PHEASANT OPENER

Deer season in Idaho always opens on the 10^th of October and pheasant season usually opens on the second Saturday in October. This year that Saturday was the 9^th which meant deer season opened the following day. I much prefer bird hunting to deer hunting and try to get a deer just for the meat because I prefer it to beef. I hunt deer only on the farm and naturally the easiest time to bag one is opening day. Deer prospects haven’t looked good lately and pheasants even worse. Idaho Fish and Game predicted very few birds and my observations agreed with their predictions.

After a very successful partridge hunt Tuesday in town (1 chukar and a limit of huns) we left for the farm. I had told Ken, my hunting partner, that I most likely would not come back to town for pheasant opener in view of the prospects and the fact that I would have to come right back to the farm that same afternoon. However, after scouting for deer and confirming those poor prospects I decided to make the quick turnaround trip to town to hunt with Ken. I always enjoy hunting with Ken and since expectations were so low I wasn’t likely to be disappointed.

We didn’t get into town until about bedtime and as I was into a good book and couldn’t sleep I didn’t dose off until about 2:30 a.m. and I was back up a little after 5:30. Ken and I went to our usual opening pheasant area near Lapwai a little ways southeast of Lewiston. Apparently the poor forecast had discouraged all the hunters because we saw only two all morning and didn’t hear any shots (except our own) in the area. We started up a draw and hadn’t been out of the truck 15 minutes when 20 or more pheasants began flushing above us. One was close enough that Ken even took a shot but didn’t get it. Long story short, in two hours we both had our limit of 3 pheasants. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve bagged my limit that quickly on opening day. What was really funny was that the forecast had virtually eliminated the other hunters. Well, it almost did me too. M/W