ShopPosts Tagged ‘pheasant hunting’
My First Bird Dog: Make Retrieving an Addiction (VIDEO)
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
While puppies are cute and naturally fun, any pheasant hunter has an eye to the future when that dog is ready for more rigorous work in the field. Not to mention housebroken.
While “Sprig,” my now 3-month-old English cocker pup, has been getting healthy doses of basic obedience and plenty of play time, I’ve been looking for signs that I’ll have a legitimate hunting dog on my hands. I like her energy, willingness to explore new environments and a nose that’s constantly “on.” When I picked her up, the breeder – who also trains, trials and hunts extensively – gave me one piece of advice that I’ve held above all else: “Make retrieving an addiction.”
Starting with a glove in the apartment and graduating to a tennis ball, Sprig has shown natural retrieving instincts and, most importantly, seems to enjoy it. Next we’ll move outside with a dummy and, since it’s been an unseasonably warm winter in the upper Midwest, some light grass.
What did you see in your pup early on that got you excited about your future hunting buddy?
Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:
- Puppies: What the Training Manuals Don’t Say
- Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
- What I’m Looking For
- Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
- Just Show Me the DOGFAX
- Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
- What Was Your First Bird Dog?
- Stuck Between Two Litters
- Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
- Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment
- When everyone’s a Dog Expert
- Meet My First Bird Dog!
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
Iowa’s Three Rivers PF Chapter Keeps Hope Alive
Wednesday, December 14th, 2011
Humorist Mark Twain once said, “the news of my death has been greatly exaggerated.” Well, after a visit with the Three Rivers Pheasants Forever Chapter in far northwest Iowa’s Lyon County, news of the total demise of pheasant hunting in the Hawkeye State is equally exaggerated. Iowa pheasant hunting has taken a beating of late, and it certainly isn’t what it used to be, but you can still bag a limit in places, which several of us did last week.
Here in Minnesota (I work at PF’s national office in the Twin Cities), hunting late season in Iowa used to be as big a tradition as the Vikings losing the Super Bowl. Iowa’s pheasant season once extended well after Minnesota’s closed. Since those days, however, Iowa pheasant habitat and hunting has generally declined in most areas – like many other states.
Northwest Iowa’s Three Rivers Chapter has worked hard to preserve quality habitat and they’ve still got quality pheasant hunting because of it. Here is some of the chapter gents after a hunt last week with Pheasants Forever Journal Editor Herwig. Kneeling from left are Larry Wibben, Dustin Timmerman and Craig Van Otterloo; standing from left are Sean Grotewold, Tim Dammann and Jeff Schram.
But, let’s not dwell on the negative just now. Rather, I’d like to report the folks at the Three Rivers chapter have worked hard to improve their public lands and the birds have survived. We hit only one public site where we saw no roosters, but there were hens. We probably bagged half our 11 birds on public land and the other half at two private sites. We missed some birds and saw more roosters flushing long along with numerous hens.
Our hunting conditions were great: a few inches of snow to tamp down the grasses, but not enough to bog down your feet; temps in the 20s so both hunters and dogs could walk long and hard and remain comfortable; and the habitat was great…diverse and tall in places for the birds to hide and stay warm, while other areas were more open for easier walking. It
was also great to see beaver sign along the creeks, deer, Hun tracks, short-eared owls, bald eagles and many fur-bearer sign.
We also hunted through a unique and thriving oak and walnut planting done by agency partners with chapter help to benefit deer, turkey, waterfowl and non-game species alike. I can see why this chapter is successful. At a get-acquainted dinner the night before our hunt, 25 folks showed up to meet the PF editor. This chapter is organized and motivated. Thanks to Pheasants Forever’s Western Iowa Regional Representative, John Linquist, for arranging my visit with the Three Rivers Chapter.
Lastly, I visited an impressive and growing project taking place on either side of the northwest Iowa-South Dakota border where about 700 acres have been protected so far. The interesting thing is both states are pushing for the area, which includes a very large and ancient native American site, to be expanded and protected as either a national monument or park. Thanks to Craig Van Otterloo, chapter habitat chair and Lyon County Conservation Board director, for giving me a tour. Stay tuned to Pheasants Forever Journal next year for more details on this exciting project.
The Nomad is written by Mark Herwig, Editor of the Pheasants Forever Journal and
Quail Forever Journal. Email Mark at MHerwig@pheasantsforever.org.
My First Bird Dog – Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment
Monday, November 21st, 2011
Pheasants Forever's "My First Bird Dog" series follows a pheasant hunter's journey into bird dog ownership.
Pheasant Blog reader Jeff posted recently: I am surprised that only 65% of (Pheasants Forever) members own a dog. Who hunts pheasants without a dog? Who’d want to?
Probably not many, but circumstance and desire don’t always match up – just ask any apartment dwelling pheasant hunter such as myself. My last two weeks included a phone call informing me dogs would no longer be allowed in my apartment building (evidently someone’s unapproved dog had bitten someone else), to a lengthy conversation with the apt. owner going over every detail of my upcoming pup to earn an exception to the newly instituted “no dogs” rule. With just five weeks until my pup is in my hands and a week-long Rooster Road Trip in the mix, moving just wasn’t an option.
The first question from my apartment owner was “What breed are you getting?” A valid question, as when it comes to an apartment, not all dogs are created equal. Recently, Kyle Wintersteen from the NRA’s American Hunter wrote about Five Bird Dogs for Today’s Suburbs. In addition to his solid list, here are five more (and yes, the breed I’ve selected is on either his or my list) worthy of consideration in the tight quarters of the concrete jungle:
American Water Spaniel. This small (25-45 lbs.) sporting breed is obedient, a good family fit and the State Dog of Wisconsin, where they must have lots of apartments.
English Springer Spaniel. Their breeding stock learned the Queen’s manners before crossing the pond.
Golden Retriever. Very adaptable and eager to please, which pleases other tenants.
Poodle. With its hypoallergenic coat, can accommodate almost any living situation. Perfect if you want a hunting dog with the look of a city dog.
Weimaraner. This breed is known for getting along easily with children, which urban areas are usually full of.
What do you consider the best breed(s) for an apartment or urban area?
Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:
- Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
- What I’m Looking For
- Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
- Just Show Me the DOGFAX
- Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
- What Was Your First Bird Dog?
- Stuck Between Two Litters
- Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.
Pheasants Forever Projects on Rooster Road Trip 2011
Friday, November 18th, 2011
We’ve been able to put rooster in our game bags in all five states on Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011, hunting only public land in a year when pheasant numbers are down dramatically. Not coincidentally, these gamebirds came off lands that were either initially purchased by Pheasants Forever or had help from Pheasants Forever upland habitat improvement projects.
Anthony Hauck, PF's Online Editor, left, and Ryan Diener, PF Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist with a Kansas WIHA rooster.
Kansas
Just northeast of Oberlin, Kansas, is a property that was cropped as recently as a decade ago. The local Sunflower Pheasants Forever chapter won the lease agreement, and planted native warm season grasses, as well as some food plots and small trees and shrubs. The area has been enrolled in the Kansas Walk-In Hunting Area (WIHA) program (#149), and management will continue with summer prescribed burning and native grass restoration.
Nebraska
The goal of the state’s CRP-Management Access Program (CRP-MAP) is to improve upland habitat and provide public access for walk-in hunting. CRP-MAP is funded jointly by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission from Nebraska Habitat Stamp funds and grants from Pheasants Forever chapters across the state. The program is being restructured and transitioned into the Open Fields and Waters program.
Local PF chapter contributions have helped upland habitat at Iowa's Schnepf Wildlife Management Area.
Iowa
The Venenga Wildlife Area near Little Rock in Lyon County was actually the first donated property Pheasants Forever ever received in Iowa, and is open to public hunting. The Schnepf and Swalve Wildlife Management Areas near Ocheyedan have Blizzard Buster food and winter cover plots contributed by the Osceola Pheasants Forever chapter.
South Dakota
More than 50,000 acres are already enrolled in South Dakota’s new Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in the James River Valley. Private landowners have signed a lease agreement to protect habitat and open the areas to public hunting. Every CREP contract has been worked on by a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist, thanks to “The Habitat Organization’s” unique partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Minnesota
Eight Minnesota Pheasants Forever chapters, plus individual and corporate donations through Pheasants Forever’s Build a Wildlife Area program, helped purchase the Roger M. Holmes Wildlife Management Area in Douglas County. The 1,017 acre unit features grasslands, wetlands and timber that provide habitat for pheasants, wild turkeys, waterfowl and many nongame species.
As seen on just the 5-day Rooster Road Trip 2011, Pheasants Forever continues to be the driving force for upland conservation. Thanks for your support of Pheasants Forever and wildlife habitat conservation, and if you’re not yet a Pheasants Forever member, consider joining PF today.
Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11).
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.
Minnesota Preview – Day 5 of the Rooster Road Trip
Friday, November 18th, 2011
Friday, November 18th – Minnesota
Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 concludes today in Minnesota. It’s the 35th day of Minnesota’s pheasant hunting season, and we’ll be hunting in the west central part of the state, including Stearns and Douglas Counties.
Shooting Hours: 9AM to Sunset
Daily Limits: 2 rooster pheasants per day / 6 in possession (changes to 3 and 9, respectively, on December 1 through the remainder of the season)
Minnesota PF chapters, like the Wright County PF group, have been actively in public land purchases for almost three decades.
Public Hunting Land
Minnesota Pheasants Forever chapters have put a premium on purchasing lands for permanent public protection, and the Rooster Road Trip will be checking a few of these out. Last year alone, Pheasants Forever in Minnesota participated in 14 land acquisitions totaling 1,312 acres (all land acquisitions are accomplished in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and/or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and opened to the public for hunting and outdoor recreation), and the organization expects to eclipse that mark in 2011.
Nonresident Licensing
Minnesota’s nonresident small game license is $84.50 and is good for the entire season. Residents age 18-64, and all non-resident hunters, must have a Minnesota Pheasant Stamp validation. The $7.50 pheasant stamp – Pheasants Forever’s first organization goal which came to fruition – is required of all Minnesota pheasant hunters. Since 1983, stamp sales have generated more than $15.5 million for habitat enhancement efforts on both public and private lands in the pheasant range of Minnesota.
Pheasants Forever’s Impact in Minnesota
Pheasants Forever Chapters: 77
Pheasants Forever Members: This will be today’s Pheasants Forever trivia question on Facebook
Quail Forever Members: 103
Habitat projects completed by Pheasants Forever in Minnesota: 24,277 wildlife habitat projects
Total habitat acres improved by Pheasants Forever in Minnesota: 214,812 acres
My Minnesota Memories
Born and raised in Minnesota, this is where the bulk of my pheasant hunting has taken place. I bagged my first rooster here, and hope decades from now to bag my last one here too (not that I’m in a rush). This won’t happen for me or other hunters from my generation without the continued support of Pheasants Forever.
Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11).
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.
South Dakota Preview – Day 4 of the Rooster Road Trip
Thursday, November 17th, 2011
Thursday, November 17th – South Dakota
Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 rolls into “The Pheasant Capital” that is South Dakota for the fourth day of the five-day public land pheasant hunt. It’s the 34th day of South Dakota’s regular pheasant hunting season, and we’ll be hunting in the central to northeast part of the state.
Shooting Hours: 10AM to Sunset
Daily Limits: 3 rooster pheasants per day / 15 in possession
Pheasants Forever's Farm Bill conservation program work has led to 50,000 acres of conserved habitat in eastern South Dakota, acres that are also open for pheasant hunting.
Public Hunting Land
With state Walk-In Areas and Game Production Areas, and federal Waterfowl Production Areas, South Dakota has more than 1 million acres available to public land pheasant hunters. Despite this gaudy number, South Dakota Pheasants Forever chapters are working harder than ever to create publicly accessible, protected habitat as even South Dakota has experienced significant losses in habitat acres and a subsequent plunge in bird numbers. In addition to contributing to land acquisitions, PF chapters have helped fund Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist positions, which have led to 50,000 acres enrolled in the state-sponsored Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in the James River Valley. These acres are protecting pheasant nesting habitat and opening additional lands to upland hunters.
Nonresident Licensing
A nonresident small game hunting license is required. For $110, you are allowed to hunt two 5-day periods. In case you’ve never been to South Dakota, here’s a bit of clarification on these periods: For the first 5-day period, you will obviously select the dates of your hunt. If you aren’t sure of your second 5-day period dates, or if you’ll be back, the standard recommendation is to select the last 5-day period the calendar system will allow, the reason being you can always move your 5-day hunting periods up (earlier in season), but never back (later in season). If inclement weather or a spur-of-the-moment road trip cause plans to change, you’ll be ready. Also, if late season pheasant hunting is your thing, consider purchasing your license on or after December 15th, as this allows you to use your first 5-day period for that particular hunting season, and your second period in the following hunting season.
Pheasants Forever’s Impact in South Dakota
Pheasants Forever Chapters: 34
Pheasants Forever Members: That is today’s Pheasants Forever trivia question on Facebook
Habitat projects completed by Pheasants Forever in SD: 17,920 projects
Total habitat acres improved by Pheasants Forever in SD: 220,688 acres
My South Dakota Memories
I’ve been visiting South Dakota for annual pheasant hunting trips since I was a teenager, almost all of them December, late-season hunts – some of the coldest days of my life, and at the same time, some of the warmest. Any self-respecting pheasant hunter owes it to themselves to visit South Dakota at least once in their lifetime . . . or perhaps once a year.
Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11).
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.
Birds in Iowa, We Just Couldn’t Get ‘Em
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
If one had to guess which of the three states so far on Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip – Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa – has produced the most flushes, most would guess Kansas or Nebraska, right? But it was Iowa today that yielded the best aerial show so far.
The day began in Lyon County at the Venenga Wildlife Area near Little Rock, which was actually the first donated property Pheasants Forever ever received in Iowa. A beautiful parcel, but no birds today.
Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist Jared Elbert with an Iowa public land ringneck from Rooster Road Trip 2011.
With a tip and a little man and dog power boost from Jared Elbert, Pheasants Forever’s area Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist, and Ann Byers, the local Resource Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service – both avid pheasant hunters – we headed east to try a few public wildlife areas in Osceola County.
What we found was great public grassland habitat, interspersed with food plots provided by the local Osceola County Pheasants Forever chapter, and more ringnecks than we expected. A lot more.
Unfortunately for us, it was one of those afternoons that drive dogs wild and pheasant hunters mad. With a 30 mile per hour wind and the home habitat advantage, these pheasants made herding cats look like a more worthwhile endeavor. Birds poured out of thickets, they poured out of the food plots and they poured out of the grass all at safe, check that, extremely safe distances.
After a couple hours of being put through the ringneck ringer, we headed back to the truck. With the northwest wind pounding our backs on the mile walk back to the truck, we’d put our proverbial tales between our legs. And wouldn’t you figure, that’s when the last rooster put his tail in the path of Andrew and Jared’s guns.
While Iowa has seen very unkind weather for pheasants the last five years, where exceptional habitat still exists, birds can be found…distances, however, may vary.
Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11).
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.
A Farewell to Mooch the Pooch
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
Pheasants Forever's "My First Bird Dog" series follows a pheasant hunter's journey into bird dog ownership.
Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 happens to be my last major pheasant hunting trip without a bird dog to call my own. And if ever there was a case study about the power of dogs when it comes to chasing ringnecks, this week has been it.
PF’s Bob St.Pierre, with his midst-of-her-prime shorthair, Trammell, has three times as many shot opportunities as me on this trip, and PF’s Andrew Vavra, with his coming-into-her-own lab, Beau, has twice as many shot opportunities as me. Me? All I have are my own two feet – “Mooch the Pooch” – sandwiched haplessly between these two trying to scratch out a bird off their scraps.
This is not to say I don’t fully enjoy my time afield; rather, I want that “next level” of pheasant hunting only made possible with a four-legged companion. The relationships Bob and Andrew have with their dogs is something I aspire to. This Rooster Road Trip has also been a crash course in what will be asked of me when I become a dog owner, a day that’s just five weeks away. In that respect, it’s been the ultimate training ground for the soon-to-be trainer.
But I’ve also grown impatient. I’ve waited a long time to get “My First Bird Dog.” I’ve appreciated Trammell and Beau’s field work. I’ve enjoyed watching Bob and Andrew’s wingshooting. And I’ve been a congratulatory bystander after either pair has earned a sporting rooster. But a part of me is also completely selfish and wants that all – for me. What mooch wouldn’t?
Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:
- Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
- What I’m Looking For
- Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
- Just Show Me the DOGFAX
- Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
- What Was Your First Bird Dog?
- Stuck Between Two Litters
- Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11).
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore
Monday, November 14th, 2011
Rooster Road Trip 2011 has moved on to Nebraska, but we’re sad to see Kansas go. Eight quail and a couple roosters found their way into our game bags, and what “The Golden Hour” didn’t produce in birds, it more than made up for in scenery:
PF's Andrew Vavra and his Lab, Beau, share a moment at the end of a hard day of hunting walk-in lands in Kansas. Photo by Anthony Hauck / Pheasants Forever
Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook ,YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11).
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.
First Rooster Road Trip Ringneck Caught on Camera
Monday, November 14th, 2011
Wearing a mounted HD head camera this morning helped me capture this point by Trammell, my German shorthaired pointer, and first shot on Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011. This action occurred on a Walk-In Hunting Area (WIHA) in northwest Kansas.
Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook ,YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11).
The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Marketing. Follow Bob on Twitter @BobStPierre.
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