I would like you to meet Connor Dietrich. Connor is a 13-year-old honor student, football player and band member from Quincy, Ill. He is, for his age, a veteran hunter and angler. He has eight white-tailed deer and five Eastern gobblers on his scoreboard, so far. He has also caught largemouth bass over 5 pounds, drum over 15 pounds and catfish over 20 pounds.
Recently, Connor had the opportunity to go on his first pheasant hunt. Hunting upland game has been on his radar for a couple of years, and he was excited to try his hand at bird hunting … smaller birds, that is.
In preparation for this hunt, Connor talked to his grandfather about which shotgun he should use. It did not take the pair long to decide on his grandpa’s, grandpa’s gun. That’s right: Connor was going to hunt pheasant for the first time with his great- great-grandpa’s 20-gauge Ithaca Model 37 Featherlight.
In the past 20 years or so there has been a lot of ups and down for Ithaca Gun Company, a classic American manufacturer. Hard times, quality-control issues and a handful of changes in ownership have plagued the company, but the current owners have rebuilt it from the ground up and moved to a new location in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. The designs, especially the classic Model 37 shotgun, are still there but are being made with modern production methods and materials.
The Ithaca Model 37 is like most pump shotguns in its function. Shells are held in a tubular magazine under the barrel, and the action is “pumped” to eject a spent shell and load a new one. This design is typically more reliable than semi-automatics, especially when used in adverse conditions where there is a potential for mud, dirt and sand finding its way into the action. This is where the Model 37 has an even greater advantage over other pump shotguns. The vast majority of pump-action firearms, and semi-automatics, too, eject spent shells from the side of the receiver. The M37 does not. It ejects and loads from the bottom. This simple difference is what makes this one of the best shotgun designs. Mud and crud are less likely to get into the bottom of the receiver, and if they do find their way in, gravity (it’s a downer) is going to help clear out the mess. This is also great for left-handed shooters because no spent shells are sent flying across your face.
Connor’s grandpa reached out to his friend David Heggemeier, of Heggemeier Farms, to see if he had any birds to hunt. With an affirmative response from Heggemeier, Connor’s grandfather then contacted good friend Kirk Ekern to see if he wanted to join the group. Ekern is a well-known bird-dog trainer in central Missouri, and he was tickled to be invited on Connor’s first bird hunt.
The team met at Heggemeier Farms and Kirk introduced Connor to his dogs; Belle and Olive are English setters and Stella is a black Lab. He explained to the young hunter why he preferred to have setters do the pointing and a lab to flush and retrieve. Now they were ready to hunt.
They were less than 10 minutes into the hunt when Belle got birdy and quickly locked up on a point. Ekern slowly moved our young hunter into position, coaching him all the way. They eased in behind the statue-like dog. The professional dog handler then gave the command to Stella to flush.
The first pheasant Connor Dietrich ever saw in the wild was a beautiful rooster. The shooter took his time, almost too much time, then dispatched the bird with a single shot. Everyone erupted with joyful congratulations. The group allowed the success of the moment to soak in a bit before resuming the hunt. And for the next two hours there was amazing dog work to watch and plenty of birds in the air to get this new pheasant hunter well acquainted with the sport.
I cannot tell you how much I believe that we must continue to get our youth more involved in the outdoors. Hunting and fishing are just too valuable to lose. And I cannot adequately express how proud I am of young Connor Dietrich. You see, Connor is my grandson.
2026 ‘Member’s Hunt’ Prize Package
In 2026, every author of our 12 “Member’s Hunt” departments published here will receive an NRA membership prize package including a handful of hats (including a hard-to-get American Hunter hat), a made-in-America Buck Slim Ranger folding pocketknife, a rechargeable headlamp, a gun cleaning kit and a packable duffel.
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