Success!

I ended up having a relatively successful pheasant opener, despite the fact that all my plans fell apart at the last minute. We were originally supposed to hunt some private land in the Marshall area, but there was apparently some miscommunication and we weren't able to go.

Instead, we hit up some public land west of town. We had 4 hunters and 2 dogs, Bandit the JRT and Porter the German Wirehair. We got there a little late due to the icy roads, but luckily there were no other hunters in "my spot". I soon found out why. Due to all the recent rain we've gotten, my spot was kind of a swamp.

Fortunately, we were able to find some higher ground, and we flushed 5 birds in just over an hour. Only one rooster got up in range, and I was able to bring it down. I guess my shooting practice over the summer must have paid off! Public land birds in the St. Cloud area are hard to come by, so every one is a trophy, especially considering how much corn was still out in the fields.

Upon exiting the field, we were checked by a DNR officer. He said that, of all the groups he'd checked, we had fared the best. He also told us that all the public land in the area had been hit hard. We then decided to avoid the crowds and head north to do some grouse hunting for the rest of the day. We had less success there, flushing only a pair of woodcock and one hen pheasant.

I generally prefer to hunt later in the season, after the crowds are gone and the fields have been harvested, but the opener is such an "event" for me that I can't resist getting out.

I couldn't keep him away from the pheasants!

Licking his chops. He knows he always gets a few scraps while I'm cleaning the birds.