March, 2010

My son’s first pheasant hunting trip was planned & he was rarin’ to go!  That was until a Thursday nite mishap caused him to sprain his ankle which would have shortened his endurance for the length of hunt we had planned.  Mother Nature intervened, bringing a whole lot of snow and postponing the weekend trip allowing Bryce a little recovery time!

Got it!!

A week later, we headed towards Hastings for the much anticipated hunt! I was amazed at how excited he was and knew this was a special time for the two of us.  Most ten year olds would have thrown in the towel hiking through tall grasses and, at times, up and down some very steep hills that separated what seemed to be hundreds of old WW II bunkers.  As the day wore on, all of the BIG GUYS were having success and he was feeling a little left out. Determined and focused, he got his boots muddy and continued on hoping that by the end of the day his patience and hard work would pay off.  After about 4 hours, he finally got his chance when Bryce exclaimed, “I see one…there it is….I see it!” The three of us on the hunt with him shouted out at once, “Shoot it!” Though cold and tired, Bryce shot not once, but twice from his over under Ruger 20 gauge.  Most of the day we had roosters and hens running and this time was no exception.  Bryce managed to “Arkansas” the pheasant and it turned out to be the longest tail feathered pheasant of the afternoon.  “Wow Dad…I never thought I would love hunting so much!”  Those words & the memory of Bryce’s enthusiasm for his first pheasant hunt, will be remembered fondly forever…and with friends there by our side, it was even more special! (Thanks John!)