My favorite is chasing pheasants in the snow. We finally got some here so I took today off. I was done way too fast today. My old dog is finally healed up and she was impressive as always.
Seriously though, snowCOCK are the ultimate trophy IMO. Not just for birds either. They're more difficult than ANY critter I have chased. I've hunted them several times and have not actually got one. I hit one in 2018, knocking it sideways but it made it to a 1,000 foot cliff and I never could find it.
I've missed 5 now I think. It is hard to get good form when trying to spin around on loose rock with a cliff on one side and a 80% slope on the other-to get a 50 yard snapshot off.
Would you ground sluice them if you had the opportunity?
You're damn straight I would. It very possibly could tumble into an abyss just as easily as one shot out of the air. The guy I hunt with has killed 5-6 and half of them looked like they got put into a blender before they stopped tumbling.
Same. I'd even consider wearing camouflage...and I hate camo.
Interesting article, and with a border collie. I admit, I was not familiar at all with what a snowcock was and how hard the hunts were - I got tired just reading about it. ๐
Headed back to SD this Saturday for some flatland snowcocks. The only thing remotely similar will be my SxS 16.
These snowcock are also legal aliens then I presume..๐. They are beautiful birds. Iโve said before upland birds are works of art, even the turkey, though for some unfathomable reason (to us), the artist left the head unfinished. ๐ค๐
Iโm sorry...I donโt have any pictures of my pheasant hunt yesterday. I am still bummed for being without my phone.
My iPhone6, vintage 2012, decided to shรฎt the bed and die on me before we started hunting, killing any chance at pictures...I did get a new iPhone12 this morning...Winning!
We started the morning with a mixture of light rain and wind. 3 hours later we finished up a couple birds shy of a limit, stopping because of a soaker down pour that wasnโt going to let up.
This hunt was one of the best Iโd done in a few years. Not because of the amount of birds shot or exceptional shotgunning done by us, but, because of a couple of GSP that were working out in front of us.
Wendy and Georgi, unrelated GSPโs, cleared brush, thickets, briars, and fields. They both posted up tight on strong points, honored each other and teamed up when directed by their owner.
Aside from this sounding like normalcy for some of you that have incredible Pointers. I have never seen a Pointer make a blind retrieve across a deep, swollen, and swift moving river that was at least 60 yards wide.
Georgi, the younger of the two Pointers by 5 years wasnโt interested in navigating down the steep dike that we were standing on and then swimming in the rapid water...Nope...No way...Not gonna do it!
Wendy, on the other hand, healed up, took a hand direction from Kendel her owner, and busted straight down the dike and into the water.
Wendy kept her head fixed on the spot she was directed for the bird as she swam. The current was fast, taking her down river quickly, but Wendy just kept paddling hard while her head swiveled back to the spot she was told to go, then quickly forward to check her progress being made to land.
Iโve had my Labs do some long and multiple retrieves in my coastal bay inlets where the water would be called rough seas. But, this fast moving river made me a smidge worried for the safety of this older Pointer.
No problem! Wendy hit the other side and climbed up the steep bank that was thick with brush. Jumped her way back to the area she was sent by her owner and had bird in mouth in under a minute.
Now, here is what I thought was unreal. Wendy looked across at us, and instead of driving down the bank and into the water to swim and fight the current. She ran up river and then hit the water using the current to help her land almost exactly where we standing on the dike.
From what I could see from having the high ground vantage point. Wendy, holding the pheasant in her mouth couldnโt see much, if anything. The pheasant covered her head completely. She looked like a dog swimming with a head made of feathers and a wing.
It was as impressive of a retrieve as Iโve ever witnessed. That alone made the hunt for me. Just an incredible hunting dog.
Damn that iPhone6 ! ! !
๐ฆซ
Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog โMolon Labeโ
On the face of it that was a remarkable retrieve, esp for a GSP, many of which often donโt retrieve well, either by genetics or training. At least the ones Iโve hunted behind.
We have never faced rain on our December pheasant hunts. โ๏ธ๐
Beautiful weekend in South Dakota again this weekend. On Saturday, I accompanied six social security recipients on a trip over by Highmore. We saw plenty of pheasants but could not get close to many of them due to the conditions, and we took seven birds. We didn't hunt terribly hard. Well I did, the oldsters ran me through the cover while they being crafty from age stood around and waited for me to push them past. My dogs were both kinda banged up still from unknown events, and so the pace was fine with me.
Yesterday it was too nice to stay home and I went over to Harrold by myself, took the dogs along and same conditions were found. We didn't hunt too hard, came home with nada, and were glad to be out in a sweatshirt and bare handed on January 3. Lucky us.
"Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin.'"
Iโm sorry...I donโt have any pictures of my pheasant hunt yesterday. I am still bummed for being without my phone.
My iPhone6, vintage 2012, decided to shรฎt the bed and die on me before we started hunting, killing any chance at pictures...I did get a new iPhone12 this morning...Winning!
We started the morning with a mixture of light rain and wind. 3 hours later we finished up a couple birds shy of a limit, stopping because of a soaker down pour that wasnโt going to let up.
This hunt was one of the best Iโd done in a few years. Not because of the amount of birds shot or exceptional shotgunning done by us, but, because of a couple of GSP that were working out in front of us.
Wendy and Georgi, unrelated GSPโs, cleared brush, thickets, briars, and fields. They both posted up tight on strong points, honored each other and teamed up when directed by their owner.
Aside from this sounding like normalcy for some of you that have incredible Pointers. I have never seen a Pointer make a blind retrieve across a deep, swollen, and swift moving river that was at least 60 yards wide.
Georgi, the younger of the two Pointers by 5 years wasnโt interested in navigating down the steep dike that we were standing on and then swimming in the rapid water...Nope...No way...Not gonna do it!
Wendy, on the other hand, healed up, took a hand direction from Kendel her owner, and busted straight down the dike and into the water.
Wendy kept her head fixed on the spot she was directed for the bird as she swam. The current was fast, taking her down river quickly, but Wendy just kept paddling hard while her head swiveled back to the spot she was told to go, then quickly forward to check her progress being made to land.
Iโve had my Labs do some long and multiple retrieves in my coastal bay inlets where the water would be called rough seas. But, this fast moving river made me a smidge worried for the safety of this older Pointer.
No problem! Wendy hit the other side and climbed up the steep bank that was thick with brush. Jumped her way back to the area she was sent by her owner and had bird in mouth in under a minute.
Now, here is what I thought was unreal. Wendy looked across at us, and instead of driving down the bank and into the water to swim and fight the current. She ran up river and then hit the water using the current to help her land almost exactly where we standing on the dike.
From what I could see from having the high ground vantage point. Wendy, holding the pheasant in her mouth couldnโt see much, if anything. The pheasant covered her head completely. She looked like a dog swimming with a head made of feathers and a wing.
It was as impressive of a retrieve as Iโve ever witnessed. That alone made the hunt for me. Just an incredible hunting dog.
Damn that iPhone6 ! ! !
๐ฆซ
That's awesome! I love seeing dogs do stuff like this.
My favorite is chasing pheasants in the snow. We finally got some here so I took today off. I was done way too fast today. My old dog is finally healed up and she was impressive as always.
Pheasant season closed the first weekend of January here. I forgot to post pictures of my last hunt. I finished the season with one rooster and one hun. The dogs were great was hoping to finish with a limit but didnโt find the birds.