Pheasant hunting....

[turd]

Back in the day, as a student at SDSU in Brookings, SD, many of us hunted every weekend and sometimes during the week when classes were over for the day. One time several of us were out on a Saturday way west of Brookings kind of road hunting and looking for public areas to hunt. We were driving along Highway 281 going south with the wind which that day was blowing about 35 mph (anyone knowing the Dakotas knows what I mean). There was a railroad track along the side of the highway, and I saw a rooster there, so I called to stop the truck and I got out with my trusty 20 gauge Remington and pursued the rooster on foot. Within seconds he burst into flight, immediately going 35 mph with the wind. Well, as luck would have it, I nailed him with one shot, thereby starting a legend about what a wizard I was with a shotgun. Ha, ha. Pure luck but so be it.

I know this should be in the hunting section, but I don't want to redo it......

 

[Mobuck]

Ah, the 'stuff' legends are made of.
Back in my younger days, a couple of us took several trips to Montana for deer and elk. One evening we were driving along a forest service road when we saw a nice mulie buck and 4 does standing a ways down the side hill. There was another vehicle behind us but we stopped, bailed out, and I was the first to get my rifle loaded. I'd been carrying one round in my hand for just such an occurrence and as my feet hit the road, I dropped that round in the action, closed the bolt, raised the rifle, and fired in one rapid motion. The buck dropped in his tracks, I opened the bolt, and caught the empty case as it flipped out. Total elapsed time was maybe 5 seconds and the guys in the following vehicle were significantly impressed. They helped drag the buck up the slope and load him and made several comments about how it all happened.
Finally, one of my friends said "Yeah, that was pretty good but you should see him when he's in a hurry".

 

[contender]

Good stuff y'all!

 

[gunzo]

On many occasions my brother has told me that I think too much when shooting clay birds, & that I should just shoot.
I usually won the golf cart shoots we used to have. No, we didn't shoot golf carts but had to drive a cart away from the clay bird thrower while holding your shotgun. The trap puller would then throw a bird whenever they wanted & you had to shoot the bird after it passed you while you remained in the cart & the the cart had to remain moving.

Guess brother was right, as there was no time to think in all that silliness.

 

[Dave P.]

Here in Michigan opening day of bird season is October 20th. From the 1960s when I was old enough to go as a "beater" and
then with a .410 we never missed a opener till the mid 70s. Fewer birds on our property and area in general and being gone from home
skating ended the tradition, lots of good memories and one not so good. A couple of hunters was on our property without permission
and fired in our direction my dad yelled at me to turn away, not sure I made it in time but caught a pellet in my left ear lobe and a couple on my shoulder and back that didn't break the skin but did punch into my coat. I still have a bit of scar tissue or maybe part of the pellet in that
ear lobe today and that was 57 years ago.
Sadly I have not even seen a pheasant here in maybe 10 years now...all gone.