SO-Austin+T.

**Introduction:**
Hi i'm Austin I like to play guitar, tennis, baseball and football

** Pheasant Hunting  ** Austin Tidemann I hear a rustling in the weeds, then a flutter as a pheasant jumps up three feet in front of me. //Bang!// A gun goes off and the pheasant drops to the ground as the dogs go racing to retrieve it. We’re walking through a slue in South Dakota. My dad, grandpa, and uncle are falling through knee-deep snow. The snow is hard, and I am light enough to stay on top of the crust. I had to laugh because my dad fell with his feet up behind him and almost got stuck. It doesn’t sound fun but it is very exciting. I will never forget the first time I went peasant hunting. I was walking through the tall, golden corn. My grandpa had cut a big path through it so we could hunt it. Then a pheasant flies up out of the corn about 20 feet in front of me. I can see the bright colors of its feathers and the long tail of a rooster. I can hear the flutter of its wings. Then bang! My grandpa shoots. It hits the ground with a thud in the middle of the path. Jessie, my grandpa’s dog, which is a bright yellow lab, runs up to retrieve it and brings it back to my grandpa. Jessie will do what ever it takes to get a pheasant. One time one got shot and landed in a lake. She swam all the way out on the lake to get it. One of my favorite things to do is to go pheasant hunting at my grandpa and grandma’s farm in South Dakota. My dad, my uncle Bud, and my grandpa Jim all go peasant hunting over Christmas and Thanksgiving break. I can’t carry a gun yet but I like to walk along. I will get my hunting license this summer after I take hunter’s safety class. Last years hunt was good but there was very deep, hard, crunchy snow but I could walk on top of it and every body else would fall through. So I walk along easily while every body else is walking through snow over knee deep. One of the guys who came with us had a dog that would point. This was very fun to watch. The dog’s name is Copper. She has a silky copper-colored coat. Another hunt we went on over Christmas was unbelievable. During that hunt we shot about 15 pheasants in 5 minutes, and I’m not joking! We were going to my grandpas friend’s land to hunt, which was about one hour away. When we got there we walked into some tall grass. The cold crisp air nipping my nose. There are some hills and few trees. Then pheasants started to fly up in flocks everywhere and every body started to shoot. But some were out of range. The dogs were running around all over the place because there was so many peasants. Then we got in the truck and drove to a new place. This time I walked with my grandpa. Sometimes I don’t like walking with him because he makes me carry all his pheasants. We shot so many pheasants that it was impossible to find all of them. My grandpa and I were looking for a pheasant that my uncle shot. We couldn’t find it though because there were so many pheasant scents that my grandpa’s dog Jessie had a hard time finding it. She was trying to find it but she kept catching live hens and bringing them back. Too bad it is illegal to keep hens. My dad was shooting so many pheasants that they were landing at his feet. As we were walking back to the truck Jessie caught a few more pheasants. Then everybody put down their peasants. We had maybe 21 for the group. After a great hunt we go home exhausted. I take a warm steamy shower and go down stairs to eat a hot delicious meal that my grandma cook. I can never wait until next year.

**Questions for Peer Reviewers**
(Think in terms of questions you would like to ask the author.)

1. Think of plot—is it original? (If an adaptation, is it creative or interesting to you?) What suggestions do you have for the author(s)?

2. Think about problems that the characters face. Are there complications that add enough suspense, tension, or interest? Is there a climax that satisfies you? Is the resolution satisfying? What could be added or changed?

3. Think of characterization—are the characters life-like? Are characters likable and enjoyable? Do we get a good sense of character from many of these: description, dialogue, narrator's opinion, discussion from other characters, the character’s own actions?

4. Think of imagery and details. Do they help you //see// and //hear// and //experience// the story? What details would you like to see in the next revision of the story?

5. What areas of the story need the most improvement? What suggestions do you have for the author?