Bob Peters
Well-known member
I had to work late tonight, I've been home for a bit and all I can think is I can't believe pheasant season is over and I wish like crazy I could go and walk a slough with a good bird dog on Saturday or Sunday. This wonderful sport has gotten in my blood like I never could have imagined. If I was a top notch hunter, I wouldn't post this. A lot of guys hunt more than I do and shoot more birds. A lot of guys hunt less than I do and shoot more birds. I guess the reason to post this is some people might find it interesting, and more important still, if there's someone who is new to pheasant hunting maybe it'll give them encouragement somehow? I think of pheasants every day of the year. Every time I ever see a pheasant I get excited. Even on a day when I never see a rooster, it always warms my heart to see a hen or two. I see myself as an intermediate hunter, who honestly got into this way of life by complete and total accident, and for that I will forever be grateful. I could go on and on as you know, but here's the numbers.
Days hunted aggregate-34
Minnesota-25
Iowa-9
Days hunted with Skye field bred golden retriever(she just turned 8 this week) 33
Days hunted with Roxy field bred golden retriever (2 years) 28
I also hunted two days with my buddy and his 1 year old brittany named Tracy, she is just having the lightbulb turn on, so much fun.
Total pheasants bagged 30
Minnesota-17
Iowa-13
Of the 30 birds bagged, 27 were on public land and 3 on private.
*an additional 3 birds added to legal take on account of Skye catching cripples, which has never happened until this year, so 33 total birds.
Misses 22
-some were easy shots I whiffed, some difficult but in range shots, these would be too time consuming to list individually and probably only of interest to the author of the pheasant journal referenced, aka me
Lost birds- these are tough to quantify, what is the definition of a lost bird? Here I will list birds that were shot and hit the ground, as I take detailed notes on every hunt, I will add a separate post with additional circumstances surrounding each bird. 8 lost birds on the year.
You can go ahead and beat me up on the misses and lost birds, I can handle it.
For a very short bio/background, I did not grow up hunting. My dad never took me, and I have no hunters in my family. I essentially had to learn shotgunning, dog work, wild game habits and hunting on my own. I live in the twin cities suburbs, so have never been able to hunt out my back door, so to speak. My first year pheasant hunting, I never got a pheasant. The process took a while, I essentially had to take Skye out, she had to learn from the birds, and in turn taught me. There was a lot of trial and error, as I didn't know good pheasant habitat from Adam.
Oh, let me say just a little on the dogs before you lose interest in the length of this post. I often read about guys that grew up and got a dog in their youth that they never forget. I love that. For me, that is Skye. I'm 43 now and she taught me how to hunt in my late 30s. She is not professionally trained, and although I am forever intrigued and learn everything I can about dogs, I am no great dog trainer nor handler. She is not perfect. She gets excited at times and flushes birds out of range. She is a great retriever, she will never drop or tear up a bird. That said she likes to bring back and show off the birds. I often have to tell her to drop multiple times before she gives up the rooster. Any faults she has, are more to do with me than anything, and I take full responsibility. I couldn't love her any more than I do.
Roxy, she has great athleticism and smell. She doesn't hunt as continuously as Skye at this point. If she does scent a bird, she will run him up however long it takes to flush him. She is young and kind and full of energy. She loves people and hunting. Again, any faults she has, I take responsibility for.
I am just an average weekend Joe, who hunts with dogs that aren't perfect, but are perfect for me. I keep a journal to learn from my successes and failures. And perhaps more importantly to remember the great times afield I've had with good dogs and good friends in beautiful places.
I've read about every book on pheasant hunting and shotgun shooting I can get my hands on. This site is a great one for learning from those with more experience than I. Thanks to everyone who has provided answers to my questions or given good feedback, it has always been greatly appreciated. If you are still hunting enjoy every day of it! If not, look back and and cherish those memories made afield this year. Either way please give your dog a scratch behind the ear for me.
~Bob
Days hunted aggregate-34
Minnesota-25
Iowa-9
Days hunted with Skye field bred golden retriever(she just turned 8 this week) 33
Days hunted with Roxy field bred golden retriever (2 years) 28
I also hunted two days with my buddy and his 1 year old brittany named Tracy, she is just having the lightbulb turn on, so much fun.
Total pheasants bagged 30
Minnesota-17
Iowa-13
Of the 30 birds bagged, 27 were on public land and 3 on private.
*an additional 3 birds added to legal take on account of Skye catching cripples, which has never happened until this year, so 33 total birds.
Misses 22
-some were easy shots I whiffed, some difficult but in range shots, these would be too time consuming to list individually and probably only of interest to the author of the pheasant journal referenced, aka me
Lost birds- these are tough to quantify, what is the definition of a lost bird? Here I will list birds that were shot and hit the ground, as I take detailed notes on every hunt, I will add a separate post with additional circumstances surrounding each bird. 8 lost birds on the year.
You can go ahead and beat me up on the misses and lost birds, I can handle it.
For a very short bio/background, I did not grow up hunting. My dad never took me, and I have no hunters in my family. I essentially had to learn shotgunning, dog work, wild game habits and hunting on my own. I live in the twin cities suburbs, so have never been able to hunt out my back door, so to speak. My first year pheasant hunting, I never got a pheasant. The process took a while, I essentially had to take Skye out, she had to learn from the birds, and in turn taught me. There was a lot of trial and error, as I didn't know good pheasant habitat from Adam.
Oh, let me say just a little on the dogs before you lose interest in the length of this post. I often read about guys that grew up and got a dog in their youth that they never forget. I love that. For me, that is Skye. I'm 43 now and she taught me how to hunt in my late 30s. She is not professionally trained, and although I am forever intrigued and learn everything I can about dogs, I am no great dog trainer nor handler. She is not perfect. She gets excited at times and flushes birds out of range. She is a great retriever, she will never drop or tear up a bird. That said she likes to bring back and show off the birds. I often have to tell her to drop multiple times before she gives up the rooster. Any faults she has, are more to do with me than anything, and I take full responsibility. I couldn't love her any more than I do.
Roxy, she has great athleticism and smell. She doesn't hunt as continuously as Skye at this point. If she does scent a bird, she will run him up however long it takes to flush him. She is young and kind and full of energy. She loves people and hunting. Again, any faults she has, I take responsibility for.
I am just an average weekend Joe, who hunts with dogs that aren't perfect, but are perfect for me. I keep a journal to learn from my successes and failures. And perhaps more importantly to remember the great times afield I've had with good dogs and good friends in beautiful places.
I've read about every book on pheasant hunting and shotgun shooting I can get my hands on. This site is a great one for learning from those with more experience than I. Thanks to everyone who has provided answers to my questions or given good feedback, it has always been greatly appreciated. If you are still hunting enjoy every day of it! If not, look back and and cherish those memories made afield this year. Either way please give your dog a scratch behind the ear for me.
~Bob
