Monday, December 7, 2009

Birds Limited

Since the girls and I didnt get drawn for the womens hunt on Grizzly Island...we were determined to find a place to hunt, even if it meant paying for it. We contacted a few places and finally landed a great deal at Birds Limited. Its located north of Roseville out near Baseline road. We got a better deal if we had more people, so we asked the hubbies to go...and they said yes. It would be the first time Dan and I would hunt together.

We arrived at the club at 7:30. They have a great little "Clubhouse". We would soon learn...its sort of a "Good Ol' Boys Club".  Berny and his wife Cathy checked us in and got us ready to go. We would be out with Dave and his dog Jonny, and Mike and his dog Sug.

I've never hunted with Brittany's before. What  great dogs. They keep going and going and going. Good noses too! We soon found out what great shots our husbands were. Stefanies husband Erik is like 8 ft tall, and could practically reach out and grab the things out of the sky. I always used to make fun of my husbands old green shotgun. Not anymore....he shot the hell out of that thing, and didnt even use a whole box of shells. I wont tell you how many I used. Between all of us, we brought in 7 birds for the morning hunt.

Around noon, Berny called us in for lunch. He has this Gigantic BBQ that he uses for catering weddings, as well as bbq' ing for the club. Lunch was pork tenderloin sandwiches. YUM!! While we ate, Dave cleaned our birds for us.....Very nice!

The afternoon hunt was a blast! The dogs seemed to go on point everywhere. We were hunting into the sun at one point. I was getting a tiny bit frustrated, because I still wonder sometimes how great of a shot I am. At one point, our backs were to the sun, and a bird flushed and flew behind me. I turned, looked almost at the sun, and blew that thing out of the sky!! Whew....I did it. I ended up shooting three birds myself that day. I think Dan helped me on one of them.
Stefanie and Trish were knocking em dead...too! But I have to say, the guys were the stars that day.
We brought in 10 more birds for the afternoon, which Dave cleaned for us. We tipped our guides, and thanked them for an awesome day, and headed home. Sunday night I made Pheasant noodle soup. Delish, and even my kids ate it.

Birds limited does day hunts....which is what we paid for as non-members. They are open 6 days a week for their members. Berny did his best to try and get us to become members. I wouldnt mind.....we had a blast, and everyone was super friendly. Becoming a member at a club is very expensive, and I will probably check out a few more before I decide on my favorite.

Happy Hunting!!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

New Website Link posted

We just posted a new link to the DFG website (Department of Fish and Game). This is a great resource for anyone that needs information on how to go about getting enrolled in a Hunter Safety Course or for anyone that needs to get an updated Hunting License. They also have a TON of other useful information, so check it out when you get moment if you haven't already!

Monday, November 23, 2009

BBQ'd Turkey for My Thanksgiving Dinner

Clean bird by washing and removing any leftover feathers, neck and inner parts bag. Remove tail.


Dry bird off with paper towels. Wipe down outer skin with butter or peanut oil and rub with salt. Pepper to taste. Tie down wings and drumsticks with string.

Add 30 cubes of charcoal to each of two sides of a Weber Bar-B-Q.
Light cubes and wait for them to get gray and hot. About 30 minutes.
Put bird on grill and put lid on Weber with both top and bottom vents wide open. Cook for one hour.

After one hour add ten cubes of charcoal to each side and replace cover.

Place 3-4 cups of hickory chips to a bowl and cover with water.

At end of 2ND hour of cooking add ten more cubes of charcoal to each side, drain water from wood chips and add half of the wet wood chips to each pile of charcoal and replace cover.
At end of 3rd hour check progress with thermometer. Should be about 170 degrees at center of thick part of breast.
When ready remove from Bar-B-Q and let stand for 15 minutes.

Slice & enjoy.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Sherman Island Pheasant Hunt 11/15/09

This Sunday, Bad Ass Girls club got an opportunity to hunt on some newly acquired state land. Dept of Fish and Game hosted a womens only hunt in the Delta. They hosted 30-50 women and young lady hunters. It was so great to see so many female hunters in one spot! It made me feel like I was a part of something very special.
We arrived about shortly after 7:00 am. The area was bustling with activity. Dogs barking, Orange everywhere, target practice, ladies meeting new friends.
DFG had a gentleman with an automatic clay pigeon thrower out there so you could target practice before the real deal started.  Before the hunt the game warden held a safety talk. Safety was the topic of the day, and a great reminder to all hunters. One thing that was good to know...when your out in the field and a game warden comes up to chat with you....please unload your gun. Not only is it safer, but a good sign of respect too.
The local chapter of Pheasants Forever had many volunteer dog handlers. Women of all ages could hunt with an experienced hunter and his/her dog. We got to go out with Max and Trapper. Max was a SUPER cool guy. I am sure that he poses as Santa at christmas, cause his long white beard was fantastic! Max had so much knowledge and patience with us. He always stayed positive. Instead of saying..."Darn, you missed it", he would say "Right on, we found one...good job, lets keep trying." He also showed us what Stinging Nettle is and taught us to STAY AWAY from it. Apparently it causes major burns and pain to skin. It can even hurt a dog pretty good. If you have ever seen a marijuana plant..it kinda looks like that.
His pooch Trapper is a four year old German Wirehair Pointer. To see this dog work was amazing. He would go in anything. NO really, ANYTHING.....bushes, stickers, water, mud, trees, ditches, etc. What a nose too!! He was really good about pointing the birds. His only downfall was letting us have the bird back after retrieval. But hey...a dog has to have some bragging rights...right? especially after all that work. Renee brought her Weimaraner, Roxie. Roxie is in training still but has a great nose for pheasants.
The first bird of the day was shot by both me and trish. I called it mine cause I swear I saw that bird start to go down after my shot. Trisha nailed the next two birds...she did some great shooting. And looked very cute in her new hunting vest. The fourth bird flew up. Trisha shot and missed, and then I shot and hit. Then I looked over to realize that Trisha shot again at the same time I did. It felt like I shot it, So I am just going to say it was mine. Renee shot the 5th bird of the day...she was pretty proud of herself, and jumped up and down! Trisha got the whole thing on video too. I wont tell you about the number of birds we missed...becuase it was several. But one more important thing to remember...ALWAYS remember to take the safety off when the bird flushes right in front of you. Damn!
We saw every kind of terrain that day. We started out in the corn fields. It was okay to walk in, but be careful not to trip. Those stalks will jump out and get you. However,If you get hungry...just pick up a cob and nibble. J/K :)  Then we hunted in what we called "Snow Grass". First you think its nice soft grass..and you just want to lay down in it. But then you realize its really 1 1/2 ft deep, and a pain in the butt to walk in. Imagine walking in deep snow...thats what its like. Then there was the desert. Dont try to follow the pheasant tracks...those birds are confused, and walk in circles. Right after the desert was the marsh...thank goodness for dogs.
After several hours of hunting, Trish and I both had our limit and we were all hungry and tired. We hiked back to the trucks, had lunch and cleaned our birds. Poultry shears are a very handy device to have. I am so glad I picked some up. Much better than dulling your knife while cutting through wings. Max had several great bird cleaning tips and taught us a thing or two.
We went out again to try and get Renee her second bird....but after an hour or so...we all agreed it was time to go.
I posted pics and videos of everything.
Trish, Renee, and I had a great time. I am very thankful for these opportunities that the DFG has put on. Its my goal to get the information out there to as many interested women as possible. I cant wait until next weekend!

Pheasant Hunting with Bad Ass Girls

Not so bad ass.....oh well. You win some you lose some

Breasting pheasants

BAGC is getting an official LOGO

I finally found an artist that is up to the task. Her name is Cara Thompson. She turns 18 today. Happy Birthday Cara. She is a vegetarian...Ironic huh? Anyways, She is a college student and an awesome artist. She has already started the drawing process....I heard the pin up girls butt is really great! Cant wait to see the rest!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Check out another Great Blog

http://www.reneerox.com/

Pheasant Breasting, Girls ROCK

Welcome to Bad Ass Girls Club

We hope to be able to provide information to women hunters local to Northern California. More to come soon!