Thoughts about Living in the Upper Midwest: Fins and Feathers, Vol 3

Volume 3

Fins and Feathers

Kids and the Outdoors

Letter from the Editors

Please enjoy volume three of Fins and Feathers and thank you for your responses on volume two. This week’s articles have a wide range of topics on outdoor activities. We will try to write a recipe article for readers to try at home each week.

Pheasant hunting

Wesley agone

When you go pheasant hunting you will need to walk in the tall grass. Sometimes in the grass you will cut your finger. You will need to walk a long ways. Sometimes you need to be quiet.

I like to go pheasant hunting because I like to name the pheasants and the quail. When you go pheasant hunting you will need to wear orange and dress warm. I like to clean the birds at the end of the day.

Sweet And Sour Pheasant

by: Annie Agone

This is a good recipe to use up all the pheasant in your freezer. This is one of my favorite recipes for this time of year and earlier in the year. We sometimes make ours with egg rolls. This is a recipe that me and my family really enjoy and I hope if you try it you will enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

4 pheasant breasts cut into ½ x 1 inch cubes

Oil and skillet for frying

Batter

½ cup flour

¼ cup corn starch

½ tsp baking powder

1 egg beaten

½ cup water

1 tsp oil

1 jar of sweet and sour sauce

Optional: pineapple slices, peppers, onions

Directions

Mix ingredients in a large bowl to make the batter

Dip the pheasant pieces into the batter

Fry pieces in 350-375 degree oil until golden brown

Coat fried pieces in sweet and sour sauce and serve

We have ours on top of prepared or cooked white rice with pineapples. Also you can add hot sauce.

Target Shooting

By: Grady

Ever since I was introduced to target shooting I have loved it. Target shooting is not only fun but it helps you in the field when hunting. Target shooting has improved my shot in the field and helped me to be more accurate. One of my favorite shooting activities is five stand at Great Guns Sporting in Nunn,CO. When shooting five stand there are five stations and at each stand there are five numbers on a small sign. The single number by itself means you shoot one clay and the double numbers mean you shoot two clays, one after another. You can keep score for five stand but I just like doing it for fun. Five stand has different types of shots because each thrower is different which helps for pheasant hunting. My other favorite type of shooting is going out to Pawnee Grasslands to shoot rifles. I like shooting a 270 caliber rifle at a 6 inch steel target at 100-200 yards. Also, shooting 22 caliber rifles at a small plastic prairie dog target we have is fun. My favorite 22’s to shoot is my bolt action rifle with a scope and the silver boy henry my Mom has. Target shooting is something that I will always enjoy.

Shooting 5 stand Me with a mallard duck

Part of the Family

By Garner Agone

It’s 6:00am and the thermometer reads 9 degrees, nothing sounds more inviting than a good fire, something warm to drink and a hot breakfast. Being April all of the upland bird seasons are long gone and it is months until they begin again. Upland birds can be hunted for nearly six months out of the year in most states, if it was up to your hunting partners the seasons would be all year long. This is why I am up early, getting dog collars on and loading the truck for a training and exercise session.

When hunting with people who do not own a hunting dog, or bird dogs as our family likes to refer to them, they love seeing the dogs hunt. What they do not see is the time, effort, and energy it takes to have a successful day in the field with bird dogs. Having a bird dog is a year round, every day, rain or shine commitment and is in no way the same as having a common pet. Bird dogs need constant training, exercise and stimulation to not only be good at what they do but also a good pet. Here are a few training and exercise tips that I have learned over the course of my life with bird dogs.

Commands

I use the term commands with the idea that you speak to your bird dog like you would a first grader who hasn’t brushed their teeth. Commands should be firm and fair with a consistent tone that says “I mean what I ask and I am only going to ask it once”. The commands that I feel are essential for a bird dog to understand and hear every day are come, heel and whoa. From the start of the relationship with a bird dog it is important to build a trusting bond so that what you say to them is heard and understood. Do not expect a bird dog to follow a command without learning what it means first, and try to avoid giving commands with excessive emotion in your voice.

Exercise

Daily exercise for bird dogs is essential, not only for the dog but for the hunter as well. When you walk one mile during the season your dog most likely runs five, through thick grass, over logs and thickets. Exercise throughout the year is critical so that dogs' bodies are conditioned for the elements upland cover presents. Do not expect to take a dog out a few weeks before the season and expect them to perform well, they will most likely be in the kennel by noon with sore paws and panting.

Train Yourself

Training and working with bird dogs is learned through interactions, research and experiences. It is important to understand that you need to train yourself physically and mentally as much as you do your dog. If you are expecting your dog to do something that you have not taught them or they understand you will both become frustrated. By setting fair and consistent expectations with your commands you can embrace a team mentality with your bird dog. Physically a hunter has to have enough conditioning to walk miles with their dog to find birds, many times walking that extra half mile at the end of the day has paid off.

Fun

Each dog has their own personality and strengths, which is something that should be embraced and encouraged. We see their personalities best in the field when they are doing what they were born to do, find birds. Working with your bird dogs should be fun and something everyone in the family enjoys. This is something we have to remind ourselves of when your bird dog eats a dead fish, eats a batch of freshly baked cookies or disappears for five minutes and returns with a bobcat in their mouth. Personally, I would not enjoy upland hunting near as much as I do if it wasn’t for the dogs.