Do you remember the first time you went hunting?

[jsipes724]

Recently I was invited by a friend to go to a game farm.  While I have shot trap and skeet for a few years, I had never been out to hunt an actual bird.  We went to Wings North in Pine City, Minnesota, which is a very short drive from the twin cities.  I went with two friends who each have a working dog.  The weather was perfect.  Not too warm and not too cold, clear skys, a slight breeze with the ground being mostly dry.

I listened closely to my two friends who were very patient explaining how we would work the field and what to watch for from the dogs.  I was amazed as I watched the dogs working in tandem back and forth through the fields, staying close to our front line as we moved.  While I have always had dogs, I had never been around a working dog and found it mesmerizing.  Quickly after we started moving I heard Mike say, "watch the yellow dog, see her tail.  She is getting birdy".  And then it happened.  Kaylee had flushed a pheasant fluttered up and away.  Safety off, aim, fire.

My bird fell and Kaylee quickly retrieved the bird bringing it to Mike's feet.  We continued moving through the fields where we encountered more birds.  I had been around Kaylee since she was a pup but I recognized she was "working" and it was not time to play.  I did not attempt to give commands to her while we were moving as I did not know if that was appropriate with a hunter.

Around the fifth or sixth felled bird, Kaylee ran past Mike to me stopping at my feet.  She looked up at me as if saying, "here you go".  I looked at Mike confusingly.  I reached down with one hand and took a firm grip of the bird.  Kaylee slowly released the bird and watched as I secured it in my vest.  It was as if she was watching me and finding enjoyment in how excited I was.  I gave her praise and a pat on the head before she ran off listening for her next command from Mike.  This once playfull energetic pup was all business in the field.

I am not sure if it was watching the dogs work the fields, hitting my first bird or having Kaylee bring me that bird but I knew that I was immediatly hooked on bird hunting.  It was the perfect first hunting experience.  I won't say we hit all of our birds but Mike and Nate both were pleased with our numbers for the morning.

We returned to the club house at the end of our hunt to find it was filled with male and females in their early teens.  The club was running a clinic for young hunters and I chuckled that I could be sitting with them as a first timer.

I learned a lot from Mike, Kaylee, Nate and Libby that day and was very appreciative to get to go bird hunting with them for the first time. 

Do you remember your first time hunting?  If you get a chance, take a new hunter (young or old) out and pass on the experience to another generation.

[Mayfly]

Great read. Thanks for sharing.   

[thunderpout]

Sounds like you had a great time!  Its also great that you enjoyed watching the dogs work...sometimes thats even better than getting birds itself.  Wings north is a great place, Ive shot sporting clays there many times, the people that own & run the club there are awesome.  Now dont take this wrong, & it will probably ruffle a few feathers, but shooting birds on a game farm really isnt hunting.... its terrific practice for dogs and wingshooters alike, but its not really true hunting.  They arent wild birds, they're pen raised birds that have spent their lives in a pen, that dont have the natural skills that wild birds have, and most of them are planted except for the scratch birds that previous people havent harvested.  Dont get me wrong, game farms have their place, in helping and teaching people that havent hunted before the basics(that is if you are shooting with experienced people who are capable of showing you the ropes...) and for training and working dogs and getting them on birds in the off season.  Game farms can play an important role in helping perpetuating the hunting traditions, especially with young people and also with people like yourself that have the interest to start hunting.  I give you huge kudos that you have decided to get into bird hunting, and even more that you realize how important it is to get young an old people alike interested in hunting and the great outdoors... but realize shooting birds on a game farm isnt true hunting.  Im sure you are ready to hit the fields and woods now to do the real thing... I wish ya the best of luck, and it sounds like you may want to maybe get a bird dog in the future to hunt with, which you experienced, and found to be a very enjoyable part of bird hunting. 

[Pegg]

Nice read. I take my son out with me as much as we can. We dont do much shooting but he enjoys being out in the woods with me.

[Big E]

Great story. My first time hunting I can't really point down but every time I hit the feild it's a learning expierience and a great memory. Happy to see another one is hooked on bird hunting.

[MagicOPromotion]

we used to hunt pheasants at the blueberry farms on reicenbach road, i think thats the wrong spelling, its the road the alouette boat marina is on. lots of pheasants used to live there in years past. same with the farms down at the confluence of where the pitt river meets the fraser. used to be lots of pheasnts around there, you could here them all the time.
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