We also put up two hens.
Two miles farther south we took on a 3/4 mile long deep draw with four side draws through a section of corn stalks. With a brisk NNW breeze, we started at the koshia patch at the south end. As I crossed to the west side to take a position for our line a "surprise" cock exploded right in front of me and made a tight aerial U-turn to go north up the draw. My two shots and my buddy's one shot didn't touch a feather. About halfway through the main channel a bird back-flushed from the east edge of the cover up high where my buddy was walking. One shot and he had his second in the bag. A few minutes later my dog locked up on another koshia patch in the bottom of the draw and then flushed the northbound rooster. I managed to drop him with a single shot, tearing off a wing with my windy day/late season choke at pretty short range. On the last part of the section, a grass strip along the east edge that my buddy walked alone as I blocked, he knocked down another but we could not find it.
Then it was lunch time and we had the buffalo vegetable stew in Morland.
After our long, leg-resting lunch we hunted the shelter belt, south draw and south edge of a half section of CRP in western Graham County. No birds sighted on the long trek. We gave our legs another rest with a long drive to an 80 of walk-in CRP in Graham County that has always been good for us. We saw but one bird, a rooster who sprang from the road edge out of range on our return pass. My dog trailed it for 150 yards as I quick marched behind him hoping for a shot. We were both panting when the trail ended. No shot, yet I enjoyed the challenge.
And thus our day was done. We had seen about 12 pheasants and had seven miles on our legs. We had a few minutes to sit on the tailgate, admire the setting sun, and enjoy some ache-easing potations before it was time to keep our dinner date, our last of the season.
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