An Upland Odyssey

Sunday Sunrise

2012-01-29T09:57:00.001-07:00

My Sundays are always mixed with a little bit of hunting, training and working. For some reason it's one of my most inconsistent and busiest days of the week. One we week I'll be working and the next week I'll be driving up to a group training session. No matter what the day calls, I'm always listening to one of the best collaborations of music on KBCO with the Sunday Sunrise morning music program. It's the right music for the day.

til next time...

Living Vicariously

2012-01-23T22:23:00.001-07:00

With my self-imposed conclusion of the current upland season, I've been extremely jealous of those who are still chasing birds until the season closes next week. But that envy quickly turned to pride as I learned my 11 year old nephew, Ben, took his first wild rooster last weekend. Ben has been steadfast in the pursuit of his first rooster. The current conditions and bird populations have not made this quest any easier. In the end, Ben was not only able to take his first bird, he quickly followed his feet with the second bird of the day.


A day's brace

So here's to living vicariously through an eleven year old. His passion for the sport has made his family proud.

Congratulations Ben on your first of many birds to come!

til next time.....

Throwing in the Towel

2012-01-11T21:32:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that I'm calling the official end to my upland season. Yes, there are three full weeks of our Pheasant season but sometimes you know when to call it. Why you ask? With out getting into details the girls are going to have a baby brother here in just a few weeks.

This past season has been a good one. Bird numbers were slightly down and Mia was on the shelf so it's really hard to say this was the best ever. The shinning light on this season was the consistent and good dog work put on by little girl, Abby.

In the meantime, we'll be hitting the training fields as much as we can in preperation for the spring trial season. But for now, the towel is tossed and the waiting game begins.

Here are a few photos from my last hunt.

Ben and Pete getting ready

"Children of the CRP"


Mia

Abby


Pete and Ben

til next time...

Vintage

2011-11-20T18:14:00.001-07:00

These are a few hunting photos of my Dad circa 1964. My Mom found some old slides and and them converted to photos. Until very recently I didn't know these images even existed.

This is my Dad and his family's dog Missy, she was a lab/spring mix. I'm guessing that his quarry was a few pheasants and a rabbit. Rough shooting at it's best.

This a photo of my Dad and his famed "6 Pointer" that he jumped next to the old railroad tracks behind our cabin. Legend has it that this buck tipped the scales well over 200 lbs. I grew up mesmerized by this deer's rack and hoped that I could one day repeat the feet of a deer like this.

til next time....

Ivory

2011-11-17T19:54:00.001-07:00

One of the birds that Abby and I scratched down today had white spurs. The bird also had some great plumage to go along with the "Ivory" spurs.

It was a fun day chasing birds on the prairie. We were able to scratch down a few birds while hunting in a new area.

til next time.

Tracking

2011-11-13T18:33:00.001-07:00

Tracking....that's the word that I'll take away from CO 2012 Pheasant Opener. To be exact, Abby's ability to track a running pheasant. I first saw Abby's talent on last year's pheasant opener. While hunting Abby runs a quality wind pattern and when she hits a scent cone she'll usually flush whatever enticed her nose. But when that bird is on the run, her gate and pattern changes as she puts her heads down in pursuit of those wily birds. It's a distinct gate that puts a stamp that she's on a runner. It truly is a sight to be seen. This past weekend was different from last year. The change? When she went off on a track, she stayed honest and produced a bird 100% of the time. Trust your gundog? You bet!

til next time....

Trial Time

2011-10-07T20:04:00.001-06:00

Where did the month of September go? The last thing I remember it was Labor Day and I was camping with some friends and family. Wait that was my last post!

Since my last post it's been all about getting ready for our club's first field trial and hunt test. Planning, planning and more planning followed by the event and that meant putting all of the plans to work. For the most part all the planning came together but it was from the hard work of a bunch of club members. It was great to be around such great dog people for 5 plus days. We had participants from CO, MT, NE, KS, AR, CA and NH. All of them were great to be around and great to learn from.

After months of planning the trial came and went but the memories stayed.

Here's a few photos from the training sessions prior to the trial.

Here's some photos from the trial and hunt test

Lot's of hanging out!

Judges: Tim Lindsey and Chad Betts


Dave walking to the second series.

Party Time!

The grounds

Hunt Test

Cheyenne handling her dog to her SR title!

til next time....

Family, Friends and Fun

2011-09-07T20:37:00.000-06:00

In the past September 1st couldn't come fast enough. But this year the summer flew by and the next thing I knew I was on my way up to grouse camp. The usual excitement of opening day soon settled back in as we climbed the aspen and sage groves in search of Dusky Grouse.

The days forecast called for high heat by mid morning so Pete and I knew the morning's hunt was going to be quick. We made most of our time but we didn't find grouse in their usual spots but we jumped form covert to covert. By the end of the second covert we finally bagged our fist grouse of the 2011 season. The third covert of the morning finally brought in multiple flushes as we found a small brood. The quick action brought 2 birds to hand as Abby made a great blind retrieve on the second bird.

As the morning's hunt ended I quickly found my back to Denver. The next day brought a full day of work and then Nichole and I headed back up to camp for our annual Labor Day camping trip. A few friends joined us this year for our camping trip.

Wet Abby

3 Duskies from Opening Day

Chateau de Pete

Once we were back at camp the grouse hunting was limited but the laughs and good times were stronger than ever. It was great to camp with our family and friends. Since this was our only camping trip of the summer it was a great time to spend it with them.

Happy Campers

Matt and Johnny

Day Hike

Toro and Abby waiting for a few crumbs.

Johnny Meatball...enough said.

til next time....

When in Rome

2011-08-15T19:59:00.000-06:00

I was lucky enough to spend the last 10 days in Italy on a family vacation. In between the sights, the wine and the food we were able to bump into a gentlemen in the streets of Rome walking his English Springer Spaniel. Although there was a major breakdown in communication, since neither of us knew each others native language, we were able to exchange some pleasantries through massive amounts of hand gestures. We also showed each other photos of our dogs on our cell phones. From this exchange, I learned that this man hunted his springer and he was also thrilled to see that we had two springers of our own.

Even though this was a chance meeting on a street in Rome it was a great feeling to share the love of the bred.

til next time....

Big Fish with the Big Easy

2011-07-20T21:48:00.000-06:00

This past weekend brought me back to my hometown of Buffalo, NY. The trip was based around a few family get togethers but I figured I could squeeze in some sort of fishing. Within a few phone calls we were booked for a Lake Ontario salmon excursion. After a few twists and turns we were on the water on a hot and humid day.

Only those in Western New York know what a great fishery the area around Buffalo can be. You can catch trophy trout year round. Whether you are chasing Steelhead through the winter months on the famed tributaries or trolling for King Salmon in July, this area has it.

The charter was with Big Easy Sport Fishing with Captain Steve Renyolds. We couldn't have found a better Captain for this day. I've only done one other charter like this before but for the conditions we faced it was nothing short of a blast.

Here are a few photos from a day out on Lake Ontario with Captain Steve.

Ben waiting those magic words: Fish On!

Ben's Fight

Ben's 25lb King Salmon

I was lucky enough to pick the right rod: 30lb King


Big Fish with the Big Easy

til next time....

Such is Life

2011-07-09T00:34:00.002-06:00

We're less than two months from the start of our upland season and I'm back down to one dog. While on hike over the 4th of July holiday, Mia tore her ACL on her right and previously uninjured leg. Prior to this injury, we were devoting so much time and effort to her conditioning. She was swimming and training with days off in between to rest her legs. Her conditioning was coming along and she was even on a handful of training birds.

Was this injury bound to happen, maybe, maybe not?

I'm confident that she'll make a full recovery but she won't be able to chase wild birds again this season. Maybe next year, maybe not. At this point we are more worried about her recovery as our pet. I'm looking to the near future to make a good rehab and then in the long term to make sure she has the best quality of life as possible. It's not unheard of to have a sporting dog with 2 TPLO surgeries running around the uplands. She'll most likely have stronger knees after this second surgery than she did before these injuries.

Mia's second favorite, after hunting, snuggling!

til next time...

Dog Sledding

2011-07-05T19:43:00.000-06:00

Abby decided to celebrate this past holiday weekend by sledding down a snow bank. She didn't realize that this was not Christmas and it was actually the 4th of July.

Goofy little dog.

til next time...

Club

2011-06-26T19:50:00.001-06:00

Lately my blog posts have been any less than frequent. That doesn't mean I haven't been busy with all of my upland interests. From training and conditioning the dogs to sorting the gear for the upcoming season, it seems that the tasks are endless. But I've been devoting much of my time to starting a new dog training club. For the past few years I've been lucky enough to associated with a great group of ESS's owners that really want something more for their dogs. The group has slightly expanded and all of the hard work will result in an licensed AKC Performance Dog Club.

The Pawnee Flushing Spaniel Club originally started back in 2007 and we hosted an English Cocker Field Trail under their parent clubs title. Since then it has taken time and effort to get the club going. From the applications to the fundraising, it's not an easy process but in the end it will be well worth it.

This September we are hosting our first events. The first being a two day English Springer Spaniel Field Trial followed by a one day Hunt Test.

There are many reasons for starting this club but it really comes down to the dogs. There was and is need for a club that truly was about the betterment of the breed. Not only do we want to train our dogs but we also want to have a good time doing that.

As the summer progresses we'll be training hard for the fall hunting and trialing season. We're putting Abby through some advance training to keep her sharp. Mia's back training and we're petting extra effort on strengthen her knee.

til next time...

Spring has Sprung

2011-06-01T09:43:00.001-06:00

It's been a while since my last post but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy. In the next few weeks I'll have many topics to write about but for now it's about a spring fishing trip.

A few weeks back my good friend Ryan made a venture out west to jump into the sport of fly fishing. Our timing could not have been any better for a spring time fishing trip in the Rockies. We walked a tight time line before the spring run off began.

We decided to head to the Crested Butte on Western Slope for a few days of fishing. The best decision was to go with a guide to make sure we were put on fish. With a reference from Gary Thompson of Silk Lines and Paper Hulls log, we booked a day with Jason White of Crested Butte Angler. What a great choice guides! I can't say enough about our experience with Jason. The Gunnison River water level cooperated enough for us to float it in Jason's drift boat. Not only have I never fished with a guide, I have never fly fished from a drift boat. Since this was going to be a new experience for both Ryan and I was completely optimistic that this was going to be a great day on the river.

Jason White giving Ryan some last minute instructions.

Ryan's first fish from a drift boat.

We floated the "Guuny" for full 8 hours and it felt like it! Cast after cast made the arms sore but it was well worth it. We had a good day on the river and landed enough fish to keep us hungry for more.

Our next fly fishing adventure took us to the famed Cheeseman Canyon of the South Platte River. It was tough day on the river with a rising flow and slew of floating algae. The fish were very hard to come by but we were able to get some action after a brief thunderstorm passed through. I was lucky enough to relieve Ryan from a hot run to land a nice fish.

22" "Cutbow"

All in all it was great weekend to have Ryan out for a visit. Fish were caught and beers were drunk.

til next time....

New Food

2011-04-15T10:57:00.000-06:00

So the girls are getting a taste of their new food. Nothing against their old brand but I don't think they were getting enough energy out of it. This was especially true last month at Abby first field trail. She was in great shape but tired somewhat quickly. After seeing the drop in energy, I reviewed the nutritional facts and found out that the food only had 14% Crude Fat. In my mind way too low for very active ESS. So the hunt was on for a new feed for the girls. We wanted a premium brand that had a good balance of protein and fat.
After a few recommendations we found the Acana brand of food. We decided to go with their newest product, the Ranchlands formula. The best part of the Acana brand dog food, is that it is grain free. The Ranch ands formula has Beef, Lamb and Buffalo as it's main meet ingredients. Other ingredients include: blueberries, hearing, cranberries and salmon. What a great list of ingredients, if only we ate as good. Let's hope that this switch will work out for the better.

So if you haven't figured it out yet, we do spoil our girls.

til next time....

First Timers

2011-03-22T18:54:00.008-06:00

Without getting into specifics, we all remember the "first time" for almost everything we encounter in life. This past weekend Abby and I entered into the world of English Springer Spaniel Field Trials for the first time.

Over two years ago, I made the decision to train Abby to the level that she needed to be at in order to run in trials. By no means is Abby strictly a trial dog, nor was I going to be a full time trialer. We're in this game to extend our hunting season and to bring another level of experience to the fields and coverts that hold wild birds.

We trained hard and often to get to this level but I didn't and couldn't do it alone. We had plenty of help and encouragement from a short list of people. First and foremost on that list is my friend and mentor in this game, Tim DeGroff of High Prairie Farms Flushing Spaniels. I started training with Tim five years ago when I needed training help for Mia. From that simple beginning to this past weekend, I have learned so much about dogs, shooting, trialing, hunting and everything in between. Next on that list is my friend Adis of Upland Hunting the Springer Spaniel Way. He's been a great hunting and training buddy over the past two years. After that, the likes of John A, Steve Z, Gary S and Dave W have either given timely advice, gunning, or encouragement from a far. Last, but not least on this list, is my wife, Nichole. What else can I say as without her, none of this would be possible.

Over the past weekend I had an amazing experience. Abby made it through the first two series of the first trial. We didn't get called back to the third series but I was very, very happy with those results.

Our first run at the second trial was the highlight of our weekend. We ran under a very respected and detailed-oriented judge. Abby was great; she patterned the wind great and showed off her nose. She had two contacts: one short retrieve and one fly away. At the end of that run, the judge gave me some helpful advice and told me that I had a very nice dog. Boy did that make my day!!!

The next day, we ran in a high cross wind and the course held some great scenting due to the rain from the day before. I was less nervous about this run as I walked to the line. But once I sent Abby on her run, I knew that this was going to be a challenge. The cross wind really amped the little girl and she pulled me a little bit farther of the course than where we should have been. Once I got her to work on the up-wind side, she flushed a cock pheasant. The bird was hit in the wing and went down over two elevated sections of ground. As the bird disappeared, the judge tapped me for the retrieve. Abby took a great line on the retrieve to where she thought the bird might have fallen. The fall was blind not only to Abby but also to the judge, both gunners and of course, me. Abby raced about 180 yards and started to make game. I thought for a moment that she had found the crippled bird but to my surprise a freshly planted cock bird flushed. Abby was steady on that bird but I failed her as a handler as I told her "back" thinking that she would run deeper on the line. But she mistook that command as "retrieve" the second bird that flushed. So right then and there we were done as she broke on the bird. It was a tough test for any dog and handler but I learned in the trial game that anything can happen at any time.

The weekend was capped off with a 2nd place finish by Tim who handled Dutch in the Open Division of the OK trial.

Here are few photos form this past weekend.

So Blogger is having so trouble with posting photos..........Hopefully this will be fixed!

Getting ready.

To the line.

First Bird!

Great Find, Steady and Honor.

What a Relief!

Oreo

Armadillo Anyone?

Tim and Dutch.

Dutch.

Walking to the line in the second series of the OK Trial

Here's the Bird that got us into trouble.

Looking for the fall.

Little girl Abby

Visualization

2011-03-03T17:08:00.001-07:00

In exactly two weeks Abby and I are entering into the world of AKC Licensed Spaniel Field Trials. We have been working extremely hard in preparation for this. As I prepare, the thought of the unknown can play some serious mind games with you. Since I'm a newcomer to the sport, I'm trying to visualize every scenario that might be in store for us. From the drive to the grounds, to preparing the evenings meals, to the million different variables that a trial can hold and even what to wear. I'm trying to visualize it all but the only thing I can see is me putting on my socks. Oh well, I still have two weeks to get this straightened out. Hopefully by then, I'll have more than just my socks on.

til next time...

Post Holing

2011-02-23T17:22:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I was "back East" visiting family and had one free day to hunt. My brother and I ventured out into depths of a Western New York winter in search of some late season Ruffed Grouse. The weather somewhat cooperated as we hit the woods behind Phil's ESS, Mollie. I say somewhat because while there wasn't 5 ft of snow on the ground, there were two layers of snow: one crusty and old and one fresh and light. This made for a hard hunt. As the diehards know, we "post holed it." We hit several covers over the late morning but it seemed the desolate woods wouldn't produce as we worked hard to go only a few hundred yards. Maybe we weren't in the right covers for the late season, but we were in good cover that only a few months earlier had produced birds. We didn't mind that no birds were taken or even flushed, I guess that's how we grouse hunters are, we're just happy to be out of the house.

Rocket Ship Mollie

Planted Red Pines: a true sign of a New York State Land.

The Cabin still stands!

An Amish sleigh ride anyone?


Good looking fall cover.

til next time...

No Rest for the Weary

2011-02-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

So much for a break.

Since our Upland season closed on January 31st, the girls and I have been logging the miles on the truck and in the training fields.

Abby is on a tight schedule to be ready for her, and mine, first field by mid March. We spent the last two training sessions running braces in preparation for the trials. She's coming along but we have our work cut out to get ready. Little girl will have healthy dose of birds to get her up to speed. Since Mia is still recovering from her TLPO surgery on her knee, she is just along for the ride.

til next time...

That's a Wrap

2011-01-30T18:59:00.002-07:00

Not much to say after I finally finished our Upland season here in Colorado. My last hunt was action packed just like the first hunt of the season back in September. The scenting conditions were great due to a frosty fog that helped the dogs track down the late season runners. The fog also helped keep the birds within range. We were able to scratch down a few birds but like many times before, we should have had a few more.

So it's 7 months before we chase wild birds again but it will only be 6 days before I hit the training fields. Abby is is need of some serious re-training to get ready for the late spring field trials.

Frosty morning.

Is it true that this is our last hunt for the season?

Brian and Huck

Adis with Oreo, Myself with the girls and Brian and Huck.

til next time...

The I-70 Drive

2011-01-29T12:36:00.001-07:00

Towards the end of every journey you sometimes find it's hard to drum up enough strength to keep it going. As my Upland season comes to an end, I find that I still have the desire to chase after the birds but the physical toll starts to overcome that passion. That's where caffeine and birds come in. Yesterday morning's 180 mile drive to our pheasant covers was a harder than usual drive. It seemed that I just couldn't wake up, no mater the amount of coffee that was consumed. I finally was alert when the first cock pheasant flushed. It's funny how birds can do that to you!

For the next ten hours the four hunters in our group chased after these late season birds like it was opening day all over. The weather, 58 and sunny, helped fuel the chase. As the wind picked up, the birds started to hold slightly tighter than what I was expecting. That was fine with us.

As the day went on, it became clear that our success balanced on how well we shot. With that being said, 6 birds fell while many others escaped.

I have one more hunt planned before our seasons ends. Like everything else in life, all good things must come to an end.

Pete and Brian on a break.

Razor dog!

Huck, the hunting Jack Russell, roosters beware this little guy can hunt!

Vegas

The long shadow of a late season hunt.


Abby


My Girls!

The crew!


Good eats at the I-70 Diner in Flagler, CO.

til next time....

Still Trying

2011-01-16T20:58:00.003-07:00

My 10 year old nephew, Ben, is brand-spanking-new to hunting. He has about four pheasant hunts to his career. All of those hunts have taken place in the last six weeks and he's trying like mad to take his first wild pheasant. No stocked birds for this kid. He's doing it the hard way! So far no birds have fallen to his 20 gauge, 870 Youth Pump Gun, but it's not from the lack of trying.

Today we ventured out to our favorite Eastern Colorado pheasant covers in search of his first bird. We hit the covers hard. But mother nature brought a nice warm spell to help make these crafty birds even craftier!

About an hour into our first hunt, Ben and I both cleanly missed a tight-holding rooster. I thought to myself that might be a great start to the day. About 6 hours and many miles later, I was quickly proven wrong as no birds fell from Ben's gun. But don't worry, we'll keep trying to get Ben his first bird.

Sunrise

Abby

Whitetail Shed found on the prairie.


Sunset

til next time....

Field of Dreams

2011-01-08T22:04:00.002-07:00

A new cover was named today.

After a tough morning of trying to find some willy roosters to cooperate, we finally found some pay dirt. In this case, the dirt was a section of CRP that had slight rolling hills, thick grass cover and a dry creek bed. I drove by this cover many times before and just last week entered it for the first time. We put up a few birds, but the cover was too big for just a few guns. So today we entered it with 6 guns and we devised the plan to pinch, circle, loop and work the birds into the wind. A great plan for some late season birds.

The plan was fluid as we spent the next few hours chasing these crafty birds. In the end, we scratched down eight hard-earned birds. The dogs (3 Springers, 1 GSP, 1 French Brit and 1 Lab) used the rolling contour to flush the birds in range of the guns. Many more escaped out the side and back. As always, we could have, should have, taken a few more. But in the end I was truly impressed with this giant sea of grass.


Adam, ready and alert in the Field of Dreams

til next time....

Finally Signed Back Up

2011-01-06T22:20:00.001-07:00

After a few years of forgetting to renew my membership, I finally signed back up with Pheasants Forever. It feels good help a great cause. Hopefully I'll stay true to desire to help out more and maybe volunteer for some of the youth functions. At the sportsmen show here in Denver, I was able to speak with the Regional Rep, Bob Hix. He was very generous with his time and had a great discussion about all things related to this great organization.

til next time....

Who said springers can't handle the cold?

2011-01-02T19:15:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos from my brother Phil's late season duck hunt in the Niagara River, near Buffalo NY.

Mollie

Mollie stays warm by melting snow with her eyes!

Oh Buffalo, how I miss you, not really.

til next time...