Nebraska Ringnecks on a Snowy Day

[Deleted]

We had a good day in the stubble fields and the tree rows....Limited out by noon. My two buddies on each side of me told me to tell you that if I posted this picture is that they carried me all the way If anybody did any carrying it was Boomer the Golden Lab...You should have seen him work.
Zen

[tar12]

I would love to get into birds like that just one more time! Seeing a ringneck around here is rare.I have seen 2 in 14 years.Growing up in Il. we limited out on a regular basis but farming practices and yotes have sure hurt them here.

[jims]

Good hunting. Like Tar12 says it is rare to hear or see a ringneck these days. I had a few on my farm but have not seen one in about a year now. No quail in nearly 10 years.

[ET]

Panhandle

Congrats on a productive and successful day.

Your pictured results brings back fond memories of a time when pheasant hunting with my 4-legged partner when he was alive. When he came across a fresh scent his body language oozed excitement that was contagious as I could then feel the flow of adrenaline start. The shotgun would then shift from a carry state to readiness for a shot that could come from anywhere, anytime.

Then when a good shot was made my friend would proudly retrieve our prize. At the end of a tiring day a field we both returned home satisfied to have enjoyed a day together.

Thanks for stirring those precious memories with your picture.


Ed

[Deleted]

Boomer the Lab is a young dog that had only hunted Geese, just retrieving them from the pit...It didn't take him long to figure out what we were doing and after the first kill he looked like he'd been hunting pheasants all his life... Hunting behind a smart dog that loves what he's doing makes all the difference in the world. Several years ago in my area most of the pheasants got wiped out in a severe hail storm. Luckily it didn't hit to the north of us so there is still some fine bird hunting to be had. They're starting to make a come back in my county but it's been slow.....Pesticides, clean farming practices, and lots of predators have taken a toll also. I grew up as a kid in northern California farm land and at that time is wasn't uncommon to see several hundred birds a day.....For the last twenty years they've all but disapeared. To have good hunting it's necessary to have equally good property management towards the wildlife.

We could have limited out on Cottontails also...I like to eat them but my wife has this thing about those furry little critters....Our kids raised rabbits when they were young so they're all pets to her.
Zen

[ET]

Panhandle

That has to have a little frustration for a man being denied a good rabbit dinner. They are very tasty and enjoyable in my book. Yeah the cute furry syndrome is a hard one to deal with.

In my youth each hunting outing was an adventure because you never knew what you would encounter or how the day would turn out. Then when the hunt was shared with friends just seemed to enrich the adventure. Making good shots got you a compliment and for a terrible shot you can expect to get heckled or raked over the coals with laughter but that was all part of the fun hunting together.

Then as time past the desire to have a dog join in the hunt just added another dimension to the hunt. Watching a young dog develop or enhance his hunting skills over time was another adventure and joy in itself. To watch a friends young beagle work out the scent that would reveal the tactic a rabbit used to escape and when he figured it out the continuation of howling would resume as he was back on a hot track. Then there was my lab/shepherd pup that over time learned the wilily pheasant tactics escape patterns. Whether it was my dog or a friends dog because we were a team a sense of pride and joy was experienced when the young dog caught on.

I consider myself blessed to have enjoyed many a memorable small game hunt with friends and dogs over the years. Part of me hopes that my adventure making years are not over yet but as time passes will eventually come to a close. It is my hope that you and other hunters enjoy a rich life with hunting adventures.



Ed

[161]

I caller the Neb. DNR and received a packet on pheasant hunting your state. Wanted to make it out there but time didn't allow the trip. Glad you had a good time.
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