Ladies-only pheasant hunt

A saving grace for the future of hunting is the involvement of women wishing to get involved in outdoor activities. The fact is, women are the fastest growing demographic in hunting and shooting sports today, which truly pleases me to no end. The person who got me interested in hunting and taking me into the field to show how it was done many years ago, was my mother. When in the field with the other pheasant hunters on our farm, she was the only woman and could give a hoot as to what the men thought.

The men were dressed in stylish canvas hunting clothes, but my mother felt right at home wearing the same clothes she had on for doing farm chores, including bib overalls (women today are offered a wide array of outdoor clothing and gear). She was always a very practical lady, and a great shot with her no-nonsense single-shot 20 ga. Her older brothers had taught her how to shoot and hunt during the Great Depression, when times were hard and wild game on the table was an important factor.

I was quite pleased when Pheasants Forever (PF) realized the importance of women becoming involved in hunting, and in 2018 created “Women on the Wing”, for ladies only, and it is a program which quickly caught on and has been steadily growing with chapters all over the country. Fundraising banquets are known as “Women, Wine and Wild game”, and it is where women can get together, meet one another and share warm camaraderie. Some go on to form their own PF Women on the Wing chapters.

That is how some ladies I have gotten to know, started their “Thumbs Up” Chapter in my Thumb area. I received a PF press release in January 2024 announcing the new chapter, and I immediately reached out to meet with them. This would happen in February at a hunt they were holding at the Dead-End Hunting Preserve near Almont. I had been invited to bring a shotgun but only went with a camera instead and I had no idea of what to expect, such as what shotguns were being used and as to whether they had their own dogs or were using the guide’s dogs.

The Thumbs Up ladies who formed their PF Chapter at the Dead-End hunting preserve.

Well, folks, I was very impressed indeed with what I discovered, which entailed them having their own dogs they had trained themselves, most of which were Old World breeds with names I can’t pronounce, much less spell. It turns out these ladies had originally met during NAVHDA (North America Versatile Hunting Dog Association) events and were very serious dog-persons.

When their shotguns were uncased, I was rather envious looking at quality double-barrels and semiautos. My favorite shotgun is a scarred-up Remington Model 870 Express pump you might call a “beater”. When I took it to a gunsmith for a thorough cleaning and going-over, he asked me afterwards if I enjoyed using my shotgun for a combination of canoe paddle, hiking stick and brush whip. Yep, it and I fell in a creek together, and we’ve traversed some snarly and rough country. But it still works right fine!

When the hunt proceeded, I witnessed some fantastic dog work, not to mention great wing-shooting. Above all, I could see a warm sense of camaraderie being shared in the field. After the hunt the ladies put their truck tailgates down and had a great potluck right then and there, which I sure appreciated the invitation when asked to join in. I’m used to the usual sandwich and coffee in a thermos, not gourmet this and that, and lots of it – “oh my”!

Pre-hunt Hunter Safety PowerPoint held recently on the author’s deck

I was so impressed with the Thumbs Up ladies I invited them to hunt wild pheasants on my farm in the fall. I wanted them to first come with their dogs in late August to get a feel for the ground and know what to expect. When they showed up, my prairie grass had reached record proportions, which was very dense and over 8 feet high. Their dogs had a great workout and enjoyed finishing up with a cool swim and retrieval practice in my farm pond. Being a versatile hunting dog means also being dependable on waterfowl hunting, among other avenues. This was of course followed by a gourmet potluck on the deck. Yep, folks, oh my!

The ladies-only pheasant hunt would take place in late October involving roosters flushing up and shotguns booming in the brisk air. It was a fine time had by all, and yep, followed by another fine gourmet potluck on the deck.

The Thumbs Up ladies would work with the Thumb Chapter of Pheasants Forever to put on a fund-raising banquet last February at Beagio’s in Kingston, which they had titled “Hearts for Habitat”, and it was an outstanding and well-run event attended by plenty of folks.

A primary goal of Women on the Wing is to get more ladies involved not only in hunting, but also with conservation efforts. They also place a focus on youth involvement, and I remember hearing about the Thumbs Up ladies and their hunting dogs taking kids on a PF pheasant hunt last December.

I made a point of inviting the Thumbs Up ladies to pheasant hunt on my farm this fall, and I offered them a couple days – one for ladies only, and the other for mentoring youth hunters. They decided to make both hunts a PF mentoring process, with the first being held recently. They had several women, some who had never hunted or fired a gun, out in the field, where shotguns and ammunition were provided, and each woman had a Thumbs Up lady mentor by her side. Prior to the hunt, a PowerPoint hunter safety presentation was held on my deck and then it was off on the hunt with some fine hunting dogs eagerly leading the way.

My local wild roosters don’t often cackle when they flush, but on this occasion, some decided to do so quite boisterously which added just the right ambiance on a beautiful sunny fall day with nearby trees in full, brilliant color. Yep, folks, having a noisy, gaudy rooster suddenly comes exploding up is always a breathtaking moment, no matter how long you’ve been at it! Enough roosters were flushed and shots fired to keep the excitement rolling, even though no birds bit the dust. Personally, I’ve had days like that myself. I can remember the time I was so eager to get in the field with my dog I forgot to load my shotgun and didn’t realize it until an “on the platter” easy shot flushed up and flew away taunting me with its raucous cackling!

It was easy to see all the ladies had a fine time which featured a natural sense of warm camaraderie throughout the day. One lady new to the game commented afterwards that it was truly wonderful having another woman explain the ropes and skillfully guide the way.

Plans for the Thumbs Up ladies being mentors during a PF youth pheasant hunt on my farm in December are already in the works, and I’m really looking forward to it.

I’m certain it will be a fine day.

Author
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Tom Lounsbury

Tom Lounsbury has been an outdoor writer and photographer for more
than 40 years and has had his weekly radio show, “Tom Lounsbury
Outdoors” for more than 20 years. Tom grew up on a farm in
Michigan’s Thumb, and it is where his first outdoor adventures began
as a kid accompanying visiting pheasant hunters into the field during
the “pheasant hunting heyday” of the 1950’s and 1960’s. It is a passion
he still has to this day and being the 4 th generation to own the family
farm, he has put most of it into conservation programs with a focus on
wild pheasants, which in turn helps all wildlife.
Being an outdoor communicator, Tom appreciates all the outdoor
adventures he experiences in different places, and especially the
people he meets in which to share them.