Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Longtails on a prairie wind We worked hard for our birds today. A strong SW wind shifted to the N by 1:00 and picked up in speed to where it had to be roaring along at 30 mph. Walk through a field of switchgrass in that wind and the grass is waving so madly you come close to getting seasick. Then drop a pheasant in it and try to find him! The birds got up and rode that wind, sailing for hundreds of yards and making for some tough shooting. I was walking on the downwind side of a drive and dropped one that Danny Myke and I both had a line on, but I couldn't find it. I marked where it fell by noting a big rock at the edge of a cornfield, and Travis said we'd look for it on the next drive. At the end of that drive, Danny, Travis and one of Travis's springers (Timber) worked all around where we had seen that bird come down to no avail. We were walking back out, having reluctantly given up, when I stepped on something soft. I thought it was an anthill, but when I parted the switchgrass, there lay my pheasant, dead. Earlier in the day, I shot a bird with spurs longer than any I have ever seen. I'll forward a photo of the best spur to a couple biologists and see if they have an idea of its age. Delicious pheasant dinner at Golden Upland tonight, after which we all watched KSFY news for the short piece reporter Brittany Benner did on our hunt. Danny Myke was the hero, since he was the only one to shoot a bird on that drive. It's way past bedtime, and tomorrow I'm driving to Tumbleweed Lodge near Harrold for another hunt. Later... 11:45:18 PM    comment []

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