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…
Category: Quail and Quail hunting
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…
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…
Final Days on the Prairies with Gundogs
Matt Lucia (Mark Kastler joined us on one of those special days) and I spent three glorious final days on the prairies in pursuit of birds. Havilah Babcock’s prose of not wanting to travel to the Dark Continent to kill elephants has rang true to me this season…Colorado has a good population of my favorite…
Samples
Bird dogs are in my blood. The Colorado prairie, though, has gotten under my skin. The loneliness and endless sea of sand-sage, yucca, saltbush, prickly-pear, and cholla…called home to very few…mangy coyotes, desert tortoises, and horned-larks but also my beloved quail. The incessant wind calms in the eve as the shadows grow longer and the…
Over the Rivers and Out on the Prairies: A Pictorial Saga
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…
Upland Ways 