Perfect day

I've had a lot of great days in the past but never with both the camera and the shotgun. I'll let the camera do the talking for me.
The country

Bird #1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

The grand total

Early Christmas present

Wow! Christmas started for me a week early. It all started yesterday afternoon when John and Deb Carter stopped by for a visit and also to deliver a present for Riley. In order for you to understand how special this artwork is you have to know the story.

I met John and Deb, along with John's father at Woodhead camp ground. I immediately took a liking to Jon's family and friends.We were all there for chukar hunting and after an evening of tall stories we decided to hunt together the following day. Neka wasn't even a year old at the time and John was quizzing me on training techniques. I explained to him that Riley was my trainer and hopefully he might show us a trick or two the following day.

So the following morning we headed off on the hill. Jon with Taffy, John and Deb with Neka and Riley and me. We started together but were soon in separate draws. After a while I saw Neka covering the hill at a distance and thought I'd venture over to John and Deb to see how it was going.  I can't remember how the shooting was, but Deb had got some good shots of Neka and John with the camera.

We took a quick break talking dogs and were about to get back to hunting when we saw Riley on point.He had been locked up on some birds while we were visiting. So John moved in on the point while Deb took some pictures. She took this great picture of Riley and John made the flush. Riley got to do me proud.

Now Neka is two and hunts like a veteran. She is making a fine mentor for John. What a great gift.

Gift number two came on the hill today. Riley and I were chukar hunting in an area that we knew had bighorns this time of the year so I packed a camera. Shortly up the trail we had this guy blocking our way.

He soon gave us passage and up the hill we went. I heard several loud knocking sounds and although I"ve never heard it before, I was sure it was the sound of Bighorns butting heads. This was going to be a special day. As I came through the sagebrush I heard two rams butting heads but couldn't see them. I looked up the hill just in time to see these two preparing for battle.

Ten seconds later these two joined in.

And then this guy was on the charge for a ram out of the picture.

While I was moving through the brush Riley came sprinting past me. I didn't wee it happen but I think this guy charged him. All I got was this picture of him trotting off from twenty yards.

I didn't know the rut lasted this long for sheep. Maybe it doesn't normally but this ewe didn't know that. In the next fifteen minutes wherever she went, the big boys followed. I took many more random pictures until I was too cold to stay. I was dressed for chukar hunting not sheep watching.

If this is the beginning of my 12 days of Christmas I can't wait for what's next. Thank you so much for yesterday John and Deb and thank you for today God.

Shooting

I'm probably not the best person to give advice on shooting, but after a frustrating day for a fellow hunter I thought I might mention what works for me.

Tom and I went our separate ways about 9 this morning,  as we often do when chukar hunting. It was a calm clear day and you could hear the report of shotgun from a great distant. Tom heard me shoot several times and I also heard his shooting. Four and a half hours later we met back at the truck. I could tell Tom had a frustrating day when he said, "I hope you shot better than me today."  I had an extremely good shooting day for me and Tom asked how I do it.

First off, I have to admit to not shooting well all the time. In fact, in all honesty, I shoot about 65 % when it comes to shooting chukars and huns. But there are many things a guy can do to improve success on shooting the devil bird. I have shot clays with Tom, so I know he is very capable of shooting well. His gun fits and all the basics are there. I just don't think he plans for success.

I could go on and on telling you what I do that works for me, but I think it's more important that you find what works for you. It's not as simple as "Wow my dog is on point, I'll walk up there and shoot the bird!" If you're going to be a successful bird shot there are variables that can improve your percentage. They are all simple things, but when added together they can make a huge difference in your game bag at the end of the day.

Knowing your dog and how he will react at the shot is a must. If you're looking out for your dog, you're not concentrating on the bird. Safety is a must and your dog is far more important than any bird so this involves training as well as common sense. Try and move in on the point in a way that takes a hazardous shot out of the equation. Have in your mind where the no shot zone is and stick to it. When the bird is out of that zone it's a green light and the only thing on your mind is to swing through the target as you shoot.

How do you shoot best?  Is it a left to right crosser, a right to left crosser, straight away, or what? You need to know which shot you shoot best and try and position yourself for that shot. I know this is not always possible, but when it happens your mind is already saying dead bird on this one.

I'll bet most everyone shoots singles better than covey flushes. You have to shoot the first bird before you can get a second so concentrate on a single bird and shoot it. Another big flaw in shooting is changing from one bird to another. Very seldom is that a good idea because there is too much gun movement. Pick a bird and stay with it and more often than not it will drop out of the sky.

Age. I almost hate to add this into the equation but I have to. I have noticed the last few years that I have lost some of my speed and agility and there is nothing I can do about it. So I just slow myself down a little more and usually only get one shot off. It works for me.

Chokes, gauges, fit of clothes, hunting into the sun, windy conditions, and many other variables influence shooting in hunting situations. The thing you have to do is find out what works for you. When you find those things, go in with confidence that you are going to make the shot. It's like anything else in life, you have to PLAN FOR SUCCESS.

six days in the wind

I went over to Oregon last week and spent six days chasing chukars. The only sad thing of the whole trip was having to come home and take a few days off. Riley needed a break from me. He got tired of watching birds fly away.

The first three days I was joined by Greg Munther of Missoula Montana and his GSP Lucy. Greg is 68 years old but has a 30 year old gait going up hills. We hunted in different directions so we saw very little of each other on the hill. What I did see  is that they are a great pair on the hill and always have some great stories back at camp. All three days were windy with the first day being extremely windy.

Two of the first three days Greg Allen, my chukar hunting partner for the last 25 years, also hunted along with us. Greg is a hard chukar hunter and always finds birds to shoot. But the second day he brought one of his older girls over and had  specially good day. As you can see in this picture, Nikki is aging some and she has one bad leg so going 8 for 8 is quite an accomplishment.

The last two days Jon Carter and his son, John and daughter in law, Debbie joined Barb and I at the camp ground. The Carter clan always brings fun and excitement to the camp and hill. I didn't get any pictures but believe me when I tell you I saw some great bird work from Taffy, Jon's dog and Neka, who belongs to John and Debbie. The last day the Carter's even convinced Barbara to tag along. It wasn't long before Barbare was charging up the hill.

If Barbara was coming, we couldn't leave Dakota behind. This is his 13th hunting season and he has been retired but today he forgot that. It was a thrill to see the old boy on two great points and a retrieve. He soon forgot about his old bones and was covering some pretty good country. Once again, where is the camera when you need it?

Also, on day five a gentleman from Washington joined us at camp. Brian Vonderfecht, camped with us Friday night with some great tales of his setter and chukar hunts of the past. His setter couldn't make this trip because of her age so he hunted with me Saturday morning until we got separated. He even got to shoot a chukar off one of Riley's points.

Every once in a while you run into something different on the hill that gives you a little different perspective. Luckily this particular day I had the camera with me. I saw this guy laying in a valley out of the wind. He watched Riley and I hunting around him and just lay there hoping we wouldn't come any closer. Looking at his face I could see the look of an old man who had little energy for flight. We gave him his space and wished him a kind winter. I'll bet he could have told me some great hunting stories.

Happy Thanksgiving

As promised, I finally got the camera working. So for you guys over seas I took some pictures on the hill today hoping they find you safe and give you just a taste of what is waiting for you when you get home. Some of the pictures are redundant but they give me a chance to show off Riley.

The day started walking up this ridge.

Riley searched both high and low for two hours without finding a bird.

And then it happened. Find after find, Riley started doing his thing. Riley was a little unhappy with me and the square box in my hand. He was more concerned about getting birds than having me walk around him taking pictures.

But it all worked out the same with a couple of retrieves.

This was another of Riley's points that offered a great chance to move around him and take some pictures and then hopefully get some shots with the gun.

He finally relocated as I moved below him with the camera.

At this point I could tell he had the birds pinned between us so I looked in the brush to my left and I could see a couple of the chukars that were in a covey of about 15 that eventually flushed.

A couple more retrieves.

Here are a few more of Riley's points for the day. I'll leave you with these pictures and the hopes they  fulfill your hunting needs for a short time and bring you home soon and safely.

Hiding in the snow

I should have known better than to go out again today, but Riley and I had such a great time between the squalls yesterday we were ready to chance it again today. It wasn't a very good idea because there was quite a bit more moisture and wind in today's storms and the duration was a little longer. So we got a little wet.

Luckily we found a nice carved out spot in some rocks that gave us some protection from the blowing wet snow. I tucked myself back in as far as I could to protect both me and Riley, who was more than happy to hide with me. The hard stuff lasted for about a half an hour. It's amazing of the things that can go through your mind in that short of a time.

Riley pulled in as close as he could with his nose tucked deep into my chest. As he looked up at me with his eyes I suddenly saw Tucker in him. I remembered all the great times Tucker and I had together and how he used to sit next to me in the same way. He always made me feel like I was really something. Riley has turned into Tucker in his actions. He always wants to be close to me and is as aware of where I am on the hill as I try to be of him. If he comes back to where he thinks I should be and he can't see me he quickly gets that panic look in his eyes.

Tucker taught me more about chukar hunting than I could have learned from a book and now Riley is continuing my education. I remember feeling like all that I have to do to be successful in hunting chukars is to follow Tuckers lead and shoot well. We both had bad days but 9 out of 10 times Tucker's days were great. He had honest points that he would hold until I got into the position I wanted to be in. If I did my job the retrieve would be made with never a word being said.

Never a word being said. That is how my hunts now go with Riley now. Very few words have to be said for encouragement or because of discouragement, except for the times I'm cussing myself out. I know he does what he does because he loves it and it pleases me. I keep my mouth shut when he screws up because I know that he made the mistake trying to please me just as I sometimes miss a bird trying to please him with a possible retrieve. That is what Tucker taught me about being with a hunting dog. We are a team.

Finally the storm broke and it was time for Riley and I to work our way back to the truck before the next batch of snow and wind hit us. Riley jumped up and led the way, hoping to find a bird or two along the way. He seemed to know the way back to the truck and I was ready to head that way. As luck would have it, we did pick up a couple of more chukars along the way, but that wasn't what was important on my mind. It was the realization of how Riley and I had become one. He and I are not only good hunting buddies but are just great friends.

But with the good things our dogs do for us there is the one thing that they have no control over. They don't live long enough. With each passing of our animal friends we lose a piece of our heart. I have lost several pieces in my lifetime and Tucker took a pretty big chunk. Dakota, Tucker,s son probably only has a couple of years left before he will erase all physical evidence of his father. He will also take a large piece of my heart with him. He and his dad were an unbeatable pair on the hill. There will never be a pair of dogs that worked birds together than these two. Thus the name "Team Tuckota" will forever be engraved above my fireplace with the names of all their predecessors and followers listed with them.


While sitting under that rock I couldn't help but to wonder where I am going from here. I never thought I would have another dog that would fit with me as Tucker did. I don't mind saying that I bawled like a baby the day Tucker left and am getting tears now thinking back to that day. I also left some tears under that rock today. They were tears for Tucker but also tears of fear of the day when Riley leaves me. I don't know if I have many more pieces of my heart to give. I wish that the love each one of my dogs have given me would rebuild the heart but there's starting to be too much of a void.

Most who are reading this have hunting dogs so nothing more need be said except, thank you God for giving us such loyal friends and I pray we all see each other again.

Age, conditioning and shooting

Getting older has it's advantages. It also has some disadvantages. For the main scheme of it all, there are a lot more advantages than disadvantages.

One of the advantages is getting smarter as you get older. In other words you hunt smarter, not harder. I haven't quite grasped that one yet but I'm not alone. I hunted with Greg Munther of Missoula, Mont. the last two days and at 68 he has me by 7 years. I don't think smart is in his vocabulary when it comes to hunting chukars. He looks for the hardest hill and goes for it. He is in fantastic hunting shape.

I pride myself in being in chukar shape. I feel the best way to stay fit is to be on the chukar hills at least 150 days a year. Half of the time hunting and the other half just hiking. Outside of having a good bird dog, conditioning along with shooting are the next two major parts of chukar hunting. So what has that got to do with age?

I shoot aproximately 1000 rounds a year practicing at the sporting clays course or just with my automatic thrower and I keep in fairly good shape. I also have a great hunting dog so I should bring home lots of birds. It doesn't always work that way and today was one of those bad days. It wasn't that I just shot bad. It was that I crippled more birds today than the previous twenty trips. Usually you know when you make a poor shot, but today I felt like I was in slow motion when swinging the gun.

Greg hunted the same hill and he shot just fine so what could the difference be? I knew I was shooting behind most of the birds but just couldn't seem to catch up. It was kind of like the feeling when you're all bundled up in clothes. As I sat in the lounger watching the football game this evening it suddenly hit me. I couldn't even twist around to get my favorite beverage off the coffee table without moaning. I felt like rigamortis had set in.

I felt a little like this the last two days but not as bad as tonight. The problem is, this was the fifth day in a row of hard chukar hunting. When you're young that is no big deal but as you age your body doesn't recover quite as fast. As you age you have to give yourself a little more recovery time for the muscles to recover.

So, in short, what I'm trying to say is that I shot behind the birds because at my age I hunted too many days in a row which made me stiff so I couldn't swing fast enough on the fast escaping birds. That is going to be excuse #753 in my new book of 1000 reasons why I miss chukars.

Did I tell you I had fun today?

Fun four days with Riley

Being able to take off and hunt for a week or so is one of the great perks with getting older. Riley and I just spent four days hunting Brownlee reservoir on the Idaho side. Not only did we save a lot of gas, we found some new country to chase the devil birds in. A couple of the places we discovered may never be seen by me again but the birds were there in large numbers. The miles and steepness may restrict me from getting into these spots in the future. It was still exciting to know that these fairly untouched places still exist for the hunter that doesn't mind being a little sore at the end of the day.

Hunting some of these areas teach you a lot about yourself and your dog. You really know how much you love the sport of hunting chukars by how far you are willing to push yourself into the next draw, and the next, and the next. While you are pushing yourself and your dog, not a word is spoken between you and him.  He is just doing his job and finding birds.

Riley and I are going into our fifth year together and I must say we are working like a fine tuned machine together. We both have our screw ups, but not a word has to be said because we know we'll make it right the next covey that we find. We lost one bird that hit the ground. That is only the second lost bird of the season. The first, we knew where it was but couldn't get to it because of the steep rocks it lodged itself in. There have been some that I have dropped a leg or knocked some feathers out of that we aren't sure if they went down or not but out of the ones that hit the ground, only two losses is pretty darn good.

In the four days I only ran into one other chukar hunter (Herry and his dog Max). He offered me a ride on the road I was walking on but I had just a short ways to my truck so I declined. Herry has a good looking male solid colored GSP and you know my feelings about those dogs.  Also Greg Allen hunted with me on the fourth day. His shots were the only shots I heard besides my own in four days.

My camera's zoom wasn't working properly so I didn't get as many pictures as I hoped. Here are a few of the sights I saw dozen of times. Riley is out here on point at 289 yards somewhere.

There he is. I'll just move in a little.

Okay, now it's up to me.

Good team work has it's rewards.

This is the end of the day results. Because of the number of birds and the great country this can be a fairly common scene.

Now it's time to clean up around the house and prepare for the next big outing.

Rileys problem retrieve

Once again I didn't have a camera on todays hunt. I wish I would have had a movie camera. Riley put on quite a show. He was a pointing and retrieving machine. The wind and conditions were perfect for a great hunt.

But one retrieve lasted about four or five minutes and was quite a comical scene. Luck was shining on me and I knocked down a double on huns. The problem was that I crippled both. Riley was on the first one quick. On his way back with the bird the second hun ran past him down the hill. He dropped the one in his mouth and was in hot pursuit of number two. He soon caught it and was bringing it back to me when number one ran back down the hill past him. He dropped number two and headed after number one who was still full of energy except for a broken wing. Further down the hill he finally caught number one but on his way up the hill had to drop it because number two was back on the run.

Well, you probably get the picture. The biggest problem with the whole thing was each time they ended up further down the hill. I finally told Riley to whoa once he had one of the birds in his mouth. I walked down to him and took the bird from his mouth. The bird was still as energetic as when the whole thing started. I then gave Riley the dead bird command. He soon caught the other birds scent and retrieved it back to me, still quite alive.

Sometimes you wish you could get in the dogs mind and see what they are thinking.

Five days of Oregon chukar.

Riley and I spent the last five days chasing chukar in Oregon. The best way to describe the hunting is fantastic. We hunted five different locations, put on lots of miles, gained a lot of elevation, and found loads of birds. I would say chukar hunting is as good as ever in Oregon.

Riley got a puncture wound in his right hind leg on the last retrieve of the trip. It wasn't anything real bad, except for a lot of draining, but he earned some time off all the same. He had a great five days. I decided not to pack a camera this year because the pictures have become quite redundant. Chukar country pictures and Riley pointing pictures. I never get tired of seeing this but enough is enough as far as the photos of him goes.

I had a real treat for three of those days. Greg Munther of Missoula Mont. came over and hunted with me. I just met Greg and am happy to say I hope to hunt many more times with him in the future. Greg is a living encyclopedia of the outdoors and a total outdoorsman. He knows how to cover the mountain also. Together with his GSP Lucy they put terror in many of the chukars flight.

I'm hoping to meet many more of you chukar hunters in the future. Listening to others experiences and watching other hunters work with their dogs is (almost) as good as doing the real thing.

ouch

The chukar season is in full swing now. The only thing that isn't swinging well right now is me packing the camera. It's been a little wet and that has made my laziness to carry the camera a little easier. So needless to say, no pictures yet.

The birds are out there. I have to admit to not seeing as many as I hoped, but they seem to be localized right now. So when you find them there is some great action. Luckily for me the limit in Idaho is only six chukars this year so my poor shooting doesn't really seem that dismal. For you guys over seas, I'm leaving lots for seed next year.

Todays hunt was probably the most exciting of the last seven in Idaho. Riley and I went to an old favorite for the first time this year. The birds were there just like they were rehearsed. The weather was overcast with a decent breeze. So up the hill we go. Riley busts the first covey of chukar and then settles in. He's having a great day except that every covey point is straight up hill. The good point to that is that is my better shooting angle. Slow risers. We finally get enough birds that I decide to start side hilling more and staying on the trails. Riley obliges and starts working with me and producing some good action.

Problem number one for the season came as I tried to crash through the brush in a steep draw. I've done something to my shoulder and can't lift my right arm above my head without feeling some pain. I started feeling quite a bit of it. I've already decided I can take the pain until the day after the season closes. Shooting and dog work was pretty darn good and we needed only two more huns so we started down the steep slope knowing there were huns somewhere down below.

As I headed straight down the hill problem number two showed up. Five and a half years ago I had a knee replacement. It's felt great until today. Each step downhill with my right leg sent a sharp pain through my knee. I was hoping that would never show up again but on a recent check up my doc noticed a pretty good bone spur and said we probably would have to scope that soon. Well, that's one more for the day after season.

So Riley and I found a game/cow trail headed down and towards the rig. The rain started to drizzle down a little but nothing to worry about. Riley goes on a great downhill point. One of those you wish you had a camera for, head twisted back over his shoulder with uphill leg cocked. As I slid down below him the biggest covey of huns I have seen this year erupted and blindly I shot a double. With my gun unloaded Riley and I started the half hour trek back to the truck. The only problem now was the drizzle had turned to a down pour and the wind picked up. I tried to take a route that would keep the wind to our back but that was in the wrong direction. To add to all this it started hailing and thundering. The cell was obviously building right above us. The hill turned into a mudslide and getting down was getting a little more exciting with each step. Finally it happened. The hill went out from under me and down I went. Luckily the rock my cheek met was flat. I knew when I hit it wasn't pretty but there wasn't a lot that could be done about it at the time. The amount of rain and hail pasting my face would keep the cut clean. Although swollen, at least this one will heal before the end of the season.

We hit the road about a half mile from the truck and that was the last I saw of Riley until I reached the truck to find him hiding on the windless side of the truck avoiding the hail. I opened the doors and we got in not caring how much mud we packed in. About a mile down the road not a drop of rain had fallen.

Anyhow, you guys that aren't able to get out this year, things haven't changed. There's plenty of birds out there and those who are willing to chuk up will be seeing lots of action. Just keep your health insurance paid up. 

Dedication to Tucker

Well my chukar season started today with Riley. As I hope to do every year, Riley and I went to the spot that Tucker had his first point years ago. I had both barrels loaded with shells containing Tucker's ashes along with the 7 1/2 shot.

About 1/2 hour into the hunt Riley locked up. It was probably 250 yards from where Tucker's first point was. Knowing Tucker was watching, I decided that was close enough. I moved out in front of Riley for the flush. I could see a couple of the birds on the ground and could tell they were young birds. I was hoping for adults when they flushed. I couldn't differentiate between the juveniles and the adults and took the last bird with the first shot and the bird right in front of it on the second. As Tucker's ashes floated to the ground, Riley brought the first bird back. We walked down hill towards the second bird and Riley picked up the scent and brought it back to me also.

There is a large rock close to the spot of Tuckers first point. Riley and I walked over and sat in the shade of the rock. We stayed there for about five minutes and I gave Tucker thanks for all that he taught me and wet down Riley's throat. We were soon off to find some more birds.

The conditions were the worst. Today was an extremely dry day and perfectly calm. Riley was having to cover a lot of ground to pick up scent. Of course when he did the birds were moving up hill making this old man work a little harder in the heat. To make this short, I'll just say we got our birds with some hard work in bad conditions. Riley and I came off the hill after three and a half hours. The temperature had gone up 17 degrees since our start and the shadows were hard to find now. Riley's nose was a solid green color from all of the sage pollen and my shirt was mixed dust and pollen color from the sweat, dust and pollen.

It was a great day on the hill as most are. It's always good going back to all of the great hunts I had with the best chukar dog I ever saw. Riley did him proud and my first two shells of the season performed like Tucker was there with us.