Opening Day - Saskatchewan Pheasants

[Jack Cronkhite]

On October 1, 2010, the opening day for pheasants in Saskatchewan, the sun rose at 6:59AM. At least that is what the records shows. I wouldn't know. I was still sawin' logs. There had been too many forum discussions going on the night before and I had hit the hay close to midnight. I awoke. It was dark and I felt refreshed. The clock showed 12:35. Oh. So, close the eyes and try again. Woke again in the dark, feeling not quite as refreshed and saw 1:14. Next was 4:11 and I'm thinking now I'm really tired. I guess I was right. When next the eyes blinked open, the room was bright and not by lamplight. Clock showed 7:40. I imagined what some old plug horse must have felt like at the end of a long day of busting sod and concluded that's how I felt right then. Stumbled to the kitchen and somehow a pot of coffee materialized. With a cup into me, the caffeine ricocheting through the veins got me moving. Quick shower and then on with the hunting garb. Now that caught CHARLIE's attention, which brought KYRA out of sweet repose. A real sniff fest was underway. Hunting dogs just know what that pair of bedraggled double-canvas upland pants means for them. There was no use doing anything now until they were loaded into the rolling kennel, formerly known as a '98 Pontiac Firefly. That done, now food and water for everyone and then the guns and ammo.

This was to be a special day. Any opener is special but I was going to “break-in” a new to me GHE. Backup was a VH (always take two, just in case). The GHE was formerly owned by an avid hunter who has lost his health and can no longer enjoy the field. He had kept a log for several years and a lot of harvested game birds attested to both his prowess and the gun's performance. The Damascus tubes on this work horse were a source of consternation for some of his hunting partners; so to squelch their fears, he sent it to Birmingham England for proofing and cosmetic attention for the barrels. End result, nitro proofed for 3 ¼ tons per square inch. And the cosmetics?? To his surprise, browned barrels came back. No matter, back to the field. His hunting buddies gained a new appreciation for the reality of good Damascus barrels. A PGCA member on the forums put me on to this gentleman and after we discussed life and guns, he was more than pleased to have it end up with me, back on the prairies where he too had hunted it years earlier.

After a check of the forum, another cup of coffee with Kay, the pups and I headed south. It was 9:00AM. We took a break about half way to our destination for a leg stretch and the first cup of coffee from the thermos. While there, a ½ ton pulled in and another hunter got out. I was about to meet this years “Hunting Hero” - not because of prowess, just the fact he was out there, by himself at the tender age of 83. We pushed a bit of cover but nothing there. We parted company, speaking of getting together later in the season.

We rolled into the farm where the day was to commence. No one home but 10 year old RIO, a dog that lives to hunt. It had been pre-arranged that if no one was home, RIO was to join us. And so it was that Jack CHARLIE, KYRA and RIO headed to pheasant cover along the creek putting faith in canine noses, a GHE and some Remington #6 Game loads. It was 11:00AM.

About 10 minutes out, the dogs flushed a rooster. The GHE barked. CHARLIE picked it up. Now that was a confidence builder for me. I had been having a lot of misses last year with a VH, to the point I hauled out the 870. We wandered for a couple hours, putting up hens and out-of-range roosters. A flock of huns always gets the heart pounding but they were too far out. CHARLIE kept nosing around and a single flushed. GHE let the payload go exactly to where it was pointed, which, apparently was nowhere near that hun. Same for the next rooster. A nice flush at no more than 15 yards and the fourth shot of the day brought down the second rooster. After a lot of slugging through tough cover, another opportunity burst skyward. Got a double, but not one that qualifies for a pin. Left tube disturbed some feathers and right tube dropped the rooster into the middle of the creek. CHARLIE dove in and snagged it and swam to the bank, promptly dropping the bird and clawing her way out of the water. There was no convincing her that she needed to get back in there. She had done her part. Luckily there were no other cameras around to see me laid out on the bank and stretching my arm with GHE attached to just catch a wing and drag it in. I dried the tubes immediately. So that was it. We had our limit in four hours. Not too shabby for an old guy, two old dogs and a pup. RIO was pleased to see her kennel again and we three headed for a slow drive home, taking pictures and checking, to no avail, for huns or sharptails.

A few of the day's pictures.
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1757
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1762
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1759
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1758
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1761
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1756
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1760
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1763
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1768
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1767
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1764
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1765
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=160&pictureid=1766

[Bill Davis]

Great opening day story and pictures. Thank you for sharing!!

[Dave Suponski]

Thanks Jack! Great story while I have my coffee...:)

[calvin humburg]

Whats a hun? Where did you get that green bag? And as always wonderful pictures. What was swathed wheat? ch

[charlie cleveland]

that surely was a great storey...made me fill like i was along on the hunt...i can see you now about to fall in that creek reaching for that bird.. i will soo be going on a pheasant hunt it will be my first hunt ....those old houses are just beyound words....and that big deer looks like he has been eating well.....yesterday mourning i felt like you did trying to get out of bed and i didnot get any coffee to get me going. ha jack i knowthat you are indeed a blessed man....thanks for the hunt i hope you have many more and can share it with the rest of the guys....almost forgot that is a nice old parker but arnt they all........charlie

[Jack Cronkhite]

Calvin: "Hun" is the hunter's short form for the Hungarian Partridge, also known as the Gray Partridge. It is a fine eating upland game bird, usually encountered in coveys. I have never hunted quail, but I think the huns may provide a similar experience. I have eaten quail (restaurant) which tells me the hun is 2 to 3 times larger bird.

The swaths are wheat and the picture taken for the farmers on this forum.

The green bag is from an Army Surplus store, about 10+ years ago.

The black birds were in unreal numbers. Just beyond the abandoned yard, the dirt trail lead over a small creek. The birds were covering the road. When the rolling kennel approached, I was suddenly in the thick of a blackbird swarm. You know they are just black birds but I felt like I was in the middle of making Hitchcock's "The Birds".

There were two bucks trying to sneak ahead of another bird hunter without any apparent concern for me. They were a mere 200 yards from the porch of the modern farm house in the pictures, RIO's home.

Included in the day's wildlife sightings were a badger, a coyote, many red tail hawks, migratory birds - ducks, geese sandhill cranes.

This is the best shot I have of a hungarian partridge on a flush. Taken on a dog hike several years back. I have tried a few times to get a decent one but no luck so far.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/cpg1410/albums/userpics/28884/IMG_5591small.jpg

These images are from Google

http://www.taxidermyhawaii.com/NorthAmericanGamebirds-non-HI/Hungarian_Partridge_flying.jpg

http://www.taxidermyhawaii.com/NorthAmericanGamebirds-non-HI/Hungarian_Partridge_pair.jpg

[Jack Cronkhite]

The last half of my signature line is "Eat Heartily"

I breast the birds and debone the thighs. Drumsticks are all frozen until there are enough to boil and remove the meat from all the tendons. I used to make sandwich spread from that but CHARLIE and KYRA deserve a bit of a treat, so this year I intend to mix a bit of that with their dog food. Tonight I froze all but one breast filet and two thighs. Those became supper. Did up a stir fry.

Wok, Wooden spoon, Chafing dish

skinless pheasant breast, two skinless thighs, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, sliced almonds, crushed garlic, lemon

Cube the meat (sharp cleaver) and place on paper towel to take up moisture Slice the lemon in half
Place almonds in chafing dish, toast almonds (toaster oven), set aside
Thinly slice (diagonally) 3 or 4 carrots
Chop full size broccoli and cauliflower florets into 3 or 4 pieces each
Slice lemon in half
Crush garlic (as many cloves as you might enjoy)


Heat olive oil in the wok (when it just starts to smoke then
Add crushed garlic and the cubed meat (have splatter shield nearby !!
Stir like crazy
Remove cooked meat from wok and set aside (this step is very fast
Add hard veggies to wok (carrots tonight)
Stir like crazy
Add soft veggies (broccoli and cauliflower tonight)
Add freshly squeezed lemon juice (you can also add any favorite spice now)
Stir like crazy
Add the cooked meat to the mix
Stir like crazy
Spoon onto two plates
Sprinkle with the toasted almond slices

Eat Heartily. It was very good.

May have to get me some more of them roosters soon :)

[mel hrubetz]

Wonderful photos great day thanks

[calvin humburg]

Jack thats good to get your limit great day. Thoes hun are neet looking birds. That old grain elivator is neet there are a few left down here look just like it. Phesant doing good down here there everwhere this time of year but it seems like they no when opening day is they seem to disappear. That recipe sounds good have to try it. ch

[John R. Richards]

Jack:

Wonderful story, wonderful pictures, great recipe. Thanks for taking the time and for sharing.

John

[Mark Landskov]

Great photos, Jack. Especially the Partridge(s). We don't have them here, but to hear people in this neck o' the woods talk, that's what they shoot when they go hunting. Your photos are clear and probably the closest I have ever been to a real Partridge! I get some strange looks when I tell folks that I have never shot, let alone seen, a Partridge. Cheers!

[Jack Cronkhite]

Thanks Mark: I can't take credit for the taxidermy mounts. I just grabbed those off Google images to show some detail for the Hun. As often as I have tried to capture upland birds in flight after they flush, I have yet to win. The one I showed is the best yet and already that's a couple years ago. Maybe, if I just had the camera and left the gun - like that's going to happen.

Cheers,
Jack

[William Maynard]

Beautiful Birds