1
1smellydeer
Guest
I took out grandpa, my friend, and 2 youth hunters, for their first pheasant hunt only because I heard the hype of 11,000 birds being released. We didn't have a dog but I figured I'd take them as we might just get lucky and stumble across a few since there were suppose to be so many birds released.
We went to the Nephi hunting unit. I was the first one there but by hunt time there were hunters every 10 feet- which is to be expected in Utah. Nobody to blame there-
Among the 5 of us we didn't fire our guns at any pheasants and only saw 1 bird fly and get destroyed by all the flying lead. A local guy said there were only 20 birds released and 6 were hens. So 14 birds for about 100 hunters. disappointing at best. Now I remember why I stopped hunting pheasants 10 yrs ago. If you don't have a good dog and can't afford pay at-least 20/bird at a pheasant farm it can be frustrating trying to bag a pheasant in Utah.
However, when you go outdoors theres always a positive. it was a fun memory with my son, dad and good friends. The other hunters around us were great guys and wanted my son to get his first shot at a pheasant. At one point they had 4 dogs working just for him! The dogs found a dead bird they gave him and when we were done they gave him 3 more they had shot with their group.
On our way home we saw some trees that were full of Eurasian doves. After getting permission from a nice guy hunting pheasants in the same field we shot Eurasian doves for the next 2 hours and had a great time. I'm truly grateful to
Tyler Schlappi- (i hope he doesn't mind i mention his name) and his group who made it a fun experience for my son. Apparently Tyler guides for pheasant hunts in Gunnison at a ranch and we were just lucky enough to bump into him. What a class act he and his group are.
The part of the story nobody knows is I'm in the middle of a terrible divorce and rarely get to see my children, so this day meant much more than the surface to me and my young son. I hadn't seem him this happy in over a year. Deepest gratitude to the Schlappi brothers and the nice guy that let us shoot doves in his field. We ended what could have been a frustrating day with an 18 doves and 4 pheasant cookout. Ive found most times I plan any event in the outdoors with friends or family its worthwhile. If nothing else its a story to share next time your sitting around the campfire.
We went to the Nephi hunting unit. I was the first one there but by hunt time there were hunters every 10 feet- which is to be expected in Utah. Nobody to blame there-
Among the 5 of us we didn't fire our guns at any pheasants and only saw 1 bird fly and get destroyed by all the flying lead. A local guy said there were only 20 birds released and 6 were hens. So 14 birds for about 100 hunters. disappointing at best. Now I remember why I stopped hunting pheasants 10 yrs ago. If you don't have a good dog and can't afford pay at-least 20/bird at a pheasant farm it can be frustrating trying to bag a pheasant in Utah.
However, when you go outdoors theres always a positive. it was a fun memory with my son, dad and good friends. The other hunters around us were great guys and wanted my son to get his first shot at a pheasant. At one point they had 4 dogs working just for him! The dogs found a dead bird they gave him and when we were done they gave him 3 more they had shot with their group.
On our way home we saw some trees that were full of Eurasian doves. After getting permission from a nice guy hunting pheasants in the same field we shot Eurasian doves for the next 2 hours and had a great time. I'm truly grateful to
Tyler Schlappi- (i hope he doesn't mind i mention his name) and his group who made it a fun experience for my son. Apparently Tyler guides for pheasant hunts in Gunnison at a ranch and we were just lucky enough to bump into him. What a class act he and his group are.
The part of the story nobody knows is I'm in the middle of a terrible divorce and rarely get to see my children, so this day meant much more than the surface to me and my young son. I hadn't seem him this happy in over a year. Deepest gratitude to the Schlappi brothers and the nice guy that let us shoot doves in his field. We ended what could have been a frustrating day with an 18 doves and 4 pheasant cookout. Ive found most times I plan any event in the outdoors with friends or family its worthwhile. If nothing else its a story to share next time your sitting around the campfire.
