# My first pheasant.



## alleyyooper (Sep 8, 2020)

When Rick was up to my place pat hunting before he left he invited me down to his place to hunt pheasants when the season opened.





Pheasant season opener is different than most other season openers. Can’t say today but back in those days it was around Oct. 20th at 10:00 AM. 


In those days it was almost as big a deal as opening of fire arm deer season, more so for some hunter. Also some areas of Michigan it was a big deal like where I now live was considered the pheasant capital of Michigan back then but where Rick & his family lived a close second.





I arrive on Saturday morning with my trusty 16ga shot gun with poly choke and several boxes of shells. Since I had not really hunted them before I asked Rick where I should set the choke, he said on full and the 7 1/2 shot shells I had would work but most guys wanted 5 or 6 shot.





We load up in Ricks car and drive up to his sisters place with his cocker spaniel Rusty. Jim Ricks Brother in law says we will start with the corn field next to his house he and his brother Dale will take stands at the end of the corn while Rick Rusty and I walk down the rows.





We had did the corn field every one getting a pheasant except me, I had only seen hens and they are not legal. We switch over to a soybean field and are working it when a pair of German Short Hair pointers come join us from a couple fields over. We hold up while the owner came and got them, If I would have been those dogs I would have left home also for good. Guy treated them pretty bad and left a sour taste in my mouth. 





We decided to leave the area and hunt some other place away from those guys and dogs. We had just gotten started in the new soy bean field when a pair of roosters got up in front of me. I got one of them and Rick did the clean up chores.





We go back to Ruth Ann, Rick sister for dinner of chili and fresh rolls. She knew her brother very well and what a home made bread fiend he was.


We had a good day Saturday I got to roosters Rick got 3 and his brother in laws got 3 each also.





That evening Rick drags out his Herters catalog Where we are looking thru it at reloader for shot shells. Rick showed me his Mec 600 JR and showed me how fast it was to load up a box of shells.





Decided I will buy one for my self too only a 16ga instead of a 12ga. Some thing to do Monday morning before I left for work.





Sunday was just Rick & 1 plus Rusty since Ricks sister made sure their men made it to church. We each got a pheasant and decided to call it a day and just go and look at some promising spots to duck hunt the next week end.

Al


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## cuinrearview (Sep 8, 2020)

Hard to find pheasants nowadays outside of a preserve. Damn coyotes wiped them out down state further.


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## Deleted member 117362 (Sep 8, 2020)

When we lived in Davidson (farmland 1954-1966) pheasants where common around our house. Crawling through field playing hide and seek with friends and family, put my hand on back of one, I lost. Scared the bejesus out of me.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Sep 8, 2020)

alleyyooper said:


> When Rick was up to my place pat hunting before he left he invited me down to his place to hunt pheasants when the season opened.
> 
> Pheasant season opener is different than most other season openers. Can’t say today but back in those days it was around Oct. 20th at 10:00 AM.
> 
> ...



It struck me as odd to be hunting on a Sunday.

I looked it up and apparently only Maine (where I grew up) and Massachusetts have laws for that.

Learned something new. I assumed it was a law in most states.


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## daddy (Sep 8, 2020)

alleyyooper said:


> When Rick was up to my place pat hunting before he left he invited me down to his place to hunt pheasants when the season opened.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the memories, friend.


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## alleyyooper (Sep 9, 2020)

Duce I know Davison pretty well. Wife was raised on Gale road says she isn't a city girl but can see the city water tower from her old bed room window.
They now have a mejiers store, and TSC on irish and lapeer roads too.

Al


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## alleyyooper (Sep 10, 2020)

A few countys here in Michigan for years had no hunting on Sundays. Can't remember what year it happened but the mess was shot down as a dumb law. You had to have a michigan county map and mark the places you could not hunt Sundays so you didn't get caught hunting a county with the old purtin law of hunting on sunday buying beer wine and other grown men drinks.

Al


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## esshup (Sep 11, 2020)

It was only a few years ago that we could start buying booze on Sunday here in Indiana.


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## alleyyooper (Sep 11, 2020)

Friend lived in St Paul MN a few years back. Could not buy booze there on Sunday either.

Just cross the river into Wisconsin and buy it by the pick up load.

Al


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