As I sit here contemplating the holidays and the gunning season upon us, I can’t help but be thankful for the family and friends I have. I spent last weekend with Gary Thompson from Silk Lines & Paper Hulls blog near the Big Horns pursuing sharp-tailed grouse and huns in phenomenal country. Gary recently added a field bred English cocker to his mix. It was a riot watching Buddy and Ellie claw and rip-up the uplands. They found one nice covey of huns but we were swapping lies and not paying attention to our cocker dogs. Ellie took out after the covey and ran directly into the panel fence between us and the road…it reminded of me when I was in Idaho with PDJ author Tom Davis and Andy when Ellie ran head on with the guard rail at 10,000 feet. Man…is that dog hard-headed!
Mark Kastler and I left early the other morning to see how the Colorado prairies weathered and to move a covey or two of scaled quail. Anyone that knows me, knows how much I admire these birds. Scaled quail on the Kansas and Colorado prairie are my favorite to pursue with big running-pointing dogs. Mark and I met at our designated locale and decided we’d better grab a sandwich before traveling to the prairie. We finally got on the road but had to detour because of a fatality on the highway. We detoured and got onto the right path. We passed a nice covey of scaled quail on the road…this was of interest to us because we’d never seen scalies that far north. Mark and I agreed it was a good omen….and it was! We had an incredible day on the prairie moving several coveys of quail. The dogs had a fabulous day pointing and retrieving birds for Mark and I. A day to remember when I can no longer chase pointing dogs on wild birds.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my family & friends. I wish you all health and bird dogs on point!
Setter Feathers…
Gretchen on a covey
Hank with his bird
Gretchen on a single
Pair of scalies and an Open Road hat
Gary in Big Wyoming Country
Lilly…please can I keep running?
Grouse River Gretchen
Wyoming Hun/Sharp-tail country
Devil Dogs
Days End
Upland Ways 
I think I may have ran into Mark while hunting Blue Grouse earlier this year. We had a lovely conversation before parting ways, anyway great photos I thoroughly enjoyed them.
Very cool. Thanks for sharing.