Not just for the birds
The week started off bad. The week also ended with many firsts. Tuesday started with Angus throwing up his morning kibble in the backyard. Later on, he refused a dog treat from the treat jar. This was a first time in his life that he's ever not wanted one of those multi-colored square snaps treats. …
Continue reading "Days to Remember"
It is early, and we are feeling it. It's on. Unusually cool weather for the opening weekend of chukar season made things more comfortable than normal, if "comfortable" is even legal to use in describing anything related to chukar hunting. Waterdogs We took the boat out on one of the many nearby reservoirs and found …
I admit it, I'm a sucker for trying to take a good shot or even a bad shot. A snapshot, that is. I always swear I'll leave my camera or phone tucked away while I'm hunting but end up breaking my own rule. Bob even went out a couple of times without his gun and …
Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was carved by the world's great flood, and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by …
When Peat was 7-months-old, we took him hunting with Angus to a place where his day of hunting lasted exactly 15 seconds. Upon arriving to our hunting destination, we let both dogs out of the pickup and before we knew what was happening we saw Peat streaking a 200-yard beeline to a covey of Huns …
We all have our stories about how bringing a dog into our lives changed it, enriched it, or sometimes made it more complicated. We have our own tale going back to the beginning of Chukar Culture and where it all got started with this one particular Brittany named Angus who is now 12-years old. Looking …
The landscapes where the birds live dictate where you'll hunt chukar in the West. Terrain covered in sagebrush, bunch grass, scree veins, and rocky talus outcroppings high up in the clouds is typical in this part of Idaho. You'll encounter steep traverses and sidehilling that make you wish you had tightened your boot laces tighter. …
"Range after range of mountains. Year after year after year. I am still in love." - Gary Snyder Spring break this year, we drove across the West and past many, many mountain ranges in Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Montana. I didn't dare sleep in the car or stare at my phone while being a …
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 …