With the frigid temperatures that keep lingering this winter we have been able to reflect on this past year’s hunting season. This was our first year hunting with all eight pointers over multiple hunting trips and also being able to hunt on Sunday in Pennsylvania. The first two major trips were in Michigan in September and October. After those trips our focus was on woodcock, grouse and pheasant in Pennsylvania.
The challenge we ran into this year was the quantity of hunters out on public lands with Sunday hunting now being permitted in Pennsylvania. With so many hunters and other dogs out we had to rein in the dogs more than we typically do which presented a challenge in areas with more open cover but even with that the season in our home state was a success.
Some of our top moments included Cece’s first pheasant and shooting a double over Wayne. Cece’s first pheasant involved recovering the rooster in a retaining pond (note to self start bringing a packable fishing rod since this is the second pheasant that we have had to fish out of a retaining pond). While Wayne’s double involved a hawk stealing the second pheasant. Even though the second pheasant wasn’t recovered going in for the flush and having three roosters flush simultaneously as Wayne was rock solid is something I’ll never forget.
Over the course of multiple hunting excursions after work and on the weekends the Wildland crew pointed a total of 49 pheasant, 5 grouse, and 15 woodcock. Wayne topped the list with 27 pheasant, 8 woodcock, and 3 grouse pointed!
Now to enjoy our dogs and continue to rest before spring training is in full swing.
