Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game South Dakota Pheasants

I love it when you hold them to make them look the size of a turkey. Had a friend that made you hold a 14" walleye so it looked like a Proud Angler. Thank God he didn't have a wide angle lens.

Trying to get pic’s with this fine group (minus a couple) was a little like herding cats,...or dogs. The dogs that were with us (somewhere here) were labs, spaniels, and a GWP, an eclectic group of jumpers and sniffers that all fared well.

This was a mid-Dec trip, the time you’re playing roulette with the weather, but we hunted on days with empty cylinders so enjoyed our good fortune.

I’m back row, left end. This was one day’s three hour effort.

That is a serious three hour hunt....

Congrats, looks like a great time!!!!

We hit some seriously good spots of bunched birds. Besides, we were scheduled for the hot tub at 2. 😉

Edit: two of these guys are from Wisconsin and Michigan. We met them out there in SD years ago and now we time our hunts together.

That's an awesome haul!!

Haven’t been to SD in 18 years probably. Looks like a great time.

Very well done!

The hunting is over for this year, for the most part anyway. Perhaps if the snow melts a bit I'll hit a preserve or two. We got hosed the last two weekends. A blizzard the first, and the aftermath on the second. Darn.

Here we are three-quarters of year later. I bet Battue et co are are making their lists and getting twitchy. 😃

Looked at the heading, which automatically got my interest....and what do I see first....blizzards????....The hunting is over....WTH.....

Then I see what is going on....

Talked with Bobby at BirdDog Bunkhouse today....Some of you should think about giving him a future call....Talked with a Bud who is going and confirmed a leave here date.....Spent a couple hours the other day waxing the Tahoe.....and a couple today cleaning out the inside so at least we will have a clean ride on the way out....It looks like new....When we returned home last year it was covered with S.D. mud....

Next week will get most of the clothes and gear laid out and packed.....However, should get a few days of Pa Game Lands stocked Pheasants hunts in before we leave....Taking a new to me---80 some year old----16 Ga SxS and an old familiar 16Ga SxS....

The current posts by BKinSD along with others have me getting anxious....The way they are pilling them up, maybe they will have shot them out by the time we get there .....Yea, I'm more than ready.....

However, the truth is I'm not all that interested in a big bag.....A Bird or two each day is more than enough.....as long as the Merlot is getting into more than a few and ramming them out, Im good....

Old Parker will be getting the call....I've thought more than once, has it already been there in anothers hands....

“Some of you should think about giving him a future call” — I just might do that. 😉

A grand gun for a grand bird and those great little dogs.

This one has been there in anothers hands back in the 40 and 50's...Mr Bardwell owned it and made an annual trip to SD....He had reel videos of Birds in numbers that bordered on the unbelievable...He passed it on to my Father....A little off face and needs a rebuild...which I hope to have done over the winter....

Impressive Parker Bros. that begs to be carried in the bird fields again.

**** I wish I had your wood on my #2 frame.

Middle one has the wood....Parker Repro...20/16 two barrel set....It has been a fine Grouse gun....The Repros are actually better than the originals.....parts are interchangeable and better steel....

Damn that’s a beauty

Super nice shotguns there, its fun to use the classics. Especially 16's.

Lots of pheasants but we did wake up to 3" of snow today and horrible cold on the way for a few days. I'm supposed to go Saturday, Sunday and Monday and probably will but damn I wish the forecast would moderate.

Have posted this before but have not added my new 16 to this lineup yet. Nothing classic here just two Berettas and an AYA 28. But, it’s the season.

AYA 28’s are great. Friend just picked up an older Ugartecha 28. Both of those two are excellent SxS copies of British best.
The high end sidelocks can be spectacular.

Though I have a couple of SA’s too — that the English might “sniff” at 😉, this is a new Dickinson Estate 16. ‘Course they’d sniff at this also. 😀

Read an article from one of the Brit mags. They gave the Dickinson a thumbs up.

You guys sure have some beautiful shotguns. Green with envy, here.