Reflecting on 25 years of pheasant cleaning
Kelsey Larson, who has cleaned hundreds of thousands of pheasants over the past 25 years, is shown above.
A flurry of feathers and nimble fingers expertly processes a recently-shot pheasant at Larson’s Pheasant cleaning in Wessington Springs — from start to finish in well under a minute.
After 25 years of cleaning, Kelsey Larson can prepare the upland bird with her eyes closed. In fact, she has mastered the process to the level of being able to clean a pheasant blindfolded — literally.
“Duke and Karen (Wenzel) would always stop by and visit while we were cleaning birds. One day, he challenged me to try it blindfolded, which I was able to do,” she laughed, adding that the former publishers of the True Dakotan newspaper, now retired, were staples at the business during hunting season. “I started when I was five-years old, wondering what dad was doing out in the cleaning shed, so I followed him out there one day. He asked me to wash the birds but the water was too cold for my hands. So I started cleaning birds and have been ever since.”
Now 30-years old, Kelsey runs a successful in-home daycare in Wessington Springs, Kelsey’s Klubhouse. With a full roster of kids and a waiting list to boot, Kelsey made the decision to hang up her hat at Larson’s Pheasant Cleaning, officially retiring this year.
A family affair, Kelsey’s mom Connie and brother Kylan help out with washing and greeting customers while Kelsey and Kelly do the cleaning duties.
“There have been a few arguments over the years between Kelsey and her dad,” laughed Connie. “Kelsey is so organized and efficient, so when her dad gets to talking with customers and falls behind, Kelsey gets after him. There’s even been a bird or two thrown at her dad.”
The Larsons appreciate their customers who they consider friends and look fondly at the decades of pheasant season memories throughout the years, even through difficult times, including when Kelly was deployed to Iraq with the South Dakota National Guard in 2004.
“Kelsey was 11 when Kelly went to Iraq and she pretty much kept the business going,” Connie said.
“The tips were amazing when dad was gone,” Kelsey said, adding that alongside her mom and brother, her aunts Connie Ness and Peggi Jensen helped out during Kelly’s deployment. “And all of our hunters make this work so rewarding. We’ve made great friends over the years.”
Kelsey explained that in the early years when she was a little girl, she would clean for Christmas presents but as time went on, the reasons behind cleaning pheasants changed.
“You get attached to the hunters, I love when they visit, hearing their stories and catching up each year,” Kelsey said, laughing with her parents about the ‘Lindsey group’ and the ‘Kentucky Boys.’ “It’s all been fun, the whole thing.”
Kelly announced that after this year, he too will retire from the pheasant cleaning business. When asked how he’s going to handle this season without the help of his daughter, tears formed in his eyes as he responded, “I don’t know. She’s a 100% natural when it comes to this. She’s one of a kind.”
Kelsey is quick to jump in saying that she will lend her dad a hand if he needs it. Plus she reminded him of the future they both are eager to experience.
“We’ve been so busy with pheasant cleaning we haven’t been able to get out in the field and actually hunt,” Kelsey said, looking at her dad. “Now instead of cleaning pheasants all hunting season we can hunt, Dad. Together.”
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