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Walking In
He froze in textbook style, and for a moment all thought of pursuit, of what we had come in search of, was gone. I stood there marveling at how I hadn’t taught him to do this, how I doubt that you really can. But there he was, locked up; the graven image of a genetic […]
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Occupational Hazards
“Hey man, hold his head so he don’t bite me…”
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The End of Days
You could count the number of days remaining in the Idaho sharpie season on one hand. It had been a tough year, with a bird or two here and there, but the coveys were few and far between. Still, with the help of an up-and-coming first-season pup we managed to put one in the bag […]
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Checks and Balances
The pointer named William breaks stride and pauses to investigate a small patch of wilted ragweed. He then continues on track along a sidehill and into the gusting wind that determines his course. It was enough scent to prickle his bird-senses, a scant whiff of something besides dust, but not enough to stop him from […]
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Zach
He was three years old when I bought him and he came with that name. He never found many birds, but one day (before lunch) he killed a baby goat, got sprayed by a skunk, and ate two bobwhites that he neither pointed or retrieved. He ran off the first six times I let him […]
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Revenge
“Leave me in the truck while you hunt? Just because that damn vet said I was out of commission for two weeks?!? Have fun putting your pillows back together, pal.” – Smithhammer
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Of Trust and Hope
If you’re of the sentiment, as John Buchan was, that fishing is “a perpetual series of occasions for hope,” I’d highly recommend trying to finding birds out here: You will walk farther than you think, and look back to see that you’ve put precious little landscape between you and where you started. You’ll find yourself […]
Mouthful of Feathers 