What's Your "Ultimate Pheasant Hunt"?

Both sound about just right, but I would have to toss in the young dog that just did everything right for the first time after puppy training, and got there first wild birds. You now know at that point the dog made it. That always ads a smile to the equation. With the vet dogs you just come to expect it.
 
I like mid-season hunts. Dumb early season birds that hold and flush close are good for dinner but no real challenge. Late season birds that pour out of heavy cover at the very hint of a dog are frustrating to say the least.

Give me a "Bare November Day" with a "Tattered Autumn Sky".

Give me roosters that will use there feet and instincts to play a high stakes game of hide and seek.

Give me a determined flushing dog with a nose to the ground and a body fully charged with bird scent.

Pheasant hunting is a ground game for me. Three yards and cloud of dust, grind it out kind of stuff. I want to hunt my roosters one at a time.
 
For me the ultimate hunt is not finished until the bones of the bird are in the garbage bag.

Lets start off with a great breakfast of Pork Links, Hash browns, a couple of eggs over easy, toast with apricot jam, glass of orange juice.

I'll start it off with hunting with my lovely wife, my two sons and any one of our hunting dogs. Take a Indian summer fall Oct. day. Temp in the high 50s, little to no breeze.

I like to hunt the birds in a mix of tree's, slews and fields. A full limit of harvested birds would be a added bonus. With family pictures to follow. All birds picked whole with the skin on.

Then our birds enjoyed on a early winter/late fall Sunday afternoon. Birds cut up, rolled in flour, browned and simmered in a little onion, fresh clove of garlic and water. Then covered in cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. mashed potatoes, fresh acorn squash with butter and brown sugar, green beans grown in our garden. Maybe a cold Miller Highlife or cocktail before dinner. Watch a good NFL football game(Vikings for me). All with my wife, boys and maybe close friends. While reliving the hunt with all the great pictures taken from the days hunt.

That's my perfect hunt.

I have lived this several times but almost always with ducks instead of pheasants.

One last thing, for me..carrying one of my prized shotguns and putting a story and memories behind it, is a very important part of this tradition for me.
 
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I like the frosty morning on a big grassland, grass/weeds about belt high. Me and a pup. Or hunting with a friend or two who enjoy the same.:cheers:

I yeah I forgot to mention, cooking up the game of the day at one of my remote camps.
 
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onpoint said:
For me the ultimate hunt is not finished until the bones of the bird are in the garbage bag.

Lets start off with a great breakfast of Pork Links, Hash browns, a couple of eggs over easy, toast with apricot jam, glass of orange juice.

I'll start it off with hunting with my lovely wife, my two sons and any one of our hunting dogs. Take a Indian summer fall Oct. day. Temp in the high 50s, little to no breeze.

I like to hunt the birds in a mix of tree's, slews and fields. A full limit of harvested birds would be a added bonus. With family pictures to follow. All birds picked whole with the skin on.

Then our birds enjoyed on a early winter/late fall Sunday afternoon. Birds cut up, rolled in flour, browned and simmered in a little onion, fresh clove of garlic and water. Then covered in cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. mashed potatoes, fresh acorn squash with butter and brown sugar, green beans grown in our garden. Maybe a cold Miller Highlife or cocktail before dinner. Watch a good NFL football game(Vikings for me). All with my wife, boys and maybe close friends. While reliving the hunt with all the great pictures taken from the days hunt.

That's my perfect hunt.

I have lived this several times but almost always with ducks instead of pheasants.

One last thing, for me..carrying one of my prized shotguns and putting a story and memories behind it, is a very important part of this tradition for me.
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First, another EXCELLENT thread. Thanks Chris!

This pretty much sums up my ultimate experience here. Thanks for taking the time to spell this out Onpoint......this would be a near ideal day for me too except I prefer a day with either a bit of fresh snow or an 1/8" of ice on everything:thumbsup:
 
@Dwntn Bang - I'm right there with ya...it's all about chess baby, CHESS against them wiley roosters!!! Win or lose, a fella can learn something valuable every time for the next match - and yeah, after a while it's much more fun playin against "well-seasoned" master birds than those early-season, young-of-the-year dummies! :p

@onpoint - Everything in your description is picture-perfect, EXCEPT the wifey part...My lifelong hunting buddy sons absolutely YES, but my wife - I wish!!! She's a city girl - doesn't hunt or even get all that far off the pavement for that matter. My fantasy would not play out anywhere remotely near the same as yours if I had her in tow (probably something a bit more like - "I am NOT getting up that early in the morning, eww/OMG it's a bug, it is so-o-o hot/cold out here, I'm tired, are we done yet, where's the Marriott, is there anywhere to get my nails done around here")! :D I'm just glad she tries her best to understand, lets us run wild on boys'-day-out without too much complaining, & gives me lots of lovin when it's over with - it's worked for us 30 yrs come Nov 1st (except for that ONE time I was still young and stupid & totally suckered for "Go ahead honey, I don't mind really", then headed right out for opening day of deer hunting on our anniversary!!! :eek: Other than that' it's all good... :thumbsup:
 
Great thread! I love reading everyone's post as I can close my eyes and picture the hunts and man it gets me giddy! I would half to add that my Ultimate Hunt would take place on a Friday in late November/early December. I love taking off work and hunting with a buddy or two on Friday's when not many people are out and the rest of my buddies are stuck at work. The temps would be in the mid to upper 40's with partly cloudy sky and a slight breeze blowing from the North to make it cold enough for a stocking hat and long sleeves. We'd hunt until 1 and then head into some small Kansas town and eat at the local diner. Pheasants would be the bird of choice and any bonus quail would put the iceing on the cake!
 
My wife 54 years ago refused to hunt with me. She think the birds are to pretty to shoot. So now the Utimate Hunting trip for me now is with my 2 sons and our dogs. I know my seasons are numbered, so all of these type trips, I can get are a plus........Bob
 
my picture perfect hunt came last year as both my sons are hunting i droped them off in a spot that was just big enough for them and i went to the other end to watch and pick them up they shot at a few birds and nocked a couple down dogs made good retrieves and as they got close enough I could hear them talking and my 10 year old says I like hunting with dad and you its fun and my 14 year olsd says yea its alot of fun just the boys and then he started telling my 10 year old the same things i tought him not so many years ago about the land the birds and how when you see something you dont always have to shoot at it I'm not a very emotional peerson but hearing the words my sons where saying really kinda tugged on the heart strings they were the same things i said when my dad took me out hunting I guess I made it full circle so to speak
 
Gove County Britts said:
my picture perfect hunt came last year as both my sons are hunting i droped them off in a spot that was just big enough for them and i went to the other end to watch and pick them up they shot at a few birds and nocked a couple down dogs made good retrieves and as they got close enough I could hear them talking and my 10 year old says I like hunting with dad and you its fun and my 14 year olsd says yea its alot of fun just the boys and then he started telling my 10 year old the same things i tought him not so many years ago about the land the birds and how when you see something you dont always have to shoot at it I'm not a very emotional peerson but hearing the words my sons where saying really kinda tugged on the heart strings they were the same things i said when my dad took me out hunting I guess I made it full circle so to speak
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Your a lucky man. I hope someday to have the same experience.
 
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thanks mo but know the problem is is that they are like the dogs they know the season is near they smell it in the air and they cant stop pacing their driving me nuts when are we going where are we going first are we gonna do this LORD HELP ME I HAVE MADE MONSTERS
 
Gove County Britts said:
my picture perfect hunt came last year as both my sons are hunting i droped them off in a spot that was just big enough for them and i went to the other end to watch and pick them up they shot at a few birds and nocked a couple down dogs made good retrieves and as they got close enough I could hear them talking and my 10 year old says I like hunting with dad and you its fun and my 14 year olsd says yea its alot of fun just the boys and then he started telling my 10 year old the same things i tought him not so many years ago about the land the birds and how when you see something you dont always have to shoot at it I'm not a very emotional peerson but hearing the words my sons where saying really kinda tugged on the heart strings they were the same things i said when my dad took me out hunting I guess I made it full circle so to speak
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"Full circle".. "De'ja' vu"... I love it! passing along a heritage :thumbsup:
I can't think of a 'better' hunt, than being instrumental in instilling those kind of family values and ethics to youngsters. KUDOS!

Gove County Britts said:
thanks mo but know the problem is is that they are like the dogs they know the season is near they smell it in the air and they cant stop pacing their driving me nuts when are we going where are we going first are we gonna do this LORD HELP ME I HAVE MADE MONSTERS
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MONSTERS :laugh:....
 
best ultimate hunt for me is your close friends, the best time of the hunt is the memory you have. After the hunt is over and you got your limit.. its nice to mingle around, take pictures and let the dog rest... this is the best part of the day for me if you ask me.... this is what the guys like to do, after a hunt, talk... drink a few, eat snacks. its fun to shoot and have challenges... its after the hunt that really sinks in for me that you see your friends enjoy the hunt and it gives them a reason to come back next year
 
best end of the day, is when you are done, limit or not and you just relax on some lonely country road with your hunting buddies, cleaning birds, watering dogs, tossing back a real cold one and listening to roosters cackle as they fly in to roost as the sun sets....the perfect way to end each day.
 
All sound like amazing day hunting birds!
Any day i get the chance to get out with my dog and spend a few hours hunting is the ultimate hunt. I would say having the girlfriend and family along makes it a little more special.

Andy L
 
I know I made a post about hunting with my son's. But there is another that will be in memory the rest of my life.

Tony was in on one of his 1st Pheasant hunts. We got into some Game Dept. released birds and Tony had 7 points due to my bad shooting. I was trying to hard. The things he did on that hunt were outstanding and I knew then I had a very exceptional dog..........Bob
 
I like this thread. My best hunt has not happened yet. All i have is great memories, of great hunts. I want to think that the best is yet to come. who know i might die 2mro. just saying, every hunt kill or no kill, limit or bust, it all good. worst day hunting is better than, best day working imo. :rolleyes:
 
birdman652001 said:
best ultimate hunt for me is your close friends, the best time of the hunt is the memory you have. After the hunt is over and you got your limit.. its nice to mingle around, take pictures and let the dog rest... this is the best part of the day for me if you ask me.... this is what the guys like to do, after a hunt, talk... drink a few, eat snacks. its fun to shoot and have challenges... its after the hunt that really sinks in for me that you see your friends enjoy the hunt and it gives them a reason to come back next year
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Birdman, thanks for reminding me how special South Dakota style pheasant hunting is. The one dog, one bird experiences were mainly in Iowa on my solo hunting trips. Now in SD I got exposed to the way they hunt pheasants here. All friends and family.

Roll out at noon, mosey into the fields, see gobs of birds, run out of shells, snack in the middle of a field at 2pm, little more hunting, limit out just before sunset, crack cold beers and clean birds as the sun goes down. To Oppoints comment: Fresh birds on ice and Shirley's got homecooked pheasants in the crock pot from last years stock.
 
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