McDonald Sportsmen's Association Pheasant Hunt 2015

Yesterday was the second annual McDonald's Sportsmens Association pheasant hunt for the Western Pennsylvania wounded warriors. It was a fantastic day and everyone had a great day out hunting.

The morning started off with donuts, juice and coffee at the safety meeting. It was great seeing all of the McDonald members from last year. The volunteers are so nice and thoughtful, they really make this event first class.

My friend Terry from the Western Pennsylvania wounded warriors delivered my spring turkey mount.  I will be getting this gobbler on my wall sometime later today.

We all loaded up on trailers, golf carts and side-by-side's to start the day's pheasant hunt. Handlers and sporting dogs accompanied each hunter. There's something about hunting with a well trained dog, that makes the whole experience that much better.

I was able to put three pheasants in my game bag. I am always so thankful that I have the opportunity to be out hunting, bagging a bird is just a bonus. It's hard to believe that last week I was in the hospital having my big toe amputated.

I did have to wear a protective foam boot. But with a little creativity and some camouflage cloth, it all worked out fantastic.

After the morning field hunt we all assembled for lunch. McDonald had the lunch catered and let me tell you, it was the best. I had a perfectly grilled steak, fried cod fillet and a side salad. A raffle was held following lunch and each hunter was given a prize. My friend Tom won a new 12 gauge shotgun! No one was left out and we were all surprised by the raffle (I won a sweet NRA folding knife).

After lunch we all went back out for a Continental pheasant shoot. Although it rained off and on throughout the day it could not put a damper on our enthusiasm.  I am already looking forward to next year's event. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this hunt possible. I know we will all be talking about it for a long time.

Hospital Stay

I have been battling with four pressure sores on my right foot the past several months. Two of them became extremely bad this week so I went to the emergency room on Wednesday. The surgeon had to amputate the big toe of my right foot and remove the bone along the blade. I was discharged on Friday and I am recovering now.

Hopefully I am able to go on the pheasant hunt scheduled for next Saturday with the Western Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors. Wish me luck, I could sure use it right now.

Fairbank Rod and Gun Club Pheasant Hunt

On Saturday September 27th Fairbank Rod and Gun Club held their 3rd annual Western Pa Wounded Warrior pheasant hunt.  I look forward to this event every year. The men and women at Fairbank are excellent host and they simply can't do enough to make sure we all have a fantastic hunt.

It was another great day in the field.  The weather was beautiful and the ringnecks were flying very well for all of us on the hill.The club put out 100 pheasants for our morning hunt.

For the 3rd year in a row I was able to take a pheasant in flight.  I feel I am becoming a better wing shooter and having the right equipment makes all the difference. The last two years I have been using my custom mount and custom bite trigger that my friend Ed Leeper made for me.  I have become a much more confident shooter using this set up.

Everyone had a great time hunting together.  We enjoy our time hunting together and giving advise and encouragement to each other.  On this hunt we had hunters with quadriplegia, blindness, amputations, paraplegia, ptsd,  heck you name it. Together we are strong and for a short while, just hunters and friends.

Pheasant Hunting

I am looking forward to tomorrows 3rd annual Pheasant Hunt  at Fairbank Rod and Gun Club with the Western Pa Wounded Warriors.  The weather is going to be nice and the people at Fairbank are great to hunt with.

What loads do you use for pheasants?

Pheasant Hunt McDonald Sportsmen

On Saturday I went pheasant hunting with the Western Pa Wounded Warriors on a hunt sponsored by the McDonald Sportsmen's Association. The hunt was at the McDonald property and it was fantastic! I had so much fun and met so many wonderful people. The weather was perfect and the club property was beautiful. I knew it was going to be a good hunt when I scored my first pheasant without firing a shot, check out this video!

 

I did manage to take another three pheasants on my own without too much help from Elvira, although she did point and retrieve all of the pheasants.

I was also able to shoot some trap at the club. This is a first for me since my disability. The last time I shot trap was at least 25 years ago. I did not believe I would be able to hit any of the Clay pigeons, but I was able to hit six out of 25 attempts.





After breaking the six clay pigeons everyone congratulated me and I felt like I just won the Olympic gold.  They gave me a new nickname ''the Crusher'' and everyone who volunteered at the shoot ended up signing my sweatshirt by the end of the day.




The club provided a great steak dinner after the shoot and I can't remember when I had so much fun! Everyone there was so nice, it was a perfect Saturday afternoon! I am so glad I had the opportunity to take part in it. I was able to meet some great people and be a part of this great event.  THANK YOU to everyone involved.

MONTANA PHEASANTS RELEASED INTO PENNSYLVANIA

 The PA Game Commission recently reported:

Pheasants are not known to fly long distances.  But 58 Montana ringnecks recently took flight to Pennsylvania, albeit by airplane, and were among the first wild pheasants ever released into what is known as the Franklin County Wild Pheasant Recovery Area.

Four Pennsylvania-born pheasant roosters, which were trapped in and transferred from the Central Susquehanna Wild Pheasant Recovery Area, were released alongside the Montana birds to provide for a balanced sex ratio of the birds released.

I am a member of Fairbank Rod and Gun club and they stock a great deal of pheasants throughout the year.  I would love to see wild pheasants return to PA.  But I can't help but wonder how many birds will be lost to coyotes before they can breed?

 

Fairbank R & G, Wounded Warrior, Pheasant Hunt 9/28/2013

 

On Saturday, September 28th, I was hunting with the Western Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors and the members of Fairbank rod and gun club.  This is the third consecutive year for the pheasant hunt and it was a beautiful day.

I was lucky to harvest a pheasant who flew across my shooting zone.  I took several shots at birds and missed.  I can't begin to tell you how exciting it is for me to take a rooster. Please watch the video

The pheasants were moving very fast, I was not the only shooter who missed a few birds.  It's not about being successful on every shot, its about hunting again with friends and family.

I was using a new bite trigger system that my friend Ed designed specifically for this pheasant hunt.  It worked out extremely well and was easy to use.  It always amazes me what he can manufacture at his workbench in his basement.

Thank you to all the volunteers who came out and made this day possible.  I really appreciate all the work and planning that takes place to make this event enjoyable and safe for hunters with disabilities.  A big thank you goes out to Rambo the retriever for finding my bird and bringing it to me!

2nd Annual Western Pa Wounded Warrior Pheasant Hunt

This video can be graphic for some viewers...