Pheasant Hunting "Springer Style"

[Pheasant Slayer]

The weather here in the Northeast has been very warm, up in the low seventies to mid to upper sixties. What happen to those crisp morning's with the frost covering the ground and the numb fingertips? I think back over the last thirty plus years of hunting and one cannot help but to see the changes that is taking place with our climate. Whether it is man made or not, our weather is changing. Last week, Opening day October 20, was a wet one. Hunting was slow and the dogs were having trouble picking up scent but, with some work and time we did manage to put a few birds in the air and limit out. This Saturday was dry in the mid sixties. Benny and I were up before the sun. We headed out to one of our favorite pheasant spots. As we headed in, the sun was peaking up over the hillside and it was proving to be another warm one. After crossing a stone wall, I loaded up the Parker. My Springer immediately went to work. After about twenty minutes of Benny crossing in and out of the now, browned weeds and dried wildflowers I can see though his body language that he is on the scent. Moments after picking up the initial scent, with his nose stuffed to the ground, Benny lunges. A hen, heading away from me screams out of the brush only to be knocked out of the air by a Spread-R #6 shot. After retrieving the bird, I give him a pat and a “Good Job Benny”! After placing the bird into my hunting vest, I reload and we quickly get back into the hunt. As I walk and listen to the sound of Benny’s bell, I cannot help but to look around and take in the beautiful fall colors and the view from the top of the hill looking into the valley below thinking, this is the place to be. There is a slight breeze coming up from the valley and up over the hill giving some relieve to the warm temperature as we poked our way though the underbrush. I feel we all need a place to go from time to time to forget about reality and life’s every day worries, even if it is only temporary. We now were into the hunt for about an hour and a half. Benny was picking up plenty of old scent. I decided to change tactics and head into some of the thicker areas in hopes of picking up a straggler. This proved to be fruitful. After about fifteen minutes Benny goes into his, “I’m on the scent routine”. After tracking this bird for a few minutes Benjamin produces this beautiful Rooster which cackles while it takes flight. Again, I place the ivory bead just in front of the pheasant as I gently squeeze the front trigger, a slight nudge against my shoulder and my Parker barks sending out a pattern of #6 shot folding up the bird and cutting its flight short. Through team work this limits us out for the day. I gently place the cock pheasant into my now, sweat soaked hunting vest and head for the truck. While driving home I reflect on the last couple hunts and I think to myself, this is pheasant hunting, “Springer Style”.

The first photo I enclosed is of last weeks, Opening day, "wet pheasants" and the rest are from today's hunt taken with my cell phone. The last two were taken with my camera. I also am enclosing a link for the last cock pheasant that I harvested today taken with a inexpensive hat cam that I have been playing with. I had to upload it using U-tube so I would have a link to attach it to. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvWhcVu4bRk