Ace & I had a terrific season, which I’d rate as a 9.8. It’ll be interesting to see if I ever have a 10. I think this year, if it hadn’t been quite so dry early on, & if the last few weeks hadn’t been quite so snowy, it might’ve approached 9.93. And if I’d had more time to hunt & wouldn’t have been trying to limp along on a malfunctioning GoPro for several weeks, probably about 9.994. It was a really, really good season.
I didn’t hunt quite as many times as I’d hoped (35), but close (31). I’m thinking that as long as I’m forced by life/wife to retain a full-time job, 40 hunts in a season will be impossible. We hunted private land with our friends Sage & Lucas 1 time, but otherwise all our hunting was on public land, with a few ditches sprinkled in here & there. Considerably less ditch hunting than usual though, because the last few weeks, they had 4’ of snow in them & no pheasants. Late, late season, when it’s super cold, is typically our prime cattail ditch hunting time.
Bird numbers in the areas I hunt were up this year across the board. I’m going to guess up about 30%; possibly more. No doubt that was one reason our birds/hunt average was relatively high, & our hours/hunt average was relatively low. There were really only a handful of hunts I felt like we worked very hard to find some success.
I shot as well as ever, maybe slightly better than par. I usually shoot sporting clays twice in September, & I did this year too. But I also shot trap about 10 times last summer (I’d never shot trap before), & I was pretty curious to see if I thought it’d help. I think the answer is maybe. I believe I was a bit further out in front of my birds this season, as I think I got a few more head shots than usual. I’ll blame trap. As some of you know, I also switched (public land) shells part way into the season, from Kent bismuth 5s to BOSS bismuth 4s. I really like them. Longer range shots that I made were deader as a result, which was exactly what I was after. I’ll save my remaining Kent 5s for early seasons & burn them up that way. But otherwise, I believe I’m a convert to BOSS, simply because they do #4 shot in 16 gauge. I did notice less pellet fragmentation, I presume as a result of BOSS’s copper plating. I shot my old A5 all season. I just love it too much not to shoot it. Didn’t break out the new A5 or my Model 12s at all, which surprises me a little. I did gain another 16 gauge Model 12 this season. My dad’s. He’s still with us, but reality set in for me, such that the most recent time he tried to give me the gun, I took it. He won’t hunt pheasants again.
I’ve created 10 so-so videos of my hunts this season & have footage backed up to make about 8 more. I got a new GoPro 11 about Dec. 1 & am real happy with it. I’ve only made 2 videos using its footage, & I had to learn a new software (Shotcut), but I’m pleased with the results. The resolution is great, & it’s amazing what they’ve done in the last few models to improve picture stability. More than anything, it’s nice to have a camera that acts as & when I expect it to. My goals with my videos are to watch them over & over, because I enjoy them, & to show that a person really can shoot a good number of truly wild pheasants on public land in SD, all season long. If others enjoy the videos, that’s great too!
And finally, Ace. He’ll be 4 in April, & this was his 4th season. He’s REALLY getting good now. We challenge each other at times, but for the most part, he does a super nice job working with me. I can tell his “awareness that I exist & am part of his team” improved this season. Throughout the course of the season, I also noticed his retrieves becoming more solid/immediate, with a little less farting around with the bird before deciding to pick it up & bring it to me. This isn’t a BIG deal, but makes me happy nonetheless. He’s also getting better at arriving at the drop zone & using his nose sooner; not so much his eyes. He’s realized that a rooster isn’t always lying there dead, waiting for him, & that if that’s the case, it’s likely to have fled the scene altogether, or at least concealed himself as only a wounded rooster can. I can’t get enough. I love the rides out, as he searches out the windows for pheasants & places there might BE pheasants. I love watching him hunt. I love the partner connection we’re developing. I’m amazed by his ability to find, close in on, & flush pheasants. But watching him mark, recover, & retrieve roosters is what sends me over the top. I’d say this year he did it not only because I wanted him to, but because he loves it too. I hate making bad shots as much as ever, but when Ace cleans up my mess & turns a potentially bleak situation into a bird in hand, his triumph makes me swell with pride.
So yeah. A good, solid 9.8. Now 8 months of considering how we might bump that up a few hundredths next season.
Here’s a double (close to true, but just staggered) we got Jan. 22, way, way back in the very back of this WPA. I got them both good, & they only fell about 10 yds apart, but it still took Ace 13 minutes to find them both in the snow & phragmites. But he got ‘em. The moment required a picture right then & there.
% of the shots you don't take.
