I am exhausted. Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest but I was hopping most of it.

I mentioned that it was pheasant release day. Fourteen or so conservation clubs in Sheboygan County pool their money and time and raise 2500 to 3000 pheasant that are released in the county in the autumn of each year not too long before pheasant season. Granted this gives the pheasant hunter a bigger crop to harvest from, but it has been proved to be a way to increase the population of pheasant in general. The bird was almost extinct in the county. Now you often see the birds on the side of the road all year round. For sure, a big percentage of those released are harvested, but the smart and the lucky live to procreate and the population is growind.

Anyway, I got to the Maywood site at about 7:00AM and worked with the rest until about 10:30AM. We herded the birds into the holding pens, caught them individually, made sure their blinders were removed (Blinders are put on them as chicks so that they don't pick at each other and hurt each other in the rather confined quarters that they are raised in. Before release, the blinders come off so that they can see and hopefully protect themselves.) and put them in the crates for each club. Then the clubs drive them out around the county wherever they want them where there is good cover and food source and where the members want to hunt and release them. Many of the club members bring their children. This is really a good experience for them in conservation and in the knowledge of animals. I really like doing it. I think it reminds me of the chickens that Dad used to raise. We used to make pets out of them you know.

Then Jim, Bobbie and I went pistol shooting. By then it was POURING. I am not complaining because the rain held off while we were doing the pheasants. I shot miserably. There is no other description. The third target was not too bad but the first was bad and the second was AWFUL..

I think I need to see another rainbow for luck. These are the goofy things that happened today. 1. A Pheasant scratched my arm pretty bad. 2. The Packers lost. 3. An open coke fell out of the fridge and soaked my arm. 4. The trash fell over and I had to clean coffee grounds up off the floor. 5. I shot so badly.

There I have written them down - now they are over and good will happen from now on.

I don't think I told you about Bobbie's experience of a couple weeks ago. She was driving west on Highway J and at the corner of J and Rangeline Road, saw some large birds beside the road. Turkeys, she thought. When she got up to them she saw that she was right there were several turkeys and lo and behold along with them was a peacock. Can turkeys and peacocks mate? Wonder what that would look like and what would one call them - Perkeys? Teacocks?


Have a nice Monday

Mary