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I grew up chasing sage grouse in Utah with some pretty crazy field bred English Springers…one in particular named Sure Shots Charlie Brown. We use to call them “garbage-can lids” because of how enormous they look when they flush from the purple sage. I believe that author Charlie Waterman said it best, “…they cast shadows on the prairie ground when they take off…” I adore sage grouse and the habitat they live in! My good friend and partner in crime, Matt Lucia, from Idaho studied mortality rates in juvenile sage grouse for his masters degree at the University of Idaho. Their research demonstrated that these birds need hundreds of miles of habitat to sustain them! I’m grateful for groups like the North American Grouse Partnership (www.grousepartners.org)and all of their efforts to protect these birds for the next generations to come! I strongly urge everyone to join their efforts by becoming a member! Sage grouse define the American West to me and everything that’s wild! There’s nothing in the world like watching a big-going-bird-dog eat up the sage prairie in search of purple bombers!
Upland Ways 
>Agreed, and I love the new header picture. I noticed you have a link to a mutual friend whose dog just passed from heat stroke. Any words of advice on prevention, signs and if signs are visible recommendations on immediate / field treatment?
>I always felt the same way about sharptails and prairie chickens. Hunting them in the Nebraska Sandhills 40 years ago I felt like a pioneer. We always camped out near the Dismal River. I’d fall asleep watching stars in a sky so big, with the stars so bright and close, that anyone who denied the Almighty after seeing them like that had to be in deep denial. I hope someday I’ll be able to see the “garbage can lids” in flight. If I behave myself this fall on bird hunting trips with Dr. Bird Dog maybe he’ll invite me next year? Who knows, stranger things have happened.
>Thanks for the comments!Chet…I will write a blog entry in the near future to cover heat related stresses on the field dog!Walter…Next Year!!!!
>Thank you, Dr. Bird Dog for inviting me THIS year. A possibility I never dreamed of will unfold in September with you and my new friend, Babe the English Pointer. I truly look forward to a “tilt” with the big grouse.I also joined the NAGP–most worthwhile.See you soon in Colorado!Dr. Walter