Usually when winter sets in and deer season is over, hunters go through their typical withdrawals. So last year in February, I got together with some fellow Michiganders and went on a pheasant hunt. Now I am not real experienced in upland game bird hunting, so just the thought of going was a chore in itself. Three of my friends make it an annual event to go north of where we live and pheasant hunt a farm in Scottsville. I got the crazy idea that I would invite my girlfriend Melanie A.K.A (Mel) and myself along. Being the great guys that they happen to be, the three musketeers-Dan, Chip and Ron let us in on the fun. For the record, I have to tell you that in February anything in Michigan is COLD! Dressing warm would have to be our first priority. I think I looked like the Michelin man, after I put on the layers; it was going to take to keep me warm. Thank you once again Rocky boots. My feet were nice and toasty. Mel and I wanted to try our new Thompson Centers out and see how they would do on a pheasant hunt. The guys took along shotguns that held plenty of shells in them. Mel only needed her one shot wonder.
I mean she was on fire. If it flew, she nailed it. One shot one kill. I didn’t do too bad either. I had a slow start and finished with a bang. Chip and I even got a double right at the end. This is where I have to bring in the fact that our bird dog, Stryker was also a girl. Man can she hunt. It was so amazing to watch her work. She is a four year old, German Shorthair. What a beautiful dog. So smart and she was definitely working for the girl’s team. Stryker must have run twenty miles in that 120-acre hunt. Zigzagging back and forth. I was exhausted, just watching. The farm we hunted is about an hour north of where we live so we met up early and began to hunt around 7:00 A.M. and finished about two in the afternoon, a very productive hunt in deed. It was a very tiring day. Poor Chip tried to take a shortcut and went hip deep in a swamp. I can’t imagine how cold that was for him. It didn’t stop us all from laughing at him though. If you had been there, you would have laughed too.
I was very pleased with my T/C Arms. I used the Encore with a 12-gauge barrel and Mel was using a 20-gauge barrel. Both worked perfect. Ron was filming for us and made a remark that it was the first time he had witnessed a bird hunt in which T/C’s were used. Just goes to show you that an Encore can do anything! A pheasant hunt is a great way to spend time in the outdoors and get a little shooting practice in while you are waiting for turkey or deer season to arrive. Mel and I are planning the second annual girls pheasant hunt right now. Part two, coming soon!
