FIELD TO TABLE

ANDIE RENNIE

Owner & Guide, Highpoint Hunting Preserve 238222 4 Line NE, Melancthon, ON Facebook: @highpointhuntingpreserve (226) 974-0759

This is an article about pheasant hunting.

If you’re still with me, you should know that I’m a relatively new hunter and this was my first time hunting pheasant. As the publisher of your favourite, little local magazine and the co-host of Canada’s Cast & Blast Podcast, I felt it fitting to include this feature in our Food & Drink edition, as well as tape a show about the experience with my good buddy, hunting partner, and host of Canada’s Cast & Blast podcast, Brian Glassey.

In pursuit of the noble quarry, it doesn’t get much better than pheasant hunting. The civilized nature of the sport avoids the calamity of freezing in a winter duck blind or sitting solo for hours on end in a tree stand waiting patiently for a deer to saunter by, something seasoned hunters may well appreciate. For myself, a newbie hunter, I sought out Highpoint Hunting Preserve in Dufferin County, just outside of Dundalk.

Owner & Guide, Andie Rennie, was gracious to have Brian and I visit the Preserve and I’m grateful for having the opportunity to meet him and hunt on his land. He spent a good deal of time with us sharing stories of legendary moose hunts in Northern Ontario; the kind of intangible benefits of hunting with an experienced guide like Rennie who spent his formative years living in the South Etobicoke neighbourhood of Long Branch - a place near and dear to my heart.

Now, it should be known that hunting pheasant without the help of dogs is next to impossible. Rennie supplied two dogs for our hunt. Both Llewellin Setters from the same litter; first was Bruno who did the lion’s share of the work and then Molly came into the game as the day became hotter and Bruno began to tire. Without their skill and perseverance, Brian and I would still be out there walking aimlessly through the scenic acreage with our 12-gauges.

It’s an amazing experience watching the dogs as they sniff out the hidden quarry and

Bruno at rest Molly in action

then retrieve them once downed. We made some good shots, bad shots, and even a noshot. I failed to remove the safety on my gun at one point as a hen flew successfully away from me. In all, Brian and I harvested five roosters (pheasants of the male persuasion), a hen, and a chukar - a tasty little cousin of the pheasant. We parted ways with Rennie and home I went to prepare my feast.

As I tend to do when lucky enough to bring home game, I happily did all the dirty work on the tailgate of my pick-up with the help of our three-year-old son. Later that afternoon, once our eldest son was home from school, we cooked the chukar over an open flame as if surviving in the wilderness and, in a more sophisticated fashion, barbecued the three pheasants - stuffing them with slices of home-grown apples and pears, glazing them with garlic-infused honey, and finishing them with a light sprinkling of sea salt and black pepper. I like to keep these things simple.

The boys loved both the chukar and the pheasant, but the true test awaited.

Would my wife like the taste of pheasant? My future hunting trips hung in the balance.

After some hesitation (she’s still getting used to the taste of wild game), she tried it and, let’s just say, this won’t be my last hunting article!

Thank you again to Andie Rennie of Highpoint Hunting Preserve for a wonderful experience; one most definitely worth repeating.

If you’re interested in a nearby pheasant hunt, I’d highly recommend giving Andie Rennie a call. He offers group hunts as well as trap shooting. He also helps train dogs and sells an all-natural dog food that he feeds his own pups; Dyce’s Naturally Raw. After all, a pheasant hunt is just a leisurely walk without a good dog by your side.

Catch the coverage of this hunt on Canada’s Cast & Blast Podcast and watch footage of our good, bad, and no-shots at www.castandblast.ca. Brian Glassey ready to hunt Host, Canada’s Cast & Blast Podcast

CANADA The author harvests his first pheasant Photo by: Brian Glassey