Montana pheasant are....different

The pheasant season opened here yesterday. We have seen a good number of birds but they have surprised me a bit with where we are finding them. I expected them out in native grass or wheat stubble but instead they play hide-and-seek in brushy, timbered areas, often along waterways. The dogs have them figured out and have been stacking the odds in our favor. It is a lot of fun watching my east coast grouse dogs figure out these big, noisy roosters.












A couple highlights from today were seeing the setter girls each track a rooster a long distance. Tweeds bird ran up onto the edge of a bare bluff and realizing he was in trouble the old, long-tailed bird flushed wild. Storm tracked another rooster into timber and managed to hold him for a good while. Another highlight was when I shot a rooster that flushed out over the river. It splashed down into the river but immediately began to swim to the shore which was thick with heavy grass. Storm ran along the edge, pointed and dropped down into the river where she stood on point in the water, with the still alive bird hiding in the grasses. Raleigh dropped down the embankment also and when we told them to fetch it up he popped over the top with the bird in his mouth. I actually managed to snap a photo as he came up.



Mike has phez on the grill as I type this. Many dinners come off of this cool little grill.


A couple of birds almost table ready. We eat quite well!




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