The Great Chicken Run......

[OUTDOORNUT]

Harpoon and myself are headed for the Prairie Chicken captial of MN in search of the wild chicken, some Sharptail, maybe a rooster or two and hopefully sneak in a waterfowl shoot. If all goes well, we can get some pics to share next week!

[HARPOON-OR-BUST]

THE GREAT CHICKEN RUN IS OVER..........WE ENDED UP 5 FOR 6 WHICH I THOUGHT WAS PRETTY GOOD. ONE LESSON LEARNED THE CHICKEN IS NOT A PHEASANT AND YOU JUST DON'T WALK UP ON THEM. THERE HAS TO BE SOME STRATEGY INVOLVED AND A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK. THESE BIRDS ALWAYS POSITION THEMSELVES WHERE THEY CAN SEE WHATS GOING ON. ONE WRONG MOVE AND THERE THEY GO 80 YARDS OUT. WHEN THEY DECIDE TO FLY ITS NOT 200 YARDS AND SIT DOWN IN THE SAME PIECE, ITS 1/2 MILE AND YOU DON'T SEE THEM AGAIN. ALL AND ALL IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE AND A GOOD TIME.

[OUTDOORNUT]

I think the best part of the trip was the opportunity to be able to hunt this native bird, a bird that the plow almost took out a hundred years ago. If it wasn't for numerous groups, agencies, and landowners that worked so hard to preserve the native prairie grass that these and many other birds rely on, that opportunity would not have been there for us. There were many of times we drove over a valley and all you could see was prairie grass.....the way it should be!

I just want to thank a few of the hard working, dedicated groups that made this possible for us. I urge everyone to be a member of one, if not all of these groups. You can't go wrong when your spending money for a non-profit. (Don't forget the many other groups out there also....PF, Delta, MWA, NWTF, etc.)

Minnesota Prairie Chicken Society

www.prairiechicken.org

Minnesota Sharptail Society

www.mnsharptails.org

The Nature Conservancy

www.nature.org

[gorrilla]

My dad and I were lucky enough to get draw for the first (recent) hunt a few years ago. We harvested 3 of our 4 possible and since it was so hot(it was the weedend when all the dogs died in SD) three was enough. My dad mounted the nicest chicken and my six month old GSP pointed two and the third was shot pass shooting when we picked up the second. He also surpised me when he pointed a large male coyote at about 5 feet in some CRP. After I smoked the fleeing yote with some #4'S I had to convince the pup he didn't have to retrieve this one. Awesome hunt.

[OUTDOORNUT]

A couple pics from the trip. Sorry, these Chickens are not real photogenic. The first is from the Prairie Chicken Captial of MN (Rothsay)