Bucking in circles like a rodeo bull, her enthusiasm belied her age. I was scrambling around the cold garage looking for duck hunting gear that hasn’t been used much lately. The temps started to drop, from a high of 20 F, as soon as the sun dipped below the mountains. Waterfowl was our game when, Read More
“We don’t eat the feathers, cause see that would be silly, right Dada?” “Right.” “Yeah, cause we only eat the meat, and feathers aren’t meat and… and… um… cause see the meat’s on the inside!” The duck we were plucking had only hung for a couple days. I’d planned on waiting longer to breast, Read More
“I sure hope we find some greasewood thickets today,” said Kirk. At least I think it was Kirk. It sounded like him, and came from the general direction of where he’d been swallowed by the brush. The dry sarcasm was a pretty good clue too. “Bound to be a few around here somewhere,” I, Read More
“Dada, can I say it? I wanna say it! Please Dada!” pled my five year old. To my left the dog sat rigid as a stump, staring at the distant spot where the lake swallowed her bumper. She was taut as a bowstring, but only the slightest tremble betrayed her growing impatience. Click here, Read More
Parents often tell me that having and raising kids really cemented their place in a community. They’d been disconnected from whole populations of neighbors, ignorant of critical institutions and uninvolved in many cultural rituals until the demands of parenthood thrust them into the fray. I think that might be overstating it a bit, and, Read More
“Are we almost home?” “My stomach hurts.” “I think I might throw up.” My brain was beginning to tell my lips to start moving in response to the first question, when I heard the convulsions begin. Going from sixty to zero in quick order, I pulled into the barrow ditch. Cold winter air hit my face, Read More
Ducks flew by the hundreds. They were closer to the cruising altitude for commercial airlines than our decoys. But the sky gave us a show that was more memorable than many of the ducks I’ve brought home. After shooting light we spent nearly a half hour soaking in the view. The dog, shotgun’s, calls, decoys, Read More
“Is the otter awake Dada?” asked my four year old, sleepy eyed and soft as he strolled onto the little sand beach. He’d silently navigated fifty yards of forest between the tent and me, and materialized at the tree line as casual and unaffected as he would have in our kitchen back home. “Good, Read More
I was once told that speaking critically of girlfriends and spouses was one thing, but to do the same about someones gun dog is crossing the line. There are a ton of great hunting dog breeds out there but most of us settle on one or two. From that point on we espouse the, Read More
Stalking the seam is not a passive endeavor. Getting after it, while meeting the demands of work and family, requires intention and effort. Likewise, conserving the resources, perpetuating the values, and passing on the knowledge and lore that make our pursuits possible for future generations can feel like an uphill battle. Apathy and ignorance, Read More