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Although a native of eastern Asia, the ring-neck pheasant has become the premier upland quarry for hunters throughout New England. Plumage of the male is gaudy and brilliant while the female is drabber with mottled blends of browns with buff and dusky markings. The term "Ring-neck" is derived from the prominent male characteristics of a greenish-blue head, a white ring around the neck, a pale bluish rump patch, and a long, pointed tail barred in black. Larger than a chicken, the call of the ring-neck is a loud crowing followed by a resonant beating of the wings; when the pheasant is alarmed it flies off with a loud cackle.

The pheasant prefers farmlands, pastures and grassy woodland edges. Adults feed on berries, seeds, buds and leaves while the chicks feed largely on insects. Ring-necks get by with a minimum of cover, often nesting on the outskirts of cities. The nest is in a grass-lined depression hidden in the dense grass or weeds and contains 6 to 15 buff-olive eggs.

Recently I had the privilege of attending an English Pheasant Hunt at Addieville East Farm; a top notch shooting preserve located in Mayville, Rhode Island. Addieville encompasses over 900 acres of ideal upland bird habitat. There are fourteen beautiful fields studded with patches of corn and surrounded by brush thickets. Addieville provides the challenge of a natural hunt for fast flying birds, superb Sporting Clays, and a fly-fishing and dog-training utopia. Sixteen shooters were scheduled to make our hunt and the quarry of 250 driven birds ensured us of an exciting daylong event.

Leaving my home just after sunrise, I made the 30-minute drive to our group’s rendezvous site at the Fin, Fur, & Feather Club in Millis, Massachusetts with great anticipation and excitement. I knew it was going to be a great day when I came across an 8-point buck nestled in the wood line along Rte. 109. Arriving at the Fin, Fur, & Feather Club I was pleased to find a group of Saturday hunters preparing to release ring-necks into the woods for their own day’s quarry. I watched as the hunters and their dogs readied the birds for the release and wondered if their own adventure would be equal to the one I was embarking on

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Along with 5 other members of the club, we loaded our guns into three trucks and started the 45-minute journey to Addieville. Upon arrival we met with the other 10 shooters and gathered in the lodge for a safety briefing covering the rules and regulations on the preserve. After the briefing we were invited to the clay pigeon tower range to warm up with a challenging array of shots set up to mimic ring-neck flight patterns.

The English Pheasant Shoot is conducted from "Pegs" (stations) located strategically around the base of a hill. Birds are released from the top of the hill and randomly fly over the pegs A bird becomes fair game when it flies within range of your position. Hunters are grouped in 2 man teams and rotate among the 8 pegs on direction. Following a complete cycle, the hunt is temporarily halted to allow for a catered field lunch. The after-lunch hunt follows the same sequence and by the end of the second rotation 250 pheasants have been released.

My hunting partner, Mark McFadden, and I managed to shoot 18 birds by the end of the hunt including the "money bird"; a randomly selected, specially marked pheasant that all hunters had kicked in $5 each to the pot. Prior to the start of the hunt, Mark and I had agreed to split the winnings if either one of us shot the "money bird". This was a wise move on my part seeing as he made the lucky shot. It made a nice addition to the success of the event. By the end of the day we were all extremely pleased with the hunt and the birds we harvested were ear marked for a family dinner.

As the sun dropped behind the horizon, we prepared to make the journey home and all agreed that it was truly a special day. If you ever get a chance to participate in such a hunt, don’t miss out. The folks at Addieville are wonderful and the farmlands and game preserve they maintain are among the most majestic in New England.

Our host for the English Pheasant Hunt was L. Peter Bennotti. "Pensive Pete", as we affectionately call him, is an avid upland bird hunter. Look him up at the Fin, Fur, & Feather Club located on Larch Road, P.O. Box 272, Millis, MA 02054

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