Charles and I started the week chasing Southeastern Nebraska prairie chicken. As the population in the area is somewhat sparse, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission limits the number of birds harvested to three the entire season, from September 1 to January 31, and a hunter must obtain special tags to harvest in this area.
We spent five hours of our Saturday walking in a drizzle and didn’t spot a single game bird of any kind. Our intention was to return to the field on Sunday, either for prairie chicken or the last day of early teal, but we were rained out.
One of our puppies from this year’s litter, Ben, was out in the South Central part of the state and had some great luck on sharptails out there. Ben is our top prospect for a mate for our 6 month old Canadian import girl, BB. Great job, Ben, and owner, Nate!
Ben, Nate and Nate's father with the grouse harvest
A visit was also paid to us by another puppy from this year’s litter, Duke. He is growing big and there are plans in the works to get him out on some birds with our guidance before his November pheasant hunting trip to South Dakota.
The Duke at 6 months
On Monday, Charles guided another successful preserve pheasant, chukar and Hungarian partridge hunt. The hunting party consisted of two native Nebraska gentlemen along with a father and two sons from Long Island, NY. We had a wet start after an early morning rain, but by 9 AM the sun had emerged, so that the grass and our soaked clothes were completely dry by the time we wrapped up mid-afternoon.
Hunters walking the thick grass
The father shoots a chukar, while Sam points another bird on the ground
One of the sons shoots a gorgeous rooster pheasant
Sam retrieving a rooster pheasant
Sam does a water retrieve on a pheasant shot over the pond
The hunting party and birds
Family picture with the birds
An interesting aside about a native bird that we encountered on our hunt. In the wetness of the morning, we flushed a few sora rails in a densely vegetated, low, wet spot. As they are in season and we had a Nebraska licensed hunter on one of the guns, he harvested one of the sora rails.
The sora rail’s flight is best described as “dumpy”. They don’t fly very fast or far when they flush and are easily recognized: fatter than most song birds, black body with a yellow, triangular bill and long, greenish legs that hang down when they fly. Sora rail hunting is most popular in the Northeastern Coastal areas, where they often use small boats to hunt them in seaside marshes.
The hunter didn’t have any desire to take the sora home with him, so we brought the bird home to add some tasty bites to our meal for the evening.
Caleb, age 2 1/2, practices his hunter pose with the sora rail
Bluestem Kennels 