# My Pheasant Opener.



## 12 Volt Man (Sep 7, 2007)

I'm always very excited about the pheasant opener. I look forward to it all year. This year I got to spend 3 great days at my favorite place on earth. Like all the other "good" spots, it's nothing like it used to be. There are still a few birds to be had if you get out and work. As others have mentioned about the Utah Pheasant opener, I was disappointed with the numbers.

*Day One:*
I rolled in a little bit later than I wanted to. I was aware of the fact that we didn't have to wait until the magic 8:00am hour any more. I fully expected to have to take care of trespassers as I do every other year. It always amazes me that people will climb right over a fence that is obviously posted. To my surprise, there was no sign of anyone else. In fact, I didn't see another hunter all day. Nor did I hear a shot.

Sunrise.


No birds along this road this time.


Simpler times....


Cowboy pointed this one for just a moment before it flushed. He was 75 yards out. No chance for a shot, I thought. I got lucky and the bird flew my way. I led it a long ways and dumped it. An impressive shot, especially if you know how I shoot. Cowboy finished it off with a nice retrieve.


Just a few minutes later I saw a rooster fly over to a ditch row that I had just worked through. I knew that at the end there was nowhere to go. I called Cowboy around....
The Point.


The Retrieve.


.....or should I say "blind" retrieve?


So there I was with a limit by 10:30am. I had plenty of time to try for the perfect "after hunt shot".












I had a great time. Just me, Cowboy, and wide open spaces.

Day two later.....


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## CC (Sep 8, 2007)

Sweet photos! Has Cowboy been taking posing lessons from Quill's dog Oak? Glad to hear you found some birds.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Great shots................. yeah , that was intended. 8)


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Great photos and great hunt! I have always liked your dog. Its good to see him with ducks and now pheasants. Let us know about day two! I can hardly wait... Give Cowboy a pat or two from me. Awesome shots on the roosters too!!


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## deadicated1 (Mar 17, 2008)

very nice report! i like the blind retrieve :mrgreen:


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## Poo Pie (Nov 23, 2007)

Great post 12volt!  
My vote for the best after hunt shot would be the "smiling Cowboy and 2 dead ****s"!


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## ktowncamo (Aug 27, 2008)

nice shots! I really like the first After Hunt Shots and for some reason the "simpler times" is a nice image. 

Can't wait for day 2.


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## SureShot (Oct 2, 2007)

Great pics! Good job.


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## 12 Volt Man (Sep 7, 2007)

*Day Two:*
Late Saturday I got a call from Zimmy. His previous plans had fell through and he wanted to come hunt some pheasants. So on this day Cowboy and I were joined by Jonesy, Oprah, Tyson, Caleb, Mike, and his Son. I was excited because I had taken Cowboy back out to run around a bit just before dark the night before. We were able to flush 8-10 birds (mostly hens) and I thought I knew where they would be.

The weather looked like it wanted to rain. 


And rain it did. It came down hard off and on. A few minutes after I took this photo we had lightning strike ground just 40 yards away. That will get your heart going.


At times there was hope that the weather would turn out good. Are there pheasants at the end of the rainbow?


We hunted hard and covered a lot of ground with no luck. Finally Mike and Caleb kicked up a rooster. They were unable to seal the deal. Luckily it came my way. 


It was after 3:00pm. We had hunted nonstop all day. We were tired. Just as we had decided to call it a day, Mike and Tyson flushed one more rooster right by the trucks. They were not prepared for this one, but we saw where it went. We chased it down and Tyson bagged it.

Caleb has a bunch more photos from this day. I'm looking forward to seeing them.

Day three later........


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

Man looks like a fantastic hunt. If ya don't mind me asking where was that. :lol: Gps Coordinates would be greatly appreciated. :mrgreen:


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## InvaderZim (Sep 7, 2007)

Great pics Mr. 12voltman! The weather was perfect on Sat for pics. Not too sunny, but not too dark. And you took some doozies. Sakes alive!

Thanks once again for the invite. Late Friday night as we prepared for a doe pronghorn hunt we decided we should check little T's tag...and it opened on the 8th!!!! :x **** kids. But not to worry, I wanted to be hunting birds anyway...

Gettin' up early is tough.









An excited pre-teen.









and it was cold!









But the pups didn't mind.









Overgrazed? Uum, ya think so?









A little better.









Keepin' things under control.









Little T's first wild pheasant.









Adios amigos. If its any consolation we did get both birds we saw! :? 









Caleb


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

Excellent!


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

great pic there 12volt and zimmy.12volt thanks for teh great story and pic. cant wait tell day three.


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## 12 Volt Man (Sep 7, 2007)

*Day Three:*

I woke up pretty sore from the miles we put in on day two. Once again it was just me and Cowboy. Not another person in sight. I was a little saddened to see a Fed Ex truck drive by the property. Some homes have been built not too far away. I guess I can't blame them. If I had my way, I would live out there in a heartbeat.

The weather was cooler but better than the day before. Cowboy was still going strong. He had given 100% for two days and I expected him to slow down a bit, but he was still fired up. As it turned out, he was too fired up. I hunted for 4 hours and he bumped two roosters way out of range. Those birds flew way off the property and didn't give me a second chance. I don't know if he was getting too close, or if the scent wasn't there. I was a bit disappointed in his performance on this day.









When I was younger I had days that would rival great South Dakota hunts. I remember flushing 30 to 40 birds at a time, trying to pick which rooster to shoot. Here's what began the demise of the great bird hunting I once had access to. When I was 14, my Dad decided to complete one of his dreams. Piped irrigation on the property. This eliminated the year round water source for the birds.


Now the spring ditch only flows in the fall and through the winter.


The bird numbers fell off a bit every year after he completed the irrigation project. Then came the birds of prey. About 5 years ago, they were so thick that when the hay was cut, you could find a hawk sitting on every bale. Plus there is raccoons, coyotes, and ravens. I wish there was a way to turn things around, but I don't see an immediate fix. There are other farmers involved with the water rights and they are all benefiting from the piped irrigation.

We'll get some another day.


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## hunterfisher (Sep 14, 2007)

Wow great pictures and nice shooting.


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