One of my best friends from JMU that lives in Boston came into town for the Steelers v. Ravens game. We had some time to kill on the weekend and we decided to get out to a local hunting preserve (where he didn't need a license.) He had never hunted before and only shot a gun once in his life. It was a beautiful day and he wanted to see Cooper in his element and try his hand at wing shooting.
We started out with some clay pigeons and Johnny hit a couple - probably batting around .200. But when we moved onto the birds, it was a whole new game and he was dead nuts. One after another, he didn't miss a single bird. The first few birds Cooper flushed were chukar and he smoked them.
There were pheasants all throughout the property, but man were they running. These birds were really wily and rarely held. It was also warm with little wind, which made it tough for Cooper. But he stuck with them and tracked them really well.
Wait, Labs can point????
Towards the end of the hunt, we finally put a couple ringnecks up for Johnny and he was lights out on them too. There were some pretty difficult crossing shots and I was super impressed with how he swung on these birds very naturally. Cooper did his work and fetched them quickly up.
All in all it was a great hunt and I think we have a new wing shooter whenever he is in town. We finished up with a couple cold Two Hearted Ales on the tailgate of the truck and then headed home.
Johnny was absolutely lights out shooting. First time out. Literally didn't miss a bird! I never seen that.
Helltown Brewing from Mt. Pleasant, PA
Earlier in the day, we were down in the Stript District and picked up a growler of Helltown Reserve Stout. I'd never heard of this brew, but we come to find out that it was a new local brewery in my old hometown of Mt. Pleasant, PA! I had no clue. I had to laugh at the name of the brewery given some of my youthful experiences. But, I later learned Mt. Pleasant was nick named 'Helltown' due to the omnipresent red glow of the coke ovens and the hazy smog that created a very eerie rendition of Hell on Earth.
So with a few Stouts under our belt, we decided to get a little exotic and plucked the pheasants (which is a pain in the ass) to keep the skin on and then spatchcock them so they could be grilled whole. I'd had never prepared a bird of any kind like this and Johnny showed me how to cut the breast bone out so it could be grilled flat. I would never have grilled pheasant breasts because they would typically be too dry, but the secret was that you grill it with the bones in and it keeps the bird MOIST and flavorable. You really get the taste of pheasant and they were delicious. Birds, beer, grilling...good day.
