We're off to the best 5-weekend start I've ever had. Ever! In a season like that, I'd be a little surprised if we didn't finish near the top of the heap of CNPs in the cup race. Not all that big a deal though. I hear it's all about making memories.
Very nice dog work, always a pleasure to see a well trained dog hunt, especially one that knows hand signals. I see you are shooting a Browning Sweet 16 is it chambered 2 1/2" or 2 3/4"? Also I think I heard you say you were shooting Bizmuth 1 oz. #5's. Good load for those pheasants. Beautiful cover. Years ago I hunted eastern South Dakota with Brittany's, never saw that many pheasants, drive down sectional roads and see so many pheasants out in the harvested corn feeding as we were driving slowly, stopped the car and they all started running. Smart birds. I'm glad to see you still have a good population there, here in eastern Pennsylvania used to be good pheasant hunting 25 years ago, not now. Don't even see a wild bird just stocked ones on the public grounds. This state doesn't cater to pheasants anymore. A shame.
A "close nose" is a rooster whose nares (nostrils) haven't been flared out by blinders resulting from being pen-reared. Blinders are sometimes called anti-pecking devices. In other words, a close nose is 100% wild - conceived, hatched, & raised in the wild, just like 100 generations of wild SD pheasants before him. The significance is NOT to berate people who shoot pen-reared birds. For some that's their preference. For some, that's the only opportunity they have. But I hear a lot of, "South Dakota releases so many birds!!" No. They don't. Not one pheasant is released by the State. If you're hunting public land in SD, unless you're hunting near a preserve (required by law to release at least 1 adult rooster for every one shot), chances are extremely high that you're hunting 100% truly wild pheasants. I want people to know that. I'm proud of my state's wild pheasant population. I'd like to TRY to put an end to the misinformation surrounding them. In my 43 seasons of hunting pheasants (the vast, VAST majority on public land), I've shot a grand total of 4 pen-reared birds ("flare nares") on public ground. 3 were banded, left over from a youth hunt that had occured earlier in the season. 1 was an escapee from a nearby private shooting operation. My short video "Flare Nare alert!!!" will show that particular pen-reared bird. You can see right through his beak. They're not always so prominent that the hole goes clear through, but a wild pheasant's nostril/nare is just a little slit.
@@lilbrowhydaw heck ya. I appreciate the info. I’m from Idaho and have only shot my first pheasant a couple years ago. I had an idea that’s what you meant but wasn’t sure. And so if you can’t see straight through the nose it’s a wild bird??? Also I love the videos. And love the dog work.
I shoot 2-3/4" shells. I order them all online from various places. Boss come straight from Boss though. And actually, I think they plan to start making some 2-9/16" shells for 16 gauge.
that dog has a lot of energy. my dog responds better to encouragement than yelling and calling him names. they want to please you and can tell a lot by the sound of your voice. it didn't hurt you to walk over to the area and help him out. why would he want to come to you if he knows you're angry.
