Pheasantville and Then Some

Yesterday was opening day for pheasant hunting, and Bill got off to a good start.

Within half an hour of setting off across a field, he bagged this rooster.

A few hours later, he was baking the bird, smothered in olive oil (thanks again, Jenn) in the oven.  He offered me a bite, and, yes, it was moist and flavorful. 

Bill took the new-old motorhome hunting yesterday and probably aroused a little suspicion from the Border Patrol folks who were patroling the back roads in Pheasantville.  After all, a new-old motorhome could hide a lot of illegals sneaking across the border.

Had they stopped Bill, however, they probably would have found his cucumber, his polish sausage and his Cheetos and some of his other items taken along to pheasant hunt in style.

Nothing like heading out, bagging a bird, returning to the comforts of home (motorhome, that is) and cooking up a gourmet lunch.  Bill said the only thing he was missing was a squeeze bottle of that Litehouse Ranch dressing to smother his cucumber slices.

He made me a cup of coffee, and I handed over a couple of Mennonite cookies from the Bread Basket Bakery.  I had some unfinished business at the country store, so I drove up that way with my bike attached to the car.

After visiting the store, I went to the bird refuge and enjoyed a 7-mile ride along with some stops for photographing.  We haven't quite hit the height of fall beauty and the day was kinda blah for photos, but I got a few.

Bill left a message on my cell phone that he had gone in to Sandpoint before heading north.  So, after my ride, I called him back, only to be cut off while he was telling me where to find him.

So, I drove around a lot, looking for that big motorhome, which one would think would be easy to spot in the Kootenai Valley.  I even stopped and asked the Border Patrolman who was parked along the roadway if he'd seen a motorhome.

He had and suggested I look in one more spot.  Sure enough, that's where Bill was----he had his own private pheasant area and a wonderful place to park the motorhome.  

We also visited with a cattle rancher who lives in the area; he later encouraged me to ride my bike down his long driveway which overlooks the Kootenai River. It was a bit manure-splattered but fun anyway.  

Overall, yesterday's trip turned out to be a nice outing, all the way around.  I enjoyed the bike ride, the search for Bill and spending a few minutes with him at his hunting habitat and mobile domicile. 

I think Bill has found the ideal formula for a day spent bird hunting.  And, I'm sure next time the Litehouse ranch dressing will go along too.

Oh yeah, Boise State won big yesterday (57-14), but I'm sure the pundits will find yet another reason to say they don't deserve their national ranking.