Opening Saturday in Nova Scotia - 2 man limit

C

crockett

New member
Pheasant season opened in my area on Tuesday. I took a few hours and managed to get one rooster, but numbers seemed very low and I was worried out our harsh winter and wet spring. I went back on Saturday and most of the corn had been cut in the few days since I was last there. What a difference! The cut corn was busy with goose hunters, so we undertook a long walk down to a patch of refuge cover where I have found the birds like to go when pressured (in this case, by harvesters and goose hunters). We only had a few hours to hunt, but the dogs put up 13 birds in all. 5 of them were roosters, and we managed to knock down 4 of them for a 2 gun-limit. We both bought new shotties this year, the nicest we've ever owned (a Citori for my buddy, and a 687 Silver Pigeon II for me), so it was especially satisfying to shoot well. It was one of those days when you walk back to the car feeling pretty damned good about yourself, I must say! Some might even say "smug"... lol!
-Croc
Dogs2_4.jpg
 
Awsome :coolpics: glade you feel Smug.. I mean way to go.:) I now the feeling and it is good.:cheers:
 
VZWman said:
Nice work Crockett. Looks like a you guys had a blast. How's the waterfowl this year as well?
Click to expand...

I've only been out twice for ducks. First time turned out to be a bluebird day, so the ducks stayed high going from corn-field to cornfield that were full of puddles to drink from, so no reason to come down to the river. Second time my buddy slept in, so the morning flight was over by the time we got in there. I jump-shot a few ducks while pheasant hunting, but that's about it. I've gotten into deer bowhunting as well, so between roosters and deer, duck hunting takes a bit of a backseat these days. I guess I'm also getting a little lazy while I'm so busy at work - I like the "Grab a bow/shotgun and go" hunting that roosters and deer afford. compared to grab a shotgun, camo, decoys, calls, blind, boat, gas etc etc etc... and go! lol!
-Croc
 
I bet you guys just laugh when SD talks about low bird numbers.
 
I like the dark coloring in your birds up there. Dogs don't look to shabby either. lol

Nice job. Glad to hear birds are doing okay. To be honest I didn't know NS had a wild bird population until I watched a youtube video about 1 year ago with wild birds feeding near a bird feeder.

http://youtu.be/eHaFXnWG91Q

Thanks for posting your picture.
 
What a nice hunt you had. Thanks for sharing the story and the great pic. One does not think of the Maritimes as pheasant country.
 
Nice to hear of good news regarding pheasants.

Looks like one of those memorable days...the kind that keep you hunting, even after your boots are soaked and your legs are calling for a recount.

Thanks.
 
Thanks to all for the kind words.

moellermd - I would never laugh at someone else's low bird numbers, although it certainly does sound beyond belief to imagine bird numbers like I see on film from SD! Are they low this year? A friend of mine's father lives in Iowa, and tells me that the numbers there are terrible for two years in a row now. I hope that things turn around soon. To give you an idea, the most flushes I've ever had in a day is 19 in Nova Scotia. A good day is a day hunting. A great day is a pheasant in the bag. A fantastic day is a limit (2), which I've only ever done 4 times in the 6 years that I've been at it. Of course, there have been plenty of days when I should have had a limit! Damn those crooked shotguns! :rolleyes: lol!
-Croc
 
Great story! Do you get many non- residents going there to hunt Pheasants? Is there any public land? Thanks!
 
Non-residents have to have a guide to hunt in this province... :confused:, so it's not exactly the most hospitable place for hunters from away. However, it would be hard to hunt without a guide anyways, because there is very little public land. The closest thing are some of the dykelands. Acadian settlers/farmers built dykes to hold back the Bay of Fundy tides to claim thousands of acres of fertile land for farming (with 53-foot tides, that's a LOT of land! lol!). Anyhow, those dykelands are managed by a cooperative, so ownership is variable year-by-year. Once the corn is cut, the rule is 'don't block the road, and don't hunt near a farmer'. However, I am a certified guide, so if you're coming this way........... :thumbsup: My rates are good too = you buy lunch! lol!
-Croc
 
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