I traveled to White Lake, SD over the second weekend of the South Dakota pheasant season in search of the wiley ringneck. I packed my trusty Toyota Highlander with my essential hunting gear, my 12 gauge, and enough ammo to last several days, although we were to be gone for only two. I had clothes for warm weather, clothes for not so warm weather, and clothes for cold weather. My buddies are quick to give me a 'ration' for always taking too much 'stuff' on these outings. But nary a trip goes by without one of these hunting slugs asking to borrow something from my magical bag of goodies. " Do you have...because I forgot to bring..." I only have to dig deep enough into one of my bags and there it is. They are then happy and so am I.
I picked up Mel Anderson early Saturday and off we went. White Lake is an easy 2 hour drive west of Sioux Falls. ShoGun Lodge was our destination. My friend Kevin Nyberg is one of the owners of this 1,000 acre farm/pheasant haven. We arrived to find men and their sons milling around the yard. Some were visiting and drinking coffee in the clear crisp October air. Some were warming up the olde shooting eye by throwing #71/2 shot at clay targets that were tossed into the air from a hand thrower, while others stood by and freely offered expert shooting tips. It all adds to the excitement and color of these gatherings. As usual the hunters were as 'birdie' as the dogs and all were eager to get it on.
Just before the hunt got underway Kevin conducted a short safety session and explained the rules of conduct. Eighteen of us, ranging in age from 15 to 65, along with the 4 dogs piled into suvs, and pickups. We were off to make our first pass of the day. One has to be very alert when hunting the wiley ringneck, for they are famous for laying-in-wait for the unsuspecting hunter and springing-forth with a great amount of cackling and beating of wings. Oh how I love that instant.
We started out the day in bright sunshine and tempatures that were in the 'see your breath' range. By the end of the second pass the sun had warmed nicely and some of the hunters had shed their cool weather gear and were hunting in shirts and hunting vests. By the third pass the sun had given way to a grey clouds, the tempature had retreated and the wind had quickened. So it was back on with the jackets and just in time, for in a few short, we had sprinkles of rain. Within minutes the sprinkles turned to ice pellets. As luck would have it we were walking directly into brisk wind and the stinging sleet - that's what makes hunting great and far better than watching TV.
We harvested 54 birds by day's end. Some guys left for home and some stayed overnight at the lodge. After a few hands of cards and other good natured activities we hit the rack. Sunday morning brought a beautiful sunrise, lots of coffee, and your basic breakfast of steak and eggs. What better way is there to start a day? There were only eleven of us that hunted Sunday, we filled out (33 roosters) but only after lots of walking. ShoGun has lots of native grass fields which are tough to walk and hunt but are perfect for pheasants to setup housekeeping in. Some of our hunters are charter members of the PBA (Professional Blockers Association). I appreciate the arduous task that a blocker performs but somehow the blockers never seem to be quite as eager to quit for the day as are the walkers. With our days work finished we cleaned the birds, tidied up the lodge, shared a few more stories, and left for home. Somehow the drive home always seems longer than the drive out. It is compounded by stiff knees, sore legs, and tired eyes, but is shortened by the memories of the flushing birds and the comaraderie.
My thanks to the owners of ShoGun for sharing your resources with the likes of me.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Monday, October 17, 2005
Horstmeyer Hunt - Opening Day 2005
Colorful trees, snappy crisp mornings, pleasant mid-day temps that fade into cool afternoons, and evenings that sweatshirts were made for mark the changing of seasons in South Dakota. We live in a land of traditions. One of the strongest traditions is hunting. The Pheasant Opener, a time when man, woman, child and dog come together and work as a team all in search of the wiley ringneck.
A well trained hunting dog, $2,000, a good shotgun, $600, SUV $35,000, gallon of gasoline $2.80, box of shells $7.00, cost per bird - don't even ask - memories, PRICELESS!
Many thanks to all of the Horstmeyer brothers for sharing their land with all of us and for the memories.
John
A well trained hunting dog, $2,000, a good shotgun, $600, SUV $35,000, gallon of gasoline $2.80, box of shells $7.00, cost per bird - don't even ask - memories, PRICELESS!
Many thanks to all of the Horstmeyer brothers for sharing their land with all of us and for the memories.
John
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