Great morning!

[LifeNRA]

Well the first day of the Pennsylvania small game season started Saturday! It is a well know fact that PA is terrible for small game now a days. But the game commission stocks some birds, for maybe at least a chance to see what it was like in my youth!

Problem is a lot of people know where these areas are as well! Other words, its very busy!

So my father and I start out in this high grassy field, we are getting soaked! (Now I know why Cabela's sells Gore-tex brush pants! ) Another party comes up behind us with two dogs. We dont have any dogs, the dog is writting this post! Anyways, we wait for them because one of their dogs is hunting up in front of me! As they approach the one guys says I dont hear his bell, he might be on point! But where is the dog? You cant see him!

We all make a few steps, out of no where a rooster takes off! Flies right in front of me and my dad. I am tracking the bird my father shoots once and misses, right after his shot I fired, he folds up. Well the dog finds the bird right away and drops it off right at my feet! Some days I wish I had the time to have and train a dog like that! Well the other party leave after I said my many thanks to them, and giving the dog a good amount of praise too!!!

We continue to walk down this grassy field, the other party that left had no more field due to it went into woods. I heard another rooster take flight, then seen it! My father missed all three shots. He was so disgusted at him self. I felt bad, but he is 64 years old.

We have about another 60-70 yards of this field yet to cover. We walk about 20 yards another rooster flushes at my feet, this time a big boy too! I fired the first shot, and missed! Fired the second shot and folded him very quick with a puff of feathers. I am glad I didnt hit him on that first shot, I would have ripped him apart with no chance of keeping any meat!

Well we continued are walk around the rest of the area till about 10AM. We kind of got tired of being so wet so we went and found some coffee, sat down talked about a some old hunts of the past! Which brought back very found memories. Both birds were taking before 8AM. Just like it was years ago! I caught the last two GOOD years of PA phesant hunting when I was 12 & 13 years old. I envy very much you guys out there in the Dakotas! My father always said. We need to go out to South Dakota one day!

Any ways, I dont get to post in here that often so I thought I would share my day! Sorry I didnt take any pics!

John

[Tominator]

great story john.

i too miss the days of walking around with my dad and uncles. they never hunted deer, so rabbits, quail, grouse and pheasants were the only game in town. we had a lot of fun even though most of the time we just walked around. by the late 70's in Ohio, most of the native birds were gone due to harsh winters in 77 and 78, and farming practices eating up habitat.

sure would like to go back out to a preserve someday with my dad and uncles, but they're 66, 76 and 79 years old now and they don't hunt anymore.

[huntinsonovagun]

I would love to go pheasant hunting someday.

Tominator.....I bet if you put the bug in their ears they would get the itch.

[Shaun_300]

up here in ontario it is the same way, when i was between the ages of 5 and 10 i would go out with my dad to hunt ruffed grouse. Now i am 17 and there are barely any left. I have only got one this season

[Tominator]

[ QUOTE ]
I would love to go pheasant hunting someday.

Tominator.....I bet if you put the bug in their ears they would get the itch.

[/ QUOTE ]

trust me ryan, i have. but all of them are sworn off of hunting. i can't blame them much. back in their day it was nothing to flush a ton of birds and they usually got their limits, but pheasant hunting is pretty much put and take anymore in Ohio.

they had the golden age of pheasant hunting like i have the golden age of deer hunting.

plus, they're all too old now. my dad can't walk 1/2 a mile without a good bit of pain in his hip.

i surely miss walking with those guys though.

[Nut]

I remember hunting with my Dad and relatives(well they had the guns and I was the dog LOL) . There is one memory that is vivid. My Dad walked up to a ringneck and flushed it up and watched it fly away.

My cousins asked my Dad what was wrong with shooting the bird. My Dad said he was rabbit hunting and didnt want a bird