PHEASANT PRECURSOR

As some of you know all too well, family must take priority sometimes. It was my son’s first birthday this last weekend, which fell on (yep you guessed it) the 2011 MN pheasant opener. We hosted family, and by day’s end, I felt like I had walked 10 miles through switchgrass all day trying to roust a bird.

I’m not complaining, you must know. The smash cake was all too funny, and Liam and I will certainly be enjoying birthday hunting trips when the time comes.

For now, nothing is better than spending time together. Time flies as we grow old, and we all must make it a point to cherish every moment.

My Brittany and I did get out for a pheasant precursor prior to the opener. The offseason had taken a toll on both of us. It was time to get in shape. The event was a quasi-pheasant training session and grouse hunt. She loves the woods, and we tried to hit the cattails as hard as we could in “pheas-anticipation.”

The unseasonably warm October weekend made water a necessity for both of us, and presented some of the most beautiful fall colors I have ever seen. Not a bird was had, but we are now ready for longtails when the time comes.