HECLA, S.D. - It is difficult to escape the preoccupation with ring-necked pheasants in this part of South Dakota. A perfect fit as I arrive with a number of other outdoors writers for a few days of hunting sponsored by Pheasants Forever and Dakota Hunting Farms.
The local radio station, Pheasant Country 103, beams out country and western music while dust-covered pickup trucks rumble along narrow gravel roads. I learn that Shotgun Red and his band will be playing this weekend in Aberdeen. Shucks, I will be long gone by then.
The pulse quickens as my destination approaches. Flocks of ringnecks dart from the roadside, slipping quickly away into nearby grasslands and thick stands of cattails. After a lunch break, it is time to reassemble the 12 gauge over-and-under and head out.
Temperatures are in the mid teens, and the wind is a constant companion. The continuous march through oft-thick vegetation and frequent cries of "hen" or "rooster" keep the blood flowing, however.
Fortunately, the colorful male of the species is easy to distinguish from the female with its buff-brown head, under parts and long, pointed tail. Plumage on the male is spectacular with its iridescent green head, featherless red face and gold-colored tail feathers laced with black barring.
I am worried on the way out that my shooting skills will not match those of what I anticipate are far more talented hunting mates from around the Midwest. I whiff on the first three opportunities but, fortunately, the birds are plentiful here in the extreme northeast corner of the state, and I soon find the range.
I end up ensconced comfortably in the middle of the power rankings, bagging the legal limit of three roosters by sundown of the last two days afield.
South Dakota claims a phenomenal pheasant population of approximately ten million birds - first in the nation, we learn. Nonetheless, wildlife managers are getting a bit nervous.
Why? The state also holds down the top spot in number of acres lost from the Conservation Reserve Program this year. As a result, some of the prime nesting cover available in the past will not exist, at least temporarily.
Still, pheasant numbers are at a 45-year high, we are told, with a nine percent increase in the last year alone. As a result, South Dakota prevails as a favorite destination for out-of-state hunters.
The very presence of so many pheasants sends the imagination into overtime, making for some lively conversation.
"There are so many birds the poor things have to fight for a place to roost at night," someone suggests. Another "expert" opines that mid-air collisions are a common cause of mortality - behind, of course, number five shot.
The great numbers of ringnecks can make pests of them, however, especially as winter weather sets in along the windy South Dakota landscape. One of the fellas claims to have awakened one cold morning with two hens and a rooster in bed with him.
It's all about the dogs
I left Major at home. He looked a bit sour when I drove away without him, but I thought it was best. He does ok when hunting alone, but when other dogs are around, all he wants to do is play with them.
There are plenty of well-trained hunting dogs available at the lodge: Brittanies and springers, shorthairs and wirehairs, chocolate labs, yellow labs and black labs - Rebel, Mocha and Mo; Molly, Lucy and Ellie; and, Rebar, Barker and Boone.
Some names reflect the natural connection between gun dog and firearm - Winchester, Remington and Browning. PF Director of Public Relations Bob St. Pierre brought his dog, Trammell, named after former Detroit Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell.
A baseball fanatic, St. Pierre worked in public relations at the minor league level, but turned down a PR job with the Tigers to take a job consistent with his yearning to spend more time outdoors.
My favorite pooch, however, is 16-year-old Rex, a hunched-over, liver-coated German shorthair owned by Jerry Thoms of Brookings, SD. I connect early on with Jerry and his three dogs as we car-pool out to the hunting site each day.
I am astounded as the old hunter (the dog, not Jerry) hops gingerly out of the vehicle and trots off into the tall grass. "We hunt pheasants about three times a week," Thoms says. "Old Rex wouldn't miss it for the world."
I understand. Neither will I, even when older, grayer and more arthritic.
Next week: Pheasants Forever and Pheasant Fest 2009.
- Lee Fahrney can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
The local radio station, Pheasant Country 103, beams out country and western music while dust-covered pickup trucks rumble along narrow gravel roads. I learn that Shotgun Red and his band will be playing this weekend in Aberdeen. Shucks, I will be long gone by then.
The pulse quickens as my destination approaches. Flocks of ringnecks dart from the roadside, slipping quickly away into nearby grasslands and thick stands of cattails. After a lunch break, it is time to reassemble the 12 gauge over-and-under and head out.
Temperatures are in the mid teens, and the wind is a constant companion. The continuous march through oft-thick vegetation and frequent cries of "hen" or "rooster" keep the blood flowing, however.
Fortunately, the colorful male of the species is easy to distinguish from the female with its buff-brown head, under parts and long, pointed tail. Plumage on the male is spectacular with its iridescent green head, featherless red face and gold-colored tail feathers laced with black barring.
I am worried on the way out that my shooting skills will not match those of what I anticipate are far more talented hunting mates from around the Midwest. I whiff on the first three opportunities but, fortunately, the birds are plentiful here in the extreme northeast corner of the state, and I soon find the range.
I end up ensconced comfortably in the middle of the power rankings, bagging the legal limit of three roosters by sundown of the last two days afield.
South Dakota claims a phenomenal pheasant population of approximately ten million birds - first in the nation, we learn. Nonetheless, wildlife managers are getting a bit nervous.
Why? The state also holds down the top spot in number of acres lost from the Conservation Reserve Program this year. As a result, some of the prime nesting cover available in the past will not exist, at least temporarily.
Still, pheasant numbers are at a 45-year high, we are told, with a nine percent increase in the last year alone. As a result, South Dakota prevails as a favorite destination for out-of-state hunters.
The very presence of so many pheasants sends the imagination into overtime, making for some lively conversation.
"There are so many birds the poor things have to fight for a place to roost at night," someone suggests. Another "expert" opines that mid-air collisions are a common cause of mortality - behind, of course, number five shot.
The great numbers of ringnecks can make pests of them, however, especially as winter weather sets in along the windy South Dakota landscape. One of the fellas claims to have awakened one cold morning with two hens and a rooster in bed with him.
It's all about the dogs
I left Major at home. He looked a bit sour when I drove away without him, but I thought it was best. He does ok when hunting alone, but when other dogs are around, all he wants to do is play with them.
There are plenty of well-trained hunting dogs available at the lodge: Brittanies and springers, shorthairs and wirehairs, chocolate labs, yellow labs and black labs - Rebel, Mocha and Mo; Molly, Lucy and Ellie; and, Rebar, Barker and Boone.
Some names reflect the natural connection between gun dog and firearm - Winchester, Remington and Browning. PF Director of Public Relations Bob St. Pierre brought his dog, Trammell, named after former Detroit Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell.
A baseball fanatic, St. Pierre worked in public relations at the minor league level, but turned down a PR job with the Tigers to take a job consistent with his yearning to spend more time outdoors.
My favorite pooch, however, is 16-year-old Rex, a hunched-over, liver-coated German shorthair owned by Jerry Thoms of Brookings, SD. I connect early on with Jerry and his three dogs as we car-pool out to the hunting site each day.
I am astounded as the old hunter (the dog, not Jerry) hops gingerly out of the vehicle and trots off into the tall grass. "We hunt pheasants about three times a week," Thoms says. "Old Rex wouldn't miss it for the world."
I understand. Neither will I, even when older, grayer and more arthritic.
Next week: Pheasants Forever and Pheasant Fest 2009.
- Lee Fahrney can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
