Pheasant Opener in Kansas!

The opening of pheasant season could not have come too soon. Rocky, Daphne and I had a great time.

Started out on a quarter-section walk-in with a corn field to the north. Rocky and I hunted the west border without seeing anything, then we reached the northern border next to the corn field, and he got very, very birdy. He quartered back into the tall grass in the walk-in and suddenly a rooster emerged, squawking furiously and flying towards the cornfield. I had my Browning 20 gauge loaded with 3-inch #4 shot. I fired and missed with the first shot and hit with the second. The bird was dead by the time it hit the ground. Rocky was in the tall grass when the bird flushed, so he was unable to mark the fall. I handled him to the bird and he made a great retrieve.

At 9 years, Rocky is showing his age. But he is still a great hunting dog and I will continue to hunt him as long as he is able.

Next I hunted Daphne in another walk-in a few miles north, bordered by wheat stubble north of that. Daphne ran through a draw and put up a big rooster. I hit it with either my second or third shot. Once again, the dog was unable to mark the fall due to the high cover. Handling her would not have worked because she would be unable to see my signals due to the tall grass. So I walked her to the vicinity of the fallen bird and gave her the command "dead bird". She found it promptly and made an excellent retrieve.

My 20 gauge Browning semiauto is my main gun for everything except for geese and turkey. Don't let anyone tell you a 20 gauge is too small for pheasant. I like it because it is easier to carry, easier on the shoulder, and easier on the ears. I usually hunt with a light modified choke. I do have a Weatherby 12 gauge O/U as a backup gun. But the only times I need to use it are when it is so cold that my semiauto won't cycle, or sometimes it gets so windy out on the plains that dust gets in the action and stops it from cycling.

I much prefer #4 shot for pheasant. I know that many people prefer #6 but I find I get more dead birds and fewer cripples with #4. It has much greater penetrating power, especially at long distances.