Blue Mountain Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Rally unites women in the outdoors

Story by Brad Trumbo, published in the Walla Walla Union Bulletin, December 9th, 2023

Smoke billowed from the stovepipe jutting through the tin roof of the warming shack, creating a white cloud that screened the warm sunrays streaming through the crisp autumn air. A black iron sign with flushing pheasants boasted “Clyde Shooting Preserve” and stood prominent through the haze. Inside the shack, a teepee-shaped steel dome stood atop a brick-and-mortar hearth where the fire burned invitingly. Steam began to rise from a marbled blue and white porcelain-coated percolator that sat on a grate by the coals. Coffee would be ready soon.

Outside, 15 women and their bird dogs, each with a unique level of bird-hunting experience, had gathered for the “Rooster Rally,” an event hosted by Walla Walla’s Blue Mountain Pheasants Forever, Women on the Wing program (WotW), in cooperation with Clyde Shooting Preserve. The event aimed to connect women of all experience levels, hone dog work and wingshooting skills, and talk about habitat and conservation.

The morning began with the WotW program lead, Kelly Merrick, breaking the ice among participants as they gathered around the warming shack. Following routine introductions and “housekeeping,” Kelly covered the agenda for the day, beginning with the warm-up clay shoot and technique coaching, hunt logistics, and firearms safety. Participants were then broken into groups of three and assigned numbers for the hunt before being turned loose at the clay thrower.

Many participants had never met one another, but upland hunting and bird dogs are uniting. Jovial banter on dog breeds and shotguns drifted on the breeze as participants headed to the shooting stations. Events like this expose people to a wide range of bird dogs, from wirehaired Griffons and German shorthaired Pointers to various setters and Labrador retrievers. The shotguns of choice are just as varied.

Fortunately, I was in the mix to serve as a shooting coach while these enthusiastic women took aim at the flying orange discs. Our shooting station was the straight-away shot, which humbles me often, and the first participant watched the clay glide to the ground unscathed.

“You were a little behind that one. The breeze is just strong enough to push the clay in a right arc when it levels out, and that’s right about when you fired. Try covering the right edge of the clay on the next throw.” 

When standing behind the shooter and watching the shot wad relative to the clay’s path, it’s often evident why a shot missed the mark. It felt odd to offer shooting advice, let alone for a shot I often miss, but my guidance was accurate. The shooter smoked the following two clays, then relinquished the shooter’s mound to the next willing participant. Everyone busted a few clays, and we even corrected a shotgun glitch just in time for the hunts to kick off.

Upon surveying the dog breeds, an Irish setter grabbed my attention immediately, which was no surprise given my preference for setters. I secretly hoped fate would pair me as the hunting mentor with the team following the stylish, vibrant red canine. Turns out, fate was paying attention. The Irish setter was once the choice field setter, but the pet trade diminished the breed’s hunting genes. I was curious how this Irish setter would approach the field and birds.

Patty, Penny, Kristin, and I followed Kristin’s red setter, whom I’m calling “Gretchen,” with the sun high upon our shoulders. Several things stood out to me about these women and Gretchen. First, these women were strangers, yet they came together as an organized group to cover the field methodically, safely, and strategically. Second, they each brought positive energy, generosity, and a desire to help each other have the best possible experience. Third, Gretchen was a fine-tuned, obedient, driven, no-nonsense bird-hunting machine that covered the field quickly, effectively, and with maximum grace and style. She had stolen my heart.

Gretchen’s first point came just minutes into the hunt. She encircled a large tuft of Great Basin wildrye, then slowed to a creep before pinpointing the scent and standing staunch. Kristin approached Gretchen at 90 degrees to her right as I coached Penny and Patty on preparing for the shot and minding shooting lanes. Kelly’s prior safety talk included honoring each other’s shooting lanes as a courtesy and safety practice, and these women had taken note.

The rooster had run from the approaching dog and hunters in quintessential pheasant fashion. When no bird flushed for Kristin, Gretchen picked up the track and pegged the bird on the other side of a swale that bisected the field.

Kristin rushed in, pushing the bird skyward, and adeptly connected with a swift shot. The moment was textbook, but to my surprise, Gretchen retrieved the bird with alacrity. Retrieving is typically a taught skill for setters, but Gretchen appeared to do it naturally. I felt a sudden urge to find a red setter of my own.

The remainder of the hunt followed suit. Gretchen pinned birds while the hunters honored each other’s shooting lanes and shared opportunities. One flush sent a bird climbing steeply and quartering back toward the hunters. It passed from right to left very close over Patty’s shoulder. Her swing on the bird was clean, but her shots fell behind.

“I can’t believe I missed such an easy shot,” Patty said with disappointment.

“No, you did great. That shot was actually really tough,” I replied. “That bird was so close that the shot pattern did not have time to expand. Also, the bird was angling toward you and climbing fast. It’s too easy to shoot behind the bird in that situation. It’s best to take a breath, pivot, and track the bird as it passes, then mount the gun and swing through as it travels away.”

Penny demonstrated fine wingshooting skills but had more than skills in her pocket. Lady Luck followed Penny and sent most of the birds across her shooting lane. Kristin also generously deferred flushes and shot opportunities as she had already achieved her goal of watching and handling Gretchen.

At the hunt’s conclusion, the trio returned to the warming shack, ribbing each other like old friends on near or not-so-near misses and how Penny’s back must have hurt from carrying so many birds.

At the warming shack, the atmosphere was abuzz with storytelling. Tales of adroit shooting and lessons learned, fancy dog work, and first-time birds for hunters and dogs were shared among the crowd. Kit Lane, owner, and operator of Clyde Shooting Preserve, provided a game bird cleaning demonstration, and Kelly shared delectable game bird recipes, bringing the experience full circle in field-to-fork fashion.

The Rooster Rally successfully united women through upland bird hunting by providing a positive hunting experience, exposure to hunting with bird dogs, and education on pheasant behavior and wingshooting techniques. Providing these experiences is foundational to Blue Mountain Pheasants Forever as a nationally recognized outdoor education and outreach organization. Fueling a passion for the outdoors and conservation brings a return on investment by encouraging future conservation advocates and leadership.