Eric Outside

North Dakota

2011-10-20T19:02:00.001-07:00

My favorite place to be in October.

Our dog Lady is officially ten years old, but you'd never know that our half Brittany Spaniel/ half German Shorthair mutt was a day over two. Lady did a fabulous job. We all killed roosters over point, and she did a great job of chasing down some wounded birds. I could not ask for a better dog.

This trip is also the first wild pheasant hunt for my nephews. Jed was the only one who was able to shoot this year, but Jake & Seth did a great job chasing roosters and busting the brush.

I loved having Seth hunt with us(smallest of the three). Every time we stopped at a new field we would ask who Jake and Seth wanted to hunt with and Seth always wanted to tag along with his Uncle Eric. I was honored. He kept up and never complained once. Interesting note about Seth, he ate a bacon cheeseburger at every meal. Except twice when he ordered steak and eggs.

My dad is getting older, but you never would have guessed if you watched him chase down Pheasants. He is a blast to hunt with.

We call my brother-in-law James the meat master, since he can always manages to catch his limit of fish or shoot his limit of roosters.

Elk Hunt 2011

2011-10-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

We hunted for two days and the temperature never got above 28 degrees. Pretty sure Saturday night the temperature got close to 0 degrees. All in all we had a great time. One of my best friends Landon got a decent elk and his dad, Brent got a little bigger elk. As for myself I never even saw an elk. The horse back riding was a blast even in the snow and cold.

Not sure why everyone thinks we look alike.

Point & Bird

2010-11-19T09:19:00.001-08:00

This was the last bird of the trip. It just so happened to be one of the few roosters shot over point. We were hunting some weedy wheat stubble and hunting into the wind. Lady caught scent and did a great job of tracking and pointing this rooster. Most enjoyable bird of the trip.

My Dad is fantastic to travel and hunt with. He is easy going and in great shape for 62. He could hunt the butts of a lot of the younger guys. He always tells me the key to an enjoyable existance is exercising every day. He runs/walks four miles everyday and takes our dog Lady with him, it has definitely paid off for him and the dog. Thanks Dad!

Kansas and my first Bobwhite!

2010-11-15T19:42:00.000-08:00

We hunted our butts off today!

The Spot I'll Never Tell You About

2010-08-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

My Brother Josh and I headed out Wednesday evening with our two horses and fishing rods, we skipped work Thursday. The area we fished is what I imagine fly fishing to have been a hundred years ago. Forget all that popular blue ribbon stream fly fishing technique, this stream is full of eager and forgiving Brook trout. In fact the sloppier you cast and slap the fly on the water the more fish that come after it. Multiple times we had more than one trout try to bite our fly at the same time. We decided rather than play leap frog as we both fished this stream, we would use one fly rod and take turns every other fish. We quit counting the number of fish we caught somewhere around fifty.

We also fished the lake the stream flowed out of. The trout weren't as eager but we caught quite a few that were just gorgeous and fat.

Don't ask I won't tell!

J's First Fish On a Fly

2010-07-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening J and I went to a gorgeous little lake on the Idaho boarder and we fly fished our guts out. Lucky for us their were ample rainbow trout eager to bite at our dry fly. J watched me catch the first fish then it was her turn and within a few minutes she had her first trout hooked. I'm pretty sure she is hooked too because I had to pry the fly rod out of her hands when it was time to go home.

The fish was a little slippery for this first time fly fisher and she dropped him in the dust. That's why he looks like a "brown" trout and not a rainbow trout. We promptly washed him off and he swam away happily.

Turkeys and Finals

2010-05-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let the whole world know that tomorrow is the last final I will ever take and I can't wait for it to be over. I know a lot of you are thinking that the real world is worse than college. I've loved college don't get me wrong, I'm just ready to move on and let the creative juices flow (if there are any left?).

The best part is the Utah General Turkey season opened today and it lasts the whole month of May. Till my next Turkey post "GOBBLE GOBBLE"

Spring Break 2010

2010-03-31T08:47:00.001-07:00

Our classmates headed South and we headed North. Crazy? NO! We'd be crazy not to head north. J and I both love to ski, but unfortunately due to high ticket prices our skiing has been a bit limited this year. That was until we discovered the Sun Valley College Triple Play, ninety-nine dollars for three day passes. I love the Sun Valley Ski Resort, the mountain is steep, the runs are endless, and we never waited in line for more than sixty seconds. We had perfect weather, new snow and then forty degrees for the rest of the week.

Sun Valley the town on the other hand...talk about a swanky! We did find a couple affordable and delicious places to eat. Our favorite was the Burger Grill from four to seven PM everything was forty percent off and there soups, sandwiches, and burgers were incredibly fresh and tasty.

P.S. Thanks to my Father-in-law and Mother-in-law for teaching my wife how to ski!

My First Mule Deer

2010-02-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across this picture of my best friend Landon and me with my first deer. I got this buck when I was fifteen. It was a pretty good first buck. It was by far the longest shot I have ever taken probably around 500 yards across a canyon. It was one of my favorite days.

Day Dreaming

2010-02-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

I found this picture a while back and I thought I would share it with everybody. It is a picture of my Dad and I fishing in Yakutat Alaska. Probably taken about six or seven years ago.

"Thanks Dad for the best childhood ever!"

Honeymoon!

2010-01-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

J and I skipped the first week of school and partied in Mazatlan Mexico. The weather was fantastic, the food was better, and the Ocean was a blast. J speaks Spanish and it was really nice to have a translator. Here are some pics of the adventure.

Eternity With My Best Friend

2010-01-07T00:17:00.001-08:00

1:17 AM Who would have thought the night before I'm to marry my best friend I wouldn't be able to sleep? I tossed, turned, and even counted backwards from 100 in Chinese to see if I could get bored enough to fall asleep. Nothing has worked so far. So now I'm blogging listening to Miley Cyrus sing "Party In the USA" yikes. What else would I do at 1:24 AM?

"A love story on a hunting blog?" Can I do that?

J and I met over two and half years ago. I had no idea what the heavens had in mind the day we met, but by the third date I knew I wanted to marry her. J on the other hand didn't quite feel the same way. She was in love with another guy. I was patient and persistent. I got discouraged a few times and thought about moving on, but something deep inside me wouldn't let me. Eventually she started to like me and about the time she told me she loved me, she packed up and went on a mission for her church.

Over the next eighteen months J and I would write letters, but she wasn't very encouraging about our relationship. I tried to date other girls. Yet every time I thought I found a girl I could really like, that feeling deep inside me would come back and I knew the Heavens had bigger plans for me and they included J.

J came back and had little intentions of falling in love with me. Nine days later she told me she loved me and a month later we knew we wanted to get married.

On a side note. Everyone should know that J and I have more fun than any other two people on earth. From our first date when people saw us they could just see the fun oozing out of us.

We decided to get married. Our engagement didn't come without some major trials. I asked her parents if I could marry her and they said... well I don't know what they said. They didn't really say NO, but they sure didn't say YES. Apparently I'm pretty dense because I thought that meant we could do whatever the hell we wanted. Boy was I wrong.

Anyway six months later everyone is happy and it is finally happening tomorrow!

I hope she knows how much I love her! Here is to eternity!

Life's a Party

2010-01-06T07:49:00.001-08:00

When the conditions are perfectly snowy and the snow plow hasn't quite made it to the hill there is a 1.1 mile stretch of road/sled hill that will make all of your wildest sledding fantasies come true.

This is how we started the new year!

Happy B Day To My Best Friend, and My Attempt At Baking

2009-11-06T12:22:00.001-08:00

We are finally the same age! This girl makes me happier than I have ever been. She's the best example of kindness, smiling, and fun that you could ever imagine.

So when she said she wanted a chocolate cake for her B-day I decided I better do my best to get it done.

How hard could it be right? Well it turned out to be damn Hard!

I immediately thought of this cake, that I found on my, gourmet cook, sister's blog.

Well two days, lots of curse words, three times the amount of frosting to patch all the holes, and a dozen phone calls to my sister later we had this!
J shares her B-day cakes with her twin brother who is pretty cool too!

Doesn't quite look like my master chef sister's cake, but I thought it was pretty good for a first time cake baker.

Special thanks to my big sister for listening to me rant and curse on the phone for two days.

North Dakota Pheasant Hunting

2009-10-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

Day three was as great as day one and two. We hunted some great CRP. The birds were really running, but Lady still managed to pin a few of them down. She also managed to bump a few of them too. One of the many highlight was when Lady made a retrieve on a pheasant that dropped in a pond.

We hunted with our friend Tom on Thursday and he just went on and on about how well Lady obeyed, worked the cover, relocated on moving birds, and found downed birds. Needless to say Dad and I were pretty proud of our little GSP/Brittany mutt this trip.

North Dakota Day 2

2009-10-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

Every day we hunt Lady does fantastic, today was no exception. Point after point after point. The weather was a tad bit warmer and the birds were running on us. Lady did wonderous at locating birds and relocating birds after they would scoot on us. We must have had close to thirty points.

It took us a little longer to get all our birds, I guess our shooting luck wore off a bit. We also let a lot birds fly so we could keep hunting and working the dog longer. I limited out first so I became the camera man.

Below are some pics of two of my favorites, Dad and Lady.

Look at Dad's smile and tell me he doesn't just love it!

p.s. I have a confession to make. The only thing that could make this trip more perfect is if my fiance J were here. I really miss her.

North Dakota Update

2009-10-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Dad and I we used a total of 7 shells for our 6 bird limit today. We are typically really bad shots and that is why we drive twelve hours to hunt in an area with hundreds of pheasants, we need lots of opportunity. We started hunting at about 10 and we were finished by 12. We started passing up roosters and only shot birds that Lady pointed.

Here is a pic taken from my dad's Blackberry.

Gone Hunting

2009-10-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

My Dad goes on one pheasant hunting trip a year. Years past we have always headed to South Dakota (dad likes to see lots of birds). Because of my school schedule this week made better sense to head out looking for pheasants so we are heading to North Dakota. I know you're probably thinking "that is a stinking long drive", or that "the bird numbers are way down this year in North Dakota." That is okay with us. If we see a handful of pheasants that will be more than we have at home in the great state of Utah.

We have some private ground lined up to hunt on and we are pretty darn excited. Years past we have hunted with neighbors, uncles, and cousins. This year it will just be Dad and me. It should be a great opportunity to spend some quality time together.

I almost forgot our dog Lady will be with us too.

If I can I'll update you throughout the week.

Hopefully we see a lot of this...

Endings

2009-10-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday was one of the worst days. My horse, Echo, that I raised and trained since he was born, eleven years ago, died. Echo was a horse with personality and was in his prime. Not many horses actually want to be ridden, but Echo did.

When we were together in the mountains there was a connection, peace, and understanding between the two of us that cannot be explained.

I have never felt so free at anytime in my life than I did when I rode on the back of Echo. I hope heaven has a place for a good horse.

In Search of Grouse, Trout, and Autumn Leaves

2009-09-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

September is about as glorious as could be. I've spent some days Dove hunting, Grouse hunting, Trout fishing, water skiing, working at my job, and also attending classes and doing school work. Hence my lack of posts on this blog.

My roommate pointed me in the direction of some Grouse "right out the back door of my parents cabin." Is what he said. So I scoured the hills for hours and no grouse. Later that day he called me and said he shot two with his bow in the front yard of his cabin. I guess I was just too ambitious and hiked up the mountain behind the cabin. Grouse were a bust but take a look at the view of where I started hunting.

Last friday I had the day off so I spent the afternoon chasing cutthroat trout up the canyon. Holy Cow! They were hungry for my fly. My fly was a mixture of a Beetle and an Ant with a green stripe down it's body. The fishing was incredible almost every other cast they would try to attack the poor thing. Just as I thought to myself "it couldn't get any better...", and I was right. At that moment I lost my half Beetle half Ant fly in a tree. So I tied on the next best thing an Ant. I spent the next hour flogging the stream with no luck! Here is a pic of the fly that didn't catch any fish!

For our last official Saturday of summer J and I took a ride up to Jackson Lake hoping for some Autumn leaves. We found a few leaves, but we couldn't believe how great the weather was sunny and eighty degrees. We laid a blanket out on the rocky shore and soaked up summers last rays of sun. Then we snuggled up and watched, as an afternoon thundershower bounced it's way over the Tetons. When the rain came we left, otherwise we just might have stayed in that spot and time forever.

Tonight starts the Utah Muzzleloader Deer hunt, wish me luck!

Dove Mignon

2009-09-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Food and hunting are two of the three things I absolutely love!

A family tradition we have is that on New Years Day my Mother wraps bacon around chestnuts and then she smothers them in her homemade bbq sauce. We only have it once a year, because it is so unhealthy that if you ate it often you would die of a massive heart attack.

Today I invented a little dish I like to call the Triple Bypass! I took five of my doves that I shot on Tuesday, wrapped each breast in a whole piece of bacon, and then I stabbed them with a tooth pick. And then I smothered them in homemade bbq sauce which I invented up (after a phone call to my Mother). This would be a great appetizer and a great way to cook up your doves.

Recipe is as follows:

3 parts catsup
2 parts brown sugar
1 part soy sauce

Cover bacon wrapped doves with bbq sauce and bake at 375 for one hour.

I guess if you use enough bacon everything tastes good, but I have to say that these little buggers were spectacular. My big sister Lisa would be proud.

This week I heard a rumor of a spot in Southern Idaho that is infested with Grouse! I'll be checking it out tomorrow morning. Good luck to all of you chasing birds tomorrow!

Sunrise and Doves

2009-09-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent the day chasing doves with my uncle Dan! We had a fantastic time! We were three short of a limit, but we weren't in it for the the numbers.

The dogs worked great! Lady did a fantastic job retrieving, better than she has in years past. It never ceases to amaze me how she improves every year.

My dad started feeding a cup of Eukanuba mixed with Iams this week, so I guess that means it is officially my favorite time of year. I believe Eukanuba helps Lady's scenting ability in amazing ways. Even though it was hot and dry she found all my downed doves.

The dogs taking a dip in a watering trough and enjoying a mud bath.

This is the sweetest girl in the world helping me carry my gear inside after the hunt. I could get used to seeing her with a gun in hand and an orange vest. I really am the luckiest guy on earth.

Fresh Water Surfing

2009-08-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

P.S. We are engaged!

Weekend In Idaho!

2009-08-15T18:16:00.001-07:00

New Hunting Rig

2009-08-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

Apology to all my hunter readers, lately my blog has looked like a, "fun date ideas" blog, but today I'm sharing some pics of my newest purchase. It should haul me and the dog on many adventures.

It isn't new, but it is to me. A 1994 Toyota extended cab with a V6. Story has it that this 15 year old truck only got driven once a week, by an old guy who only drove it to the store and back. Hence the truck only has 52,000 miles. I got a sweet deal on it and sold my car the same day.

Making the switch from my car to this truck was a smart choice. Especially since my previous car was German made and I felt like I was donating my left testicle every time I had to pay the repair bill. So here is to keeping my left testicle!

Rope Swings and Teeter Totters

2009-08-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in Idaho...

Girl Can Ski!

2009-07-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to my sister Lisa and Bro-in-law for letting us join their family vacation. The water was amazing and so was the food my sister cooked while we were there!

Dang we're cute!

Playing Cowboys and Indians

2009-07-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

LOVE MY GEORGE

2009-07-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

I have loved George Strait music for as long as I can remember. I think I can sing-a-long with almost every George song (and there are a ton of them). George is coming to Utah this friday night for a concert at the Usana Amphitheater. It is rumored that he hasn't played a concert in Utah in twelve years.

A bunch of buddies and I have tickets and we are all getting pretty excited. Sunday night we all sat on the porch and tried to think of what songs he might play and we have no idea which handful he'll pick. One thing is for sure we'll be singing-a-long in the cheap seats (but the cheap seats were pretty damn expensive).

Fishless Fishing!

2009-07-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

My cousin Andy invited me up for an evening of fishing near Bear Lake, about two weeks ago. We fished Bloomington creek. It was a great time and really good to spend some quality time with my cousin. No fish for me, but Andy caught one and had a few on! Here are some pics Andy snapped of me flogging the stream.

Things We Do For Love!

2009-07-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

I love anything outside, but if there is one thing I don't do it is golf. In fact I have not been golfing since I was twelve years old. It was so bad my brothers made me stop half way through 9 holes because we were running out of balls.

Anyway things with my best friend j are going pretty good and this morning I went golfing with her brother. I told him I would go if he needed a caddy or if he wanted a good laugh. He got the later today!

Par was 35 and I scored a very generous 58 and lost about 15 balls! Needless to say we laughed a lot. I think i'll stick with shooting birds and fly fishing.

The BEST Day!

2009-07-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those days that I could sense everyone who saw j and me wished they were us!

j is my best friend and she has been away for a year and a half and now she is back, and we are making up for lost play time.

Sick Day

2009-07-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'm taking my first official sick day and the best part is I'm not even sick!

There are a few things in life that come before work on my list of priorities.... (okay let's be serious my "More important than work list" is pretty damn long. As it should be, right?)

Tomorrow I'll be heading to Jackson Hole.

In ode to my skipping work I want to include a snipit of a book I've been reading recently, and that was highly recommended to me by my cousins Andy and Shawn. The book is titled "Legends Legacy", by Mike Gaddis.

"... suddenly it was July. For grown-ups there was little escape. Maybe a few stolen moments under the shade of a maple tree, but there was livelihood to be won and always a thing to be done... One of the blessings of boyhood was freedom from such convention. We promptly stripped to cut-off pants, less when out of sight, and relegated hard soled shoes to the hall closet. For us the curtain was rising on another joyous season, and we answered it almost instinctively."

This is a picture of my Oldest sister Lisa and me answering the call of summer instinctively...

Here's to summer!

2009-06-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

It must be July! I'm trying to go to bed and I'm sweating because my roommates and I are too cheap to turn the AC on. I love summer!

Hang Time!

2009-06-23T22:57:00.001-07:00

Do you know the feeling you get between jumping and actually hitting the water? That is how I feel right now, and I can't sleep again!

Below are some random pics of my family's favorite rope swing. The last picture was a dare last fall...night swinging is the best!

Run!

2009-06-23T15:13:00.001-07:00

Today was one of those days that makes me want to pack my shiz and run away, to somewhere far from the reaches of cell coverage.

This morning my phone started ringing before my alarm clock went off and has yet to cease. Work was so busy I had to actually pass up a morning water ski trip with my Sister and Brother-in-law.

Now rather than continue to rack my mind with work, I'm day dreaming about where I might go to get out of cell service. Here are my top three choices (in no particular order).

My first choice is a remote back country spot on the North Slope of the Uinta Mountains. I've been going on summer fly fishing/ horse pack trips there since I was twelve.

My second choice would be a water skiing trip to Flaming Gorge. There is a little island, called King Fisher Island, that we boat out to and set up camp. Then we water ski next to a back drop of orange cliffs. At night we cook in the dutch ovens and sip Mountain Dew while we lounge in Coleman camp chairs.

My third choice would be a remote camp on Jackson Lake near the Tetons. My Sister's family and my Brother's family made this trip last year. They were kind enough to let their little brother tag along.

Where would you go to get out of cell coverage?

Sleep? What's that?

2009-06-22T23:28:00.000-07:00

Even Nyquil has lost its magical power to inflict sleep on me!

In a few rare instances do I have trouble sleeping. For example: the night before the deer hunt opens, or the night before an out of state pheasant hunt, and maybe Christmas Eve (when Santa still visited my house). Otherwise I sleep, and I do a darn good job of it.

According to me, loss of sleep only occurs the night before an adventure.

This week I'm still days away from the excitement and sleep has already lost its appeal.

Burton L. Spiller

2009-06-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to read some of the bird dog books my cousins Andy and Shawn recommend. My favorite so far is "Drummer In The Woods" by Burton L. Spiller. My favorite excerpt is the following.

Just recently an aquantance took me to the task of spending so much time afield. "Did you ever count the cost of your hunting?" he asked. "Of the time you have lost and the money you have spent?"

I replied and truthfully too, that I had never lost a moment's time in hunting: that I counted only that time lost which I spent working.

My aquantance is the type who believes every arguement is won by the person who shouts the loudest; so after he had become sufficiently out of breath to listen for a moment I told him the truth.

"You" I said, "have tended strictly to business for more than a quarter century. Sick or well, winter and summer, through storm or shine, you have missed hardly a day. You have acquired a lot of money. More money than I can ever dream of having. I hope you enjoy it, for you have paid a high price for it. A mighty high price. You think the days and weeks and months I have spent afield were wasted. Well, let me tell you this. If such a thing were possible, I would not trade even the memories of those glorious days for all the money you will ever posses."

... Can memories be measured by gold? If so than I am rich indeed.

As I read I couldn't help thinking about my first Pheasant, Lady's first point, my nephews first pheasant, my first deer, my first brook trout on a fly rod, and the list goes on and on. I wouldn't trade my memories afield for any amount of money.

2009-06-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Have you ever waited for something that was so far away that when it finally comes time to happen you can't comprehend it?

I don't know if I'm excited, nervous, happy, or scared!

Anyway here are a few pics of one of my favorite ladies, my dog. She always calms my nerves.

River Hippies!

2009-06-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

The journey was 84 miles, 4 days, and lots of rapids.

My brother invited me on a river trip he was taking a group of young men on last week. None of us had much rafting experience and none of us had ever rafted this particular stretch of river, the Green River through Desolation Canyon. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

There is an American subculture I have termed "River Hippies". It is unbelievable how many people live for running rivers. They have a whole vocabulary that only river runners can grasp. Men, women, and children are all part of this subculture. One thing is for sure, they are some of the nicest people.

They are a little more open than the rest of the world. They set up their "groovers" (toilets) on the edge of the stream and if you float by they just wave. And if you happen to float by at bath time you might just get an eye full. Then again what young men's trip would be a success without seeing a naked lady bathing in a river?

It was probably one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I love going into the wilderness where my cell phone doesn't work. That way I am completely free of work and everyday annoyances. I am a little freaked out about checking my voicemail, so I haven't done it yet.

These are some pictures of Joe Hutch rapid, it is new to the river this year. A flash flood came down a side canyon and created a rocking rapid that flips boats all the time. Seven people from our group went over in this rapid, luckily some River Hippies were on the shore to toss our boys a throw-line.

(No one brought a camera on this trip or if they did it got wet, so I stole these off the e-net, thanks to whomever took them.)

What I Love About Saturday

2009-06-06T13:18:00.001-07:00

I stinking love Utah in the months of June, July, August, and September! As Brigham once said, "This is the place."

This is the lineup for the Saturday Red Neck Yacht Club.

Skyler~

Spencer~

Sheila~ Most in shape mom I know!

Me~ Still figuring out how to ride the bucking bronco!

Sam~ 49 and in better shape then the 3 22 year olds on the boat!

Me~ My smile saying "Thank you!" to Sam, Sheila, Skyler, and Spencer.

Rat Race

2009-06-05T14:16:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was chatting with one of my favorite clients. He mentioned to me that he had just received his 30 day notice. He is in his fifties and has put in over twenty years with his current employer. He is completely crushed and at a loss of what to do.

This post goes out to my friend and everyone else in a similar position. Secretly I wonder if it is a blessing in disguise, then I think to myself he has a house payment, a wife, and children. That is a scary thought to me.

Yesterday I found myself in a form of depression thinking about my friend. I decided the following:
1. I do not want to get caught in the rat race of life and spend my life working for the man.
2. I want to live my life everyday! I don't want to start living at age sixty five.
3. I want to attend my future children's school activities and little league games without asking my boss if I can leave early.
4. I want to travel the world with my family.
5. God bless America! If anyone has a chance at this kind of Freedom it is us!

I hope one day we can all be financially and time stable so that we can all play with the people we love most and spend lots of time outside.

Why Don't You Bake A Cake

2009-06-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

My first love of summer 09' is slalom skiing, I'm far from good, but I thoroughly enjoy it. Saturday I headed out with some neighbor friends water skiing. The water was smooth, the air was warm, and there were plenty of smiles to go around.

I struggled a little bit my first ski of the year. I didn't get up on my first pull, or the second, but eventually my neighbor's mom yelled, "Why don't you just bake a cake while you are out there." That's all it took I was up and skiing.

Later in the day my friends mom said, "Eric, your turn to go again." At this point my arms and legs already seamed to be screaming, "too exhausted!" Mostly because of my pride I went again, I couldn't stand to hear her say those torturous words, "Why don't you just bake a cake!" Of course I got right up.

I've applied her words to a few other areas of my life this week and it works great. Every time I'm struggling to get up whether it be water skiing or some other event in life, I just picture my Neighbors mom yelling, "Why don't you just bake a cake!" Then my pride kicks in!

Here are some pics of an evening of water skiing with my sister and her family from last June!

Rain In Paradise

2009-05-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

As the sun should have been setting last night, black billowy clouds rolled into paradise, and started to release life giving moisture. It's morning now and it is still pouring. Since today is my last day in paradise it fits my inner feelings perfectly.

John Steinbeck Writes, in "Travels With Charley", that a Journey is an individual with life.

I couldn't agree more. There is something about an adventure that is perfectly invigorating for my soul. An adventure is a creation of art that allows me to be creative and I decide how much color I want to add to the journey. Ultimately I decide what the journey looks like. I try to capture the journey in pictures, but for me the creation is burned deep inside me. Mishaps, differences in weather, tastes, and smells only sweeten the memories. For me the perfect journey is one with lots of unknowns and flexibility. Essentially I try to live a nice piece of art.

Now that I've written this down I feel much better and the rain stopped. I'm off to the beach to soak up the last drops of color!

The End Of The World

2009-05-23T00:04:00.000-07:00

We hiked to this lava outcropping that jets out into a deep, clear, and salty Pacific Ocean. The locals call it "The End Of The World".

My Other Love!

2009-05-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

I thoroughly enjoy the feel of water and sand encompassing my body as I fight to hold my breath, all while blowing air out of my nose to keep the salt water out of my brain.

I smile with happiness when a wave tumbles me like a washer machine.

I love laying down to bed after a long day of wave playing and having salt water drip like a drippy faucet out of my nose.

I judge the success of my adventure by how much sand I discover while cleaning my ears, weeks after my trip.

Brother's And Sister's Jealousy

2009-05-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

There are some definite perks to being the youngest! When my brothers and sisters were kids they got taken on vacation in a tent to Yellowstone. Now being the youngest and the only one not married of my brothers and sisters, family vacations are a little more... awesome.

Here are some shots of my wonderful parents. (Sometimes I think they bring me along just to be their photographer.)

On The Run!

2009-05-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

Here is an excerpt from the book "Travels With Charley" by, my favorite author, John Steinbeck. "When I was young the urge to be someplace else was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch... Nothing has worked. Four hoarse blasts of a ship's whistle still raise the hair on my neck and set my feet to tapping. The sound of a jet, an engine warming up, even the clopping of shod hooves on pavement bring an ancient shudder, a dry mouth and vacant eye, the hot palms and the churn of the stomach high up under the rib cage. In other words I don't improve; in further words once a bum always a bum. I feel the disease is incurable."

According to John Steinbeck I am a bum and it isn't curable. So I will stop trying to fight the urge.

Here are a few pictures of my current adventure to the Big Island of Hawaii.

Glad I Grew Up In America

2009-05-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

What do you do with your best Chinese friend when he comes to America?

My friend Chen Zhong Xiao came to the USA from Taiwan for a little visit. I had three days to show him everything I thought he needed to see.

This is what we did!

The situation called for a road trip.

Jackson Hole (I guess Chinese people really like road signs!)

First Cowboy Hat!

Yellowstone

Old Faithful!

West Yellowstone!

And we had to drive through Idaho to get to it all.

That is what I did with my best Chinese friend. What and where would you have gone?

A Spring Point

2009-05-12T20:24:00.001-07:00

Lady and I went to feed the horses and we had a great surprise. Check it out!

Check out the pheasant left of the tree!

Cocking Around!

2009-05-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it was how I was raised, but most people yell "Rooster!" when the see a rooster pheasant. Not so in my family. If you saw a rooster pheasant you screamed "Cock!"

Today I did! I was heading out on a horseback ride and I saw this rooster cocking around the family farm.

More Grins From Turkey Camp

2009-05-08T14:00:00.001-07:00

Hells Backbone

2009-05-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

There is a spot in Southern Utah that scares me to death. It is a bridge that spans a gap of fifty feet, but the drop below is a thousand feet or more. The first time we drove over it was about five years ago in a foot and a half of snow. Ever since that day I have had nightmares of what we call "Hells Backbone." Here it is!

Grouse In The Hills Of Southern Utah

2009-05-04T16:54:00.001-07:00

My Newest Addiction

2009-05-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

As we drove home I told my friends, "I think I was born to be a Turkey Hunter. I can even gobble like them and they gobble back!"

My friend Landon quickly replied, "That is because you are a Turkey."

I am addicted to turkey hunting. The past few days might have been one of the most fun hunts I've ever been on, and I wasn't even hunting.

Thursday night was the highlight of the trip. Landon and I were hiking down an old abandoned logging road and every couple hundred yards we would do a hen call. Then we heard it, "gobble gobble." We immediately froze and ducked for cover. We hen called a few more times and the gobbler kept gobbling back, but he wasn't getting any closer. So I stayed put with the hen call and Landon put the sneak on the Gobbler. Every couple minutes I would hen call and the gobbler would gobble back, all the while Landon would sneak closer and closer. The whole event took about forty minutes, but finally the Gobbler decided to come in. He was strutting around and thought he was coming to get a new girl friend, but it was just us.

We saw a bunch of Turkeys over the three days. I even had a few Gobblers gobble back at me when I gobbled. I can't wait to put in for the turkey hunt next year.

Three Truths About Me

2009-04-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

1. Before every one of my college finals I have to got to the bathroom, sometimes more than once!
2. I've stopped watching the TRAVEL Channel's show about the guy who eats weird food all over the world... it gives me diarrhea!
3. Peeing in the outdoors makes me relax!

Sorry if that was offensive! I'm going turkey hunting tonight, be back next week.

Happy Turkey Day

2009-04-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

Gobble Gobble, this week will be my first ever Turkey Hunt. I will actually just be shooting my new Nikon D40 camera. My best friend Landon and his little bro Dallin will be doing the shooting. We are heading to Southern Utah to the Boulder Mountains. I will be taking my fly rod just in case, the ice is off on some of the lakes.

This week will be hell till Wednesday afternoon. It is finals week and the stress is on, so a good outing will be just what my tired brain needs.

Lots of people say wild Turkey is tough and not that great of table fare. I agree it isn't a farm raised Butterball, but those wild birds are still pretty tasty. Last fall my roommates shot a few wild Turkey's in Nebraska we cooked them up in a crock pot in a french onion soup. All I have to say is "YUMMY".

"I Think God Must Be A Cowboy At Heart"

2009-04-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hello spring time! This past Saturday I joined my roommates and their family for a little horse back riding adventure to Antelope Island.

Antelope Island is a Utah State Park. It is the biggest island in the Great Salt Lake. It is home to a herd of 500 bison, bighorn sheep, antelope, mule deer, coyote, and a bunch of Chukar that have never heard the ring of a shotgun.

There were thirteen of us in all. I took my friend Jessica, who turned out to be pretty good with horses. We had a blast.

I titled this post after a song the late Dan Seals, a country artist, sang. This is the music I grew up listening to when I would go on fishing trips with my Dad. It is titled "God Must Be A Cowboy At Heart".

How about these buffalo?

Dream Girl!

2009-04-21T00:18:00.000-07:00

It all started when I read this article and saw this picture.

The other thing that had me thinking about this topic was my Cousin Andy's post titled "Dream Crushers".

After reading the above two articles I was driving with my friend and I thought it would be interesting to get her opinions on a few things. The conversation started something like this, "Tell me if you think I'm crazy or asking too much?"

As we chatted I joked about a contract I want to ask my future wife to sign before we seal the deal. I hope you enjoy it. It is okay if you laugh uncontrollably, everyone else I told did.

1. I don't want a big house.
2. I don't want a big yard. (Things I enjoy more than yard work: I would rather be hunting, fishing, or water skiing.)
2. I want to spend our money on family vacations. (FYI vacations generally include a beach, a boat, or water of some sort.)
3. We will own horses and keep the cowboy traditions running.
4. A boat for water skiing.
5. Always keep a bird dog around.
6. HUNTING: Originally I thought I wanted four days in September, four days in October, and four days in November for hunting. A total of twelve days out of town and no limit on day trips. (But then I thought I would ask for twenty days out of town so if it gets down to a negotiation I have some wiggle room. Pretty smart right?)

My friend laughed and wished me luck on the hunting part of the contract.

If you know any girls like the one in the picture above and that will sign this contract send them my way! Also if you think I need to add anything to my contract let me know.

Eukanuba or Oatmeal!

2009-04-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

My post "Dreaming Pink" caused quite an uproar. Somehow my post made it all the way to Eukanuba, which I thought was pretty cool. I'm not sure how it made it there, but thanks to whoever sent it their way.

Eukanuba responded with a comment, "You are dead on about Lady's scenting ability on Eukanuba. We did a study in 2000 that confirmed hunting dogs get 55% more finds throughout the season on the pink bag." (Elliott-at Eukanuba)

My dad loved it and asked me to ask everyone at Eukanuba to let him know when Eukanuba is coming out with a breakfast cereal?

My friend Marisa said, "Dog food?" I think she unsubscribed. I guess she thought I should be blogging about the latest pop stars.

My sister Lisa blogged about it on her food blog, Clawson Live. She has a sweet recipe for oatmeal at the end of the post.

Lady on the other hand is just happy we have decided to feed her Eukanuba year round.

Did I mention her coat gets softer and she smells better when we feed her Eukanuba? All you bird dog folks should try it.

Dreaming Pink

2009-04-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

No! I'm not talking about the new line of panties and bras at Victoria's Secret. I'm talking dog food.

About seven months out of the year I feed the green bag of Iams dog food, which is good for a dog that isn't hunting. My dog Lady is close to eight years old now. I like to think she is in her prime, but occasionally if there isn't any bird scent in the air she slows down or starts ranging closer after an hour jog.

My Dad does the feeding at our house, mostly because he loves my dog Lady more than he does me most days. Dad wakes up early and takes Lady on an hour jog seven days a week, regardless of rain or snow. Lady really loves him, but I take her hunting so she loves me more.

Late last September I bought a bag of Sporting Dog Eukanuba, in hopes that it would give Lady a little more energy. Normally we feed three cups of Iams, so I just asked my dad to feed two cups Iams and add one cup of Eukanuba. The results were remarkable. My Dad and I noticed a difference in our eight year old dog within two days. It was as though she was a puppy again, she could run for hours and never tire.

We fed one cup Eukanuba and two cups Iams the whole fall and winter season. My Dad started having dreams about Eukanuba.

My Dad eats a bowl of oatmeal every morning after his run. Dad dreamt that after his run instead of adding a cup of oatmeal to the boiling water he added one cup of, as he calls it "the pink dog food".

The biggest difference came during the hunts. Lady never tired. My Uncle Dan and I raised our pups together. They are the same age and this year in South Dakota when we hunted them together it was very apparent which dog was eating Eukanuba. On our longer trips to Montana and South Dakota by the end of the trip the dogs seem to be a little more worn down, not Lady. She had the same fire the whole trip.

I don't equate all of this to Eukanuba, I owe a great thanks to my dad who runs her seven days a week.

I think Eukanuba also helps with scenting ability. All my cousins and friends who didn't own dogs wanted to hunt behind Lady because she was always finding birds.

I noticed again the potency of this dog food, because we just cut Lady back to three cups of Iams for the summer season. And within a week or two she was the same old dog she was last summer. My Dad asked if she was sick or getting old?

So we tested it last week and we fed her a cup of Eukanuba a couple days in a row and she was on fire again! I think my dad wants to keep feeding her a little Eukanuba year round. Hopefully he pays for it, because that stuff isn't cheap.

No! I am not sponsored by Eukanuba. I just wanted to share the secret of Eukanuba with my fellow bird hunting bloggers.

“复活节快乐！”

2009-04-12T11:47:00.001-07:00

I love to hike, swim, and run. As an avid outdoors man one of the things I am most grateful for is my physical body.

I served a mission for my church in Taiwan, doing service and teaching about Christ. Two years ago today we rode our bikes around and told people "Happy Easter!". In chinese it is translated literally as "happy resurrection!" “复活节快乐！”

We told person after person happy easter, if they would stop and talk to us we would ask them, "Have you heard of Jesus?" They always replied "yes". When we asked "Did you know that after Jesus was crucified on the cross, three days later he was resurrected?" They all replied "no".

One of the blessings I am so grateful for on this Easter Sunday is a knowledge of the Resurrection. No matter how old we get in this life, all of us can hope for the Resurrection.

I'm reminded of a talk I recently read by Ezra Taft Benson . It reads as follows.

I bear witness to you that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world—the very Son of God...On the third day there was a great earthquake. The stone was rolled back from the door of the tomb. Some of the women, among the most devoted of his followers, came to the place with spices “and found not the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke 24:3).

Angels appeared and said simply, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?

“He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:5–6).

There is nothing in history to equal that dramatic announcement: “He is not here, but is risen.”

The greatest events of history are those which affect the greatest number for the longest periods. By this standard, no event could be more important to individuals or nations than the resurrection of the Master. The eventual resurrection of every soul who has lived and died on earth is a scriptural certainty, and surely there is no event for which one should make more careful preparation. Nothing is more absolutely universal than the resurrection. Every living being will be resurrected. “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22).

He is risen! He is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice.
He has burst his three days’ prison;
Let the whole wide earth rejoice.
Death is conquered; man is free.
Christ has won the victory.
(Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818–1895)

I know Christ is risen and every person that has lived or will live will be Resurrected. Happy Easter!

I Should Have Been A Cowboy

2009-04-09T21:39:00.001-07:00

There is nothing like swinging into the saddle early in the morning with an anxious horse underneath. Your cell phone is never going to ring, no homework is due, and I am at a feeling of total freedom.

Last weeks round up was a roaring success! We rode some of the prettiest country I have ever seen. The ranch is called 9 Mile Ranch and it is near Price Utah. My friend Ben is the owner, he's seventy. Ben and his son Leroy run just over a hundred mother cows. They also use their ranch in the summer for a place people can camp or have a family reunion.

This time of year it is just Cowboy stuff. The ranch borders some BLM land and they have a permit to run part of their herd on the southern slope of a mountain range all winter long. April 1st is time to bring the mother cows in.

It was sunny, then it rained, then it snowed. I love being a cowboy. After chasing cows all day I get that same feeling I get after spending the whole day hunting. Tired, but totally rejuvenated.

City Slickers 3!

2009-04-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

I grew up on the back of a horse, but I've always considered myself more of a mountain man than a cowboy. I can pack a string of mules, I can gut and quarter an elk and pack it out, I have even trained my fare share of colts.

Some of my first memories are of my Dad and I horse packing into wilderness areas and fishing for brook trout. When I was seventeen I actually worked for an outfitter near Jackson Hole, Wyoming taking people on these wilderness adventures. But when it comes to cows my experience is pretty limited.

At age fifteen I bought two steers at the Weber County Livestock Auction without letting my parents know (that is a story for another day), because I thought to be a true cowboy I needed to have cows. Aside from that, my cow experience is still pretty limited. I can't rope, I can't steer wrestle, and other than eating steak occasionally I don't know much about cows.
That is going to change tomorrow. My buddy Landon and I are heading for the high Utah desert near Price, Utah to help a family friend round up his herd of cattle. We are pretty ecstatic! I'll take some pictures and report on how it goes! "Getty up!"

Saturday With My Favorite People

2009-03-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a blast. Some of my nephews and nieces came down to visit my parents. On Saturday afternoon we saddled up the horses and rode around Grandpa's farm. Hope you enjoy the pics!

Below: I have a serious teacher face hu?

If Happiness...

2009-03-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I wonder if my dog is happy. After countless hours of research I have come to the conclusion that the best way to tell if your dog is happy or sad is to measure the height of the dogs ear flop when at play.

As you can see I have a very happy dog! Is your dog happy?

Who reads your blog?

2009-03-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

Personality, Is what this girl has. I went out with a girl on a second date a few weeks ago. We were eating dinner, laughing and having a good time just talking.

There are some pretty typical questions you ask on the first couple dates.

As we ate I asked, "What was your favorite vacation that you have ever been on?"

I completely expected to hear Disney Land or something similar, but much to my surprise she replied, "Actually this one time my family took our dogs to Yellowstone hunting...".

I didn't get it for about thirty seconds then it hit me, she had found my blog. Apparently I blog a lot about traveling with my dog Lady. I laughed pretty hard and in fact I am still laughing about it.

Next time you think no one reads your blog, your probably wrong! It is amazing what you can find just by googling a name.

Fall Dreaming!

2009-03-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

This post is a shout out to all of you, who like me are already wasting precious work, church, and school hours day dreaming of next fall.

I am passionate about Mule Deer hunting. Not as passionate as I am about upland bird hunting, but it is definitely a close second. I haven't harvested a deer in over four years, so I am hoping that this is the year of the Mule deer. Northern Utah has suffered the past couple years from some pretty severe winters and it has really taken a toll on the population. Last year I chose to pass up some smaller bucks in hopes that they would grow into the buck of my dreams.

We have a motto it is a pretty simple statement, but it packs a big punch. "If you want to shoot big bucks don't shoot little bucks!"

Between now and then I'm already loosing sleep over the bucks I might see during the September muzzleloader hunt.

These pictures are from a hunt that we didn't harvest a buck. These pictures also illustrate why we now hunt the September muzzleloader hunt, we almost froze to death in the back country in 2007.

Love My Aggies!

2009-03-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

When people ask me why I attend Utah State I always reply "The basketball games in the Spectrum." In my two years I have yet to see them lose at home.

There were a few tears shed in Northern Utah today. I am not a sports writer, but today I am giving it a shot. Utah State Aggies played a great game against Marquette, but ultimately ended with a loss. Final score 58-57 Marquette.

This is my weak attempt at sports writing. I think I'll stick with hunting.

My Ridge

2009-03-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

I have a place that I disappear to when everything in life seems to be going wrong. When work gets too stressful, when my professors start rambling about chlorophyl, and when the clock in church seems to have stopped ticking. The place I go is somewhere in the mountains of Wyoming miles from roads, people, and my cell phone.

It is my horse and I riding across a steep ridge. You can see the snake river on one side and a vast sea of pine trees on the other. All I can smell are pine trees on the breeze.

I have rode my horse across My Ridge in picture perfect fall weather with golden Quaken-Aspen leaves in the background and my 300 Winchester in my scabbard. On the other hand, I have also rode across My Ridge in a summer lightening storm that seemed to dance all around me and drench me with rain. I have rode across My Ridge in snow two feet deep and below freezing temperatures. This past fall I rode across my ridge in the light of a full moon, with a stiff icy wind on the back of my neck. Regardless of the weather My Ridge always brings peace to my soul because I know I am going somewhere far from any worries and close to everything I love.

I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the times I have rode across my ridge, especially if you count all the times I ride it when the clock stops in church.

Genesis 19:17 "... escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed."

Pura Vida!

2009-03-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

God Loves Costa Rica and so do I. Costa Rica is one of the most fun places I have ever visited. I have never met such a friendly people, seen a more gorgeous landscape, and swam in such a warm ocean. It is these three reasons and the fact that it is summer year round that make me determined that God loves Costa Rica.

Below: This is Raphaela, the German girl I fell in love with, and I swimming before we went snorkeling. Unfortunately it was short lived love. I never saw her again after that afternoon.

Below: Yes that is a Monkey!

Below: The crew: Eric, Scott, Neil, and Nate.

The trip had it's fair share of problems: One lost bag, my camera got pummeled by a wave the first night, and an adventure with a rip tide. Other than that it was a raging success.

The food was fantastic. Seafood galore with lots of rice and beans. I ate fish or shrimp every single day. The fruit was definitely a glorious addition to the trip pineapple, mangos, papaya, and fresh squeezed orange juice.

I body surfed everyday of the trip. Which to me is the equivalent of a hug from heaven when the warm Costa Rican waters crash around my body. We also rented surf boards for nine dollars a day.

Before traveling we had no plans beside our airline tickets and the rental car we reserved. We found places to stay as we went. The places we stayed were great and averaged about $12 dollars a night per person. We saw tons of great country and met some wonderful people. I can't wait for my next trip to Costa Rica. Pura Vida!

Self Timer

2009-03-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

We all have one, we've all tried to use one, and we've all laughed while trying.

I'm talking about the self-timer function on my camera. Yesterday afternoon I was out in the hills with Lady when the thought came to me, "I need more pictures of us." So I found a nice rock with another nice rock behind it to balance my camera on.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words! Here is our story.

"Lady don't eat the camera"

"Lady get over here."

"Oops"

Getting closer

Finally, perfection!

I will be taking a few days off from blogging. Spring Break for USU started and I'm headed to Costa Rica. Costa Rica had the cheapest plane tickets to somewhere warmer than Logan, Utah. I'll take lots of photos and I'm sure i'll have plenty of funny stories to blog when I get back. Adios freezing temperatures!

If We Were Hunting

2009-03-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday my roommate asked, "Eric do you think our apartment could go a whole day without talking about girls?"

I replied, "Yes! If we were hunting!"

I'm Rich

2009-03-04T19:06:00.000-08:00

Times are constantly changing and the America of today is a scary one to be a college student in. I will be graduating in the next twelve months and the job outlook freaks me out. I've attended job fairs at my University in past years and they were vibrant with exciting companies looking for future employees. This year on the other hand it was slim pickings to say the least.

On the bright side, as a college student I'm doing great. I still have a job that I make decent money at. I was able to save enough money to buy a plane ticket to Costa Rica for spring break. Driving has become a lot easier since gas prices have dropped. In reality as a college student things have just become more affordable, so long as I keep my job.

It is the future that college students worry about. CNN and other news media don't help either. The woes just seem to keep coming. On Monday I was busy with school and work, but the future was on my mind causing stress.

I did what I always do to get over my depression, Lady and I went on a jaunt through the hills. Nothing clears my mind of troubles faster than watching in pure amazement as Lady races across the sagebrush hillsides. That is when it hit me, wealth isn't about money it is about relationships and the pure enjoyment of life.

I believe a man could have all the money on earth and still be completely unhappy.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be”

One my favorite people, the late Joseph B. Wirthlin said this about happiness in a talk titled Lessons Learned in the Journey of Life.

"It is a terrible thing always to be waiting for tomorrow, always depending on tomorrow, always excusing our todays because we are sure that only in the future will we possess the things that will fulfill us. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Don’t wait for the right job, the right house, the right salary, the right dress size. Be happy today. Be happy now...Make up your mind to be happy—even when you don’t have money, even when you don’t have a clear complexion, even when you don’t have the Nobel Prize. Some of the happiest people I know have none of these things the world insists are necessary for satisfaction and joy. Why are they happy? I suppose it is because they don’t listen very well. Or they listen too well—to the things their hearts tell them. They glory in the beauty of the earth. They glory in the rivers and the canyons and the call of the meadowlark. They glory in the love of their families, the stumbling steps of a toddler, the wise and tender smile of the elderly."

I'm sick of these economic blues. Today I decided that I am the richest man alive. Not because I have money, I live paycheck to paycheck, but because I have everything I need to be happy today.

Sunday Is For Walking

2009-02-28T18:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday as a child I could be found tromping around Grandpa's farm, with a Red Rider BB Gun in hand, and one of the family mutts at my side. After church i'd have the whole afternoon, before Sunday dinner, to be wildly free from everything.

I think this is where my love of hunting stems from. My days wandering aimlessly reeking havoc on anything that moved.

Anything that moved ranged from my Uncles horses, neighbors turkeys, geese, ducks, muskrats, and the occasional stray cat. I rarely killed anything but there is something about a boy tromping through ponds, fields, and groves of trees. Not a care in the world and knowing I was completely free till I heard my Mom screaming off the back porch that dinner was ready.

Yesterday was one of those days, I returned home for Sunday dinner and I had a few hours of freedom. Lady and I tromped through Grandpa's farm once again, the only difference is that I didn't take my Red Rider BB Gun, and Grandpa no longer lives in the old farm house. Sundays are for walking.

Opposition In All Things

2009-02-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

Last post, Addiction or Commitment, caused quite the uproar among readers. I received countless words of advice. For Which I am grateful.

I had a comment from the one and only upset reader. This reader just so happens to be the cute girl that gave me the look. Apparently she found my blog and is a faithful reader. Thursday night we were watching the Utah State Aggies play Hawaii, when she leaned over and whispered in my ear "So that is why we didn't go out in the fall." I knew she knew.

That experience has got me pondering about this blog. Is it a blog about hunting or relationships? I also wonder how much insight to my personal life should I leak onto these pages?

Since pondering I have come to the conclusion that hunting and everything else in life is about relationships. So today I pledge my love to my best girlfriend, my dog Lady. She never gets upset when I blog about our adventures together, and she likes all the pictures I take.

This blog is dedicated to hunting with my dog Lady, but i'll continue to include lots of life's oppositions "the good, the bad, and the ugly."

A wise man once wrote "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things... even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter."

Addicted or Committed?

2009-02-25T16:15:00.000-08:00

Classes missed: 2 weeks of classroom missed
Days afield hunting: One month (give or take a day or two that I forgot to add)
Miles put on trucks: 7,000
Dollars spent on Licenses: $632.00 (now I know why I don't ever have money for text books)
Money spent all together: I don't know where to start, suffice us to say a lot.

This afternoon I tried to figure out what my addiction looks like in numbers because last week I was on a date, with a cute girl. We were on a ride up the canyon. As we winded our way we chatted about life and some of our hobbies. She likes camping, loves to go fishing with her dad, and even has a few horses that she rides once in awhile. "I thought great! A girl that appreciates the outdoors." She also asked what I like to do?

I replied that "I love all of those activities." But I had one more to add to the list, hunting! I asked if she had ever been hunting she said "no, but I'm not opposed to it". She then asked me "what do you hunt?".

I went through the list as my head recalled the past fall, chronologically. I told her about my Cow Elk hunt in early September in the high country of Wyoming. I told her about grouse hunting the pines in September. Then I told her about the Utah mule deer hunt in October. I couldn't forget our annual pheasant hunt in Montana every October. And in November my Dad and I have our annual South Dakota pheasant hunt. Oh and when the snow starts to come we head for the west desert to chase chukars for a couple months. Oh and I also mentioned that my Cousin Andy and I tried to go on a January Quail hunt, but our car broke down.

Wow, I was out of breath.

At that precise moment I noticed the scared look in her eyes. I interpreted the look in her eyes as "I feel bad for your future wife!". Then it occurred to me that I am a total addict.

Since adding up my hunting addiction, I didn't dare add up my fly fishing trips, the days I spend training my dog, my horse pack trips, all the other camping trips, skiing, water skiing, and the days I spend day dreaming about doing all of this outside stuff!

I am grateful for a good and flexible job to keep my addiction going. Oh and a special "shout out" to all my professors that believed I had work commitments. Sometimes hunting is work, and I am committed.

Here are a few pictures of the past year. It was a great one!

This is a past deer camp when it snowed on us, but it was also our elk camp in early September. (just imagine no snow)

The montana wheat stubble. Below a Big Sky Sunset.

The South Dakota Blizzard. Dad and I never told mom we got her truck stuck.

Weekend Outside

2009-02-22T17:31:00.000-08:00

As I wriggled my way out of bed friday morning I had my usual happy to be alive face (Fridays I don't have classes, hence the happy to be alive face). As I opened my blinds it was revealed that I should not go to work and my happy to be alive face got even brighter. The ground was dusted in snow, the sun was shining, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Mountains, upland fields, and trout streams have a way of keeping me from attending class, going to work, and pretty much everything else society tells me I am supposed to do. I have come to the conclusion that anytime spent in the mountains is time well wasted. By time well wasted I mean it makes me that much more productive when I return to society.

Friday morning I made the few phone calls that I couldn't put off till monday. Then I was off to the hills for a day of Alpine Skiing at Beaver Mountain. What a gorgeous day. I skied right onto the lift every run, the powder I found was a little tracked up but it was still invigorating. There is nothing like a day outside, just my Ipod and me.

Here is a picture taken a few weeks back with my nephew Jed and my niece Emma.

Saturday was almost as fun. A group of friends and I headed to the Southern end of Cache valley to Hardware Ranch. Hardware ranch is a feeding ground for elk. This winter they are feeding about 600 elk. I recommend this outing for everybody, especially those of you with little kids. It costs five dollars and they take you on a horse drawn sleigh ride through the herd of elk as they feed. They started this program to keep the elk from going all the way into cache valley and eating at the farmers hay stacks. The ranch is located fifteen miles up Blacksmith Fork Canyon. It was an awesome drive, we saw deer, a moose, the elk at the ranch, and a couple of turkeys on the way home. All in all it was a great weekend in the cold Utah outdoors.

This picture is of my friend Jessica and me checking out the elk.

In ending I want to thank everyone who has remembered my Nephew Andrew in their prayers. It has been working! Thanks!

Baby Update

2009-02-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

I wanted to thank everyone for their prayers for my Nephew that was born last Saturday. Prayer really works and everything is looking a whole lot better. He is off the ventilator and the hole in his lung healed. He is breathing without oxygen or assistance of any kind. He now just needs to learn how to suck and suck all his meals for 48 hours, they say he is picking it up quick. If you want the daily update here is a link to my Sister-In-Laws blog.

My Favorite Hunting Buddies

2009-02-17T16:56:00.000-08:00

My brother Josh and his wife Katie just had their fourth child, a little boy. I am an uncle of 13 now. Those 13 people are my favorite people on earth. I would rather hunt and fish with them then just about anyone.

There are a few issues with the new baby, Andrew, he was born six weeks early and is in the NICU. He is on a ventilator and has a hole in his lung. Needless to say we are all praying for baby Andrew.

This is my call for your prayers. Thanks in advance.

Here is a picture of two of my nephews, ones 12 and ones 13, they both love hunting and fishing. And they can sure shoot a shotgun too.

This is my nephew and I on a very unsuccessful dove hunt earlier this year. Don't worry if it looks like my gun is pointed at the camera it is, but the camera was set on timer... no one was behind it.

We love to fish too.

Women In the Outdoors

2009-02-12T11:39:00.001-08:00

This post is in response to an article I read in The American Spectator, you can read it here.

Basically the article reads that hunters are men that drink hard alcohol and shoot stuff and it is not a sport to be shared with women. The worst part is that the writer is supposedly one of our own, a hunter, but I highly doubt that. So I thought I would rant for a minute about women in the outdoors.

I am proud to say that it was a past girl friend who introduced me to deer hunting. She got a buck, gutted it herself, and then she fried the heart up on the coleman stove with some potatoes. She is one of the prettiest girls I know. Her willingness to hunt and her willingness to let me hunt only makes her more attractive.

When I was young one of my favorite things was fishing with my dad and brothers. But I have to say I do recall even better times and that was when my mom and sisters came along. I dare say my sisters could out fish most men out there.

I can also say one of the best dog handlers I know is my Aunt Jill. She shoots a lot starter then me too.

I strongly believe women and men have an equal place in the outdoors. We need all of us (women and men) to help our current world recognize that hunting is needed and an American Family Tradition.

You better believe my daughters will be my hunting and fishing buddies. I'd rather go with them than some drunkard man.

There is a cool site built for helping us Outdoor Bloggers unite our voices together. Check it out here.

The Hunt That Never Was

2009-01-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

The excitement was boiling in our blood as we planned a spontaneous trip to Kansas to chase Bobwhite Quail. It all started when my Cousin Shawn sent me an email inviting me to accompany him on a Kansas Quail hunt (you can see his blog here ). That email got me scheming and planning. So I called my other cousin Andy (you can read his blog here ) and we started figuring out the logistics.

Early Thursday morning Andy arrived at my house we loaded his green Subaru with guns and dogs and we were on the road. We were all smiles. We figured we could be in the Denver area by six PM, because that is where we were meeting up with Shawn. Or so we thought.

We were about 110 miles from my house when we heard it. "Clack, Clank, Whap!" That is the sound we heard under the hood. Unfortunately we made it far enough to be completely out of range from all civilization. We looked under the hood, combined our knowledge of cars, which is virtually non existent, and then we prayed. Praying worked better then our knowledge of cars and we came to the conclusion that we needed oil. So we flipped a coin and I won (or lost depending on how you look at it). I sprinted across the freeway and started thumbing.

One car went by and moved into the far lane from me, then a second, then a third, and then I lost count. But finally an old man pulled over and offered me a ride, but even better, our prayers were answered again. He had oil in his trunk. He gave it to me and wouldn't accept any cash (God Bless that old man and thanks). We poured the oil in and fired the Green Subaru up. We burned a lot of smoke, but the "Clack, Clank, Wahp!" stopped (another answered prayer). We started down the road and made it the eighteen miles to the closest gas station (another answered prayer). As we pulled into the parking lot the car gave up the ghost. And my first quail hunt, will be forever known as The Hunt That Never Was.

I want to give a special thanks to my Cousin Andy for being adventurous, going with me, and ultimately sacrificing his car. I also want to thank my cousin Shawn having prepared so much to get me out to Kansas to hunt Bobwhites, the Old Man who gave us the oil, the Lord who answered our prayers, and especially my dad who left work and drove into the middle of the Wyoming Desert to rescue us, to top it off my Dad got a speeding ticket on the way home. Finally at one in the morning I laid my head down on the same pillow my day started on, at home in Utah. The things we do to hunt.

All in all it was a positive experience. We laughed, swapped lots of stories, and learned the hard way to always check the oil before you drive to Kansas. One day we will look back on this experience and laugh, but I don't think that time will be anytime soon.

The Standing Point

2009-01-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

I had to post this. This is my dog lady pointing a pheasant in a South Dakota Blizzard, November 2008. The picture was taken by a friend. The quality isn't the best but to this day I laugh when I see it. The rooster got away, but I was so proud of Lady and this standing point.

It took a minute for us to figure out she was on point. What a day!

Chukar Before The Snow

2008-12-28T11:18:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures of a Chukar hunt I went on a few weeks ago, before Utah got bombarded with snow.

The weather was perfect, we had a stiff wind that made the scenting conditions perfect. All three dogs had lots of points.
This a picture of my buddy Landon's new Brittany, Molly, he got from a friend.

Every time I go on a Chukar hunt I am reminded how grateful I am for youth and good health. This is a picture of Landon's Dad Brent. He is pushing fifty and it showed on this trip. He had some major knee problems by the end of this hunt.

A FAMILY SHOOTOUT

2008-11-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

What would a family pheasant shoot be without offending someone and their dog. Grandpa teaching the nephews the B$#@h word on accident, and the five year olds repeating it (we tried to explain that it means a female dog). Family anything wouldn't be complete without some wrestling. All in all it was a wild success.

It kind of goes against everything I believe in to shoot pen raised birds. But when your family is mostly city slickers and I have the responsibility to get all my nephews addicted to bird hunting I figured the best way to get them hooked is to get them on birds anyway I can. Well I think it worked i've got some brothers, brother-in-laws, and five or six nephews really loving this bird hunting stuff. I bought twenty birds and set them in the hills behind my brother-in-laws house. Then we released the dog.

These are my nephews Jed and Spencer, age 13 and 12, with their first pheasants. I didn't think they would shoot so straight but these guys are shooters. I think the first pheasant is pretty awesome and unforgettable.

The highlight of the the hunt didn't even include a gun. We had four boys that were too young to carry guns but they proved to be great bird dogs. Jake is nine with dark red hair, we don't really no where that came from since no one in his family on either side has red hair. The last pheasant that went down hit the ground running and Jake chased that bird a hundred yards or so before diving on top of it and wrestling it to death. Everyone was screaming "Get it Jake" "Dive on it!". I've never seen a kid smile so big in my life.

By the looks of the smiles in this picture I think a new family tradition was born.

Mother Chukar

2008-11-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

Who said the weather couldn't be too nice? My best friend Landon, our three dogs, and I went on a Saturday afternoon Chukar hunt. The weather was gorgeous, fifty degrees and the ground was moist. We had just one problem absolutely no wind. There were birds everywhere and they held really tight, so tight we had to step within yards to make them fly. We could hear them clucking, but the dogs couldn't pick them up because the air was shockingly calm. This hunt had one point. But two great retrieves.

Lady with a great retrieve.

The valley in the background is where we parked and then we climbed. Luckily I watched the new James Bond friday night. I figured if Bond can run for that long chasing a villain I could definitely climb a mountain chasing those Mother Chukar. They are lucky I only call them Mother Chukars and not something else after that hike.

Five hours of climbing, scrambling, and running we got two Chukars, one each. But hey the weather was gorgeous!

A South Dakota Blizzard of Birds!

2008-11-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

My dad only hunts once a year and it is our annual pheasant hunt in South Dakota. He lives for it. This year we went with some neighbors, my Uncle Dan and My cousin Jordan from Oklahoma. It was quite the occasion. Here are some pictures.

Day one was 28 degrees with snow and sixty mile an hour winds. The birds held like a puckered up butt hole. It was great the dogs had some great points.

Day two was 28 degrees snow and thirty mile an hour winds.

Day three was 24 degrees, breezy, with deep drifts.

We got lots of pheasants and even shot a handful of Sharpies. I even shot my first Prairie Chicken.

Best $100 Mutt

2008-10-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

At fifteen one hundred dollars is a lot of cash. I never batted an eye though when I went to pick up my puppy Lady. My parents were very opposed to me getting a dog. But somehow I convinced them that a boy needs a dog. I think when I told my dad the pups were half Brittany Spaniel his heart melted. He had a Brittany when he was a boy and he always told us stories about the adventures he and his Brittany would go on.
I lied to my parents and told them that the pups were being sold for Fifty Dollars. In my fifteen-year-old head they would never allow me to spend my whole one hundred dollars on a dog.
The mother of the pups was my best friend Landon’s German Shorthair Pointer, Mattie. I had been hunting behind Mattie for two years and I knew she was a good dog. Story has it that down the street from Landon lived a proud Male Brittany Spaniel that often strutted around the neighborhood. One day they came out to feed Mattie and the Prideful Neighborhood Brittany had somehow snuck into Mattie’s Kennel. I guess that is where they get the term puppy love.
Landon gave me first pick and told me he was giving me a deal at one hundred dollars because well I was his best friend. I was ecstatic. Later I discovered, they couldn’t sell the pups very easily because they weren’t purebred they were mutts. They ended up giving most of them away. I guess I didn’t get the best friend deal I thought I was getting. But I’m positive seven years later when Landon hunts behind Lady he would gladly pay a hundred dollars to get her back.
I picked the bigger female of the bunch and gave Landon my one hundred dollars. I named her Lady and we walked home that afternoon. As far as I am concerned there has never been a happier fifteen-year-old. Lady and I were instantly best friends. We spent all our time together, accept for when I had to be in school. I was a little anxious to get her hunting and I might have jumped the gun by taking her hunting at three months. Bad idea, the gun-shots scared her to death and she ran all the way home, she was gun shy. “Shit” is all I could think. I invested in a cap gun, caught some pigeons, cut the feathers on their wings off, and let Lady chase pigeons all over the yard. Just when she would get one in her mouth I would start shooting that cap gun like a drunken Indian warrior. She was quickly over the whole gun-shy thing and had become a dog with a purpose, to hunt for birds.
We had a lot of trails in the early years. She often times would forget she was hunting for me and she would get on the scent of a running rooster pheasant and disappear. Or she would catch a whiff of a rabbit and forget we were hunting birds. The worst was when she found her first deer and chased the damn thing for what seemed hours, she eventually came home. Oh and don’t forget the time she ended up in the dog pound. Luckily I had the cash to bail her out.
Seven years later she is in her prime and everyone we hunt with wants to hunt behind her.

Big Sky Country and Von's Last Rooster

2008-10-20T21:56:00.001-07:00

Spontaneous… is there any other way to live? We left my house in Utah at six PM and arrived in the pheasant fields of Montana nine pee stops and fourteen hours later. Just in time to buy breakfast, a license, and start shooting.
My hunting companions were mostly friends I regularly hunt with, but there was one addition, Von. And Von is old. I have lots of patience and mercy for old hunters though. I know one day I will be old and I am a firm believer in karma.
Von hadn’t killed a pheasant in twenty years and when he heard we were going pheasant hunting he just had to come and shoot one last pheasant. He is pretty ill, he had a heart attack earlier this year, and doesn’t have a lot of energy. Von also has to pee about every hundred miles or so. We figured he could block and get plenty of shooting.
It was an all night drive. I can handle that, I’m a college student and that occasionally happens in my routine, (hell what routine?). But for Von it is a hair more taxing.
We released the dogs in a great looking CRP field. Lady went on point within one minute. I thought to myself “a great introduction to hunting Montana”. It ended up being a damn porcupine. Luckily I got Lady off, but my friends had a new Brittney Mollie and she dove in mouth open.
Needless to say we went from hunting mode to surgen mode real fast. I pried her mouth open while Brent and Landon used pliers to pull quills out of her mouth and tongue. Talk about a learning the hard way. That was the first porcupine of the trip, but it wouldn’t be the last.
After fifteen minutes or so of surgery we set out on the CRP field, five guys and three dogs. Lady immediately got birdy and went on point. This time it was a covey of Sharpies, they were pretty far out but I got lucky and dropped one.
We saw a lot of Sharpies in that field and Landon knocked one down too. Lady finally pinned a rooster down on the way back to the truck. He flew right into a head wind and I had a slow flying rooster and I got him.
We heard lots of stories from Brent about the mass numbers of birds he saw last year in that same field, but this year they were no where to be found. The birds in that part of the Montana were definitely down from last year. Most of the roosters were big, old, and had long tail feathers. Or they were so young they weren’t all the way feathered out yet.
Von blocked all day, and still hadn’t got a rooster. The only way we ever got a rooster that day was chasing the dogs. These birds were way to smart to be pushed and blocked. The either held or flew way out of range.

The second day was great. We got creative, hunted hard and got into birds. Von didn’t feel very well and he stayed at the hotel that day.
The third and final day Von was feeling well enough to get out. The day before we had scouted some areas and had some spots we thought would definitely produce some roosters for Von. Oh and they did. We saw as many birds this day as we had the other two days combined. Von got lots of shots but kept missing. The day was getting late and I was starting to stress if Von would get his rooster. Finally we had Von blocking and a rooster came flying overhead and he connected with his second shot and sent the rooster straight into a pond. Lady dove in and made a stylish retrieve. Von finally killed his rooster and we all felt our stress levels diminish. He smiled like a little boy with his first rooster. Hunting is definitely good for mans health. I saw it that day in Von’s eyes.
Lady is in her prime, seven years old, and everyone without a dog wants to hunt near her. She doesn’t bust birds and she never slows down. They all loved her on this trip. Her mother Mattie was on this trip with us too. She is ten and showing her age. It makes me sober to think Lady will one day slow down and show her age. Till then I have a lot more bird hunting outings to go on.
Montana was fantastic. We hunted hard, got Von his rooster, watched awesome dog work, saw gorgeous prairie sunsets, and watched great cloud shows the kind you only see in the big sky country of Montana. No wonder I love this stuff so much

Some great CRP.

Big sky sunset on the prairie.

We got into a few sharpies that didn't fly too soon.

Chukar What?

2008-10-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from a few weeks ago on the opener of the Utah Chukar hunt. We hunted an area that used to be chuck full of chukar and huns, but the past few years it hasn't produced much. But it is close to home and a good ride for the horses and a good run for the dog.

Happy pup hu?
We didn't ride the whole time. Lady had a false point and we got really excited jumped off and hiked for awhile.

Montana on the mind!

2008-10-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

"Damn it Eric! Hunting again?" Those were my mothers exact words when I told her I was going on another hunting trip. It is a little bit easier to tell her I am going hunting again, over the phone. It was a lot more difficult in person, because in person she can give me the look! She seems to think college students should attend class. She still worries like you wouldn't believe. You have to love mothers, they are great! What would life be without someone to worry about us hunters?

It should be great. Last Saturday my best friend Landon invited me to go on a pheasant hunting trip to Montana with his dad, him, and an old neighbor of ours. Should be great. I have never been to Montana bird hunting, I've just read about it in magazines and blogs. Kind of a dream come true for me.

I bought a couple boxes of shells and got a new center bead put on my shotgun so I should be all ready. My GSP/ Brittany mutt Lady is really excited too. Landon's GSP is my dog Lady's mother. So This is kind of a family outing. If I can i'll try to keep everyone posted, with pictures and stories of the happenings during the expedition as they unfold (if the motels have wireless) . We should be hunting Thursday morning.

Start of My Addiction

2008-10-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

At the butt crack of dawn I was drug out of bed, at the prepubescent age of thirteen. We were heading out on my first wild Chukar hunt in the West Desert of Utah. This would be the day that would change my future passions forever.
The new kid in the neighborhood invited me to go on a chukar hunt with his dad and him. I replied “Chukar what?” He then proceeded to tell me that a chukar is a bird you hunt just like pheasants and grouse. I loved hunting pheasants and grouse so I quickly agreed to the invitation.
I slipped out the door with unlaced boots and shotgun in hand. It was a late December Saturday. The ground was dusted with a hint of dry Utah powder. I slid into position in the little, rusty, beat up pickup. The pickup was so small and full of guns that I only had one position and that was squished. I didn’t mind though I was thirteen and going to hopefully kill something.
“Birds really live out here?” I asked. I thought for sure we would drive over the next hill into a valley of grain fields, irrigation canals, tree lines, and in the middle of it all would be a big red barn. That is the type of terrain I had hunted pheasants in. I couldn’t imagine anything living where we were going. As we drove the ground kept getting more barren and naked, but we just kept following that two-track dirt road as we slowly approached the rocky desert peaks on the horizon.
When I saw the Utah West Desert for the first time I must have felt as the pioneers did when they first saw the barren Salt Lake Valley. I saw complete desolation and I felt very unenthused. The only difference being I knew I was going home at the end of the day. The pioneers were in the desert for the long haul.
The engine stopped and all I saw was my version of hell. Hell included a steep mountain, scattered with juniper trees, sagebrush, cactus, and all kinds of nasty cliff outcroppings.
That’s when we let the dogs out, a big German Shorthair, and the other a little Brittney Spaniel we called Boss Hog the Wonder Dog.
That’s when my head really started spinning. My new friends were heading straight into the thick of it. We were hoofing it up, and I mean up, the mountain. If I had learned anything in my few years of hunting it was to keep my mouth shut and just follow the guy who knows what he is doing. I bit my tongue and followed.
About one minute into the whole mountain climbing expedition I thought my lungs would burst. I kept thinking ‘I should have lived at base camp for a few weeks to get used to the elevation,’ but then I remembered that only happens when you are preparing to climb Mount Everest. It didn’t matter that it was a cold Utah day my coat was too damn hot. As we climbed the snow got a little less patchy and a bit deeper. Deep enough we could spot chukar tracks heading up hill ahead of us.
Boss Hog the Wonder Dog got birdy first and the big German Shorthair was only a second later. My hunting buddies started running straight up the mountain after the dogs. My friend’s dad kept saying, “Hurry! They’ll be birds at the top of this ridge, we got to hurry though.” We scrambled faster then anyone ever could have up that mountain. Any normal person would have thought there was gold at the top.
When we reached the top I witnessed the most beautiful sight. Both dogs looked as though they had been struck by lightening and cast into stone. That was the first I ever saw a dog on point, and it won’t be soon forgotten. It has been burned into my memory as something perfect.
As we sucked for breath, a chukar covey took to the air. I fired three shots from my Browning shotgun at the feathery torpedoes. Not a single feather drifted to the earth. I didn’t feel like to big of a rookie though my pals didn’t draw any blood either.

We spent all day, on what seemed to be the top of the world, chasing chukars. The chukar Gods must have known I needed to see lots of birds on my first hunt to get me addicted. That first hunt we say covey after covey and point after point. I finally did connect with one of the little chukar torpedoes. It could have been running on the ground, I can’t remember. After all how sporting does a thirteen year old have to be.
I remember driving home from that first chukar hunt late in the evening. My legs felt twisted, jumbled, and just plain pooped. I had never run and up and down hill so much in one day. I think I smiled the whole way home. In fact I think I smiled all night because I had dreams of dogs on point. When I woke up I was still smiling.
Since my first chukar chasing experience I have been chasing my passion of bird hunting with good bird dogs every since. I continually have a yearning in the pit of my stomach to see a dog on point. A year or so after that first trip I brought home my own bird dog a Brittney Spaniel/ German Shorthair mutt. That’s another story for another day. I will say that I have honed my shooting skills and I only miss most of the chukars I shoot at, not all of them. Thank goodness for pioneers of every kind.