Below is an email that I received from Alan Harn, who has been coming to the Snake Den for years. I've been guiding Harn and his partner, Stuart Struever for about five years, and they've been coming to South Dakota to hunt pheasants at the Snake Den "before I was born". That's what they would say if you ask them, although they have been here since its inception in the early 1990's, and have been hunting together since the 1960's. They're a great couple of guys to hunt with, and enjoy hunting until dark, even if I show them that I know what I'm doing and they shoot their limit of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) before mid-afternoon. There is always time for sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) and greater prairie chickens (Tympanuchus phasianellus).
Dear Colleagues
I just received word from Jeff Lampe, former outdoor writer for the Peoria Journal Star who now publishes his own magazine, Heartland Outdoors. Lampe went with us to South Dakota last week to conduct research for a series of articles on techniques involved in the collection of Phasianus colchicus and other wildlife specimens.
Examples of Phasianus spp. were relatively sparse due to the drought but, while decimating the alfalfa and similar crops, the drought probably increased the grasslands twenty fold. This in turn provided optimum habitat for Tympanuchus cupido and Tympanuchus phasianellus (previously: Tetrao phasianellus), and they were present in greater numbers than even the oldest "old timers" can remember. In a normal year we might observe 0-10 of these two species; this year we recorded hundreds. We did manage to collect a sizable number of Phasianus and obtained 11 Tympanuchus c. and Tympanuchus p. specimens as well. Daniel hadn't been involved in any type of programmed collecting for some eleven years, but he hasn't lost his touch. He didn't miss many catching opportunities and caught many more than I did, even though he only took his great uncle's 1940s 16 gauge Browning collecting mechanism along.
The pursuit of true science is often complex and sometimes laced with hours of abject tedium, but the attached image of researchers examining the wealth of collected data succinctly demonstrates the satisfaction we ultimately attain at the culmination of the program through our steadfast dedication and commitment to the pursuit of scientific inquiry. Among the research team, you will find my middle son Daniel flanked on either side by aging data collectors Struever and Harn.
In addition to Harn's account of their trip, outdoor writer, Jeff Lampe puts another spin on it, along with some great photos, in a couple posts on his blog, Scattershooting. I appreciate the nice comments that Jeff had about me and the Snake Den, and I enjoyed hunting with him and his dog, Hawk. Harn and Struever are the mainstays, along with TG (on the left in the above picture). Beyond that you never know who they will bring, but with six shooters this past year, that's probably as many as we will ever see with them. It's a great group to spend some time with, and it allows me a change of pace after a busy first week in the regular pheasant season. Enjoy.
