A nice day in Western Denmark

Today was such a pretty day in Western Denmark that I had to change my office from home to the one with the better view...

Bes,
Went to Denmark on a pheasant hunt in oct. That country is BEAUTIFUL!! Grass roofs, manicured estates and zillions of pheasants. We were wishing for cubs to view it from above. We were on the south part of the island, flew in to Odense.


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Well Steve - if you let me know the next time you're here, I'll scare up a squadron of Cubs to take you around.
You are right, you know. The island of Fyn is beautiful. It is called 'The Garden Of Denmark'.

Thanks,

I will do that if I can ever afford it again.....

Eaton, I've heard this story before about the "Great Okies" pheasant hunt in Europe!!

But I have yet to see a single photo of this great adventure! We all know you take pictures of everything so post a few pictures so we can see what it's like to hunt like a gentleman !!

I mean Steve you did stay true to your "Mossy Oaks" roots right? I mean you didn't go over there and leave your Redneck Toupee (baseball cap) behind in okie land and start wear a funny little cap with knickers and knee socks right??

say way it ain't so Steve!!!!

This is the way we dress for pheasant hunting in Denmark

Well that did it....

OK here is 1 teaser pic from 1 day of hunting.... Thats me, the best looking and best dressed on the far right.....

Big E, what did you poison them with?

Glenn

Here is a couple more pics,

A few of the hundreds of pheasants we saw... sorry, kinda blurry- we were moving.



Walking to the field down a couple centuries old road lined with rocks that came out of the fields. The earth just pushes the rocks up to the surface and they put them on the wall. They have been doing this for hundreds of years. I found out later that you are not supposed to stand on the wall... oops The Beech trees were 100 years old and probably 150' tall (not the trees you see in the pic, but in the forest.) Kinda like Sherwood forest... I kept looking around for Merlin...



A few pheasants hung on the trailer. There are 2 sides of the trailer, this is just one side.



Another ceremony at another estate. They line the birds with evergreen boughs and light a fire in the pots on all corners. The horn blower does his thing, the Games-keeper thanks the Hunters and the Drivers and Dog Handlers, we thank them too and then shake all their hands. They thank the birds for providing food and sport. It was quite an experience for this Okie. The Drivers and dog handlers do all this for free. They help out on about 3 hunts, then they get to have a hunt of their own as payback. The Games-keeper gets to have a hunt and the Family that owns the estate has a hunt. Birds are wild and pen raised. By law, the pen raised birds have to be released at least 3 months before season starts. When they are small they are raised with chickens to teach them to roost in trees to stay away from the foxes. There are more grain fields, cover, wind breaks than you can imagine. I was told that Denmark passed a law that all cats have to have a collar and a bell on the collar. Lets the pheasants hear them coming. If a cat has no collar on, or bell,, he will be fair game...(Thats what I was told anyway) They take their birds seriously. The helpers get a couple birds each and the rest are sold to restaurants. Evidently they hang them in a cooler until their head falls off and then sell them to the restaurants. Aged pheasant, a delicacy I guess. We didn't eat any. We had Canadian Rib-eye..

I think a man dressed like that was what Grandpa called a Dandy!!

Anyway those other guys must have been really good shots!!! Seriously Steve that is a remarkable picture, does this mean we are having pheasant for dinner Friday night at JC this year?

lets see more!

Of course viewers should be warned that Mr Eaton has been known to use Photo Workshop.

Steve,
Don't buy the one about the cats being required to wear bells nor the one about the birds hanging until the heads fall off. I think the people who told you this were pulling your leg....

Utah 12 Driver said:

Of course viewers should be warned that Mr Eaton has been known to use Photo Workshop.

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I am deeply saddened by the thought of anyone, and especially you Ray, could accuse me of presenting nothing but the truth in actual pictures. Everybody, and especially you, should know that I speak the truth. A lie could never come off my tongue, and I do not know how to Photoshop. But I do have a good x ray of my knee if you would like to see it.....

BES said:

Steve,
Don't buy the one about the cats being required to wear bells nor the one about the birds hanging until the heads fall off. I think the people who told you this were pulling your leg....

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I was kinda suspect of the cat bell, but supposedly the hanging deal is true...

SteveE said:

I was kinda suspect of the cat bell, but supposedly the hanging deal is true...

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Naaahhh, we normally hang the birds for 40 "degreee days", i.e. if we have a temperature of 10 degrees Centigrade (50 F), the birds have to hang for four days.

SteveE said:

. But I do have a good x ray of my knee if you would like to see it.....

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Eaton I saw that xray. Who's the guy standing close directly behind you?

Glenn

Wow, wow, wow. That made my day! Is that what heaven is like?

You guys are mean, killing all those helpless beautiful Pheasants. Are you trying to make them extinct?

skywagon8a said:

You guys are mean, killing all those helpless beautiful Pheasants. Are you trying to make them extinct?

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We didnt even put a dent in them. We hunted 2 estates, on this one estate I found out they raise around 7000 pheasants a year and shoot around 3500. Thats 3500 left to breed naturally, plus 7000 more for the next year. I am sure they have to adjust those numbers from time to time to keep from getting overpopulated. There were parts of the estate we never saw. Its a business, they run out of birds they go out of business. That wont happen. No different than farmers raising cows for business.

Pheasant hunting in a white shirt, tie, vest and sport coat? Not sure that I buy that

So what do you think we are doing... playing Croquet with pheasants??

No, not trying to be critical. I grew up hunting in Michigan on farms and in woods, with wild birds. Much different.

So I am curious, as a frequent traveler to Denmark and an avid pheasant hunter, I had no idea that Chinese Ringnecks were there. What prompted the Danish to import the Chinese Ringneck to Denmark?

GeeBee said:

So I am curious, as a frequent traveler to Denmark and an avid pheasant hunter, I had no idea that Chinese Ringnecks were there. What prompted the Danish to import the Chinese Ringneck to Denmark?

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Touri$ts

Actually, It looks like they have been hunting them for a long time...http://www.ultimatepheasanthunting.com/info/europe-pheasant-hunting/

I have to say, I don't care much for the Euro style hunting, especially from the peg. I have seen it in California where the only birds there are pen raised and in Scotland. I much rather get in the fields and get some real wild birds. They fly faster, more wily, harder to get up, harder to shoot (equally so, your heart is beating so fast from bucking brush and corn) and there is nothing like having the dogs work them up as opposed to a beating line of people. The dogs are half the hunt for me.

GeeBee I agree hunting with good dogs is a total rush, but it guess you have never hunted with Eaton, he needs a target rich environment to insure a measurable level of success!


One of the reasons he lives in Oklahoma is it's still legal to fish with dynamite, in season of course!!


Post some photos of your hunts, sounds like you know your way around Pheasant field, love the sport and would love to learn more about it!!!

GeeBee said:

So I am curious, as a frequent traveler to Denmark and an avid pheasant hunter, I had no idea that Chinese Ringnecks were there. What prompted the Danish to import the Chinese Ringneck to Denmark?

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It is hardly news that we have pheasants in Denmark. They were first imported from Asia by King Frederik 2nd in 1562. However, the efficient breeding of pheasants we know today, was initiated in the 1870'ies, when many estates started breeding them for sport. There is approx. 200,000 pheasant pairs breeding in captivity plus all the wild birds, so we are unlikely to run out of pheasants anytime soon.

What brings you to Denmark? Ever flown a Cub over here??

Dbow said:

Pheasant hunting in a white shirt, tie, vest and sport coat? Not sure that I buy that

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This look is a nice break from the usual over dressed camo and orange.

Looking rather propper there Mr. Eaton.

Thanks Kem, I've got my own pimp squad now. Kirby is Master of Arms, and Tim is in charge of the Eastern region. He goes by Master Bater.


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Utah 12 Driver said:

One of the reasons he lives in Oklahoma is it's still legal to fish with dynamite, in season of course!!

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Knowing the truely fine sportsman along on that trip I firmly vouch for their integrety and shooting prowace... Now Eaton I think he dynamited the roost and photo-bombed the ceremony!