pheasantaddict
New member
I got to take my son, Johnny, out for his first pheasant hunt this year and I was also able to hunt with some new friends. Johnny is 12 and passed his hunter's safety class and has accompanied me on many a hunts without a gun. On this particular day we decided to hunt at Jim's place. I have hunted there for 15 yrs. Jim and I are real good pals, I send him a ham and a fruit basket every year. That day Jim said he would take a few birds from the hunt and went on his way. We loaded the guns, it takes awhile as I had tube extensions put on my 12 and his 20 and the guns now hold 25 shells apiece! The guns are a little top heavy, but it doesn't take long to go through a box of shells. Johnny could barely lift his 20 and kept complaining his arms were getting tired throughout the hunt. The birds were really sitting tight that day and Duke, our pointer, was on fire. The first point, the moment I had been waiting for, up came a rooster. Blam! Feathers flew in Johnny's face as he showed an expression of disbelief. I yelled "Man I smoked that one! You didn't even have time to get your gun up to your shoulder." I also got the next two pointed birds, so I was hoping Johnny would get the next three. We were coming up to the "Honey Hole", I once stood there and shot 20 pheasants without moving! There was a real good chance he would get a bird there. As fate would have it, six cocks came out my side and I dropped them all. The entire hunt took only 20 minutes, but it wasn't a record. We walked back to the truck and Duke pointed several more birds. I told Johnny I wished we had more guys along, then he probably would have gotten a pheasant. We took the birds to Jim, I said he could have them all cause I don't care that much for them. I still have a freezer full from last year. We helped Jim breast them out and he thanked us. On the way home I had to explain to Johnny, as his eyes teared up, that it's not all about getting a bird. He got to meet Jim, watch Duke's flawless performance, enjoy nature, and learn what hunting's all about. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about my new friends the Jones boys. I'll have to post it later the old lady's nagging at me to get off the computer. Hope you all enjoy the story.