Opening Day in Flushing The Southern Michigan Pheasant Opener The upland bird hunting season kicked into full swing with the pheasant opener on October 20, and the timing of this special day this year was just plain perfect. It is as though the hunting gods waited hour by hour through their fall season for just the right combination of colors, smells and weather, just so they could leave one of the most memorable impressions possible. The smell of dried leaves, wildflowers and field crops is nature's own potpourri. Its one of nature's gifts. Success does not depend on a game bag full of pheasants. We were very fortunate to harvest a few cocks on the opener. Hope you enjoy the pics. My opener was fantastic. I was invited to Flushing, Michigan, to hunt with a good friend Ken Lorincz whom I met at the annual Flushing Walleye Festival. Flushing, Michigan sure sounds like the town to hunt in when it comes to bird hunting, and it didn't disappoint us. Ken had worked hard to round up a few quality places to hunt. He had done his homework well. That is what it takes to be a successful pheasant hunter these days. Research. There are still many places that hold good populations of pheasants. When I think back to all the talk about the better hunting of the past, I still am reminded that even though a hunter may have seen 40 birds a day, they could still only take three back then. Today, the daily bag limit is two and four in possession. The early season in zone 3 is October 20 to Nov 14. A portion of zone three also has a late season running from Dec 1-15. On this day, we all had plenty of opportunity to take our daily limit if our shots were on target. The first field we pushed was about 40 acres. It was a second year grown-over soybean field, (which is usually about the best natural habitat offered in mid Michigan). Foxtail and sudan grass were thick in this field, and the dogs were immediately birdy. We knew we were pushing birds right away, and Ken had blockers working right from the start, to keep the birds from moving into inaccessable areas. We ended up with 12 flushes from that field, and 5 roosters in the bag. We missed at least 4 roosters, and the big cock of the neighborhood escaped by flying right across the landowner's front yard. Birdhunters may cringe and whine a little about that, but that is the reason we hunt these wiley birds. They are not easy pickings. One of the big issues to remember when hunting wild ringnecks today is the evolution they have undertaken. Few roosters crow during the blast anymore. I did not hear one of the 7 roosters we flushed crow. They seldom sit for the pointers anymore, unless they are pinned down. Many pointers are merely pointing the fading smell of a ringneck on the move, and the telltail sign is the pointer starts to creep. Flushing breeds help but only if the hunter can stay within shooting range. We went through the same areas previously hunted and still flushed birds. Many actually circle back. It is important to include this in the overall gameplan so the birds can be moved to areas where the hunters may have one last chance. It is also important to leave a few birds. We tread very lightly here with two seasons, but we have birds year after year. We pushed this field twice, then left it for another day knowing there were still a few birds there. Kids, dogs, and autumn in mid-Michigan is a perfect place to be in October. A special thanks to Ken Lorincz for his love of rooster pheasants and showing us a great time complete with a wild game lunch. |
The perfect combination of kids, dogs and scenery and our opening day in Flushing was picture-perfect. Here Tyler Scharich shows off a beauty. |
Gary Wescott with a nice rooster. |
Champ with a brace. |
