Coming out of retirement

We managed to talk her into dusting off the old boots and shouldering the gun again for the first time in about four or five years.  Jamie helped Bob and Jahn of PA corner a few ringnecks for a fun afternoon hunt.  She managed to bag one solo bird and miss a few others, but what can you expect.  All the girls used to hunt, but lately it's been only Abby the last several family hunts.  Jamie hung her hat up once Kellen was born, but we drug her along the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Stacie was "citified" or something shortly after she left for college. Not sure there's a better way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon in November than shooting a few roosters, especially when the temps get into the 50s.  It hasn't been the same since, but nothing to really complain about either.  It is December for crying out loud.  It looks like we'll get into the 40s once again, and then a chance of snow for the weekend.  Two more weeks jammed packed with hunters, and then things start to slow down.  In less than a month the season will be over.  Didn't we just get started?

It's been good, and it looks like things will be good through the end.  Who knows what "Old Man Winter" will bring, but so far so good.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Cordie failed to pull the trigger on a buck this year, so it's tag soup until we shoot some does for camp meat in the extended anterless season.  Plenty of them around so it should be a good, fun hunt.

Plethora of Puppies

They're here.  Brandon, John Wayne, and I made the trip to pick out our new pups.  Not much choice in my case since there was only one male in the litter. I was plenty happy though.  John Wayne was actually picking for Frank, and Brandon didn't take much time latching onto a cute little female that picked him.  We're still working on names, but my family has pretty much decided that ours will be called "Trigger", and I can't seem to come up with anything better, so it will most likely stick.  Brandon was also undecided, but probably got some help once he got home.  A few weeks of whining and potty training, and then we can move on to the more serious stuff.  Before we know it we'll have them in the field next year retrieving their first rooster.

Kellen and Claire latched on quickly as most kids do.  I'm sure when he starts knocking them down and chewing on their ears they'll have a little different perspective on that cute little ball of fur.  All the pups seemed to be in great shape, so we'll do our best not to mess them up and bring them up right.  That's all we can do along with getting them in the pheasant fields for tons of fun.  Lots of things to look forward to.

Venison Victory!!

Sure I didn't have to fill my tag on the opening day of rifle season, but I saw an opportunity and took it.  Besides that who knew if I'd get another one.  Not a great buck, but definitely respectable and a mature deer.  He attempted to fool me and other hunters by bedding down in some waist-high CRP, but I got lucky and happened to walk right up on him after failing to find him in the binocs.  He took off running leaving me with one shot.  Not one I usually take, but it was my only choice in this case.  I was lucky once again and rolled him with one shot.  Kellen held a leg while I field dressed him, and asked when we could eat him.  I sent him to the locker plant for summer sausage because of time constraints, but more tags will be filled, and soon we will have fresh backstrap on the grill. 

There's a lot of good deer in the country and Cordie, John Wayne, and Brandon have tags to fill yet, along with an archery tag for me.  A couple more does with either the bow or rifle and the freezer should be full.  The rut is in full swing, and the weather is turning more winter like which should provide for a good setting on bagging a big one.  We'll keep you posted.

What have you done lately?

I know, I know.  It's been a long time coming and finally after 28 days of the regular season, I'm sitting down to update the blog.  It's been busy and that's good.  The bird numbers have been great.  Not sure if better than the last couple of years, but close enough to not be able to tell the difference.  The weather has been great too.  A little warm a few days and only two days of rain, with a day of blowing snow mixed in.  Other than that it's been a perfect season.  If the next 40 days are as good as the first part of the season, we'll be blessed.  Today is one of those rain days, but everybody is in the lodge already where it is warm and dry.  A preserve hunt may be in order, since that is what most have been doing to fill the time.  It looks as though some more seasonal weather is upon us, but we're ready for it, and so are the dogs. 

Speaking of the dogs, they're all down to their fighting weight, except for maybe Copper who seems to be holding on to a few extra pounds.  Maybe he's just big boned.  Some new pups are on their way, and Brandon, Frank, and myself are set to get them around Thanksgiving.  I'll do my best to keep everyone updated, but I can't promise anything. 

Deer season is just around the corner, so hopefully we'll have some big buck pictures after this weekend to post.  Thanks for keeping up with us, and we look forward to seeing those of you who are set to come in yet.  A big thanks to those of you who have been here already to make this a great year.

On the Road Again

The Snake Den crew has been busy the last couple of weeks preparing for the upcoming barrage of guests, but we have managed to slip in a little fun here and there.  Last weekend, Cordie and Marlys traveled with Brandon, Abby and Jack to the Twin Cities to visit Johnny and Stacie.  While there they took in a Twins game on Saturday, which they won, and then watched the Vikings lose on Sunday before they headed for home.

This past weekend I was able to travel to Lincoln, NE with some friends and watch the Huskers take on our very own SDSU Jackrabbits.  We were fortunate enough to be traveling with a former Husker player and were given a tour of the football and athletic facilities by former coach Tom Osbourne.  We were also traveling with a former Jackrabbit, but he did us no good in the sea of red.

When I returned home on Sunday, Cordie, Marlys, Kellen, and I headed west to Rapid City.  Monday morning we were up bright and early headed for Custer State Park and the annual Buffalo Roundup.  It was quite the experience from the off-the-beaten-path route that I took, to waiting in line for a couple of hours just to park, to watching the herd crest the hill headed for the corrals.  A cool experience overall.  I encourage you to do a quick search and watch one of the many videos out there that capture the sights and sounds of the Roundup. 

Tuesday we made a trip to gather supplies, and the rest of the week will be spent preparing for hunters that will arrive on Friday.  We're looking forward to getting in the field again.  There should be even more birds that will be identifiable, and the weather looks pretty good for a pheasant hunt.  It's also opening weekend of the antelope season, so we'll see if we can slip out and put a little meat in the freezer.

Snake Den Firsts

Last week at the Snake Den we encountered several things that had never happened before.  On September 1st, the opener of the Preserve season we were in the field with the first group of the year.  It felt good to get out early in the morning, and have that first rooster flush underfoot and fall to the sounds of autumn.  There were actually a lot of roosters that flushed and flew away unscathed because they were still too young to identify.  Eventually, we found enough older birds that we had a dozen or so in the bag, and it was time to head in for lunch.  That concluded the first day of the season with many more to look forward to.  The boys headed to the River to meet Brandon for an afternoon of fishing.  Six walleyes in the bag, and 30 mph winds switched the plans to the next days hunt

The second day began like no other had as we headed to the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation for a buffalo hunt.  Jared was looking for a young bull, and it didn't take long to find one.  Jared's guide picked a young bull out of the herd and got Jared into position for a shot.  One shot from the rifle and bison dropped to the ground.  Jared was unsure of his shooting abilities with a borrowed rifle and the adrenaline rush that he was experiencing.  One buffalo down, a couple bites of liver (Dances with Wolves style), and a dozen pheasants to go, so off we went. 

It was a little breezy the second afternoon, so the shooting was a bit of a challenge, but we managed to bag our birds and head in for the day.  The third morning was similar to the first, and before we knew it the first group of the season was in the books, and headed down the road.  Definitely a great way to start the season.

Shipping and Handling

A few changes to discuss for the upcoming season at the Snake Den.  First we'll discuss shipping of firearms.  The information on the website will be updated soon, but until then here is the procedure to follow.

The Snake Den does have a Federal Firearms License now, so we can receive firearms from hunters prior to them arriving.  Firearms can be shipped via FedEx.  The box/case should be addressed as such:

"Firearm Owner"
c/o Snake Den Lodge
110 E. Medicine Creek Dr.
Presho, SD 57568

The FedEx carrier must be informed that you are shipping a firearm, but the box should not be labeled as such.  The gun must be unloaded and shells can not be shipped.  When you are done hunting you will ship the firearm back to yourself.

Another change we will be looking at is how we clean and ship/transport birds.  The State has changed the rules regarding what must be left on a bird for identification.  As a wildlife processing facility we are able to remove all plumage, legs, head, and wings for storage and transportation.  Hunters may take home just the breast  and legs if they desire.  The Snake Den is recommending that if hunters wish to have their birds cleaned this way that they should bring with them a collapsible cooler which would easily hold nine to 15 birds and be allowed as a carry-on bag for air travel.  This will be something new for everyone, so it may take some time to get the kinks out, but it should make it easier to get the birds home and in the frying pan.  We're looking forward to seeing everyone for another great pheasant season.