Prairie chickens not so little
Phil Taunton
Friday, November 17, 2006
The second part of the 2006 prairie chicken season opens this Saturday.
Kansas has quite a liberal prairie chicken season this year compared to when I was a kid.
Then, the annual season was only three days long — a Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Dad liked to hunt chickens so much, he would hold me out of school on Monday morning and off we would go before sunrise to the wheat straw blinds intermittently placed in the milo or soy bean feed fields being used by the chickens.
Sometimes our blind would be just a patch of weeds along their flyway, just big enough to hold a father and his young son, sharing anxious moments together wondering if they picked the right field. Would this be their day to score?
It was always a thrill to hear the chickens clucking and cackling to each other in the distant prairie grasses they used for a roost just over the hill. With great satisfaction we would experience the new morn coming alive with activity; the outdoor world awakening.
Sometimes, or so it was thought, the chickens would send a scout in to make sure their feeding grounds were safe and there were no predators lurking.
Other times, the whole flock would rise and come in quite daringly. Then, flocks were of such magnitude you would hear their wing beats as they left their roost even before you saw them.
Once they were in the air and I knew they were coming in, my heart would really start racing! Fingers and toes weren’t frozen anymore. I would need to remind myself to wait, wait, wait and, once the birds were in range, concentrate on just one bird and make a clean shot.
More times than not, I would then jump up, shoot two or three times — bam ... bam, bam — not even drawing a feather, and just smile as the birds almost laughingly flew out of harm’s way.
Surely I couldn’t be that bad of shot, right?
Yes, I was that bad.
One of the few times I was able to harvest a bird, I had taken a bead on the lead bird and the seventh one in the column came tumbling down! Prairie chickens coming into a feed field offer pass shooting at its best. Their speed is deceptive.
Kansas now has two seasons open to the hunter in our part of the state.
The early season ran from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and gave the bird hunter an excellent opportunity to get his pointing or flushing dogs out of the kennel.
I always found that young chickens were excellent to work young dogs on. This early season gave me and the dogs a chance to get some much needed exercise; sort of a pre-season warm-up for the pheasant and quail season to follow.
Scouting these birds, knowing their routine, roosting and feeding areas, especially once cold weather sets in, is the key to harvesting them during the late season.
Chicken numbers seem way down compared to the days of my youth. Some hunters feel the seasons run way too long with too many birds being harvested.
My shooting hasn’t reduced the population, I guarantee you!
Others feel burning of the prairie grasses so early and so frequently and other agricultural and ranching practices are taking a toll on the native prairie chicken populations.
I don’t know what the answer is. I do know that I-35 now runs through one of my favorite, now barren coverts.
Another quite productive feed field that the chickens used quite readily in the past is now planted in brome; no food value there for upland game birds.
Our friendly farmers, ranchers and society as a whole must do what they need to do in order to survive. I hope the prairie chicken can adapt.
Are you in favor of the 2006 three separate upland game bird season openers?
KDWP would like to know what you think about the change in bird season opening days. Go to www.kdwp.blogspot.com and post your opinion on this and other outdoor-related issues.
Recipe of the Week
Prairie chickens are one of the gamiest tasting meats you will find. If you have never tried them, I recommend giving them to a friend who relishes their flavor!
Ronnie Worcester, a former Emporian, is such a friend.
He would take them from me when I was lucky enough to harvest one.
Saturday is Ron’s last day of work. He will retire after 41 years of service on the BNSF and old Santa Fe Railroad. Congratulations, Ron. See you in the woods and on the water!
I would clean the birds by skinning the feathers back to reveal the breast meat and filet the breast right from the bone. The legs and thighs can also be used.
Ron dices the meat and sautés it lightly with butter and onion. Mix the meat in with mayo, sweet or dill pickle, brown mustard or horseradish sauce like you would a chicken or egg salad. Refrigerate and serve on Rye.
F You can e-mail Phil at ptaunton@cableone.net.