Victoria
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PheasantsToday I had the opportunity to go rough shooting with three guys...all committed and staunch Ladrador men all of whom had not seen a Breton before...as the Labs mostly plodded along by their masters, Gaston was at work...the guys all commenting on how he worked, his use of the wind for scent, his busyness, and committment to the job at hand...one mature cock was shot...37 bars to his main tail feather so he was a beauty...unfortunately he wasnt mine!!
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Ghilliegumdrop
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Well if Gaston did ALL the work I reckon they should have given it to you 
Jan
[Or him]
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Victoria
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Jan I hate to say it but I sort of thought that myself!!!!!    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No matter, we observe the Queens Birthday this coming Monday so the three day weekend will hopefully see my boy justly rewarded.
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Victoria
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Today was the last day of the waterfowl season; thankfully pheasant, quail, chukor, partridge go for another month.
Gaston did a perfect flush on one of the biggest cock pheasants I have ever seen this morning; perfect also because he had the bird fly from my left to right - a shot made in heaven...we were walking along the top of a very deep gorge where there is heaps of cover for the pheasants; Gaston had previously flushed the bird, only for him to absconce himself in the very middle of a very large patch of gorse - Gaston was determined but I called him on, it was on our return trip that he flushed the bird. The long and the short of it was that I ruddy well missed it, didnt I; I felt like crying!!  What G muttered is unprintable!!
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Victoria
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Steve Grooms in his book Modern Pheasant Hunting, second edition(published by Stackpole Books) states
Don't underestimate the pheasant. This is a smart, tough, enterprizing game bird (unquote).
Oh, yes indeed!!!!
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mcelkek
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Bad luck Victoria. But it's all part of it and least the dog got a good hunt!
Keep at it!
Keith.
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Victoria
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Will do, Keith. Saw two cock pheasants on the vineyard today - they were sparring; quite ferocious but beautiful at the same time.
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mcelkek
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Yes they can be quite aggressive I see them often squaring up to eachother. Sometimes they hiss at eachother like cats! They have their heads bowed, tail spread out and you could approach them quite close before they notice you there. At the minute we have a hen and rooster that is raising a single chick near our back door. Although this past week mostly the rooster and the young poult are stopping by. We suspect the hen is sitting on a second clutch. So far I have taken 8 magpies and 2 grey crows from my backyard in an effort to protect them! Where are they coming from????
Keith.
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Victoria
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You are right, Keith...the two I saw today seemed exhausted with their antics and I got within say 10 or so yards from them.
We have the rook here often in huge numbers...dreadful birds. I shoot them at every opportunity I can...have found the .22 is the best!
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Victoria
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I want to hear the pheasants hiss!!!
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Victoria
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Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhh, only two more weeks of the pheasant season to go and we are experiencing unbelievable rain (as in weeks of it; we were rained off the vineyard yesterday, the first time in the five years I have worked there!) after such a terrible drought...
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guy
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and I thought we were getting all the rain - or particularly ME. there seems to be a cloud following me around!
Does anyone know what has happened to 'Acid Rain' these days. i seem to remember it was going to kill the planet.
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Victoria
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Guy, thankfully, acid rain is old hat, now we have global warming; and if I hear some twit rave about it again I shall scream; chill factor in vineyard negative 9 today with sleety north easterly rain. We have a predicted 120mms for the weekend...yeahaaaa!!
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Lin Dyke
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I think the acid rain evaporated in the heat of global warming
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Victoria
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Hehehehe
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Victoria
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Made this from the book ,The Taste of France (from the chapter on Sologne): you must try it; beautiful hot. Apparently even more delicious cold with a salad: that's what the book says, but if there were any left overs it would rate one of the seven wonders of the world!
Boning the pheasant was the tricky part, well for me at least, but found a paring knife sharpened really well helped alot.
Ballotine de Faisan au Genevriere - Ballotine of Pheasant with Juniper
1 pheasant, plucked, cleaned, boned with it giblets
2 cups white wine (the book recommends a Sancerre. I used and served Chateau Marjosse white burgundy), 1 bouquet garni, 2 tablespoons butter
Farce/Stuffing:
3 or 4 whole chestnuts, peeled etc; 1 thick slice smoked ham, 1/2 cup plain yoghurt; a few juniper berries, crushed; salt; freshly ground pepper; 2 eggs, beaten; dash of marc or juniper liquer (I used gin!!); small can of foie gras, chopped (optional but necessary in my opinion!)
Season the boned pheasant inside and out and leave in cool place. Make a stock by simmering together the bones, a cup of the wine and bouquet garni. Season with salt and pepper, adding more of the wine if the stock reduces too much. Strain and leave.
Crush the peeled chestnuts.
Make the farce by chopping the ham and the giblets of the pheasant. Add the crushed chestnuts, yoghurt and juniper berries. Season with salt and pepper and bind with eggs. Sprinkle over the marc and add the foie gras if using.
Spread out the boned pheasant and spread it with the stuffing. Roll the bird up being careful to keep the flesh and skin intake. Tie carefully with string. Melt the butter in a good casserole and brown the pheasant on all sides. Add what is left of the wine and the reserved stock, cover the pan and simmer gently for 45 minutes until tender.
Serve hot with roasted chestnuts. I added some roasted Jersuleum artichokes to the braised chestnuts. Tres bien!!!
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