Giant Mountain Of Corn

While out of town earlier this month to chase pheasants in South Dakota I couldn't help but notice all the corn in eastern South Dakota and all across Minnesota.  Mile upon mile of standing corn, silage bags stuffed with hundreds of yards of corn and so much corn that the elevators have nowhere to go with it resulting in monstrous corn mountains and sometimes covered with a blue tarp.

 

No wonder corn prices are hitting the skids; US farmers are simply too efficient for their own good.

And I guess the problem extends to here too.  From WFRV in Green Bay there is this: 

Pheasant Hunt

It was only a couple of weeks ago I was in eastern South Dakota chasing pheasants; Friday is a reunion of sorts as several of the usual suspects from that trip will find their way here for the gun deer opener this coming Saturday.  I figure smoked pheasant will find its way into our diet next weekend.

Anyway some photos from the the pheasant hunt...

Queuing-up to push some grass

 

  

And some post hunt images back at the outfitter's barn...

$2 Beers and $3 Hi Balls

 

And at our rental house.  For ten guys a terrific set-up with a couple of bathrooms, a bunch of bedrooms, bunks and kitchen. 

 

Licking Our Wounds

 

We returned late Monday from five days in South Dakota. That dog with the scuffed schnoz really delivered the goods. At barely 2.5 years old she’s maturing into a terrific upland bird hunter. Excellent family member too. 

 

Halfway into Saturday I was not having a good day.  The hunting was fine yet my phone had gone missing from my jacket.  I was convinced I lost it somewhere in the cattails or some other nonsense.  A first rate inconvenience. 

 

Later, working a slough someone took a couple of pokes at a rooster that glided out of sight over the rise of a picked bean field. Nobody figured it was hit. Nevertheless, in hot pursuit Ruby disappeared over the rise and wasn’t responding to my hollering or her electronic pipper. All I could think of is I started my day losing my phone; and now I lost the dog. 

 

After several long stressful minutes the dog materialized over the hill from out of nowhere with a dead rooster in her mouth.  She dropped it at my feet.

 

She owns the record retrieve of the trip.

 

There is no photo as it turns out I left my phone in the car.

 

We're both a wee bit limpy and gimpy from all the fun we had.  Metaphorically and in reality licking our wounds.... 

Crashed

Most days my dog gets a dose of outdoor exercise; an important factor to successfully raising a puppy.  Especially a sporting breed.  As a consequence my dog takes her sleep very seriously.

And by the time this post is published Braumeister and I will be driving home following a trip to South Dakota to chase pheasants.  It's likely he, me and the dog are gonna crash tonight.

Check-back in the next week for photos and if we were successful.  Or not.

As Randi Dix says;  Shoot 'em in the face! 

South Dakota Ringnecks

Got back home Monday late afternoon following a trip to South Dakota to chase pheasants with my new dog and nine of my buddies.  Most of the guys are long term hunting and fishing pals along with some new ones.

Here's a handful of photos from the festivities.

Drive west including an unplanned Minnesota blizzard.

 

Some photos from the field.

All the corn was off the fields so we exclusively hunted cattail sloughs, reed canary grass you could barely see over and other natural cover.  Ugh.

Add rain and wind and it was the toughest hunt in memory

A day's tally of dead birds.

Lounging around the house.

The Red Rocket (Ruby) is a natural.  She put-up her share of birds on her own and had several retrieves.  First trip out - I think she's a natural.

She shes got some aches and scrapes so if you're looking for a Pro Tip for a sore schnoz there is this... 

And So It Begins

The calm before the storm.....

 

Walk Down Memory Lane

My Pal Lawyer sent these photos to me recently.  They're from one of many trips out to South Dakota to chase ringnecks.  They're also pretty old.  The dog and I are both quite a bit grayer nowadays.

click on images to enlarge

Better Living Though Smoking

Yesterday after the morning chores I fired-up the smoker.

On Thursday the dogs and I put a pail of eight South Dakota pheasant breasts down in the basement to soak in the signature brine.

The Frau and I had to fiddle with the placement of the smoker so the persistent east wind wouldn't blow-out the flame.  Eventually we got it spot-on and by 2 PM those precious breasts were smoking low and slow over apple wood.

Took them off after three hours.

Here's the finished product.

Oooooo baby.  Very nice.

I'll leave them in the pan in the garage fridge overnight and then debone most of them and cut into cubes.  From there they'll be apportioned into 1 cup packages and shrink wrapped and frozen.

I'll probably freeze a couple of the better-looking ones intact for entertaining.  Nothing better than cold smoked pheasant and cheese on crackers.  Especially during the holidays.

I took one of the breasts that was 'significantly shot' and trimmed and cubed it.

Fix a simple cheese sauce and cook a pot of pasta.

Drain your pasta.

Add back to the pasta pot some olive oil and a chopped garden onion. Saute.

When your onions begin to glaze add the pheasant.

After the pheasant and onion are heated-through add a cup of frozen peas from this year's garden.

Add back the drained pasta and pour the sauce over all.

Heat thoroughly and serve with grated Romano cheese.

This is a meal guaranteed to advance the domestic relations...



Downtime

When we're off chasing ringnecks in Spink County, SD one of our favorite times of day happens to be kicking-back and enjoying some downtime at Randi's Refuge.

Located in a a barn it has all of the comforts of - well - a barn.  Except that it is appointed with over stuffed furniture, a fully stocked fridge and bar.  It's a combination dog kennel, pheasant-cleaning station and man cave.

Back in Dolan at our rented house it's pate, sardines, head cheese, toast points and the Packer game...

click on images to enlarge