Not just for the birds
I almost didn't go hunting on the last day of the season. I woke up tired. The day before, I'd gone out with the dogs for my fifth hunt in seven days. Overwhelmed by the dread of the looming last day and already missing it, I wanted to take advantage of the unusually pleasant weather …
The inevitable is here. Yesterday, was my last hunt with Bob for the season. It was also Bob's last hunt. We'd hoped he'd last until the end of the month but tomorrow he's undergoing spinal surgery. Our life for the past three months has revolved around his spine. Yes, our life. It's not that it's …
Leslie traded her gun for the Nikon yesterday and caught a remarkable sequence on a chukar bust. She actually busted two birds behind me, and Angus went after the lead bird. The bird in the photos is the second bird. When I look at Angus in the third photo, it's hard to reconcile the fact …
If you've never been to Hells Canyon on the Idaho/Oregon border before, the first thing you notice as you're driving down the long, narrow, windy road of Highway 71 and descending deep into the canyon are the very steep hillsides covered in sagebrush, bitterbrush, golden-colored grasses and lots of rocks. Some people say, "It's no …
Preparing for tomorrow's season opener... Besides making sure we have the shells we need, everything is charged, deciding where we'll go, I've also been going through photos from last season and reminiscing more about it. Tomorrow, it will be out with the old and in with the new season. Here are some of my favorite …
Optimism has arrived with spring, in more ways than one. Chukar sounds have returned to the reservoirs in Hells Canyon, after last year's spring silence along most of the shorelines we surveyed. The mild winter and easy spring conditions make finger-crossing less necessary than last year at this time. My mom follows a bird photographer's …
Words matter. I've been writing this blog for a while now, and one of the things that keeps me interested in it is the comments I get from readers. I have learned a lot from them, and appreciate the culture of the blog because of readers' comments. Many comments have taken issue with things I've …
My stress doesn't come close to the stress wildlife endured this winter, but it's been there daily, mainly in the form of wonder and hope. In a phone call with my dad earlier this winter, I lamented the tough conditions for chukar and the rest, and he reminded me of this wonderful Emily Dickinson poem: …
Well, depending on your perspective... The Kid and I set out to bag his first chukar. This is the fourth season he's come along. He has never complained. He's always been right there. If I ask his opinion on route options, he's always up for even the hardest one. And when the hunt's over and …