Monday, March 19, 2007

Pheasant Hunting Mt. Rushmore


Paul and Greg Jones managed to put together a great pheasant hunt a few years ago. Greg drove to South Dakota, while (of course)Paul flew in. They were ready for the hunt and of course it is easy to shoot pheasants. Everyone knows it is about like shooting a chicken. Paul was tired from settling cases and foreclosing on little old ladies and Jones is an insurance agent.

They needed some relaxation. They checked in to the famous Stroppel Inn
The old hotel is famous for it’s mineral waters and they both headed to the basement to enjoy the boiling waters. They went down the rickety stairs and Paul said he had second thoughts upon seeing it. The water was jet black in the creepy basement. It looked like a dungeon in a bad horror movie and it looked like any second a big hand was going to come up and pull you under the swirling and bubbling black water.
They made it through that and headed to the room, only to find that there was only one bed. They both ended up sleeping with their shotguns across their chests that night and the rest of the trip.
The next day they had a great hunt, with Paul and Greg dogging the birds out of the cuts. Beautiful weather and golden grassland, kept them gladly trekking the countryside. The hunting was absolutely fantastic!

After a few days of heavy hunting and much imbibing of alcohol they decided to take a break and ride up and see Mt. Rushmore. They borrowed an old pickup and up the highway they went. They zipped 100 miles across the most desolate place on earth (the Badlands). No cars, and no people on the road. They felt they were the only people within 100 miles! Cruising along, they came to a fork in the road and a big sign. One said Mt. Rushmore and an arrow, the other said Topless Casino and an arrow. Jones stomped the brakes and they slid to a stop in the middle of the road.
The story gets fuzzy here but it seemed there was much debate on what was the proper thing to do. Finally, Paul said “Jones, you do not want to see the topless woman at the nickel slots where you will be playing!” Jones thought about it a while and finally agreed and off to Mt. Rushmore they went. They pulled into the National Park, found a walking trail to a view, and studied the faces. It was interesting but soon Jones asked “Which one is Lee?”
Paul said “Uhh, I don’t think Lee is up there.”
Jones studied the faces for a moment and replied “I see, let’s get the hell out of here then” Just then, a giant squirrel jumped off a tree right beside them and Jones lunged for the truck and his shotgun.
Paul screamed “If you shoot in this national park and the nose falls off Lincoln every G-man in the state is going to pounce on our ass and we might just be in big trouble.” “Damn! 911 was just last month.”
Jones reluctantly put his shotgun away as the squirrel escaped and they headed south. They had a great hunt,killed lots of pheasants, and enjoyed all the splendor of the state. We will never know what really happened when the old truck slid to a stop in front of that sign. They are sticking to their story. Truly, a great time with the wonderful people of South Dakota.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stroppel Inn?? Bates Motel is more like it...stuffed birds, pictures moving on the wall.
First rule of travel:
If the Inn's sign is printed in magic marker...tote ass on down the road and look for a Motel 6.

Anonymous said...

For the record, the people at the hotel treat you like guest in they're home, second we had 2 beds and third, I don't quite agree with the entire conversation on the highway. And fourth the quip about Mars Robert was a joke. However I would have shot the squirrel, its just one of those things I do. The old hotel is really kind of neat. It was moved there by oxen after the railroad was built. The water system in that area has to be drilled so deep that the water comes out of the ground hot so "Wolla" thermal heating 60 years before the greenie weenies thought about it.

Editor said...

I see

Anonymous said...

One more thing, I seem to recall Paul telling me I missed an exit.

Anonymous said...

I've stayed at the Stroppel and it was one of the best weekends I ever had. That mineral bath was simply amazing. I did however wear my bullet proof vest across the street at the tavern.

South Dakota Pheasant hunting said...

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