Back country remote picturesque sparsely populated lands…Idaho defined precisely.

I just returned from my annual trek to southern Idaho where I get to hunt with my brother (and best friend) Andy and visit with my family.  I enjoyed spending time with my mother and seeing my nephews and nieces.  This year Andy and I were joined by our friend Ron Coiro from Long Island, New York.   Ron had been dreaming of the Idaho uplands for many years and wanted to finish his quest for the North American quail (6 species in all) slam needing only a California or valley quail.

Andy and I started our trip with some low’s…we helped his beloved Sunny-girl pass on to the Rainbow bridge.  Sunny was a special bird dog.  Helluva a bird finder and retriever…I have many fond memories.  She reminded me of Rudy the Norte Dame football player who was puny but all heart and desire.  I will miss Sunny-girl!  She was buried in one of our favorite grouse coverts in a proper Grouse Dog burial site.

Another Low was that my setter Gretchen was three-legged lame from day 1, so Andy and I were dog-poor.   We made the most of it…Andy’s Misty has turned into a world class pointing dog.  Thank heavens Misty was able to run all week for us.

Ron arrived on Sunday and we took him to our favorite haunts in search of wild birds.  Ron was able to harvest sharptailed grouse, huns and valley quail over Misty and a chukar that my fb English cocker Ellie flushed…another first for Ron…wild cantankerous Phookars!

It was a great week with good friends forging that common bond and lots of wild birds and gourmet root beer…and of course…tacos!

My family has been recently blessed with a new family member….a cover dog setter of spectacular breeding with Penn’s Star and many more grouse dogs.  I’m ecstatic to get her on the prairie for scaled quail.  More to come on that in the months to come.

Setter Feathers…see you on the prairies.