Cash likes pheasant

[Rally]

went pheasant hunting in Sd. Last week. Watched Cash work his first solo flush and retrieve. He really turned on to pheasant hunting and just about wags his tail off when he’s hunting!
The weather was too nice, and the birds were absolutely wild. Some water was frozen in the cattails some not, so lots of ground I normally hunt was too wet to hunt or get to. My oldest son and his two boys came out and hunted with me for three days, but the kids got discouraged when the birds flushed so far ahead and my youngest grandson had to log into school work part of each day, and never fired a shot. My oldest grandson got one bird and some shooting. My son got some shooting but never broke a feather! LOL I managed five, two before they got there and three after they left! Plenty of birds there but they've been pushed hard on public ground. I think the Covid restrictions and indoor activities closed, put alot of guys out hunting pheasant early. There was a group of eight at the motel that had 7 birds in three days, with five dogs, and one owner and dog had to go home after the Shorthair got a bad cut on his chest the second day(fence). Season was extended to January 27 th this year so plenty of time to do a couple more hunts. I'm waiting for some snow to slow the birds down and ease the pressure on them. Some good cold weather and snow will bunch them up and freeze everything down well, so I can get around better.
My dogs were drinking water as fast as I put down for them (about 4 gallons a day), and Cash took right to drinking out of a water bottle! LOL Cash still has soft eyebrows and nose, so had to grease him up a couple times a day with vaseline. I cut his hair pretty short, and glad I did, because there were plenty of Cockle burs around. Saw about ten deer a day, and deer season was open when we were there.

 

[fiver]

man I'm trying to waft this cold weather over that direction.

we have had a couple of high pressure systems that just locked everything down into cold and clear, and the longer it goes on the colder and clearer it is.
usually about a week from now is when the daily snow starts, and runs through the mid-end of January,,, if it rolls in later?,,,,,,, we are screwed, because it will just pile up in February as the moisture starts being sucked up from warmer waters.

 

[Rick H]

What a pretty dog. It would be a pleasure to hunt over one like that.

 

[Rally]

Thanks Rick. He is a good looking dog, or was until I gave him a haircut! Lol I’m heading back out there in a couple weeks, maybe sooner if I catch up on my snare orders. Pretty easy getting distracted with the new inch of snow we got yesterday and -4 this morning. Trying to talk the wife into Xmas in Sd.

Fiver,
we have had record warm spells. Only a couple inches of ice that used to be 17” of snow, and the other day we had a temp of 42, where normal average is 24??? Easy on the wood pile though.