I wanted to take the dog out for a pheasant hunt this weekend, and I was hoping the boys would want to go with us. I wasn’t sure, because it was cold outside, and video games have become a pretty enticing lure for them lately.
But surprisingly, they both jumped at the chance to go. I didn’t even have to beg them or threaten them with taking away their video game privileges. I actually had a harder time getting the dog into the truck than the boys. She’s developed a bit of a phobia of jumping into the back seat, but she’s happy as a clam when she finally gets in the truck.
We got everyone loaded up, though, and headed for the walk-in areas and the Table Mountain management area. We checked online to see which areas the Game and Fish is stocking this year, but I explained to the boys that’s no guarantee we’d get any birds, or even see any.
Since there was only one of me and two young hunters, I opted to only arm one of the kids at a time. I was hoping Riley would kick up enough birds to give both boys several chances at them, and I got my wish. The Lab flushed two birds right away, and Colby took a crack at one of them. Then it was his brother’s turn. Logan had a shot at a rooster about a quarter of a mile later, and then the boys traded the 20-gauge after every flush.
We didn’t come home with any birds, but we had a blast. The boys each got to shoot a few times, and the dog got to see what pheasant hunting is about – it would have been better if she’d been able to retrieve a few, but I think we all enjoyed the trip anyway. On the way home, the boys asked me when we could go again. I don’t think video games crossed their minds all day.
