Copyrighted. David Sefton 12/2/2016
Hot Damn... Limited out, all three days hunting pheasant in South Dakota. Another awesome hunt at Bird Down Lodge outside of Aberdeen in the small town of Bowdle. This year we had to decide whether to take our young Lab, Bella on her first bird hunt. She is only 9 months with less than two months of formal training. The debate: should we take her or not.
Well the earlier question of whether to take the lab wasn't even a hard decision. Of course we decided YES! And our road trip began, two days driving and we were in pheasant heaven. This is wild pheasant hunts - not preserve. The lodge is a campy, homey former depression era hospital converted into a hunting lodge. Warm and fun, the bar and café were downstairs in the basement. Enough on the amenities... it's the hunting we're all interested in.
Once in South Dakota, the sky was dark and threatening when we drove out, in the bus, into the long fields. Bird Down has a school bus painted in camo for our hunting ride. Pretty awesome, with every hunter having signed it over the past couple of years. We were in a long grain strip.
The bus and one shooter blocking at one end, our meager party of 5 walking down the other. Four dogs were cris-crossing the field. Everyone slung their guns to shoulder as two hens exploded from the field. Other than that nada, a long walk - no roosters. We were already as dejected as the gloomy overcast.
Then we crossed the Hoffman Farms to another strip butting up against CRP - or rough natural grasses. We had barely started the field when a blast of colorful feathers exploded from the Sorghum. With the yells of "Rooster, Rooster, Rooster" my nephew from California, with lightening fast reflexes took him; several others followed up as well.
We got four more roosters from that strip. Two escaped - darn it. We really felt pressure as a big blizzard was blowing in that night. We were quite a bit more upbeat and perky getting on the bus. Our new young lab was beside her-self with excitement, not sure what it was all about but trying hard to connect the dots. She just knew - out there on those flat plains of Dakota - she had just had the most fun day of her young life.
Unlike most property in South Dakota you only hunt wild birds. The difference? They are spookier, fly quicker, faster, run further and are light years smarter. It makes hunting challenging, it isn't about shooting them - it is actually about hunting them. They love to circle back, slip out, and generally make the dogs have fits. Each shot is well earned and you better be on point, they are fast.
We had a five-man group, so we had to spread out - it hurt us a little. We had copious numbers of dogs working the field, as we powered down the sorghum fields the pheasants ran 100 yards in front of the dog until slamming to a halt on seeing the end of field blockers.
Wild pheasant will the start working their way back towards the walkers trying to slip around and through them. They won't fly unless it's a last resort. Then their second escape route is trying to slip out of the fields on the sides towards scrub or wild grass fields. Their special preference is the dreaded cattails.
By later in the season it's hard hunting. The birds are warier and keep better hidden, don't get me wrong, the earlier hunting hasn't even put a small dent in the numbers. There are plenty of birds, the problem is they're flying so fast it is easier to miss them. You shoot almost three shots for everyone you bring down. Many you hit just shrug the shot off and keep going. Little known fact, South Dakota doesn't require you to plug your shotgun or even limit the number of shells in the tube. Note to self: "Next year take plug out and get a long, long extension tube!"