“What kind of bird dogs do you have?” “Pointers”, I reply. “We use to could walk up four of five coveys when I was young just out of my back door, no birds anymore, it’s a shame.” “Do you field trial?” “No sir, I mainly woodcock hunt in South Carolina. I travel a few times…
Category: Hunting Dogs
Sorta-double at Grouse Rock: A Continuation of Day Four in the Idaho Uplands & a Scaled Quail Pictorial Saga
A wise man once stated that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. After hunting the Windy Mills covert on Wednesday, we decided to drive over to Grouse Rock in search of Ron and Andy’s favorite game bird—the ruffed grouse. (I know…they’re both nuts…what more can I…
Colorado Grouse Camp 2017
Smoke and heat was the theme for our annual Colorado grouse camp this year. High above the Colorado river is where I started my day off…but not a single bird was located before the temps hit into the mid 80’s. Surprisingly, this area has been very productive in the past but that day we…
Pilgrims & a Great Adventure
(In)Famous Gary Thompson from snowbound Wyoming and myself (& our 6 canine-cohorts) just returned from an adventurous pilgrimage on the Kansas and Colorado prairies. We met up in Colorado last week and headed over to the Kansas grasslands to hunt wild birds before the predicted ice storms wreaked havoc on us. We found some…
Ghosts & Ranchers
A windsept shortgrass prairie full of cholla, prickly pear, soapweed yucca, blue grama and buffalo grasses, prairie sage wort and junipers were the settings for a great day of chasing scaled quail in the canyon lands of eastern Colorado. Our first solo trip for the season. A time to run my 6 month old coverdog…
Hinterland
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…
Birds and Dogs and Good Country
What a bird season we experienced here in Colorado and surrounding states…been a long time coming with 10 years of thirst throughout our bird country. The final weekend in Kansas was surreal. A quick recap of last weekend…it was kicked off with a speeding ticket in the thriving metropolis of Springfield, Colorado for going…
Scaled Quail Photo Essay
Anyone that follows the Upland Ways knows of my affection for chasing scaled quail on the prairies specially in my home state of Colorado. The birds are here and with a little bit of effort, research and good bird dogs the birds can be found in decent numbers…at least enough to keep a couple guys…
ImageSetters
Spent the past weekend with a great guy on the Colorado prairie…chasing scaled quail (the birds of my heart) and enjoying the upland life…grateful for what God has created & point’n dogs. Scott Johnson (formally of frozen Minnesota) is a ruffed grouse and woodcock aficionado. He and his family uprooted and transplanted to Paonia Colorado…
Tradition
Cool country, wonderful birds, tough dogs, soulful men… These are the enlightened words of a fellow pointing dog (foremost), scaled quail, & Spanish smooth-bore aficionado who I spent the day with this past Saturday. Sinewy Dave Kruger, MD and his leathery brother Kraig (both sadly plagued with Chukar-Hunter’s Disease) met up with me at 0’dark-30….
Borrowed Dogs
I’ve been known to borrow some dogs. The first offense was in October 2011. Gary Thompson was steelhead’n on the Grande Ronde River in eastern Washington and the plan was to meet up with Andy and I in western Idaho for a few glorious days of bird hunting on his way back to Colorado. I…
