Pheasant Hunting

Pheasant Hunting is wing shooting at it’s best. Pheasants are a variety of large, usually long-tailed, gallinaceous birds of the family of Phasianidae of the Old World. In the many parts of North America you can find the ruffed grouse, which is a type of pheasant. Pheasant hunting is specialty hunting that requires knowledge and skill. Bird dogs typically flush the bird into flight out of the hedgerows, woodlands and plantings, sorghum and switch grasses, as the hunter stands poised with shotgun aimed and ready to fire. Once the bird has been hit and falls to the ground, the retriever dog fetches the bird for the hunter. While pheasant hunting you may also expect additional opportunities to shoot other birds in flight such as quail and partridge.

Those of you who enjoy pheasant hunting, should be aware that all wild birds require four things to survive: A good source of food, water, cover and a habitat that is unthreatened by man’s encroachment. The state of Kansas rates among the top three sites in the nation for pheasant hunts. In some states, pheasant populations have decreased due to the United States Government cutting back on their Conservation Reserve Program. Thanks to Pheasants Forever and other conservation organizations, pheasant populations are continually growing in many areas providing excellent opportunities for sportsmen.

If you are interested in the preservation of the habitat for wild birds you may wish to contact www.pheasantsforever.org. This group is attempting to come together in support for the government to help in maintaining a safe habitat for these birds.

Always contact each state for their hunting rules and regulations before going pheasant hunting or any other type of hunting. Once you have bagged a bird, plucking, skinning, filleting, icing and packing for transport are important to protect the meat from spoiling. If you have a hunting guide, he will probably do these things for a fee, that is, if you are more of a shooter than a doer when it comes to bird cleaning.

If you have lived on this earth for more than a few decades you have probably heard “I will have pheasant under glass, please.” Which is supposed to portray the ultimate in dining, although most of us have never eaten pheasant whether under glass or on a barbeque spit, a bit of research turned up an excellent recipe for pheasant served under glass, along with an explanation?

By the way; pheasant prepared as a gourmet meal is served under glass to hold in the cognac flavor used in its preparation. The glass cover is removed just before serving.