Pheasant Hunting Pays

The following is a release from Casey Weismantel who has a job many of us covet.  He promotes pheasant hunting in the Aberdeen SoDak area.  What a horrible gig.  Had a chance to hunt with Casey last winter and he has even learned how to shoot them pretty well too.
   
Aberdeen, SD – The Aberdeen Area is the place to be for the 2010 pheasant hunting season.  Experience the rush of pounding wings, bright skies, and the cackle of roosters as they explode into the sky.  This year is even more exciting because every hunter has the chance experience money falling from the sky! 100 pheasants will be banded and released this fall in Brown County; each pheasant will be worth at least $100-500, in addition to that one band will be pulled for a chance at one million dollars! The drawing will take place on January 7, 2011.  For more details on the promotion go to million dollar bird
. 
Aberdeen and the surrounding area pride themselves on having over 208,930 acres of public land and more than 114,000 acres of private hunting land.  There is plenty of room for all hunters to bag their limit, enjoy the hunt, and possibly to put some coin in their pockets. Hunting is a tradition in this area and Aberdeen businesses roll out the “orange carpet” and Midwest hospitality to welcome our hunters.  There are several hotels in Aberdeen as well as campgrounds and hunting lodges throughout the area to accommodate hunters.  For a listing of lodging availability go to HuntFishSD.  We hope to see you this fall – don’t miss your chance to bag a million dollar bird!

For more information on this promotion and hunting in the Aberdeen area, visit us online at Visit Aberdeen SD.

Dove Opener

One of the problems with being a pessimist is that it doesn’t feel good when you’re right.  I had been worried about the sudden dropoff in dove numbers in the last two weeks.  It wasn’t my imagination.

Yesterday’s opener was similar to the slim pickings others are reporting in central Illinois.  The field we hunted was set up the same as previous years and the hunting last year had been excellent.  This year, weed competition had almost eliminated the food crops. This field has been hunted for several years and, generally, has drawn good amounts of doves. 

Several years ago I hunted the opener at Mackinaw SWA and saw only one dove all afternoon.  That is my all-time low.  Yesterday was the slowest opener we’ve seen at our home field.  There were about 6 birds when we arrived around 4 p.m.  The morning shoot had been rained out.  A few birds came buzzing back and our hopes were up that a good shoot was in store.  We got in a few shots at singles but the intervals between them kept getting longer and longer.

The good news?  Well, we did scratch down 10 doves total between 4 of us.  I lucked into the hot spot and shot 7 of them.  My average was a lifetime best.  Killed 5 with one shot, took two shots to anchor the next two and only missed one outright.  The others in the party got almost no shot opportunities.

Examining the crops was interesting.  Every bird was different. Even though corn was being harvested nearby, only two birds had any corn.  Most had a mixture of foxtail and very small, round black seeds I couldn’t identify.  One had white millet.  One had lots of sunflowers which hadn’t come from the field we were in.  Three of them had nothing to speak of in their crops.

It was fun to chat with the other hunters and watch the afternoon go by.  It was much better than sitting in the office.

The Real Deal

You’ve got to like a well-known national conservation group that refers to its national headquarters as “the birdhouse.”

In previous incarnations, I’ve had a chance to work with many national not-for-profit groups (in agribusiness circles) and many of them feverishly try to figure out how to make themselves seem more important and more serious.  I’ve watched some of them go to ridiculous lengths to inflate their reputations, especially in Gucci Gulch where the lobbyists roam free.

Last December, I stumbled into an opportunity to meet several of the top guns from Pheasants Forever.  It was refreshing to realize that the only posturing you’re going to see are attempted recreations of famous “points” in history.  I got a chance to learn more about the PF mission, projects and the staff that is trying to pull it off—knowledgeable and hard working but also down-to-earth and fun.  Great guys to go hunting with.  Great guys to trust your conservation dollars with.

With PF, what you see is what you get.  Take a look at their model, “At the heart of Pheasants Forever is the unique grassroots system of fundraising and project development that allows members to see the direct result of their contributions.”

Pheasants Forever and its quail division, Quail Forever, empower county and local chapters with the responsibility to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds will be spent - the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. As a result, chapter volunteers are able to see the fruits of their efforts locally, while belonging to a larger national organization with a voice on federal and state conservation policy.

I know that many national organizations spend 30% or less on actual member services and the majority of the money goes to “administrative overhead.” 

In keeping with that spirit, Howard Vincent, president and CEO of PF, will speak to the annual banquet of the McLean County chapter on September 9 at Jumer’s in Bloomington.  Also appearing will be Mark Miller, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.  This chapter is celebrating its 25th anniversary and was the second one formed in Illinois.  Bruce Thomas can set you up with tickets 309-663-5281.  I’m sure that Howard can tell this tale better than I, so stop by and give a listen.

Tough Choice

Did you ever have to make up your mind?  Remember the old Lovin Spoonful song?  That’s what I’ve been going through the last week and it’s been a bittersweet experience. Let me set the stage.

Lil, my springer, is now 11.  While she has been hardy and athletic (and marched to her own drummer) time is catching up with her.  The vet says she is in great shape – for a 70 year old.  She is first and foremost a family member so putting her out to pasture is not an option.  This summer she has erupted with some tooth problems (fixed by a dog dentist in Decatur) followed by some nasty skin problems (ongoing.)  Vet has treated her for fleas, mites, allergies, fungal and bacterial skin infections; checked for mange with negative results; and nothing seems to clear it up.  She stays on Interceptor year round so worms shouldn’t be a problem.  Will she be able to hunt this fall, don’t know.

The phone rings and it’s an old friend from near Alton.  Danelle Oliver of Ferndelle Kennels is a springer breeder and trainer par excellence and has such a deal for me.  She has a young female with excellent bloodlines that is not going to make the grade for field trials but would make a good hunting dog and companion.  As fate would have it, we were heading to a family reunion in Grafton so I had to stop by. I also have been talking with friends who are thinking about getting a new bird dog, so what else could I do?

The back story—two and a half years ago we tried to bring a pup into the family to groom for the replacement bird dog role.  My wife discovered her allergies couldn’t handle two dogs in the house.  Lil was OK, Bea was too much.  Bea developed a problem called submissive urination.  This means whenever she was surprised, a little puddle appeared.  Not acceptable in a carpeted house, Bea went back to Danelle.  She is now a drug and bomb detection dog in Louisiana.  I call her “Deputy Dawg.”

Flash forward to last weekend – Get out of the van to look at Tacky, the new offering.  She looked really cool, was friendly and did a good job in the field with pigeons given the oppressive heat.  Good speed, good nose, birdy and a natural retriever – great place to start.  She’s also housebroken and over the puppy chewing phase, etc.  She is a great candidate for someone to develop into a hunting dog.

Get back home and Lil is still in the midst of her scratching/itching problems.  Can’t bring another dog into this situation since we don’t know what’s causing it and it could be contagious.  Mary still has her allergies and that’s a concern also.

While we’re going to have to pass on Tacky at this point in time, I’ve got the urge to find one more dog.  My wife wants a lap dog.  I may be getting old but I’m not that old.  One more springer for me.  Just have to wait for the next opportunity.

Scott Lee Cohen Elected Governor

I think the odds of this happening are about the same as me drawing a free upland game hunting permit in 2010.  The online lottery starts this Monday at the IDNR website.  Supposedly, there is a one in three chance of being drawn.

I’ve been drawn once in the past 6 years.  I know, the odds are still one in three . . . but who am I kidding?  It’s not going to happen.  I’ve tried choosing week days, late in the season, unpopular sites—nothing helps.