Good Luck Big Guy

Well, Big Guy tomorrows the big day. You're finally going to get that knee replacement. You thought you'd get away without a last word by me. Well, I had a pretty darn good season and I don't mind saying so. I talked you into getting that new camera and I know people would like to see me do my thing.

The last two months have been fantastic. Even with your gimping and whining we've had a good time. You've been a pitiful sight but I pulled you through the year.

I've decided to put some pictures together for you. I am hoping they'll encourage you to rehabilitate hard and get better fast. It's going to be very boring for me while you go through your rehab. I sure wish Riley were still here for me to play with. Like you, I miss him a whole bunch. I wish I could have seen him do all the things you talk about when we're on the hill. He must have been one heck of a hunting dog. I remember this spring when you took this picture and remarked these two are going to bring me bucket loads of chukar instead of gold.

We sure had some good times in our short time together. I'm sure he's up in heaven wishing you the best also.

I sure appreciate all the hunting time on the hill since bird season began. We had a ball didn't we? I think I've been real patient with you and you've come a long way. The last three weeks have been tough for me watching you hobble around on the mountain, but I know how much you love it, so I put up with your whining. Hopefully, you'll be back in top shape for spring training. I put these pictures of the last three weeks together for you to reminisce of great times to come. I know if I were hurting they would help me hurry up and get better, so please toughen up and get it done.

Because your memory is getting so poor, I'm going to walk you through most of these photographs. It's getting so bad that you left the lunch Barbara made us a few days ago. Both you and I were starving on the way home from our hunt because you forgot the lunch. Hell, I remember you almost tripped over it on the way out the door and still didn't put it in the truck. Maybe you've put too many miles on the hill for your brain also.

Remember this point? You sure took your time getting to me. I remember thinking "Can you hurry it up a little. Just because some birds flew already that doesn't mean there aren't more here". Sometimes I can't style up like you'd like and I get stuck in these weird positions waiting for ol slowpoke to get to me. At least you shot well at the straggler.

And how about that foggy day.

I swear, I was up out of the fog at least 15 minutes before you finally appeared through it. But it was worth the wait. You yelled at me to slow down because your muscles were still stiff. I don't understand humans. You'd think they would be faster learners with as much education they get. Watch us animals. Have you ever heard us complain about being stiff when we start a hike? No, because we always stretch when we get out of the truck. I have never seen you stretch on a hunt to loosen the muscles. Also, have you noticed how we always lighten the load as we begin our trek? Enough said about that.

Those birds were ready to break but I found a way to calm them before you finally arrived. I was even getting cold standing there on point for ten minutes.

 That was a pretty good shot you made. I didn't even mind that retrieve. Bringing a dead bird from uphill fifty yards is easy compared to most of those straight uphill retrieves. I don't think you understand what that takes out of a dog. It's fun chasing the cripple down but hard bringing it back up the hill when you're out of breath. Maybe you should use that time to stretch instead of saying "atta boy". I got the message with the first retrieve over a month ago.

And how about those points looking back at you. Remember, even though my head is up high, if it looks like I might be on point than I probably am on point. Hint, if the wind is at your back in these situation than it is my face. Start moving towards me and quit scratching your ..... head. Those birds aren't going to sit there forever. Also, maybe your shooting would improve if you trust my point instead of walking up half asleep.

Maybe next year you can leave the camera at home for a while. It gets a little bit frustrating when I let you take a picture and than you start moving in to take a closer picture

and then you miss the birds.  I get a little discouraged watching those kind of birds fly off. I've even contemplated calling your doctor to see if he could do some improvements on your trigger finger and shooting eye but figured let's just get one thing at a time accomplished.

Although I try to always let you get this close the birds don't always cooperate. So please don't miss shots like this. In this case you made a good shot which, and as usual,

I retrieve. You later take credit for the bird and I understand. That's what I'm here for.

 

With all your screw ups we still had a pretty darn good day. We do make a pretty good team.

 

Speaking of doing good. Remember the day we got this limit? I was on fire wasn't I. Sure, you'll get the credit at home but let's be honest about who really did the work. Like this point.

 

Sure it wasn't the most stylish point in the world, but you didn't hear me saying anything about taking two shots to kill the bird.

The country was a lot flatter that day and you moved better than usual. If I could, I'd like to ask if you'll not approach my point from behind. I've seen some good shooting from you but I've also seen some questionable shots, so I'd rather you come in from the side or front so I can watch and see if I need to dive for cover.

Also coming in from behind shows your lack of confidence in me. I know the country sometimes is open but just trust me. The nose doesn't lie. See what I mean.

I'm hoping by the time you recover from your knee replacement you realize I'm not a puppy anymore and will quit calling me that in front of your friends. I think you do that so that everyone thinks you're the great hunter. Remember, you'd probably get nothing if it wasn't for me. I am almost one year old and already a master of my trade. Remember the hunt with Greg and his two girls?  I think male dogs have better noses than those women.

I must admit that I was pretty impressive. Man, was I styling that day. We call them bitches but I still like impressing them.

I thought you did a pretty good job yourself. Especially since you some of your shells had no shot in them. That explained why I didn't see many feathers falling from the sky. That reminds me, quit yelling "how did I miss that shot"? Everyone is wondering the same thing without you blurting remarks.

3 for 10. Maybe you can explain what that means to me one day while you're rehabilitating. I mean your leg not your head. I had so many great points like these that day I figured you'd surely  be happy with your bag limit.

Trudi and Katie were so impressed with my style they let me use them as pillows to soften the ride home. I think they look at me as quite the stud. Sometimes it's nice being the only guy around.

And remember that hunt over at. Oh! I forgot. I'm not supposed to mention that spot. It's supposed to be a secret. I can't believe you don't trust me more than you do. Blindfolding me is a little too much.

How would you like it if I blindfolded you before I pointed the birds? Wouldn't be much of a team game, would it?

 

Maybe I'll start hiding the birds and play hide and seek with you. That would sure make the day a long one. Imagine, with your nose trying to find a dead bird. Ha!

Talk about finding a needle in a haystack. You'd be lucky be looking until the rotted dead bird smell started. Your family would starve to death if we counted on you finding dead birds.

I think it would be better if you trusted me not to tell other dogs about your hot spots and I'll keep doing what I do best. Making you look good. That's not as easy as it sounds either.

I point, you shoot,

and I retrieve. Even if it is a hun.

Remember, I point, you shoot,

and I retrieve.

point and shot

Retrieve. I hope we've got that straight now. Seems a little bit unfair though. I do two things to your one. All you do is pull the trigger. But, you do pay for the gas, etc. so I can live with that. You also feed me and are a darn good friend to have around. You even let me pack a bird around when we take a break on the hill. Sometimes it's just nice to show off my trophy. I don't know why you are always in such a hurry to get the bird in your bag.

By the way, quit panicking every time you see my standing on a cliff of rocks. I have super good balance. I wouldn't do anything that would put our fun times to a halt. I hope you'll be careful too. I probably only have ten or eleven more seasons to hunt hard and we don't want to lose any more time than we're going to lose in the next two months. Looking at these pictures and remembering how much fun we have had together makes me sad we're going to miss the next two months. Man, we have had fun. I know I make fun of you but you're such an easy target. I have to admit it's fun to watch you hobble towards my far away points. You look like Chester on those old Gunsmoke reruns.

You look like you are hurting pretty bad at times. Those are the times I am proudest to fetch the bird to you. You have to really love chukar hunting to walk these hills feeling the way you do.

I know a few times I might be getting a little too far out there. I don't like doing that to you but the birds are so few this year I have out get out there to find them. It's in my blood. I wouldn't have to go so far if there were more birds. Ya, that's me out there 300 yards on point.

I can honestly say that after a long walk like this I am really proud of you when you shoot a double. I will always gladly fetch those birds, especially when you have worked so hard just to get to my point. That's another thing for you to put into your memory bank. Trust me and take your time getting to my point and you'll shoot better.

Man, just looking at these pictures make it sad to see this season end. But if this is a down year, like you said, I can't imagine what the years ahead are going to be like. I pray that Dr. Moore gets you back up on your feet quickly. In fact I wish he could give you bionic knees. Wouldn't we be a threat to the chukar world then. Thank you for the wonderful year. I'll miss you while you're at the hospital but you don't have to send me to Dr. Koob while you're gone. Having me neutered so we'll both be out of operation for a few days is a little much. As usual I'm getting the short end of this deal also. At least you're getting a knee replacement. I'm losing two things permanently.  I'm taking back my promise not to jump on you when you get back from the hospital.

Just remember my great points and the beautiful country 

and we'll soon be back on the hill this spring practicing our pointing ability.

Man, I love chukar hunting

GOOD LUCK BIG GUY

See you soon

The 2013 season has come to an end for me. In two days I'll be getting a new knee. I'm not overly excited about the rehab since I know the pain that accompanies knee replacement from my previous experience. I am looking forward to putting 2013 behind me and getting on with life without two of my great friends, Riley and Dakota. I know 2014 is going to be a great year with Jake and the memory of past dogs will smile upon me with each point and retrieve Jake makes.

Enough about me. When I started this blog I said it was about the dogs. Here are a few photos of our last two hunts. It's pretty hard to feel sorry for me when you see the great time I've had because of friends and Jake. My last day out was with Greg Allen and his two girls, Trudi and Katie. Greg is the best chukar hunter I know and he has taught me tons about chukar hunting and GSPs.

Jake entertained me with a mixed bag on our next to last hunt of the year.

He pointed this grouse in a tree as we were heading to the chukar hills.

Some of his points were a little less stylish,

but it got the job done all the same with both chukars

 and huns.

You can still see the puppy in Jakes eyes in this picture. He's only ten months old now and I'm looking forward to the many great years of hunting and entertainment he's going to provide.

See you all soon.

Good Bye old friend

"Dakota's looking for birds with his old buddies now". Those were the words of Katie Wright last Friday evening. She had been Dakota's vet for 14 and 1/2 years and as always was there for him and us in the end. They were the perfect words to help ease Barb and my tears. In fact Katie had a few tears herself.

Until she said those words, I was thinking about how much I was going to miss him, not how happy he was going to be with his two hunting partners Tucker and Riley. That's where he was the best, when he was on the hill with them. The last two years Dakota's health was slipping and he was unable to hunt any longer. He did well around the house but his enthusiasm diminished significantly. Finally his doggie dementia and lack of comfort did him in. His pain told us we had to let him go.

Barb and I thought letting Dakota go would be easier than when we had to say goodbye to Riley. We were prepared for Dakota, knowing he had lived a long good life. We were wrong, it hurt all the same and a chunk of our heart went with him. We miss him but are better off thinking of the words that Katie said.
 Dakota was the middle child. The one that never got the respect he deserved because of the two dogs before and after him. Tucker, his father was the best hunting dog I ever saw and Riley who came along when Dakota was 7 took a close second to Tucker. Even at that, Dakota excelled. He was more than happy to play second fiddle as long as he was in the action, which is where he always was.

Dakota brought home many limits by himself, like this last one.

He was successful because of his fantastic stylish points he developed at four months old.

As he aged the tail might have been a little lower but he held the birds for my shot thousands of times.

 

Tucker was always happy to have his son hunting with him and honoring him the way that Dakota always did,

and was always willing to take second place behind Dakota's great points.

Riley also loved hunting with Dakota.

But above all else, Dakota loved the retrieve. He was the most relentless chukar retriever I ever saw. He lost very few birds and both Tucker and Riley were happy to leave that job to him. He showed his excitement of chasing wounded birds down the canyon by barking while in pursuit. It sometimes seemed a little annoying but at least you knew he still was on the bird. He was always proudest handing me a bird.

 Dakota's most notable moment might be his run in with a cougar. It took a long time to get Dakota to stand here and look at the cat after it was two feet to his rear chasing him just moments before.

Thank you for giving me the best years of your life Dakota. I hope you are finding the thrill of hunting with Tucker and Riley again as much as it was here. I close my eyes at night and think of the three amigos at night and how much joy  the three of you gave me on the hill and pray that you are together again. Who knows what the three of you have in store when my time comes. I love you.

Sometimes you just need to blow your own horn

Many years ago a good friend of mine told me "you gotta blow your own horn because no  on is going to do it for you". It seems often times chukar hunters frown upon tailgate pictures. I don't know where that started but look at all the other forms of hunting. There's nothing better than those pictures of big game animals. The hunter's are proud of their trophy's and rightfully so. How many times have you seen groups of hunters behind a long line of roosters in Kansas or South Dakota or the duck hunters with both a limit of ducks and geese laid out in front of the blind. In most cases these hunters are just trying to get a memory of a great time and a chance to show their friends of how great the hunting was.

I love tailgate photos of chukars because I know how hard chukar hunting can be. I also know that it usually takes some pretty good dog work to come up with one chukar let alone 6 or 8. We'd all love to get pictures of our dogs on point and retrieving birds but most time it's tough enough getting a shot at the birds with a shotgun let alone trying to get a photo first. To me tailgate shots are more of a tribute to the dogs.

Another reason tailgate photos mean a lot to me is showing the fact that there are birds out there. Too many times I've heard the stories of low bird numbers and a lot of dismal stories of no success. I should be happy about that because that keeps many hunters at home instead of chasing the birds. But I love chukar dogs and watching them work the steep hills. The people that post pictures are usually those who have the same love as I do and are proud to show that with  a little hard work and good dogs it can be done even on down years.

In my opinion, this is a down year. I'm seeing fewer birds and getting fewer birds than I can recall over the past thirty years. But I don't want to blame it all on low bird numbers. I have a 10 month old pup to hunt behind and I'm lame so that could be some of the reason for my slower season. But even at that, we're having some pretty darn good hunts. People I am talking to are seeing a few more birds now than earlier in the season. I'm guessing that is probably because they're finding out it takes a little more work to find birds this year and the conditions are getting better for good dog work.

A chukar hunter from Utah and I have been corresponding about chukar hunting a little this year. Jordan Oyler mentioned to me that he was hearing of dismal bird numbers in eastern Oregon and western Idaho. I concurred that that was my findings. He and his brother traveled to Oregon anyway for a hunt. Afterwords he sent me this tailgate picture of his brother and dogs.

 He said something to the fact that people over here must have a different opinion of low numbers than those hunters in Utah. I was ready to go up on the mountain the next day.

Post script to this photo. I'm hoping to become a GOOD friend of Jordan's. Also I'm sure the reason for their success is in the back of his truck. Ava is a solid colored GSP in her first year of hunting. Not that I'm biased or anything.

Here's a success picture of the greatest chukar hunter I've ever hunted with. Greg Allen and his girls will always be able to find birds if they're there. His favorite saying is you can't get satisfaction unless you get to the top of the hill

And then there's Jake. Just being with him, as was with my boys of the past, keeps me encouraged to push on. Sometimes we even limit out.

So, now that Barb has showed me how to transfer pictures, send them my way. I'll blow your horn for you. I'd be damn proud to show off the fun we chukar hunters have.

Jake and the ol crippled hunter

In two days Jake will be 10 months old. As with all my pups of the past, he has amazed me with his quick learning and hunting ability. He got short changed a little when it came to training. Riley didn't have enough time to work with Jake and now Jake has a cripple trying to get to him on the mountain. I do the best I can, but I think it's a little much to ask a pup to hold birds as long as it takes for me to get up or down the slopes.

Today I made it even harder on Jake. My son, Doug has a small camera I wanted to try. It's a great camera that has all the neat functions and trick stuff of the big camera's and it fits in my pocket. My normal camera is bigger and hangs around my neck, thus making it harder to take with a gun. As I said, Doug's camera has all the neat features on it, so it didn't take long before I pushed the wrong buttons and it quit working. It wasn't long after it quit and Jake went on a classic point. He had his left front leg bent up and his back and tail were as straight as a level. So from about forty yards I fought with the camera trying to get it to work. I guess it was about ten minutes or so and I gave the occasional glance to see he hadn't moved a muscle. Suddenly, I heard the birds flush. I haven't a clue if the birds got nervous or Jake got bored. Whatever it was, only one half of the team had his head in the game and that half has four legs.

I think the camera is going to be a lot of fun when I learn to use it. Somewhere in this picture is a dog on point. He was behind some sage but I thought I could see him good enough to show up on film.

We probably had 10 photo opportunities with points and retrieves but all I got before the camera failed me (or I screwed up) were these two pictures.

The sad fact about these pictures is that they were about two hours into the hunt. Until than we had seen no birds. We were 1700 feet in elevation higher than at the start of our hunt. Jake was still doing well, but my knee was getting sore and we're now seeing a lot more bird sign. The camera was put away and the points became more frequent. Every point produced birds, but sometimes it took me so long to hobble up or down to Jake that the birds would either flush or be flushed. Each time my eyes were focused on the ground, so I don't know if there was a miscue by Jake or not. Pretty hard to fault a dog unless you know he's guilty.

There was enough good dog work for me to know that next year is going to be loads of fun with two metal knees to get me to Jake. In the past my boys might go two to three times as far as me but today Jake went over four times the distance I did. I made it 6 miles and Jake 27. I gained 2200 feet of elevation and I'd have to guess on Jake's total elevation gain. In other words, with me being inept to technology and a cripple, Jake still has become a pretty darn good chukar hunter. We got home and I took out my old camera to show Jake's success for the day.

I don't like wishing time away, but I'm already looking forward to spring training with Jake, Two good legs, a great dog and a camera I know how to use is all it is going to take to put me back on top of the world.

Passion

Passion; Any intense, extreme, or overpowering emotion or feeling.

If you have an activity that is on your mind from the moment you wake up until you hit the rack at night and you love it, it might be said that you have a passion. Many say you might be obsessed, but I like to think of it as a passion. Some might have a passion for restoring an old automobile,  photography, being an artist, coaching, sports, or a number of other things. I even know women who have a passion for baking or cooking. My passion happens to be my dogs. I love being with my dogs in the mountain. Even more, I love being with my dogs hunting chukars in the mountains.

Tucker began my passionate love for chukar hunting 18 years ago. From there it continued with Dakota, Riley, and now Jake. Every morning I wake up knowing I'm going chukar hunting with my boys, I feel like a child waking up on his or her birthday. Every time one of my dogs locks in on point I get as excited as the first time it ever happened. The retrieve, the shot, watching the dog cover the mountain, and all the other different things that happen on the mountain never get tiring. I even love looking back over the country and love the feeling of accomplishment at the end of a hunt. Jake and I actually walked from here to there. That in itself is gratifying.

Never in my life have I ever wished time would fly by until now. My knee is constantly in pain now. Seven years ago, when I had my right knee done, it only hurt going down hills. At least I enjoyed going uphill hunting chukars pain free. I have to admit the last half dozen hunts were not quite as fun as the hundreds of hunts in the past. But, as long as I'm going to hurt, I just as well hurt having fun. It is amazing how Jake's point or some other off the wall action he might perform can relieve the pain for a short time.

Barb says she doesn't feel sorry for me. It's self induced. She's right, but it's been worth it. But now, I just want to get this behind me and on to the fun times on the hill like I know we can have with a replaced knee. If the surgeon would call tomorrow and offer to operate, I would gladly accept and be ready to get the next two months over with so I could get on with the good life. But until then I'll gimp along with Jake and see if we can pick up a few birds. Jake deserves that.

I know Alan in Alaska is thinking about having a knee replacement. My right knee operation was one of the best things I ever did for my love of chukar hunting and I'm sure the left will give me the same result. The only thing I would do differently would be to have the operation last summer when the problem started instead of putting it off for a year. That way I would be enjoying Jake's success as much as Jake is enjoying it.

Yes, I am a chukaholic. That's what being passionate about something will do to you. Yes, I'm going to start going to chukaholic meetings and begin the rehab as soon as possible. The first step in the rehab process is to sit on a mountain and listen to chukars talking from high above and saying to myself  "I know I can, I know I can". Step two is going hunting with Greg Allen and watch him shooting from high above and coming down with a limit of birds as I walk a low trail with a dog that is disgusted with me. The final step will be Jake on point 300 yards straight above me on a shale rock hill. The point is so intense that I must make the ascent with only no breather stop before I get to him. If I still love chukar hunting after the final step, it's a passion that won't go away as long as I have a chukar dog.

I hope Jake lives forever.