Hunting Partner

[Walk213]

http://www.huntfishgolfwork.com/hunting-partner/

It is not uncommon during Colorado’s upland bird season for me to drive over 450 miles and walk 13 in a single day.  I am usually up just before 4 am, and out the door no later than 4:45 am.  The trip to the eastern corridor of the state is long, but I am fueled by both adrenaline & caffeine.  Upon arrival in bird country, my heart starts to race as I anticipate the day’s adventure. Once I am out of the truck, I expect that every shelterbelt, plum thicket and CRP field that I walk is loaded with exquisite pheasants.  The reality is that I generally walk for many miles before raising my shotgun at a crafty rooster.  There are days that can be bleak, and exhausting when no birds reveal themselves for hours on end. Upland hunting can be even more exasperating when erratic shooting undermines limited opportunities.
It takes someone with comparable DNA to want to prowl the prairie with you. They possess the same commitment, passion and unadulterated love for the chase. Your hunting partner embraces the grind, and he does not need an explanation when you want to hit one more spot late in the day before the long journey home. They don’t have to be a colleague at work, a college roommate or even your best friend. They just need to bring the same level of intensity to the sometimes-complex, arduous process of hunting the uplands. I value those people that pursue birds with me. I enjoy talking strategy with them, and learning from their divergent experiences in the field. They know when they can chide me for missed shots, but they are also aware when silence is golden. It takes time to create the mutual trust to want to begin hunting together. Once the required commonalities are satisfied, a unique respect between people is born.

My hope is that both of my teenage sons evolve to become zealous wingshooters. I know that I cannot force them to love it, and that there is an opportunity cost associated with hunting with their dad. That said, my boys would be my ideal hunting partners.


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[Featherfinder]

Walk 213, you echo my sentiments to a tee! I have 2 sons neither of which are teenagers anymore. We don't bird hunt as much as I'd like but they are in a different place in their lives now with work, a family, mortgages, etc.
By-the-way, getting and receiving comments about our shooting skills or a lack there-of, is part and parcel of the few gents I hunt with. It wouldn't be hunting with true friends without it! I will start a new thread on this!
Thanks for sharing and I wish you many GREAT memories afield with your sons!

[Walk213]

Good Morning Featherfinder,

You get it. I know that both boys are overwhelmed with school and soccer obligations, and that they also want to spend time with their buddies. That said, I am trying to build a foundation for them where they crave being in nature. My oldest and I will hit the fields of Colorado together next Friday and Saturday. With some luck, he will bag his first wild bird. I think I can get him hooked if that happens.

Good luck to you this season!

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[birddogger2]

walk-

Been there.

I started walking with my son and one of the dogs when he was 8. When he got tired, I would put him on my shoulders and walk some more. He allowed how it was pretty nice to be 8 feet tall. By the time he was 14 he was running track and could bury the "old man".

I was, and still am incredibly blessed that the loves following the dogs still. As with Featherfinder, my son is is well along in life with a family of his own and going in ten different directions at the same time, but he and I still manage to get out a couple times a year to hunt together. Thanksgiving is his and my favorite holiday and we have been doing a Thankgiving hunt for close to thirty years now. Prior to that did the Turkey day hunt with my Dad for about 25 years prior to that.

I wish you all the best of the season.

RayG

[Featherfinder]

Walk 213, I will fly my son and his charming wife down to AZ to be with us for a week of quail hunting and golfing. I can hardly wait!!
I hope you have an awesome time with your son in Colorado! That's what it's all about! Please keep us posted!
Then there comes a time when your son is a better shot than you. Yes...inevitably it will happen BUT that is when you take credit for teaching him about shooting form, conservation, and the finer side of bird dogs and bird hunting. Some folk call it missing. I call it conservation.

[Walk213]

walk-

Been there.

I started walking with my son and one of the dogs when he was 8. When he got tired, I would put him on my shoulders and walk some more. He allowed how it was pretty nice to be 8 feet tall. By the time he was 14 he was running track and could bury the "old man".

I was, and still am incredibly blessed that the loves following the dogs still. As with Featherfinder, my son is is well along in life with a family of his own and going in ten different directions at the same time, but he and I still manage to get out a couple times a year to hunt together. Thanksgiving is his and my favorite holiday and we have been doing a Thankgiving hunt for close to thirty years now. Prior to that did the Turkey day hunt with my Dad for about 25 years prior to that.

I wish you all the best of the season.

RayG

Hi Ray,

Thank you for sharing your story. Time is flying by our family, and I feel like we have to establish some traditions in our lives...now. Both of my boys play at the highest level of soccer in their respective age groups. Add scholastic requirements, friends and girls, and I realize that I might not be a priority in the future. Both boys have participated in successful pronghorn hunts, but the uplands are different. I hope that my oldest connects on at least 1 bird this weekend. I think that will be enough to get him hooked.

Have a great season!

Ross

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[Walk213]

Walk 213, I will fly my son and his charming wife down to AZ to be with us for a week of quail hunting and golfing. I can hardly wait!!
I hope you have an awesome time with your son in Colorado! That's what it's all about! Please keep us posted!
Then there comes a time when your son is a better shot than you. Yes...inevitably it will happen BUT that is when you take credit for teaching him about shooting form, conservation, and the finer side of bird dogs and bird hunting. Some folk call it missing. I call it conservation.

That is a good thing! Golf and quail hunting; no better combination!! I hope is a better shot right out of the gate. Not hard if I am setting the bar. Have a great holiday season.

Ross

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[Featherfinder]

Aaahh yes....those memories seem so far away now. Both boys played high level hockey in the winter and elite soccer in the summer. My wife drove off in one direction with one son while I drove off in another with the second boy. Crazy at the time but I cherish those memories today.
So a typical day for me was managing 2 shifts (11 techs per shift). My hours albeit flexible were typically 8 pm to 4 am. I would sleep until 11ish, arise and train dogs. (I was also trialing then but just on weekends.) I was home to get the boys off the school bus. My wife would be home shortly afterwards. Dinner was had sitting together right before we rushed out the door to hockey/soccer games. I also coached both sports.
Is it any wonder I belong to the "zipper" club?
There is a dark side. I wish I had trialed less and spent more time with my sons. The trophies/ribbons came at a VERY high cost.