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All eyes on Sleepy Eye for pheasant hunting opener

All eyes on Sleepy Eye for pheasant hunting opener

Gov. Tim Walz attended the Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener in Sleepy Eye Saturday. Walz, an avid pheasant hunter, has attended all pheasant openers since being elected Governor. He hunted on the land of Matt Kucharski, former chair of the National Pheasants Forever board. Also joining the hunt were Marilyn Vetter, president and CEO of Pheasants Forever, and Scott Rall, president of Nobles County Pheasants Forever. Submitted photo

SLEEPY EYE – Ten minutes before 9 a.m. Saturday, James Conway parked his truck along the side of the road next to a public wildlife management area south of Sleepy Eye.

In his day-to-day life, Conway is a lawyer in Shakopee, but this past weekend he served as a hunting guide for the Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener. For the hunting opener, Conway led Nate Huck, a resident game bird consultant for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Outside of his work, Huck is an avid public land bird hunter.

Despite efforts to be quiet, a rooster pheasant flies from the nearby field shortly after they exit the truck. There is still a few minutes until the hunting season begins. The two men use the wait time to prepare for the hunt that will officially start at 9 a.m.

Huck checks his equipment and loads his shotgun. Conway lets his yellow lab Wrigley out of his kennel. As a coincidence, it is Wrigley’s fourth birthday. Conway said there is no better way to celebrate his birthday than to take him on a hunt.

Conway himself will not be participating in this hunt. Conway said his favorite part of hunting is letting Wrigley run.

A pheasant hen was startled out of the bush during the Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener. Hunter Nate Huck, a DNR employee, quickly identified the bird as a hen and did not shoot. Only the roosters can be harvested during the season.

“He could do this all day,” Conway said.

As they wait for 9 a.m. to roll around, Conway and Huck discuss the hunting conditions. Both agreed the overall conditions for the hunting opener are better than last year. Last year, the opener was in Owatonna and temperatures were in the 80s. A rainstorm the day before created extremely humid conditions. This year, temperatures were in the sixty-degree range. Conway said this was the perfect temperature to hunt. Unfortunately, it was also extremely dry. No rain has fallen in the Sleepy Eye area for weeks.

Conway said a little moisture would be a benefit. Damp conditions help hunting dogs better catch the scent of a pheasant.

Huck said the last 60 seconds before the season starts is the longest 60 seconds. They have already heard pheasants cackling in the brush, but they have to wait. As a lawyer and a DNR employee, the two men know the importance of following regulations.

Huck explains that they can only harvest male pheasants. Hens are off-limits in this hunt. Fortunately, it is easy to identify the difference between a hen and a rooster. The rooster pheasant features bright coloring and long tail feathers.

Dozens of hunting teams took part in the Sleepy Eye Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener. A total of six birds were harvested during the opening day hunt. One team of hunters, including Dan Braulick, Bill Ruff, Lyndsey Hanson and Rep. Rick Hansen managed to shoot three pheasant. Hansen got one bird, the other two were bagged by Ruff. Hansen and Ruff credited their hunter guide, Braulick, for finding prime land and the wealth of great pheasant habitat surrounding the Sleepy Eye area.

At 9 a.m. sharp, Conway and Huck enter the field with Wrigley running ahead. Early in the hunt, Wrigley flushed a pheasant out of the brush, however, it was a hen and Huck held his fire. The two men and the hunting dog traverse the land for a little over an hour. Several smaller non-game birds were startled out of the grass, but few pheasants.

Around 45 minutes into the hunt, Wrigley caught the scent of another bird. They move to a small treeline at the border of the property. Another pheasant is startled from its hiding location, this time it is a rooster. Unfortunately, the bird is out of range before Huck is able to get a clean shot. After a little over an hour of walking the WMA land, Huck and Conway decided to haul it in for the day.

Though he was unable to bag a bird, Huck said he enjoyed being out in the field hunting. He said the pheasant opener is important to him as a member of the DNR employee.

“I enjoy seeing people out in the wild enjoying the different species out there,” he said.

There is plenty of hunting season left. Huck said the next time he hunts it will probably be for deer during the archery season.

Minnesota House Rep. Rick Hansen stands with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan holding the pheasant he bagged during the Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener. Hansen was one of the few people to get a bird during the hunting opener. He also won the prize for getting the pheasant with the longest tail feather. It measured 20 inches.

Conway was pleased to see Wrigley in action. He was successful in locating two birds during the hunt. Though he chose not to hunt this time, Conway said when he does hunt, it is often in Brown County. Each year the DNR puts out a map of the best pheasant hunting location. Brown County is generally the center for the best pheasant hunting.

Conway and Huck are only one of a dozen hunting parties out in the fields surrounding Sleepy Eye Saturday.

Before the hunt began, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan addressed all the hunting parties during a special breakfast at Sleepy Eye Event Center.

Flanagan join the hunt, hunting on the land of Tim Kraskey, Brown County Pheasants Forever chapter president. Her hunting party included Explore Minnesota Tourism Executive Director Lauren Bennett McGinty; DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Straka; Danielle LaRae Bowman, a Sleepy Eye resident and avid hunter; and Lily Kallevig, a senior at Sleepy Eye High School and member of the trap shooting team.

Gov. Tim Walz also took part in the hunt. Walz hunted on the land of Matt Kucharski, former chair of the National Pheasants Forever board. His party included Marilyn Vetter, president and CEO of Pheasants Forever, and Scott Rall, president of Nobles County Pheasants Forever.

James Conway (right) and Nate Huck (left) wait alongside the road for the 9 a.m. start to the Pheasant Hunting season. Conway served as a hunting guide during the Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener. Huck is a DNR employee who has been hunting most his life.

“As a lifelong hunter and Pheasants Forever member, I look forward to this weekend all year,” said Gov. Walz. “Hunting is a time-honored tradition in Minnesota that boosts our tourism economy and brings folks together outdoors. Thanks to the conservation work of Minnesota Pheasants Forever members, we’re ensuring this sport will be passed on to new generations. I’m wishing all Minnesotans a safe and successful hunting season.”

Around 11 a.m. the hunting parties returned to Sleepy Sportsman’s Club for a special lunch. Any harvested birds could be cleaned at the club.

Flanagan returned to the Sportsmen Club without a pheasant but said it was always a good day to get out there in the field.

“It is always fun to watch the dogs run,” she said. “Sleepy Eye is an incredible community. Highlighting these gem communities is the best part. Brown County and Sleepy Eye did a wonderful of hosting.”

In total, six pheasants were harvested during the opener. Half of the birds were taken by a single party. This party including guide Dan Braulick, Minnesota Rep. Rick Hansen, Lydsey Hanson and Bill Ruff brought three pheasants back to the Sportsman’s Club. Ruff bagged two birds, and Hansen took one.

Hansen credited Braulick for guiding them to a prime hunting site.

“Dan knew the land and the dogs worked great,” he said.

Ruff credited the habitat. He said the land they hunted, as well as the surrounding wildlife management areas made for great pheasant hunting.

Braulick said he was fortunate to know a family that would allow people to hunt their land. The surrounding public land was also suitable for the pheasant. He said the field they hunted had a layer of dew, which helped the dogs pick up the scent.

Though the number of birds harvested for the opener was low, Scott Roemhildt, the South Region Director for Minnesota DNR was optimistic about the season.

“I think it will be good pheasant season overall,” he said. “The best news is people were seeing pheasant. A lot of hens were sighted today, which we need to keep the species going.”

He believed the hunting would improve as more farm crops were harvested and the land was tilled.

“The best part of the season is yet to come,” Roemhildt said.

The pheasant hunting season runs through the rest of the year, ending Jan. 1.

It was announced that next year’s Governor Pheasant Hunting Opener would be held in Ortonville.

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