Pheasant hunting time

I always have mixed feelings about the opening of pheasant season.

On one hand I look forward to hunting the big, gaudy birds again, and having the house full of friends and dogs. On the other hand, now I’ll have to share the places I hunt with strangers.

Since the Sept. 1 upland game bird opener I’ve been hunting more days than not. I saw other hunters twice, and I almost always hunt public land.

I‘m spoiled, used to having much of Montana to myself. Few hunters, it appears, are interested in the earlier season offerings of grouse, partridge, and doves. They’re waiting instead for pheasants.

A lot of hunters also have jobs, which limit the amount of time they can hunt so they have to prioritize. I gave up that nonsense years ago choosing to hunt and fish instead of contributing in any meaningful way to the economy.

I’m surprised there aren’t more ne’er-do-wells like me. Oh, I run into a few other old guys every season, but we’re quickly dying off. A few of us will no doubt tip over this weekend, succumbing to years of excess and bad habits.

In a week or so things will quiet down. Those one-trip-a-season hunters will be done and I’ll have the place all to myself once again. The general big game season opener later this month always draws a crowd, as does the final weekend, but in between and after there’s plenty of shoulder room.

As much as I don’t like to run into other hunters, it would be nice to see more young people in the field. I have a slew of grandchildren, some of whom already hunt, but other interests, primarily sports, often get in the way.

I don’t know how I got so hooked. Dad took me hunting when I was a kid and I took it to another level from there.

Hopefully some kid swung on a rising rooster last weekend, dropped it at the shot, and will never be the same. He’ll waste all his money on guns and ammo, spend more time with his dogs than his schoolwork, and fantasize about his first double.

He’ll be happy to hunt with friends, but be perfectly content to go it alone.

It’s something to aspire to.

At least I thought so.

This time of year I have no doubt.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected].