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Wolfchief
PostPosted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 8:36 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Posts: 782
Location: Indiana

Well, I realize that nothing can be more boring than hearing about someone else's good time...but for anyone looking for a ringing endorsement for an area to hunt, I can give one. This past week, Nov. 7 to Nov. 12, my son and I hunted pheasants and ducks/geese along the Missouri River northwest of Pierre, South Dakota. To say that area contains wild pheasants would be a gross understatement. We each limited on roosters every day.

In the early morning (we got up at 4 am) our host would take us waterfowl hunting on the Missouri River. He has a 19' camo boat rigged for carrying decoys and shooting birds. The wind usually was howling and he navigated the bays, backwaters and rocky points with a GPS in the pitch dark. We would all work to set out decoys when we arrived at our daily destination. Due to the warm temperatures, lack of rainfall over the summer and late migration, we didn't see as many ducks as planned. But over the 3- 1/2 day periods we did this, we shot 9 ducks and 5 geese, including a Ross's goose, a snow goose and 3 lesser Canada geese. Running that big river in a duck boat in the pre-dawn was a fantastic experience !!

Of course, 12 gauges were the order of the day for this hunting (I used a Benelli Super Black Eagle and #4 and #6 Hevi-Shot) BUT---for the roosters I used a Model 12 full choke 16 gauge (made in 1958 with a beavertail forend), and it worked wonderfully well. Each day around noon we would return from waterfowl hunting to the small town of Onida, SD for lunch. The accommodations were modest but the food was very good and the people were very genuine and friendly; pop. 671. We did not usually get started hunting until about 1:30 to 2 pm, but there it hardly mattered---they had so many birds that a limit was no problem.....we hunted CPR, sunflower and corn stubble, ditches, and weed patches. Birds were everywhere.
I used Remington Express #6's and was glad the Model 12 was full choke. The wind ranged from just ordinary windy to howling/screaming/mini hurricane and shots tended to be 30 yards plus. My dog made some fine retrieves.
Several times we were dodging tumbleweeds as they blew across the fields. Standing on a hilltop, seeing hundreds of birds flushing at days' end in the setting sun tinged with dust clouds, with the tumbleweeds blowing in the growing dusk, was an absolutely unforgettable and moving sight. I know I'm rambling--- this hunt was wonderful; it will remain a part of me until my very last breath and my son feels the same way. We'll be back next year.

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Ted Schefelbein
PostPosted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 8:52 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 19 Jun 2004
Posts: 1480
Location: Mpls, MN.

Did you happen to eat the lessers? The last one we came home with tasted like a combination of barn rat and mollusk, and not fresh mollusk at that. What recipe, if any?
I imagine what they eat has a lot to do with how the cook up.
Best,
Ted
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Wolfchief
PostPosted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 7:49 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Posts: 782
Location: Indiana

We haven't eaten any of the birds yet but we'll start soon. The last Lesser Canadian goose I ate was in 1998 and it came from North Dakota, and I honestly can't remember whether we noticed anything different about its taste one way or the other. I think we roasted that one. I gave 2 of these to my son who took them back down to Indianapolis with him....

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Parker Trojan
PostPosted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:58 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 24 Aug 2004
Posts: 225
Location: San Rafael, CA

Wolfchief: Glad to hear that your planned trip worked out even better than you had hoped.Forty years ago, when I asked my mentor what to do with a snow goose, his reply was "trade it for two teal" Eat more pheasant! Very Happy
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Wolfchief
PostPosted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:50 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Posts: 782
Location: Indiana

Amen, Parker ! Hope you get some too !!

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Larry Brown
PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 5:51 am  Reply with quote
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Chief, I hope that was CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) cover you were hunting, and you did not need CPR to help you recover from the shock of seeing so many pheasants.Smile
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16gaugeguy
PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:33 pm  Reply with quote
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Parker Trojan wrote:
Wolfchief: Glad to hear that your planned trip worked out even better than you had hoped.Forty years ago, when I asked my mentor what to do with a snow goose, his reply was "trade it for two teal" Eat more pheasant! Very Happy


The best way to eat a goose is to stuff a pillow with the down and dream about steak. Wink I once had a great recipe that calls for a couple of onions and a pine plank. I think you ended up dining on the plank but I can't quite remember. Anyway, Heidi loves them so the few I've taken did not go to waste. Amen to the pheasant Parker. thems is mighty good.
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L Kenney
PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:35 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 12 Aug 2005
Posts: 54
Location: San Francisco

Parker Trojan wrote:
Wolfchief: Glad to hear that your planned trip worked out even better than you had hoped.Forty years ago, when I asked my mentor what to do with a snow goose, his reply was "trade it for two teal" Eat more pheasant! Very Happy


PT - I know you and I hunt some of the same areas, but my experience with Sac Valley snow geese is that broiling the breasts with a little bit of garlic/wine/butter makes for great eating. Same with the Canadas I get occasionally. It's the picking that's a pain in the butt, and I admit to a modest amount of shame when I simply breast one out. As to specks, I don't think I'd trade a limit of teal for one .........
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Wolfchief
PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:40 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Posts: 782
Location: Indiana

Larry: It WAS CRP, and yes, I almost did need CPR by the time I digested the fact I was seeing more birds, in one place at one time, than I ever saw in my natural (or unnatural, for that matter !!) life ! My son, who is now 24 and has hunted pheasants with me since he was 9, absolutely could not believe the numbers of WILD ROOSTERS we were seeing. I don't know how long this quality of wild bird hunting will last, but I entreat anyone who is able, to make the trip and enjoy it while we still can.....the dog saw so many birds he wasn't quite sure where to start....but start he did !

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IDcut
PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 6:05 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 26 Jun 2005
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Location: North ID.

Last time I ate a lesser was from the Izembek Lagoon in AK. Baked them in a roasting bag with garlic, onions, and seasoning-best tasting geese I've ever had.
CH
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