Strung Magazine | Upland Issue 2021

A WOLF AT THE DOOR H Oceans Apart

BREAKING UP WITH ALASKA

Our Water Rug

Snow Birds

TIED TO NATURE

magazine

WHERE THE UNWRITTEN RULES Grain MEETS THE GOOD Grass MEDICINE

UPLAND

ISSUE

DOGMEN of the MARIPOSA HHH

HHH

FALL 2021 DISPLAY UNTIL DEC 9, 2021

INDEPENDENT, PASSIONATE, UNCOMPROMISING STRUNG MAGAZINE

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“One of the principal advantages of hunting, my dear readers, consists in its forcing you to be constantly moving from place to place, which is highly agreeable for a man of leisure.”

—Ivan Turgenev, A Hunter’s Sketches South Dakota offers up a spectacular sunset to wrap up another good day in the pheasant fields. Allen Kidd takes a peak at the GPS to confirm the whereabouts of his bird dog and the truck. Photo: Mark Lance

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“A dog points, one foot raised, muscles quivering under shiny hide. You take another step.

A cock is suddenly in the air, heading for a gap in the woods. Your reflexes resolve to blur, separate it from background, slow the violence. Gun-barrels struggle toward intersection with chance. The world narrows to a bird the color of autumn.”

—Datus C. Proper, Pheasants of the Mind The rusty hues of autumn are reflected in the plumage of a pheasant. Photo: Mark Lance

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“You gaze at the mountains 80 miles away, and see the world between in wrinkles, in springs, in knife-edged ridges, in rimrock as strong as the gods and fragile as eggshells. And above, you’ll hear that rhythmic chuk...chuk...chukkerrr from the birds you pursue. Rookie chukar hunters consider it mocking laughter, but you’ll know better. You’ll know they’re talking to you, telling you: Hurry back, hurry back.”

—Buddy Levy, Echoes on Rimrock Allen Kidd and his bird dog, Abby, survey an expansive Idaho landscape and the escape route used moments earlier by a covey of chortling chukar. Photo: Mark Lance

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Contents

DOGMEN OF THE MARIPOSA Ryan Sparks “There aren’t many places in the world as steeped in quail hunting history as the Mariposa Ranch of South Texas. Located between Corpus Christi and Matamoros, Mexico, it’s about as far south as you can get in the United States. Bordered on three sides by the King and Kenedy Ranches, the Mariposa spans over 45,000 acres across two counties.

Owned by the Sullivan family for over 110 years, the Mariposa is synonymous with quailhunting culture and has attracted some of the best dog trainers of all time. If you love pointing dogs and wild quail, when you get invited to the Mariposa you go. Weather be damned.”

OUR WATER RUG Words by E. Donnall Thomas Jr. Photos by Don and Lori Thomas “A digression into the arcane world of Shakespearean scholarship may seem out of place in what is at heart a hunting story. The thesis of this piece, however, is broader than either of those topics.”

SNOW BIRDS A Photo Essay by Adam Tangsrud “The pheasant opener is a day I wait for each year, but early season often means warm weather, dry fields, overheated dogs, and horrible scenting conditions. What I really look forward to is the first snow of the year when the landscape is cold and beautiful, and the crisp winter air holds the scent of birds for my springer spaniels.”

BREAKING UP WITH ALASKA Dave Zoby “I proclaimed often, and to anybody who would listen, that one day I would live in Alaska. I said it to my mother as a challenge—a dare. I said it to friends who were barely listening. It was one of my dreams, and the problem with dreams is that they ruin you when you solve them, or even if you just come close.”

HUNS: WHERE THE GRAIN MEETS THE GRASS Jim McLennan “An interesting evolution has been taking place in the dusty draws and windy corners of the plains over the last 20 years. The lowly Hungarian partridge, once little more than a consolation prize for dedicated pheasant hunters, has become almost—it pains me to say it—trendy.”

UNWRITTEN RULES Andrew McKean “As in any society, the cardinal laws aren’t written anywhere. You acquire them through osmosis and through time and experience. But I’ll detail four commandments—the statutes and penalties of which have endless variation—as a public service and atonement-seeking confession.”

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CHANGES IN DOG TRAINING Tom Keer “There’s nothing as permanent as change, and dog training methods are no different. Heavyhanded handling has progressed to include positive and clicker training, with refined gear and techniques leading to a more deliberate approach. A talk with some longtime veterans illustrates just how much dog training has changed.”

THE STRUNG UPLAND GEAR GUIDE Strung Staff The best things in life are simple, and upland hunting certainly falls into that category.

Outside of a good bird dog all you need are some boots, a shotgun, some shells, and a way to carry your birds. So, what little gear you carry should be excellent. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best upland gear that will make your days afield that much more enjoyable.

RATIONS & INTOXICANTS Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley “For a first-time hunter, doves are a tough initiation. Although the dove symbolizes peace, don’t mistake that for frailty. These fast-flying birds can change direction on a dime, seemingly possessing a Matrix-like ability to dodge shot. And just when you think you’ve hit one, it keeps on sailing.”

OCEANS APART Words by Callum Macgregor. Photos by Sammy Chang “For more than eight decades, retriever training and field trials in the United States and the United Kingdom have taken different paths from their once-common beginnings. Over that time, breeding objectives have tilted toward the characteristics of the champion dogs of their respective countries. It should not be surprising that, over many generations, different breeding and training priorities would produce dogs with different temperaments, abilities, and even physical characteristics.”

GOOD MEDICINE Matt Wemple “In the photo, ducks winged their way across a prairie pond among fall shades of green and tan, bathed in brilliant sunlight. No mountains nearby—just rolling prairie. The ducks looked like mallards, maybe gadwall. I thought of Roxy, my Lab, and her gray chin whiskers. Opening weekend of duck season had been less than productive. The sight of those mallards in the prairie sunlight struck a deep chord. In less than 10 minutes I had talked to my wife, emailed my vacation request, and let Wade know I was in. Mentally, I was already there.”

THE TUNGSTEN REVOLUTION Ryan Sparks “Though steel shot is certainly less harmful to the environment than lead, its effectiveness is far from perfect. […] The inadequacy of steel shot led hobbyist loaders to experiment with materials like bismuth, nickel, iron alloy, and eventually tungsten. Materials like bismuth and nickel were slight improvements over steel, but it was tungsten that changed the game when it comes to how we think about shotgun ballistics.”

A WOLF AT THE DOOR: IMAGINING A FUTURE FOR AMERICA’S TOP PREDATOR Reed Knappe “In November 2020, […] the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially removed wolves from the Endangered Species List. A culmination of decades of debate, the delisting drew fierce criticism from scientists and environmentalists, and it is quickly transforming how wolf populations are managed. The termination of protections marks a unique inflection point in the wolf’s history: a moment for asking hard questions about the human-wolf relationship and for revisiting old dilemmas.”

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magazine Publisher: JOSEPH J. BALLARINI

Editor-in-Chief: RYAN SPARKS

Creative Director: SCOTT MORRISON

Photo Editor: SAMMY CHANG

Big Game Editor: ANDREW MCKEAN

Conservation Editor: REED KNAPPE Fly Fishing Editor: DAVE ZOBY

Upland Editor: TOM KEER

Waterfowl Editor: E. DONNALL THOMAS JR.

Wild Foods Editor: JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY

Editors At Large: EHOR BOYANOWSKY

ALEXEI JD BOYANOWSKY JOE DOGGETT

MARK HATTER Copy Editor: LEILA BEASLEY

Website: MICHAEL DUCKWORTH

ALEXA SPARKS

CREATIVE CONTRIBUTORS Grant Johnson

Adam Tangsrud

Mark Lance

Lori Thomas

Callum Macgregor

Matt Wemple

Jim McLennan COVER

“You may think that your dog is hunting pheasants for you. He thinks that he is hunting them with you. He does not reason well, but he perceives what you want before you understand it yourself. He also runs beyond your aspirations, and he knows something at which you can only guess: where the bird is. You and dog mesh.

You are strong in what he lacks, weak where he is strong. No other team has so little redundancy of skill, such economy of baggage.”

— Datus C. Proper, Pheasants of the Mind Adam Tangsrud finishes a day of Nebraska pheasant hunting with his springer spaniels, Loki and Kona.

Photo: Adam Tangsrud

Strung Magazine is a quarterly outdoor lifestyle publication focused on fly fishing, upland hunting, big game, waterfowl, wild foods, and conservation.

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letter from the EDITOR I always find it odd, writing these letters that won’t be read for several months.

It feels like making a short-term time capsule. It’s mid-July, and fun to think about all the things that will have changed come mid-September when you read this. Yes, the leaves will have transformed to their autumnal glow, but we will also have changed. It happens every fall, as if on cue, usually on an almost-frosted morning: a feeling that springs from some deep and primal well inside us that signals the easy days of summer are over and hunting season has begun.

If all goes to plan (and you know about the best laid schemes of mice and men), I will have an elk in the freezer early this fall, and my focus will shift entirely to hunting birds with my pointers. It’s laughable to consider the difference between my current hunting plans and what the realities will likely be. I had the same plan last year, but after eating elktag soup spent the better part of October and November perched in a tree hunting deer. My dogs looked at me accusingly when I strolled back in after dark. When I finally did notch my deer tags, I was thankful both for the meat and for the opportunity to finally follow my dogs through the country, rather than stare at it from a stationary roost.

Sitting alone and waiting for a deer, I had plenty of time to daydream about the wonderful upland hunting to come: days filled with good dog work, beautiful country, and plenty of birds. Of course, that too was different from reality. The deluge of hunters trying to stay sane during the pandemic let me know my secret spots weren’t so secret anymore.

There were a lot of last-minute audibles when I found other trucks already parked at my favorite spots, and I ended up hunting marginal places I hadn’t been

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before. Yet, I did get my wish: There was plenty of walking.

In the early 2000s, when quail numbers in my home state of Nebraska dropped to the point where you were just as likely to jump Bigfoot out of a hedgerow as a covey of quail, my dad became fond of saying he was “just going out for a walk” rather than going hunting. Still, even on days when birds seem to be everywhere, you spend 99 percent of the time walking, with trigger pulls only punctuating long stanzas of hoofing it. I was fortunate to experience the luxury of hunting atop a “quail rig” this past year, and I hope to someday take part in what I imagine to be the pure romanticism of hunting by horseback, but I am proud to be a lowly foot hunter at heart.

Walking is good for its own sake. It is exercise, yes, but I think real walking involves much more. I remember reading Thoreau’s Walking in college. “When we walk, we naturally go to the fields and woods: what would become of us, if we walked only in a garden or mall?” he writes.

“Give me a wildness whose glance no civilization can endure—as if we lived on the marrow of koodoos devoured raw….

Life consists with wildness. The most alive is the wildest…. All good things are wild and free.”

Thoreau didn’t hunt, but I suspect that was more due to the absence of deer from his 1840s Massachusetts than a disapproval of hunting. Even so, his writing gets to the heart of what I suppose we are really chasing as we follow our dogs through the countryside: to experience that ancient wildness that lies dormant inside us and the ecstatic feeling of being alive and connected to the world when a bird rockets into the air.

Walking is part of that experience. To feel the ground flow past. To reach places that no road leads to. I know I’ve often looked around—whether it be at the top of a hill overlooking wrinkles of rolling prairie or some deep, tangled grouse woods cover— and wondered, How the hell did I get here? By foot, that’s how.

Thoreau’s real agenda in Walking is to “regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than a member of society,” and who is more part of nature than a hunter? Hunters aren’t mere observers; to borrow a phrase from the author Pete Dunne, they are actors taking part in an incredible drama on a world stage in which all living things play a part. The importance of walking, then, is that it reminds us that the pleasure of hunting comes more from the process than the product—that shooting a limit of birds is not important; going hunting is what’s important.

In this issue, Matt Wemple writes about appreciating the good times while they’re still good; Jim McLennan describes the pleasure of hunting Huns in southern Alberta; Tom Keer, Don Thomas, and Callum Macgregor write about the finer points of dog work; and Andrew McKean relates why you should never discipline someone else’s dog. Finally, Adam Tangsrud shows us the beauty of hunting late-season roosters in the snow. I hope these stories get you excited for your own upland seasons. Working on this issue has certainly fired me up. I’m ready for a walk.

Keep Casting,

Ryan Sparks Editor-in-Chief

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Cooper, german shorthaired pointer OWNER: Lindsey Shartell

* Internal Study © 2021 Royal Canin USA, Inc.

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ADAM TANGSRUD

Adam Tangsrud is a Colorado native who resides in Denver, Colorado. He grew up spending more time fishing than hunting, but today he is consumed with hunting year round. He enjoys hunting everything from spring turkey to big game, but his greatest enjoyment is upland hunting with his springer spaniels, Kona and Loki. This fall he will be adding another pup, Aksel, to the mix. For Adam it's hard to beat hunting with man's best friend! When he’s not in the field you’ll find Adam with his wife Brittany and their two children Boden and Lila. He enjoys getting his young family outdoors and instilling a love for all it has to offer.

CALLUM MACGREGOR

Callum Macgregor is the Chief Legal Officer of a private holding company that owns, among other assets, controlling interests in three NYSE-listed companies. He also oversees the habitat restoration and hunting operations at the company's 7,000 acre wingshooting paradise which houses the acclaimed Blue Cypress Kennels line of British Labradors.

Callum personally trained Blue Cypress' Gus, the first ever American-bred, Americantrained dog to win a field trial in the United Kingdom in almost 120 years of competition.

In his free time, Callum is a prolific fly angler and occasional author whose published works run the gamut from tarpon fishing to the economics of modern surgical techniques.

More than anything, he enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife Laura and their two already legendary kids.

JIM MCLENNAN

Jim McLennan is a lifelong lover of the outdoors who indulges his twin passions of fly fishing and hunting upland birds with pointing dogs. He has written about both extensively, in magazines and in his four books about fly fishing. Jim and his wife Lynda live in southern Alberta where they split their time between fishing, hunting, photography, writing, and playing music.

Together they own and operate McLennan Fly Fishing (mclennanflyfishing.com), a longstanding business offering fly fishing instruction to people of all ages and levels.

This is Jim’s second contribution to Strung.

His first piece, First and Last, appeared in Volume 2, Issue 4.

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A fourth generation Montanan and former registered nurse, Lori Thomas is a widely published outdoor photographer, supplying hundreds of photos in support of her husband Don’s writing.

Her photographs appear in numerous books and magazines including Retriever Journal, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Big Sky Journal, Traditional Bowhunter, and Strung Magazine. She has turned following Don around the world with a fly rod, bow, shotgun, and camera into a fulltime job. She loves spending time with her kids, who are all grown up, and taking care of two Labs, two German wirehair pointers, and a Jack Russell terrier who thinks she’s a big dog too.

MARK LANCE

Mark Lance is a photographer and outdoor writer based in Colorado with his wife Sharon and bird dog Zeke. Mark is the founder of River Light Images, an outdoor lifestyle photography company founded in 1995. His photography is deeply entangled in the pursuit of trout and steelhead, upland wingshooting with versatile dogs, the great outdoors, and distant travels. He is constantly in search of compelling outdoor imagery and a good story. His photography has been the visual foundation for many fly fishing brand campaigns, lodges, and outfitters. He is a frequent contributor to fly fishing, wingshooting, and conservation focused publications. Mark’s previous work with Strung includes Field to Fly in Volume 2, Issue 4. See more of Mark’s work at www. riverlightimages.com.

MATT WEMPLE

Lifelong hunter and angler Matt Wemple is a freelance writer and photographer living in southwest Montana.

He has written for a variety of outdoor publications including Backcountry Journal, Bugle, Fur-FishGame, Montana Sporting Journal, Sports Afield, and Traditional Bowhunter. His first book, The Duck Camp, published in 2018, tells the story of family hunting tradition in his native Louisiana. His next book To Hunt Ducks, soon to be released, is a collection of short stories about waterfowl hunting in the Mississippi, Central, and Pacific Flyways. Matt writes monthly for the Montana-based Lewis and Clark Journal. See more of his work at mattwempleoutdoors.com.

CONTRIBUTORS

LORI THOMAS

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THE DOGMEN OF THE MARIPOSA

By Ryan Sparks

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I pulled into the Chick-fil-A parking lot in

changed. Merging back onto the highway,

wheel-drive, and set the cruise control to 35

a cold sweat. Fourteen hours on the road,

the SUV in front of me lost control, spun

mph with over 400 miles left to drive. What

freezing rain from Kansas City to Dallas,

sideways, flipped, and got walloped by a car

the hell am I doing? I wondered aloud.

and two near collisions: I’d had enough. I got

in the next lane. I swerved onto the shoulder,

People do stupid things for a variety of

lunch and put the seat back for a nap. When

missing the second vehicle by a couple feet.

reasons: love, sex, money, power. I was

I woke up an hour later the weather hadn’t

I got in the right lane, switched on the four-

risking my life for a 5-ounce bird.

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Through a combination of habitat loss,

has attracted some of the best dog trainers

the Mariposa cook for one another and

climate change, invasive fire ants, parasitic

of all time. If you love pointing dogs and wild

share a communal meal. Over a plate of

eyeworm, and their rank at the very bottom

quail, when you get invited to the Mariposa

mesquite smoked ribs, I was introduced to

of the food chain, wild bobwhite quail are

you go. Weather be damned.

Sonny Piekarz, founder of Hay Creek Kennel

increasingly rare. I grew up hunting quail

and head of the Mariposa’s quail-hunting

in Nebraska, where my dad and I could

operation; Mike Miller of Wisconsin’s Six

usually find a covey behind the farmhouse

Gun Kennel; and Mark Wagner of Border to

and several more in the surrounding plum

Border Bird Dogs. Along with Mulcahy, these

thickets and hedgerows. Depending on how

After 26 hours on the road, I arrived at

are the dogmen of the Mariposa. Crowded

you look at it, those experiences were either

the Mariposa’s front gate where I was met

into the small living room, I was sitting

a blessing or a curse. There is an intangible

by Ryan Mulcahy, guide and trainer at the

with a group of people who have well over

romanticism about hunting these fast-flying

ranch and founder of Born to Run Kennels.

a century’s worth of experience breeding,

birds with pointing dogs. Once you’ve walked

Dressed in blue jeans, a simple t-shirt, and

training, and handling bird dogs. Collectively

in on a statue-like point, felt the explosion of

work boots, Mulcahy was quiet. I would later

they produce some of the best wild bird dogs

wings at your feet, and connected with a bird

learn he ran cross country in college. He still

in the country. Guides at the Mariposa are

on the covey rise, there is no going back.

looked the part, tall and wiry.

held to a tradition of excellence originally

There aren’t many places in the world as

After a 15-minute drive down a crumbling

perhaps the most legendary figure in all

steeped in quail hunting history as the

ranch road we arrived at the guides’ lodging,

the bird dog world. These are dogmen, guys

Mariposa Ranch of South Texas. Located

a pair of cinder block houses tucked off

who spend their lives breeding, training,

between Corpus Christi and Matamoros,

the main road in a stand of live oak and

handling, and working with bird dogs.

Mexico, it’s about as far south as you can

mesquite. Stepping out of my truck I could

Needless to say, if you want to guide on the

get in the United States. Bordered on three

smell salt in the air: The Gulf of Mexico was

Mariposa you have to put in your time and

sides by the King and Kenedy Ranches,

just 20 miles away.

pay your dues.

across two counties. Owned by the Sullivan

Inside one of the spartan houses a half

“You came through Dallas?” Piekarz

family for over 110 years, the Mariposa is

dozen people shuffled in and out of the

interrupted my daydreaming. “Did you go

synonymous with quail-hunting culture and

kitchen. Much like firefighters, guides at

through that huge pileup?”

established by the likes of Delmar Smith,

the Mariposa spans over 45,000 acres

“THERE’S NO GLAMOUR HERE,” HE SAID AFTER A PAUSE. “JUST WAKE UP AND WORK AND GET BETTER THAN THE DAY BEFORE.”

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He pulled out his phone and showed me an

the day to let their dogs recover and train

article detailing the ordeal: six people dead,

client dogs. As we left the kennel and made

65 injured, and more than 130 cars, trucks,

our way across the ranch it didn’t take long

and 18-wheelers in a tangle of wreckage

for the enormity of the Mariposa to set in.

on the North Texas Expressway as a polar

With terrain ranging from thick stands of

vortex made its way south causing power

mesquite and live oaks to stretches of vast

outages, car crashes, and cancelling flights

open prairie and salt grass flats, I was out

across Texas. I had missed the wreckage by

of my element. In a 30-minute drive I saw

less than an hour.

nilgai—a type of Asian antelope—bound over the hill in the distance. A javelina in

“That’s not good, and it’s headed our way,”

the road dashed into the brush as the truck

said Miller, tracking the storm’s path on the

approached. Deer, turkeys, and wild hogs

radar. “It looks like it will get here tomorrow

were everywhere.

afternoon.”

Nearly everything was foreign to me In the heat of the Texas night, snow and ice

including the vocabulary. We turned onto

in the forecast sounded far-fetched.

a clay and dirt road that Mulcahy referred to as a “caliche road.” He pointed out a low-lying stand of “sacahuista,” a type of salt grass that takes its name from Aztec words meaning “thorn grass,” and explained it makes excellent quail habitat. A few

When the alarm sounded at 5:30 the next

minutes later, Mulcahy put the truck in

morning I hobbled off my bunk to find

park, pointed to a stand of mesquite and

everyone already awake and loading their

whitebrush he referred to as a “mott,” and

trucks for the day. These trucks, or “quail

told me he had found a covey there a few

rigs” as the guides call them, are Ford

days before. He let an orange and white

“There’s no glamour here,” he said after

F-350s outfitted to carry a dozen dogs along

pointer named Huck out of the back, and it

a pause. “Just wake up and work and get

with water, shotguns, and other hunting

was game on.

better than the day before.”

four hunters can ride comfortably. On the

We found two coveys within 15 minutes

That evening everyone sat around a

front of each rig, a metal-framed handler’s

and then switched out dogs. As we

campfire, and there was incessant talk of

seat is welded to the chassis.

rotated through dogs, Mulcahy, quiet and

dogs. The guides talked about lineages,

reserved until then, talked in a stream of

training methodologies, and performance

I hopped in with Mulcahy, and we made the

consciousness, closely analyzing each dog.

dog diets. Piekarz showed me photos on his

short drive to the Mariposa’s kennel. As he

He noted both the physical and mental

phone of enormous pythons he had helped

loaded a string of dogs—some his own, and

obstacles they needed to overcome. While he

catch in Florida. It turns out that beyond

others he was training for clients—he noted

spoke, he never took his eyes off the dogs.

bird dogs, he has also been part of training

gear under a seating platform where up to

python detection dogs as well as developed

that this was the original kennel built for

explosives detection dogs.

the Mariposa’s quail-hunting operation in

After we ran the last dog and were driving

1970. I couldn’t help but think of the world-

back to the kennel, Mulcahy told me he splits

class dogs that had passed through that

the year training and guiding between Idaho,

“Once you really understand what makes a

kennel. Walking the newly renovated runs,

Montana, and Texas. Each year his dogs point

dog tick, you can train them to do almost

I guessed there were around 100 dogs, the

sharptails, pheasants, Huns, chukar, valley

anything,” he said.

majority of them English pointers with some

quail, blue grouse, ruffed grouse, sage grouse,

It made me realize that despite being around

setters mixed in along with an occasional

and bobwhites. He exclusively trains on wild

dogs my entire life, I don’t know anything.

English cocker that the guides use to find

birds, and that’s what originally attracted

dead birds or get running quail in the air.

him to the Mariposa.

Mulcahy explained that their current

“Of everywhere I train and guide, the

hunting clients were leaving that morning

Mariposa is my favorite,” he said. I could tell

In the morning, the temperature had fallen

and the next clients weren’t scheduled to

there was something more and pressed him

to 36, and a light freezing rain fell from the

arrive until tomorrow, so everyone was using

further.

sky. The radio said more than 4.5 million

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homes and businesses were without power

That evening Piekarz called everyone

the back. Each time we crossed a fence

across Texas. Miraculously, the ranch still

together. With temperatures forecasted to

line, Piekarz would tell me the name of

had power, but visiting hunters flying in

fall well below freezing everyone decided to

that section of the ranch and describe the

from out of state seemed unlikely. No one

take an hourly shift throughout the night

landscape contained within it. The Mariposa

was sure what the day would bring.

to check on the dogs and run the water at

is divided into 17 “pastures,” or fenced

the kennel to keep it from freezing. Extra

areas historically used for cattle grazing.

After breakfast I tagged along with guide

bedding was added in the kennels and dogs

That morning, Piekarz intended to hunt the

Mark Wagner. Wagner got started with bird

were doubled up for added warmth. In

Rodeo pasture—one of his favorites, he told

dogs hunting grouse and woodcock in his

the guide houses, we set the faucets and

me, because of the number of coveys and

home state of Minnesota. His passion for

showerheads to a slow trickle to keep them

the difficulty of the cover.

pointing dogs, especially setters, eventually

from freezing as well.

had him traveling the country to learn more

With a dog on the ground, Piekarz took his

about dog training. He told me about a

Piekarz told me that normally this time

position on the handler’s seat while I rode

training seminar he attended with Delmar

of year the temperature can soar to over

with the hunters above. Within 10 minutes

Smith. During lunch Smith sat down next to

100 degrees. “Our whole program is set

the dog hit scent and straightened into the

him and asked what he was going to do with

up to deal with the heat. We run one dog

classic pointer posture, head high with its

his dogs.

at a time and only for 15 minutes,” he

straight tail the only thing visible above the

said, shaking his head at the sound of

waist-high grass. The first covey of the day

“At first I was confused,” Wagner told me. “I

freezing rain pounding on the roof. “We are

was textbook: The truck came to a stop, and

had no idea what he meant.”

constantly watering the dogs. We ice the

the hunters grabbed their shotguns and

kennels. We ice the dog’s water. Everything

flanked Piekarz on either side as he worked

Smith went on to tell Wagner his dogs

is set up to deal with the heat, and now it’s

in front of the dog. When the covey burst

were good enough to take anywhere in the

freezing.”

from the grass, the shotguns barked and

country and guide.

two birds fell. Piekarz signaled back to the truck to release the cocker to pick up the

“I pointed out their weaknesses to him,

dead birds, and we moved on to look for

but he just kept encouraging me,” Wagner

another covey. That first covey, however,

remembered. “Everything Delmar ever said

would turn out to be the easiest of the day.

to me was encouraging.”

After a restless night listening to the sound of the guides coming and going to check

As we worked through the Rodeo, the

Later in 2017, Wagner met Piekarz at

on dogs, I stepped out on the porch and

terrain turned from open grassland

another training seminar, and Piekarz

nearly slipped on a sheet of ice. Icicles clung

with clusters of trees to a thick stand of

invited him to the Mariposa for a trial run.

to the edges of the cinder block houses.

mesquite that held plenty of birds but was

Four years later, and Wagner is living in

The thermometer on the porch read 16

tough to hunt. Each time a dog would go on

Texas and running dogs on the Mariposa.

degrees. Behind the guide houses laid the

point, Piekarz would go in to flush but spot

frozen carcass of a nilgai that didn’t make it

the birds running ahead. The dogs pointed

through the night.

several stragglers, which we shot, but the

As I watched Wagner’s setters work a patch of sacahuista, the CB radio in the truck

majority of the birds in each covey eluded

crackled with news from the front gate. The

Still, the sun was peeking through the

us. Sometimes the birds simply ran ahead,

hunters had arrived. Commercial flights were

clouds, and the rain was letting up. I jumped

and other times the covey would split in two

cancelled across Texas, but private jets were

in with Piekarz, and we drove to the lodge

directions. On one occasion a covey doubled

still flying. The Mariposa attracts a variety

to pick up the hunters. While dogs, guns,

back on us. Every encounter reinforced the

of hunters from different backgrounds,

and gear were loaded I took a look inside

fundamental contradiction of quail: They are

professions, and means, but one thing they

the main room at the lodge. On the walls

at once incredibly fragile and unbelievably

have in common is that they are all hardcore

were numerous framed copies of magazine

resilient. They survive in a rugged landscape

hunters. There are plenty of places in the

articles featuring the Mariposa; photos

where everything is trying to kill them.

country where you can shoot more quail, but

of Delmar, Rick, and Ronnie Smith; and

Individually they are weak and vulnerable,

they aren’t wild quail in their native habitat.

taxidermy of all kinds. The room was a

but as a population, they thrive.

The Mariposa is managed exclusively for wild

museum of the Mariposa’s storied history.

quail hunting—they don’t release pen-raised

Despite the tough terrain and running

birds, and they don’t spread feed near the

Back in the truck, we drove to the outskirts

quail, the dog work was impeccable. Piekarz

roads before hunts. Simply put, this is quail

of the ranch with two hunters—a father

would sometimes release a dog to relocate

hunting in its most natural form.

and son from South Carolina—riding on

a covey a half dozen times before the dog

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"ALL OUR TIME IS DEVOTED TO DOGS. IT’S A WAY OF LIFE." put enough pressure on the birds to make

said laughing. “All our time is dedicated to

enjoy good dog work. They are looking to

them hold. For the dogs it was no problem;

training dogs, and because of that our dogs

remember each covey, not just pull the trigger.

the problem was keeping up with the dogs

are a higher caliber of animal. All our time is

in the thick mesquite. This made for exciting

devoted to dogs. It’s a way of life.”

hunting each time we approached a point:

Hunting on foot during the warmer hours of the day we found eight coveys, never

We didn’t know if the birds had charged

Piekarz’s string of pointers are among

shooting more than three birds from a

ahead or were about to erupt at our feet.

the top wild bird dogs in the country, and

group—a standard policy at the Mariposa. As

he holds the other guides to the same

the hunt was drawing to an end, I watched

Between coveys I asked Piekarz about his

standard. Running the Mariposa’s quail

Wagner’s setter round a copse of trees in

years at the Mariposa. Originally Piekarz quit

operation requires over 100 bird dogs that

the distance and turn to stone. It took us a

his reliable job working for the railroad to

have to perform no matter the conditions

while to reach the dog on foot; when we did,

take a chance as a professional trainer and

over the duration of a three-month season.

a covey of nearly 20 birds swirled into the

handler. You don’t have to be around him

air. After the chaos of shotgun blasts and

long before you notice the fight in his eyes. I

As the afternoon sun began to sink, Piekarz

falling birds I looked back at Wagner’s dog,

could imagine those early days and assume

made the call to end the hunt early to let

still set up in a beautiful point.

Piekarz made it happen through sheer force

the birds regroup before the evening. I could

of will. He remembered 50-covey days in

feel the temperature dropping. It was going

Ending the day, the guides shook hands with

years when the quail numbers were high,

to be another cold night.

the hunters and wished them well. They

but he also remembered dry years with low

fed their dogs, put them up for the night,

bird numbers and terrible scent conditions.

and prepared for another day. After dinner

No matter what, he strives for repeatability

I walked across the yard to the other house

and consistency in his dogs.

left vacant while everyone visited next door. Sitting on the couch digesting the day

“The reason that people come back is the

On my final day at the Mariposa, we lost

I looked at the dust-coated dartboard on

quality of the animal,” he said. “With the

water in the guide houses when the worst

the wall. It looked like it hadn’t been used

history here I have a high standard to

of the storm hit and froze the water lines

in years. The guides work long days with

maintain. We can’t get complacent. We have

during the night. Listening to the news from

little time for anything but dogs. At the end

to strive to continue to get better.”

across Texas, the outside world sounded

of the day, it’s dinner, calls to clients and

like it was falling apart. Falfurrias, the

family, and sleep. Living with them for just a

The day before I had noticed a whiteboard in

closest town to the ranch, had been out of

few days made me realize that everyone had

the guide house that captured the dig-in-

power for four days. Fuel, water, and food

taken risks and made sacrifices to be there.

your-heels determination of the Mariposa

shortages, along with massive blackouts

Their lives revolve around bird dogs and the

dogmen that Piekarz was talking about.

across Texas, had caused over 100 deaths

heritage and traditions that come with that

Written on it in bold letters were the words,

and resulted in the costliest disaster in

life. To an outsider it probably looks insane,

“Use Your Will to Bend Reality and Get the

Texas history.

but these are dogmen with a passion for

Job Done!!!”

dogs that transcends logic.

As I hopped in with Wagner, it seemed surreal

For Piekarz, striving for improvement means

to be hunting. We drove to the lodge and

little down time, training throughout the

picked up a couple from Colorado with a

summer, beginning the hunting season in

passion for bird hunting and an appreciation

the grouse woods of Wisconsin, and then

of good dog work. There is undoubtedly a

transitioning to the Mariposa where he

limited pool of hunters who seek what the

spends over 80 days a year running his

Mariposa has to offer, but most people who

string of pointers.

come to the Mariposa are the type looking for more than just shooting. They are looking

“We like to joke that we don’t fish,” Piekarz

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as Jr.

By E. Donnall Thom Lori Thomas Photos by Don and

“…in the catalogue ye go for men; As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs, Shoughs, water-rugs and demi-wolves are clept All by the name of dogs."

William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act III, Scene I I knew as soon as we finished setting out

off as a nice problem to have, and I can’t

Before Lori and I could get ourselves

the decoys that December afternoon that

blame them. Mallards, after all, are wary,

organized inside the blind, I heard a chorus

we were about to enjoy a mallard shoot.

challenging, large, and delicious. On the

of distinctive mallard feeding chuckles

During the late season in the Northwest,

other hand, I have always enjoyed variety

overhead. After enduring several days of

it’s not unusual to have a steady diet of

on waterfowl hunts, even if that translates

gray ice fog that rendered photography

northern greenheads appear uninterrupted

into nothing more than a few flocks of teal

impossible, the gloom had lifted and left

over the decoys. On the one hand, most

to remind me that I’m not as good a shot as

the marsh bathed in golden light. Unable

duck hunters would write that development

the mallards made me think.

to resist, Lori chose to leave her shotgun

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unloaded in favor of her camera, leaving the

With birds in the air all around us I might

Rosy has been a terrific waterfowl dog

shooting to me, at least for the time being. I

well have delayed the retrieve, but I was

but is now beginning to show her age,

did not object.

there for the dogs as much as the shooting.

reminding me of the great tragedy inherent

Rather than fretting over flaring birds and

in the relationship between gun dogs and

The dogs—Rosy, our veteran female yellow

lost opportunities, I chose to enjoy watching

hunters: We live longer than they do. I now

Lab, and Max, the younger of our two

Max charge through the decoys leaving

anticipated one or two more seasons with

German wirehairs—settled quietly onto the

curtains of sunlit water drops suspended in

her at best. Maggie, our excellent female

dog platform as mallards circled repeatedly

his wake.

German wirehair, is heading to the geriatric

without committing to the decoy spread. Of Max wouldn’t fit most hunters’ stereotypical

Montana pheasant cover as hard as she

which we don’t shoot intentionally. Then one

image of a water dog. A large, powerful,

does at age 12 is beyond me, but I know

drake finally flew into range—or as we call it,

handsome wirehair, he had served us well

that isn’t going to last forever either.

the Circle of Death. When I rose and shot, it

in upland cover as both a pointer and a

plopped down uneventfully just beyond the

retriever. We had taken him along on some

Recognizing this inevitable development, I

decoys.

duck hunts just for fun, but now we needed

had already begun to groom replacements

to expand his job description considerably

for our two stalwarts. Max was meant to

because of some family drama in the kennel.

take over from Maggie in upland cover

I really wasn’t surprised when Max broke and saved me from a difficult decision.

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wing as well. How she keeps hunting tough

course, the first pair to drop in were hens,

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and was doing a fine job of it. I intended

to replace Rosy with the young female

took him along with us periodically during

read Macbeth before I noticed the passage

Lab we’d named Kiska. That idea looked

his first two seasons, he showed plenty of

cited at the beginning of this piece and

good on paper, but she proved to have one

enthusiasm for water (and certainly more

recognized it for what it was: a brief

totally unexpected flaw: She hates the

than Kiska did). Whatever rough edges

catalogue of Elizabethan-era dog breeds.

water. However, she hunted quite capably in

he now showed in the duck blind were

This insight should not have taken as long as

upland cover and between her and Max I felt

purely my own fault, since I’d poured all my

it did. In a high school honors English class

comfortable that we would be well served

waterfowl training energy into Kiska even

back in the 1960s, I wrote a well-received

on dry land even without Maggie. I will credit

though this now appeared to have been

essay titled “Canine Imagery in King Lear,”

Lori with the suggestion that we replace

a lost cause. So we resolved to spend our

and I rode that pony all the way through

Kiska as Rosy’s understudy with Max, which

Covid season duck-hunting time with Rosy

years of English literature classes in college.

turned out to be brilliant.

and Max.

Nowadays, someone would have stolen it, posted it on the Internet, and left me high

And why not? Max had already proven

and dry.

retrieving ability on sharptails and

One of the great pleasures of reading

pheasants. As out of place as he might

Shakespeare is discovering new language

What really caught my eye during that

look in a duck hunting camp populated by

gems every time I re-read one of his plays

moment of insight was the term “water-

Labs and the occasional Chessie, when we

(even the bad ones, and he did write

rugs.” Imagining Max emerging from a pond

some). I don’t know how many times I

dripping wet with a mallard in his mouth,

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Duck hunters, like those who pursue any passion, tend to rely on the familiar I could visualize exactly what Shakespeare

live on, however, in the American water

but that foresight provided no practical

had in mind. But what exactly was a

spaniel, the flat-coated retriever, and

advantage. As is so often the case with teal,

water-rug? Usage of the term appears to

possibly others.

they were over the decoys and out of range

be unique to Shakespeare, which is not

before I could raise my gun.

unusual. The origins of dozens if not

And, by way of Shakespeare, the English

hundreds of Shakespearean terms appear to

water spaniel has left me with a wonderfully

Another characteristic of teal behavior,

be without precedent and confound scholars

idiosyncratic term for my German wirehair

however, is their willingness to come back

to this day.

when he emerges from the water soaking

and take another look. When the flock

wet. He really does look like a water-rug,

performed an elegant high-speed turn a

whatever that might be.

hundred yards in front of the blind, they

After some investigation, I agreed with the consensus that Shakespeare was referring

gave me what I thought would be plenty

to the English water spaniel. We know he

of time to prepare for their second pass

was aware of the breed because in Act III,

One characteristic that has served to

through shotgun range. Actually, “plenty of

scene I of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, the

distinguish Rosy from so many of the other

time” proved overly optimistic, for I never

character Launce refers to his love interest

good Labs I have trained is her consistent

even thought about my second barrel.

as having “more qualities than a water

ability to make really difficult retrieves—not

spaniel,” likely a comment on the breed’s

just those on birds that have fallen at a

Although my first shot connected, the

versatility. Since neither the Irish nor the

distance, but the kind involving live birds,

bird hit the water swimming hard and

American water spaniel existed at the time,

long ranges, obstructions, ice, thorns, and

immediately began a Michael Phelps sprint

he must have been referring to the English

enough other complications to put the

for the reeds on the far side of the pond. “I’d

breed.

estimated probability of recovery in the

better send Rosy,” I said as I broke my gun.

snowball-in-hell category. Those aren’t jobs

“Let Max try,” Lori said. “He needs to learn

The English water spaniel, alas, is with us

for dogs that are still learning, and I admit

sometime.” My wife has always served as

no more, the last known representatives

that during the first season Max began to

Max’s principal advocate, both around the

of the breed having disappeared around

accompany us on duck hunts, I saved the

house and in the field. I suspect this is

1930. It had a good, long run, though, with

tough stuff for Rosy, for three reasons: I

because she recognizes my special affection

written descriptions of the dog appearing

didn’t want Max to get frustrated; I wanted

for Rosy and like any good mother wants all

as early as 1570, right before Shakespeare

Rosy to live out her final seasons in the glory

the kids to get their fair share of attention.

wrote Two Gentlemen, one of his earliest

she deserved; and I hate losing game.

plays. The dog’s job description was right up

28

When I gave Max the command to fetch,

our alley. Written in 1820, The Sportsman’s

On the afternoon in question, we had a

Rosy began to express her disappointment,

Repository advises that anyone interested

half-dozen greenheads hanging on the

not through loud obnoxious whining but by

in hunting waterfowl “had best use an

duck strap before we got a break from our

whimpering softly as if her heart had been

English Water Spaniel.”

steady diet of mallards. The tearing-silk

broken. “She’ll get over it,” Lori assured me

sound that arose suddenly behind the blind

as we watched Max charge across the pond.

As near as I can tell, the breed disappeared

was higher pitched and moving faster than

The water was shallow enough that he could

simply because its enthusiasts were

anything I’d heard from mallards’ setting

lunge faster than the wounded teal could

disorganized and more or less let it

wings all afternoon. I knew the new arrivals

swim, and he had marked the fall accurately.

disappear by neglect. Its genetics probably

were green-wings before I ever saw them,

Of course, when dog met duck the wounded

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teal began to dive, and the real rodeo began.

of tricks along to these contests between

returned to the blind with the bird in his

predator and prey. They usually change

mouth and his head held as high as if he’d

Different dogs handle this difficult situation

directions while underwater to throw the

just won the Westminster Dog Show.

in different ways. One of my early Labs

dog off-track, and when they surface, they

would dive completely underwater and

swim with the lowest possible profile above

As the light level began to drop, Lori finally

remain submerged for frighteningly long

water to make themselves hard to see. These

traded her camera for my shotgun. Her

lengths of time until he swam the duck

maneuvers can drive even veteran dogs to

first shot produced a banded drake mallard,

down in its own element. He was barely

distraction. Although I generally avoid setting

always a bonus on any duck hunt. Modern

more than a puppy the first time I saw

inexperienced dogs up to fail by giving them

technology—the Fish and Wildlife Service

him do that, and I was afraid that he had

difficult tasks, Lori was entirely right when

duck band app on her cell phone—quickly

tangled himself up in some underwater

she pointed out that Max was going to have

informed us that the bird had originated

obstruction and drowned until I saw him pop

to learn to deal with this situation eventually.

in the Northwest Territories. Thanks to

up 10 yards farther across the pond with the

pandemic travel restrictions, that mallard

duck in his mouth. The dog had obviously

Overall, Max handled the challenge well,

maintained visual contact with the bird

although he didn’t snag the duck until it had

had flown farther in 2020 than we had.

underwater. That trick wasn’t anything I

evaded him repeatedly. Standing up in the

By the time we left the blind just before

taught him. It was simply the way he dealt

blind, I could see the duck more clearly than

sunset, I was laboring under the weight of

instinctively with diving ducks, and I saw

the dog could when it tried to swim off just

two Pacific Flyway limits, mostly greenheads

him do it repeatedly over the course of his

below the water’s surface, with the tip of its

supplemented by three green-wings. Both

long career.

bill tracing a delicate “v” across the surface.

dogs seemed very happy, and I felt confident

While Max’s handling wasn’t fine-tuned,

that Max, our water-rug, would be capable

The common problem for retrievers is

he knew enough to turn in the general

of taking over from Rosy when the time

simply losing track of the duck when it

direction my arm indicated. The teal finally

came.

dives. Wounded ducks bring their own bag

zigged when it should have zagged, and Max

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A digression into the arcane world of Shakespearean scholarship may seem out of place in what is at heart a hunting story.

The thesis of this piece, however, is broader than either of those topics.

Duck hunters, like those who pursue any passion, tend to rely on the familiar while failing to appreciate the value of what lies outside the proverbial box. Ask a hundred waterfowl hunters to perform a quick word association test with the phrase “duck dog,” and 90-odd responses will likely be “Labrador retriever” (as would my own). You’ll hear about a few goldens from those who love the breed’s beauty, tractability, and utility in upland cover, along with a Chessie or two from folks who would probably own pit bulls if they didn’t hunt ducks. Any answers other than those drawn from the Big Three would definitely be outliers.

In fact, people have been hunting waterfowl with all kinds of dogs for centuries, starting long before Labs, goldens, and Chessies even existed, at least in their current form. The English water spaniel may no longer be with us, but its utility as a waterfowl dog was documented in word and art centuries ago.

In addition to Max and other GWPs, I have personally hunted ducks with shorthairs, “English” pointers, and Brittanies. I once spent a pleasant morning in Alaska sitting in a rudely constructed blind with a friend and his Boykin spaniel. And then there is the rest of the pack, the retrievers about which we hear too little: American and Irish water spaniels, flat coats, curly coats, and others even more obscure. Interestingly, most of these breeds, in contrast to Labs, have coats that could qualify them as water-rugs.

Granted, most representatives of those alternate breeds with which I hunted didn’t perform as well in water as my better Labs, but most managed to provide good company and get the job done. We love the dogs we love, but that shouldn’t blind us to other possibilities.

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SNOW BIRDS

A Photo Essay by Adam Tangsrud Over the years, I’ve developed my own style

The pheasant opener is a day I wait for each

of upland hunting. I enjoy hunting alone

year, but early season often means warm

and find myself driving further and further

weather, dry fields, overheated dogs, and

out of town to explore the bird hunting

horrible scenting conditions. What I really

opportunities of northern Colorado. I love

look forward to is the first snow of the year

spending time alone on forgotten farmland

when the landscape is cold and beautiful, and

and abandoned homesteads and my

the crisp winter air holds the scent of birds

photography reflects this. These places have

for my springer spaniels. The first snowfall

become my refuge to escape the daily grind

of the season concentrates the pheasants in

and recharge.

groups and when they burst from cover and shatter the winter stillness, I feel a warmth I cannot describe.

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BREAKING UP

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WITH ALASKA

By Dave Zoby In Alaska, I have so many options: I might

together someday, or did it ring with finality,

for her but didn’t. I proclaimed often, and

keep drinking at the bar, or I might walk

like the rot of salmon berries on the vine?

to anybody who would listen, that one day I

through the drizzle down to Beluga Lake

Incognito in Alaska, I quickly become a

would live in Alaska. I said it to my mother

and watch the float planes struggle off

regular at Fat Olives, settling myself at

as a challenge—a dare. I said it to friends

the water. Hobo Jim is playing the Frontier

the granite bar, tipping the wide-body

who were barely listening. It was one of my

Theater; I could go there. I might rent a surf

waitresses like a profligate. Customers talk

dreams, and the problem with dreams is

rod and cast for flounder; or just walk down

about the fish—ones they caught on their

that they ruin you when you solve them, or

the Spit and back, stopping here and there

half-day charters, and ones that snapped

even if you just come close.

to look at the glaciers across the bay; or

their lines. A bear has been seen on the

loiter by the cleaning tables with a society

beach digging for clams—they talk about

of simpletons, like me, who can stand next

that, and the minor earthquake that shook

to piles of fish guts and smile. There is

them awake in their RVs.

the scent of rough seas upon the air. And

This winter, in Wyoming, I felt as though it

light—always plenty of light—in the theme

SORE, BORED, OUT OF SORTS?—TRY THAI

was time for me to move on. All the signs

of landscape artists and paintings of whales.

MASSAGE TODAY MR. SUPERSTAR, reads

were there: the frozen river, the disorganized

But there is also this enduring thought

the sign at the new massage parlor. Its

fly box. Mid-December I was scanning online

that all this will soon crash to an end.

competitor down the road flies red and blue

databases for college teaching jobs when I

The weather is turning nasty, with sheets

balloons. They specialize in feet.

came upon an ad for a full-time gig in The

of broken mist scudding down from the

Last Frontier. Immediately I began to dust

cragged heights across Kachemak Bay. Like

I didn’t always go solo. I brought women up

off my resume and gather my references;

romance, the busy season is falling apart.

to the Kenai Peninsula—beautiful, green-

one colleague enthusiastically jumped at the

I’m always just in time to watch it collapse.

eyed women who seemed to need to be

chance to write a letter of recommendation

reunited with the sea and the glaciers. I was

for me. Alaska, he said, is where I ought to be.

I had been doing this for years, venturing to

just a facilitator, really, there on the pitching

the Kenai Peninsula in late July to fly fish

deck of a halibut boat, her hair whiplashing,

With this first application came many

for salmon or dredge the depths for halibut.

the rollers building to frightening heights,

others. I had to create a profile. My

Donning rubber boots, walking around

that same wind gnawing the edges of the

username was dogfish69. I began a daily

the gift shops with my hands plunged

vessel and making a daunting wail. We stood

routine of waking early, checking the web for

in my pockets—not buying but looking

amongst the masses slapping weighted flies

job announcements while I drank coffee, and

for something specific, creeping people

in the Kenai.

walking to work with new ideas about how

out when I arrived unannounced at their

to sell myself along with all my household

beach bonfires. I rented underperforming,

A habit of mine is trying to create

items. Washington, Northern California,

mildewed cars and drove the swales of my

enthusiasm where there is none. Winter was

Oregon—places with ragged coasts and

latest romantic loss: her hips, her long limbs,

on everyone’s mind, even as we queued at

raging tattoo parlors. Steelhead. Bottom

her wild gaze by Skilak Lake. As I marveled

the fish-processing plant with our filleted

fish. A fly shop of reputation. I dreamed of a

at the aquamarine colors of the glacier-fed

catch in a gray tub, or when we walked

gigantic garage sale that would set me free.

rivers—the brilliance and quirk of fireweed—I

in rain around the Spit, drizzle-touched,

All I wanted to keep were my black Labs

tried to remember those last conversations.

seagirt, saturated, beer on our breath,

and my fly rods. And those two expensive

Did she say we didn’t bond, or did she

caffeinated to the max. I looked over a piece

shotguns. But the rest should go.

just say she didn’t bond with me? Did she

of fossilized walrus tusk that had been

leave it open-ended about us getting back

carved into a heart. I thought of buying it

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Things had changed since I won my job

park, the Texas Roadhouse, and the newly

Despite my efforts, I bombed the phone

years ago. There were far fewer full-time

risen IHOP. College presidents, with not the

interview. Someone had told me to smile

positions. Most announcements asked for

slightest sense of irony, now referred to

while answering the questions, but it felt

online experience: experience teaching

themselves as CEOs. Sometime during the

ridiculous—more like I was sneering. I was

distance education. I had been hectoring

last decade or so, while I was learning to

in my office, alone, breathless as I was

online teachers for years, sometimes with

nymph the chilly North Platte, the academic

introduced to the panel, the scratch and

full knowledge that my audience included

landscape went to hell, and I never noticed.

static of so many wintry miles between us.

some recently awarded PhDs from online

“Must be able to sit for up to eight hours

Many of the questions were about online

degree factories. Now I had to pretend

in a semi-quiet environment/ must be able

teaching. I had avoided teaching online since

that I was kidding. When I read these

to lift up to 50 pounds/ must embrace local

a terrible composition class in the spring

announcements, I could tell right away that

business trends,” read one ad.

of ‘09, in which half the students dropped

these schools really valued experience in

and the other half threatened mutiny when

“asynchronous digital learning,” whatever

Alaska called in February. It was actually

I insisted they discuss Black Elk Speaks.

that meant. And they asked you to write

the Director of HR who called. She arranged

The interviewers asked me what I knew

supplemental essays—little jags about how

a phone interview for the following week.

about their institution. In truth, between

you would contribute to the community,

I did my best to prepare by scouring their

sessions on the Kenai, I had stopped by there

what you thought of dual enrollment. I

website. I practiced my answers in my

one summer and looked around, swatting

wondered about the people who wrote these

head as I walked my dog around the snow-

mosquitoes that seeped up from the soggy

announcements: Did they make love? Did

beaten city park. I asked him, “Want to go

college grounds. But I didn’t share that.

they dream?

to Alaska?” and he perked up and tilted his

I thought it was a wash, that I would never

head. But he did this for any question.

fulfill my long-held dream to live in Alaska.

Many postings came with chilly phrases

And yet I received a call two weeks later

such as “part-time,” “temporary,” “term,” or

Preparing for the interview, I told myself not

inviting me up for an interview. This was

even “dependent upon funding.” There were

to mention fly fishing too much. Otherwise

March 5, and the interview would not take

ads for three-quarter instructors. Various

I’d come off as one of those trout bums

place until April 19. I wondered what they

adjunct positions bloomed on every page,

you come across in Montana and Idaho: a

were hiding. Perhaps they wanted me to see

positions wherein the institutions wanted

permanently sunburned guy with $8,000

it in April, when the rivers break up and the

everything from you, and in return offered

in gear and no intimate relationships of

willows begin to bud, when the ravens grok

a shared office that overlooked a major

which to speak. I started looking at houses

from barren trees. When the reality show film

highway featuring a predictable ebb and

in Alaska via the internet. In my mind, I was

crews are in the bars getting their sea legs.

flow of traffic coming from the industrial

already gone.

All I wanted to keep were my black Labs and my fly rods. And those two expensive shotguns.

But the rest should go.

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Soldotna had moldered since I last

another bite of salmon this winter,” said

saw it, three years back. Kenai seemed

the sociologist. “I have to trick my kids into

unredeemable, decaying. Many stores were

eating it.”

Mid-April, I flew out of Wyoming in a

boarded up for winter. There were tiny

blizzard. I brought my 6-weight and a box of

coffee kiosks steaming in the sunshine.

The next morning I killed the interview. I

sculpin patterns just in case there was time

There were two newish Thai massage

was deferential and prepared. I used all the

to fish. Eleven hours later, I watched glaciers

parlors, painted in neon and flying foil

tricks: PowerPoint, handouts, Langston

sail beneath the aircraft as we descended

balloons. The Safeway looked shipwrecked,

Hughes, and a sizzling, self-deprecating

into Anchorage. I was at my hotel in time to

the parking lot shelled with potholes. The

humor. I felt even better about them as we

drop my bags and go out for dinner. It was

realtor took me to a quaint coffee shop

got to know one another. In the afternoon

bright outside, almost too much to handle

by the mouth of the Kenai, and we drank

the Department Chair sprang for coffee, and

without dark shades. Anonymous and jet-

beautiful coffee and watched a few blocks

I was set free after a brief interview with

shocked, I ate wild king salmon at a small

of ice tumble out of the Kenai and into

HR, wherein she refused to talk specifically

bar where a guitarist with a white beard

Cook Inlet. The mudflats were latticed with

about anything. Instead, she gave me

played passable Buddy Guy tunes to an

runnels of melt. WAKE FOR SPRINGTIME MR.,

a handful of pamphlets describing local

audience of five. I saved the receipt with the

read the sign at the massage parlor. YOU

fishing and hunting outfitters: Goodtime

idea of being reimbursed.

OWE YOURSELF SUPERSTAR TREATMENT. I

Charley’s, Catch-a-Lot Charters, Kenai River

wish I could wake, I thought, superstar or

Run Outfitters. She said that the college

not.

contributed seven percent to retirement.

Electricians were rewiring the hotel where I was staying—the Gold Rush—and early the next morning, I heard them crawling in the

“But if I don’t know the salary, I have no idea

ceilings and walls like packrats. The whole

what seven percent is,” I countered.

hotel was undergoing a makeover to prepare for the summer fishing season, the sockeye

At dinner with the hiring committee, I

run that people discussed in hushed, semi-

ordered a local beer. It was a sloppy move.

religious tones. The mighty Kenai River was

But several of the committee members

I had two days to drive around Alaska and

right there, within spitting distance, but so low

came to my rescue and ordered beer, too.

see if the place really was for me. Eschewing

that I hardly recognized it. The aquamarine

We were at the same place I had stumbled

the massage parlors, I chatted with my

color was missing because it was the dead of

into the night before: same guitarist,

countrymen at the Safeway about the

winter. There were blocks of ice the size of

same waitress, same salmon. Everyone

staggering price of milk and oranges. I

buses stacked against a tiny island.

else ordered chicken and beef. “I can’t eat

drove up the Kenai and looked back at the

She frowned.

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Chugach Mountains and wondered if those

boat wherein he trolled for king salmon and

tying a stately fly on a number two hook,

mountains and I could get along. I wondered

halibut on Cook Inlet. They bought rounds

with peacock feathers and jungle cock tied

if there were any gamebirds around for

for each other, though it was apparent they

into the collar. He placed it on the rim of

Henry to chase. I read up on ptarmigan. I

were rivals. One guy, who wasn’t talking,

his empty glass and left it for Amy as a tip.

parked near Skilak Lake and walked along

worked with scissors and feathers, tying a

She swooned when he walked out. I walked

the cobbles near the river. No one was

streamer at the bar.

out too, the April sunlight shocking me to stupidity. I was grinning for some reason.

fishing. I didn’t even take my rod from the case. Old and odd bits of tackle decorated

The boat captain said, “I took Amy,” and

the roots of fallen trees. I found a coho fly:

motioned with his chin to the beautiful

I woke up the next morning to the soft

simple with only some silver foil and a few

waitress, “and she caught one that went

voices of electricians. They were in the

strands of green bucktail. I freed it from the

nearly 150 pounds.” Amy smiled.

walls and the ceilings again. Little flakes of insulation snowed down upon my bed.

snag and put it in my visor.

It turned out that Amy went on many

I walked out to the Kenai and threw some

I settled in at one of the microbreweries

adventures that past summer, camping in

stones. I couldn’t get any to skip. A pair of

and ordered a pale ale. The waitress was

the Brooks Range with one of the pilots,

mergansers were dipping in a back eddy,

shockingly beautiful. She had some sort

tagging fish with the game warden. Other

terrorizing salmon smolts, eating some

of duck feather hanging from a gold post

things too: prolonged campouts, long

whole and maiming others. I didn’t know

impaled through her ear. I noticed several

reflective trips into the backcountry with

my future, and it drove me mad. I had no

other men at the granite-topped bar. In

various beautiful and well-armed male

way of knowing I’d fly back to Wyoming,

fact, there were only men at the bar. All

models. Amy, a pilot herself, dabbled in

flush, smelling of massage oil, but hopeful

were about 10 years younger than me, wore

guiding and selling art she crafted out of

about my future. I had no idea I’d surprise

hats and goatees, and were in shape with

antlers, shells, and skulls. I could only envy

even myself and turn away from my most

slightly wind-burned, Irish faces. They were

their vibrant and free sex lives. Suddenly I

enduring fantasy.

pilots waiting for the fishing/bear-viewing

thought: You’ll never have sex again if you

season. They were game wardens and

move here. I would become irrelevant the

From then on I received one call after

wilderness firefighters. They were glacier

day I arrived.

another from colleges proposing to me: a two-year in Reno, a sprawling tech school

climbers. There was even a wildlife biologist who darted and collared Dall’s sheep. His

Still, I was willing to risk it; we had been at

in Saint Paul. I bought my own airfare

neck was ram-thick and he drank porters

this together for so long, Alaska and I. It

and saved piles of receipts. Then I’d do

and slapped the bar when someone made

seemed a pity to throw it all away. As I was

the unpardonable: I’d begin to think I had

a joke. One guy owned a six-pack fishing

about to leave, the quiet fellow finished

options. I’d indulge myself with online real

Still, I was willing to risk it; we had been at this together for so long, Alaska and I. It seemed a pity to throw it all away.

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41

estate searches. Can you imagine a guy

I toured the Kenai Peninsula, the rental

salmon came back. She said she’d make all

with an MFA in poetry thinking he had

car humming, fishing pamphlets splayed

her mortgage money in just a few weeks.

options? There would be a call from Eureka,

all over the dash. I was incredibly bored

There would be bumper-to-bumper traffic,

California, and I’d put on the Beach Boys

and unusually hungry. Perhaps you saw me

she said—groups of men stumbling from the

and try to imagine myself sitting at the

there in the hardware store: I was the one

bars to the river and back to their hotels, all

base of a dune, Henry and Rocket chasing

philosophically fondling various pliers and

because of the salmon.

seagulls. My pockets bulging with receipts,

fillet knives. I bought cans of smoked silver

I’d indulge myself in beautiful scenarios;

salmon. I stopped into the Game and Fish

“Mister, you have to be here to believe,” she

and I have to admit it, I would be happy for

office and talked to the woman dressed

said.

a while, believing I could leave Wyoming on

in a brown uniform about hunting and

my own terms.

fishing. I complimented the taxidermy on

I laid there fatly in my boxers while she

the walls: the five species of Pacific salmon,

insisted I was a superstar. I didn’t argue. She

the disinterested brown bear, the humdrum

had me flip over so she could do my flanks. I

caribou, and the moose—and the other

began to worry that I was breaking the law

moose, too. I went to the visitor center

just by being there. She told me to chill. Her

I got an offer from the college in Alaska:

to see the world-record Chinook salmon

body rolling over mine with a light dressing

$55,000 and all-you-can-eat red salmon. My

mount—97 pounds, four ounces—caught

of oil between us made me think about

contract was a three-year term. I would lose

by Les Anderson of Soldotna in 1985. Then,

the glaciers all around us. Except they had

lots of sleep but eventually turn the offer

as the day came to a close, I began to get

been at it forever, the glaciers and the rock

down, citing something about being too far

jittery about the flight home. I wandered

beneath them. I was just an interloper.

away from my family, or the salary being

into a Thai massage parlor. There was a

My time ran out. I put the receipt in my

too low—preferring to remain part-time,

fish tank swarming with ravenous tropical

pocket and headed out into the light.

uninterested viceroy of early-ending classes,

minnows whose job it was to eat the dead

Visiting Professor to my own life, adjunct to

skin off your feet. I was fitted into a fluffy

the universe of stars and man camps out

white robe that smelled of bleach and

on the vast plains of sage. I can’t remember

mangos. Hot tea was offered. I was directed

exactly why I turned it down.

into a darkened room where a boombox played soft foreign music. A tiny, beautiful

But I am too far ahead of the story. I still

woman kneaded my back with her knees

had a day to kill in Alaska.

and talked in my ear about how busy the season would be in a few months, when the

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43

HUNS

where the grain meets the grass

By Jim McLennan

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An interesting evolution has been taking

Until this development, Huns were

Eastern Europe, and the first attempts to

place in the dusty draws and windy corners

always Miss Congeniality in spite of their

establish them in North America occurred

of the plains over the last 20 years. The

wide distribution throughout the grain

prior to the 20th century. The planting

lowly Hungarian partridge, once little more

country of the Northwest. That could be

that “stuck” and took hold, though, was

than a consolation prize for dedicated

because of their small size and somewhat

in southern Alberta in 1908. Two Calgary

pheasant hunters, has become almost—

demure personality—yet that’s never

sportsmen, who understood that native

it pains me to say it—trendy. Recently,

been a detriment to the status of any

sharp-tailed grouse populations would

a hunting partner and I were chasing

species of quail. Or maybe it’s because

decline with the extensive cultivation of the

pheasants in Montana and stopped to visit

they can humble the most experienced

western grasslands, brought in 15 pairs of

with two guys hunting a spot we also liked.

shotgunners—but that’s never been a

partridge from Hungary via Pennsylvania.

The apparent leader was from the South,

detriment to the reputation of ruffed

With additional releases of about 300 birds

a well-appointed sportsman who seemed

grouse. So I guess it has to be because

over the next few years, the little grey

a little embarrassed to have been caught

they often live in close proximity to and

beggars took hold indeed, climbing to a

hunting pheasants. “Don’ get the wrong

are overshadowed by that gaudy Archie

huntable population in just five years. In

impression, now,” he said. “Ah’m mainly a

Bunker of the berry patch, the ring-necked

1942 the bag limits on Huns in Alberta were

Hun man. Ah jes’ hunt pheasants occais’nly

pheasant.

20 per day and 250 per season. From there

as a concession to ma’ friend here.” Voila—a new category of sportsman: The Hun Snob.

the Huns’ range expanded to the places Hungarian (grey) partridge are native to

hunters pursue them today: Saskatchewan,

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Manitoba, Montana, Idaho, the Dakotas, and

and brush—that run through wheat or

other agricultural states.

barley fields. Though they might live within sight of the dense low cover that pheasants

When you’re hunting pheasants, one of the

Huns have done well for a number of

like, Huns are rarely right in the nasty stuff.

challenges can be making them fly. That’s

reasons—notably that the grain country of

If there’s a creek bottom running through

why many stalwart ring-neck chasers use

western North America is similar to their

a wheat field, the pheasants will be in the

Labs, springers, or close-working pointers.

native European habitat, so they arrived

heaviest cover near the bottom—but Huns

The flushing dog hunts within gun range,

here with the ability to withstand severe

will stick mainly to the sidehills and edges

and the pointer that knows about pheasants

winters. They’re a bit of an anomaly as an

where the lighter cover meets the grain.

works a little further out and points close

introduced species that flourished with no

They’ll feed some distance out in the grain

to the bird to make it sit tight and fly

detrimental effect on native species. Such

stubble, particularly in late fall. According

only when the hunter approaches. But if a

an introduction would not be made today.

to Ben Williams and Charley Waterman,

pointing dog crowds Huns like this, they’ll be

the two guys most responsible for the Grey

gone before the point is established. That’s

Though Huns can do well without grain,

Partridge Appreciation movement, Huns

why a dog that’s great on pheasants is often

much of the best hunting is around fields

prefer light cover because they want to see

not so great on Huns—and vice versa—

of wheat, barley, canola, and other cereal

what’s going on around them and who or

though good ones learn to adapt either way.

crops. The birds thrive in areas with a mix

what might be trying to sneak up on them.

of short, grassy ground cover and cultivated

46

twenty chicks in early summer.

With these birds the hunter’s problem is

fields. Two archetypical Hun headquarters

Hungarian partridges live in family groups

twofold: finding them and preventing them

are overgrown abandoned farmyards that

as coveys of eight to 20 birds. They split

from flying until you’re in gun range. Most

are surrounded by grain, and coulees or

up into breeding pairs in late winter, nest

Hun Snobs—er, Hun hunters—use wide-

draws—with a mix of uncut grass, weeds,

in spring, and hatch clutches of a dozen to

ranging pointing dogs that point from well

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And make no mistake: they’re his birds, not yours, and he’s standing out there with them, drinking in the wild intoxicant we can never know.

off and hold point till the shadows get

Carry on. On one of those casts, though,

shooting in short wheat stubble, but you

long. This canine Hun specialist is probably

he might disappear but not swing around

can—just not all the time. The dog-work

a German Shorthair, Brittany, setter, or

into sight again. This is good. Check that;

out there is usually either a sudden and

pointer. He’s mostly legs, lungs, and nose,

it’s better than good—it’s great. He’s doing

decisive win that leaves you gushing

because Hun country is big country, and his

what he was born to do: He’s found his birds.

with admiration or a sudden and decisive

job is to cover as much of it as possible as

And make no mistake: They’re his birds,

flushed-covey screw-up that makes you

quickly as possible. The human hunter is not

not yours, and he’s standing out there with

wonder how it could go so wrong so fast. I

really in charge of the operation; he’s mainly

them, drinking in the wild intoxicant we can

suppose Mike may have screwed up a few

there to drive the truck. The dog hunts the

never know.

times; if so, I’ve chosen to forget them.

An experienced Hun dog at work is at once a

Huns run, both before and after the point,

The Hun dog is a bit of a high-wire artist

thing of athleticism, grace, and beauty. One

not with the outright sprint of pheasants,

too, balancing a little to one side or the

of my best Hun dogs was a Brittany, a gift

but with more of a nervous head-down

other of his handler’s idea of acceptable

from Hun guru Ben Williams—and if that’s

scuttle. So the Hun dog must also be an

range. He’s sometimes out of sight but

not good karma, I don’t know what is. The

avian clairvoyant, knowing when the birds

never really out of control or out of touch.

dog was Mike, and my favorite memories

are running and when they’re not and

He’ll make a cast of 300 yards or more out

are of hunting Huns in the grain country. I’d

understanding that he must follow but

along the edge of the coulee, occasionally

often send him out across the wind because

can’t push.

breaking out through the stubble and

I liked to watch him hit scent, turn hard,

working the wind. When he disappears over

slam on the brakes, and throw a little puff

This running-bird business has some

a little rise, wait a minute and you’ll see

of stubble dust into the prairie breeze. Folks

interesting applications. They’ll

him swing around into view in front again.

will tell you that you can’t get dog-work or

sometimes run through light cover to

birds, and the hunter follows the dog.

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They were Mike's birds.

denser cover and sit tight there. And it’s

you know it’s coming, the suddenness of a

In one of Mike’s last seasons my partner

been reported, and occasionally observed

dozen birds flapping and squeaking produces

and I put him out for a late-day hunt that

even by me, that after flushing they’ll land

high-level discombobulation. Because they

we knew wouldn’t take too long, as we were

on the near side of a hill, run over the top

come out of light cover, there’s nothing to

required at home for a social event that

and down the other side a short distance,

inhibit acceleration; they get to top speed

evening. We quickly lost sight of Mike in a

and then hold tight there. But here’s my

in approximately four wingbeats. Try to pick

rolling field of barley stubble. Eventually

favorite: I walk out in front of a staunch,

one bird, shoot, and plan to shoot at that

we spotted a tiny, stationary, white speck

reliable dog that’s on point, but I can’t put

bird again on the usually-safe assumption

several hundred yards out. Was that the

up the birds. Sometimes this happens as a

that you missed the first time.

dog? We dropped into a low spot, and when

result of the quirks of scenting conditions,

48

we came up out of it, the speck was in the

like breeze or the lack thereof. But often

The good news is that once flushed, a covey

same place but appeared a little larger.

enough for it to mean something else, the

doesn’t usually fly too far (if 300 or 400

For several minutes we continued walking

mystery covey eventually flushes well off

yards can be considered not too far), and

through several more low spots. When we

to the side of the standing dog or even

you can sometimes see where they land

finally reached the dog, a lonely pair of Huns

directly behind it. I’ve concluded, with no

and follow them up for a second flush. Note

peeled out of the stubble, crossing in front

scientific confirmation, that the little devils

the inclusion of the word sometimes—for

of me. They were quite a way out, but I

sometimes run downwind to get to a spot

each time you find them right where you

scratched one down.

where they can no longer be scented. A

expect to find them and get that second

lesson learned from contact with coyotes

chance, there’s another time when you

and foxes, perhaps?

never see them again. “I know right where

Compared to the popcorn-like rise of a covey

they landed, boys. Let’s go get em’!” Except

of bobwhites, Huns all go up together, as if

they’re not there. They’re not anywhere.

the captain has given a firm command. This,

They’ve disappeared, and no one knows how

friends, is most unsettling. For even when

they do it.

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They were Mike’s birds.

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49

UNWRITTEN Hunters and anglers are governed by a thicket of

regulations, laws, and ordinances. But it’s the unspoken edicts that have the most authority over our behavior.

By Andrew McKean

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RULES. Back before we started referring to this time

as unreadable as before.

as the Anthropocene, I served on a committee

ourselves were just as insistent on ensuring the booklet retained regulations defining

of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks colleagues

As with any human endeavor, lawyers are

shooting hours, describing antlerless game,

tasked with reducing the complexity of the

partly to blame. The department’s game

and inadequately addressing the distinction

department’s hunting regulations.

wardens and attorneys wanted to ensure

between permits and licenses. Finally, and

that, should a wildlife violation go to court,

with a shrug of resignation, we reckoned

The mission was simple: Edit, condense,

the rule that was broken was there in

that no matter how much we distilled the

and simplify the 136-page hunting

black, white, and tedious detail. Then there

regulations, hunting would still be governed

annual so that an average hunter could

were field biologists, whose insistence on

by an even more complicated and fuzzy

understand and comply with the rules. Our

micro-seasons and place-specific restrictions

set of rules that you won’t see written

committee met every month for a year.

superseded statewide uniformity. But the

anywhere, but which dictate behaviors in

We cut six pages out of the booklet. It was

“rules simplification committee” members

the field.

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These cultural artifacts are older than

permission is perishable, if its terms are

disappointment.) He liked to hunt upland

states or wildlife agencies—or even game

not detailed somewhere in the transaction

birds almost as much as I did. He had formed

wardens. Their origins reach back to our

of securing it, it’s a little unclear how

a relationship with a farmer who let him hunt

European ancestors. Some are situational,

long it lasts. Assume that it’s for a single

pheasants, and after a couple of productive

others are absolute, and you may not even

outing, or at the most a single season. I’ve

trips I felt I needed to bring something to the

realize they are in force until you break one.

encountered hunters on my land whom

relationship. So I took him to one of my secret

Violations of these unwritten rules carry

I allowed to hunt one time, years earlier,

spots.

penalties harsher and more permanent than

when they had kids in tow. As I escorted

court fines or loss of hunting privileges.

these very chuffy—and very adult—hunters

It was a sleeper place for sharp-tailed grouse

They will cost you friends and hunting

to the gate, they repeatedly reminded me

and the occasional Hungarian partridge—a

partners and could get you drummed out

of my long-ago allowance. They know not to

sliver of state land accessible from a county

of our curiously hidebound community.

ask again.

road that connected to two sections of public

These unwritten rules run the gamut from

upland paradise, coulees cloaked with wild

misdemeanors (failure to share your harvest

I wasn’t overly hard on them, because

plum and buffaloberries below a bench that

with a buddy who helped you), to lapses of

I’ve done much the same thing. I once

was routinely planted in winter wheat. I never

decorum (shooting a duck on your partner’s

got permission from a friend’s friend

hunted there without shooting my limit of

side of the blind), all the way up to the most

who had some sweet duck water in

sharptails, and I never saw another hunter.

unforgivable of felonies: disciplining your

front of his summer cabin. He was never

partner’s dog.

around—besides, I didn’t have his contact

Ben had a ball.

information—so I reasoned that I could If you’ve hunted much, then you recognize

continue hunting the rest of that season.

We never had “the talk,” that awkward

these codes of conduct. You’ll see them

And the next. The best indication that I

conversation in which one hunter asks

expressed in the way we communicate,

knew precisely the status of my curdled

another to never reveal the secret spot. I

congratulating one another on a successful

permission was in the way I’d get nervous

didn’t think we needed to. After all, I’d never

hunt and finding something positive to say

any time I saw a vehicle approach. After a

ask the farmer where we pheasant hunted for

about the size or palatability of the game

few outings, hunting there just wasn’t any

permission if I wasn’t with Ben. And I figured

taken. You’ll see them in our manners, which

fun because I was so edgy in my knowledge

he felt the same way about the spot I had

can seem quaintly chivalrous. And you can

that I was violating such a basic and obvious

shown him.

see them in the way we offer assistance to

rule.

members of our own tribe, whether it’s the

I went back to my grouse paradise late in the

loan of a gun or knife, or help gutting or

THOU SHALT NOT REVEAL SECRET SPOTS

season, and was surprised to find Ben’s pickup

packing out an animal.

There may be no greater expectation

parked at the access point. I drove past and

in the field sports than the unspoken

puttered around on some nearby unproductive

As in any society, the cardinal laws aren’t

acknowledgement that you must never

BLM land; a few hours later, I drove past Ben’s

written anywhere. You acquire them through

reveal a special place shown to you by a

truck again. On the tailgate sat three hunters

osmosis and through time and experience.

buddy. That understanding is the foundation

I had never seen before, each holding up

But I’ll detail four commandments—the

of fishing and hunting friendships, traditions,

handfuls of sharptails for Ben’s camera.

statutes and penalties of which have

and sacred waypoints. So you can understand

endless variation—as a public service and

why I still smart from a particularly brazen

I haven’t talked to Ben since then. Neither

atonement-seeking confession.

violation early in my career.

have I ever hunted that tainted place again.

It would be like sleeping in the bed of an

52

THOU SHALL SEEK PERMISSION EVERY TIME

I had befriended an acquaintance—we’ll

I’ve been both the victim and perpetrator

call him Ben—who was the husband of my

of one of the most common transgressions:

wife’s friend. (As an aside, that arms’-length

THOU SHALT NOT INCRIMINATE YOUR BUDDY

abuse of landowner permission. Because

relationship fairly trembles with potential

I had only been hunting a year or two on

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adulterous spouse.

I’LL DETAIL FOUR COMMANDMENTS—the statutes and penalties of which have endless variation—as a public service and atonement-seeking confession.

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my own when I struck up a friendship

It turned out to be the worst-tasting deer

killed a pronghorn, so I had the weekend

with a work colleague who routinely killed

I’ve ever eaten.

open. He rented a tiny farmhouse and we

big bucks. I was thrilled when he told me

rode up together, Ruger whining on the back

he’d introduce me to one of his spots. We

THOU SHALT NEVER DISCIPLINE ANOTHER

seat the whole way. The hunting was just as

went out in the final week of the season,

HUNTER’S DOG

I expected, but at least I got in some wind

a few days after he had killed a heavy 5x5

I’ve hunted over some truly inspired—and

sprints. That night, we cooked birds and

whitetail.

inspiring—dogs. Most, though, are as fallible

drank whiskey as rain lashed the farmhouse

as the humans who claim to own them.

windows.

We pulled into a cut cornfield, and he

Because my own dog pulls some appalling

pointed to a stand of timber away at the

shenanigans from time to time, I tend to

At some point I noticed my favorite gloves

end. I was to sit on its edge while he pushed

have a permissive view of gun dog behavior.

were missing. They had belonged to my

some brush and cattails and moved deer my

As long as it doesn’t piss on my boots or eat

father, who had died the previous August—

way. He took his rifle in case he decided to

my birds, I’m pretty relaxed.

light calfskin leather gloves that I wore for

fill a doe tag, he said. A stream of does and smaller bucks passed my stand, and then I heard a shot, and a few more deer sprinted by.

I figured he had killed his doe, but when I got back to the pickup after dark, my buddy was there waiting. No deer.

“You still have your tag, right?” he asked, a little nervously. We hiked back into the brush, and there was a freshly dead buck, a nice 4x5. What followed was one of the most awkward moments of my hunting life, as he asked me to tag it. I refused. Then he told me that we didn’t have permission to hunt the property.

What followed was one of the most awkward moments of my hunting life, as he asked me to tag it. I refused.

suited to any task, and partly because they reminded me of him and our farm. I recalled Ruger had been especially interested in them, maybe because they smelled of antelope blood.

Sure enough: There was one glove in Ruger’s bed, a finger missing. The other was nothing more than part of the thumb and fretted cuff. Before I knew what I was doing, I snatched up the more intact glove and swatted Ruger across the snout with it, punctuating the lesson with a sharp, “Nooooo!”

My buddy was on his feet instantly. Though

I could have sworn Ruger was instead named

instead of joining me in upbraiding his

“You’re already trespassing, so you might

“Goddammit!” The curly-haired retriever

dog, he raised his hand as if to strike me.

as well just go all-in,” was his argument.

roamed so wide that my buddy spent far

Trembling, he pointed to the door.

I asked if he shot the buck accidentally,

more time on our hunts cursing in a vain

mistaking it for a doe. I’ll never forget his

effort to rein him in than actually hunting.

“What in the hell!” he boomed. “Get out! Go.

dismissive laugh. “Yeah, something like

It got so that I learned to locate Ruger by

Nobody touches my dog. Ever!”

that,” he grinned.

the flushing birds a couple ridges over. The only way I managed to shoot birds over him

I had no choice but to walk out into the

Though I knew I had the moral high ground,

was by sprinting when he got birdy, hoping

penciling rain. I slept in his pickup that

there was the matter of a dead buck that

I could reach the wild flush while they were

night, and the next day we drove home,

would probably be wasted unless I tagged it. I

still in range and I still had oxygen to swing

mostly in silence.

needed the meat and wasn’t sure I’d get back

my shotgun.

out before the season ended, especially now

Ruger is long gone. I still see my buddy

that my guide turned out to be a poacher.

But my buddy was good company, and he

every now and again, but not once has he

I’m not proud to report that I tagged that

asked me to join him on his annual pheasant

mentioned my greatest transgression.

buck in a futile effort to correct a whole

camp. I was between dogs and had just

litany of wrongs. I was terrified of getting caught as we dragged it to the truck.

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almost everything, partly because they were

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Hunting Apparel • Fine Guns • Lifestyle Products kevinscatalog.com (800) 953-8467 Kevin’s Gunroom • kevinsguns.com • For Gun Inquiries (229) 226-7766 STRUNG MAGAZINE

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Changes in Dog Training For some, dog training has changed over the past 50 years. For others, not so much.

By Tom Keer

56

The modest farmhouse had a wide plank front

My face was new to the dogs, and they had

About half an hour later, I heard a Mule

porch that wrapped far around both corners.

bright eyes. Their tails wagged, they crowded

puttering in the distance. When he pulled up,

The dogs were in the kennel in the back, and

the gates, and some even jumped up to greet

the dog I was rubbing on made a beeline for

there were about 50 of them. Just bird dogs,

me. I was early—I always am—and to kill time I

his box. Another did the same, and before

pointers and setters, pacing back and forth in

stepped into the runs and gave them all a pat.

I knew it all the dogs once clamoring for

squeaky clean runs. Water buckets were fresh,

Dogs always love a good pat, and these dogs

attention had disappeared in an instant. There

the bowls from the morning feeding were

seemed to especially enjoy them.

were no barks or whines. Even the wind settled

spotless and neatly stacked. It was as clean,

down, and the rattling leaves hung quietly at

neat, and tidy a kennel as I’ve ever seen.

attention.

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Mark Fulmer of Sarahsetter Kennels in Aikin, South Carolina, with a red setter pup. Fulmer uses positive training methods on all of his bird dogs and versatile breeds.

Something wasn’t right, and it got worse

much to know the dogs were afraid of him.

approach. A talk with some longtime veterans

when the handler called the names of a few

Scared dogs don’t learn much, and they don’t

illustrates just how much dog training has

pointers. One dog wouldn’t come out of his

enjoy their workload, either.

changed.

the dog’s collar, and dragged him to the Mule.

There’s nothing as permanent as change, and

Steve Smith first noticed a dramatic shift in

Another wouldn’t load up, so the handler

dog training methods are no different. Heavy-

gun dog training in the late 1970s. He saw it

picked him up and tossed him in; the only

handed handling has progressed to include

in the magazines he launched or edited like

thing missing was a football-like spiral. It got

positive and clicker training, with refined gear

Gun Dog, Wildfowl, Shooting Sportsman,

worse after the training, and it didn’t take

and techniques leading to a more deliberate

Retriever Journal, The Pointing Dog Journal,

box, so the handler reached right in, grabbed

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If the timing of your correction is right, then your voice can be quiet. In fact, I believe timing is a big difference between pro and amateur handlers.

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and others. “Compulsion training has always

number of excellent dogs like Cracklin Tail Doc,

For 40 years, South Carolina’s Mark Fulmer has

been a common method, but many handlers

Heidi, and Diesel, but he might be best known

developed pups and dogs in his Sarahsetter

took it to an extreme,” he says. “Dogs that

for 6xCH Cracklin Tail Speed.

Kennels. The Eukanuba pro trainer is credited

broke point, busted birds, or were generally

with introducing clickers and positive training

disobedient were beaten or whipped. The

“I got into bird dogs by training pleasure

methods for bird dogs, both of which came

theory was that punishment corrected

horses,” Moore says. “Training a horse is all

from a personal experience: "Back in 1978,"

problems, and negative reinforcement gave

about the timing, and that’s similar to dogs.

says Fulmer. "I started with a Tritronics hot

dogs something to remember.”

You’ve got to correct the mistake at the time.

collar with vibration. There were rapid changes

If there is any delay the animal has no idea

in e-collars in the early eighties which included

“E-collars revolutionized the way we train

why he’s being corrected. Some handlers yell

variable intensities, vibration, and tone. I

dogs,” continues Smith, “because they really

to try and get a dog back on track, but the

had a dog that was taught with positive

are a check cord with a quarter-mile, half-mile,

louder you yell or the harder you hit, the more

reinforcement methods using the tone button

or mile-long reach.” Chart the development

scared you make the dog. Yelling and hitting

on the collar long before I knew of clickers.

of e-collars, Smith says, and one finds that

might make a handler believe he’s doing

One afternoon I took this dog Leigh out to

initially they were big, heavy, and carried

something constructive when he’s not. If the

run on my neighbors farm from horseback.

a lot of voltage delivered in a single blast.

timing of your correction is right, then your

It was warm and we had strayed too far

“These days collars offer tone and vibration

voice can be quiet. In fact, I believe timing is

and Leigh was tired as we rode towards the

along with [electronic] stimulation. And

a big difference between pro and amateur

house. As she went around the last field on

many handlers rely on tone or vibration only.”

handlers.”

the way home she was pacing herself and for

Perhaps, reasons Smith, this is why we no

some unknown reason I toned her and she

longer call them “shock collars” but rather the

In the past, Moore used barrels and chains

kicked her heels up and hit passing gear to

far more accurate e-collars.

to steady up the dogs. He no longer fools

finish the edge. I was awe struck that I was

with them because there are a lot of other

able to influence a dog like that at a couple

Smith notes that current handlers seem

shortcuts that can be used. “It’s the same

hundred yards. That episode changed to way I

far more interested in understanding dog

when training all animals,” Moore insists. “A

approached training."

psychology. “The camp of kennel dogs versus

ring in a bull’s nose makes him cooperate just

house dogs continues to be split,” he says,

as a bit in a horse’s mouth makes him come

Positive reinforcement is a progressive system

“but they all focus heavily on a strong bond.

around. E-collars, when used correctly, are the

of rewards for good behavior, says Fulmer, and

And it goes both ways, these days. It’s just as

ring and bit for dogs.”

praise comes at the completion of the task.

important for a dog to be man’s best friend

“Clicker training is conditioned reinforcement,

as it is for a man to be a dog’s best friend. Or

“In the past I would use woah posts and

just like what I saw on the dog hundreds of

a woman’s best friend, because there are a lot

pinch collars with check cords,” says Moore.

yards away. Dogs equate the sound of the click

more women trainers and handlers than there

“Today an e-collar around the neck and a belly

with a desired behavior, and a treat coming as

were 50 years ago as well.”

band are easier. Add a check cord with a half

the reward for that behavior. It’s a proactive

hitch around their waist to keep them from

approach to training that rewards good

Randall Moore of Cracklin Tail Kennels in

spinning, and you’re good for training the two

behavior instead of punishing bad behavior.

Beckley, West Virginia, has been training bird

most important commands, recall and woah.

That’s a big change in training for me, because

dogs for about four decades. Moore has had a

E-collars have made a lot of the training gear

when it’s done correctly, there aren’t a lot of

we used to use obsolete.”

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"Watts has always focused on puppy development, so while some techniques may change, his overall approach has not."

Left: Bob Watts, co-owner of Pennsylvania’s Cover Dog setters, with pups from a recent Maximum Resistance x Deciding Point litter.

Right: Steve Smith, the legendary editor and writer, enjoys a Michigan duck hunt with his Labrador retriever, Murphy. mistakes that need to be corrected.”

and Woodcock Invitational. Watts has always

intense composure through the flight of the

focused on puppy development, so while some

bird and shot. Decades back, those quail trials

Pennsylvania’s Bob Watts, a co-owner of

techniques may change, his overall approach

didn’t emphasize composure after the flush.

Cover Dog Setters with Dick Brenneman and

has not.

Today, it’s essential. So now, and in developing

Thor Kain, has produced some of the top

60

pups for today’s quail trials, we start pups on

performance cover dog setters in history. Their

“Over the decades,” says Watts, “the training

the bench or barrel and teach them to stand

dogs are the only bird dogs to win the Big Four

and development of pups for grouse and quail

tall and motionless. Most pups like to do this

of Cover Dog field trials: The Grand National

trials has changed, so that’s led us to change

almost daily starting at between six and eight

Grouse Puppy Classic, The Grand National

our methods. Today, a competitive bird dog is

weeks of age. They like the time with the

Grouse Futurity, The Grand National Grouse

expected to point with a straight 12 o’clock

trainer, and the trainer gets his hands on the

Championship, and the Grand National Grouse

tail, show great intensity, and maintain that

pup, building the relationship and confidence

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Mark Fulmer pets Holly, his retired, nine-year old English setter.

the pup will benefit from throughout his

prefer to let the pups range to the front in

Just as genetics have improved, so have

training and life. Some are more natural at

a pattern that’s more natural and objective-

training methods and gear. Today some

doing this than others.”

focused. We plant birds in specific places

kennels are impeccably state-of-the-art. Keep

to teach pups where birds can be found. In

a winning game plan, change a losing game

Running patterns are different, too. “Grouse

contrast, quail dogs need an edge-running

plan. Most important of all, these top handlers

dogs run a different pattern than quail dogs,”

pattern. They need to be able to take an edge

always focus on doing what’s right by their

Watts says. “Some describe a ‘figure eight’

while looking for quail that have come to the

dogs.

pattern, so some trainers put their pups on

field edges to feed. The dogs run big, which

a 20-foot lead and get them to swing from

makes the use of ATVs and UTVs necessary,

side-to-side out in front. We do not use this

too. They weren’t around when we got started

method as it is a bit mechanical. Instead, we

back in the 1960s.”

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strung magazine

UPLAND

Each year, Strung’s editors choose outstanding products within their area of expertise as Blue-Ribbon Selections.

While we stand by every item we recommend in our gear guides, these are the products we believe represent the best of the best. Strung’s Blue-Ribbon Selections not only work well—they enhance our outdoor experiences.

WREN AND IVY FOWLING PIECE CASE - $495 (WRENANDIVY.COM)

Wren and Ivy makes some of nicest sporting gear we’ve ever used, and their Fowling Piece Case is no exception. Its classic styling of bridle leather and waxed filter twill canvas is a relief from the current trend of “tactical” gear. But don’t be mistaken, this case is as much about function as style. Designed to protect your firearm, choke tubes, and other accessories, the Fowling Piece Case has lockable solid brass zippers for security and a closed cell foam liner keeps the case afloat if dropped overboard. The majority of the inside is lined with fleece, but the front is reinforced with pack cloth to keep your shotgun bead from snagging. Along with a detachable shoulder strap and reinforced handles, everything about this case is of the highest quality. This is an heirloom case you will pass down to your grandchildren.

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BROWNING CITORI WHITE LIGHTNING 16-GAUGE $2,739.99 (BROWNING.COM)

We put Browning’s new 16-gauge offering in their Citori lineup through its paces. We used it on quail and pheasant hunts throughout the Midwest, and over the summer we took it to the sporting clays course and put several cases of shells through it.

We particularly liked that the Citori is built on a receiver sized to match 16-gauge shells rather than the common practice of building a 16-gauge on a 12-gauge sized frame which makes them too bulky for the fast-pointing upland hunting a 16-gauge is perfect for. The “White Lightning” designation refers to the silver nitride finish on the receiver and trigger guard. This, along with the engraving, provides a nice contrast to the gun’s walnut stock.

Despite its updated look, this new iteration stays true to the principles that have given the Citori a reputation for durability.

APEX AMMUNITION UPLAND BIRD TUNGSTEN SUPER SHOT - $49.99 (APEXMUNITION.COM)

After a year of shooting Apex Ammunition’s Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) we can say without question they are the most effective shells we’ve ever used. TSS has traditionally been associated with turkey and waterfowl hunting, but Apex’s line of upland rounds showcase the versatility of TSS. Available in 12-,20-, and 28-gauge and shot sizes ranging from 7.5 to 9, there is a load available for everything from late-season roosters to fast flying quail. Better yet, being non-toxic, TSS won’t harm other wildlife and can be used in places like waterfowl production areas where lead is not allowed.

SAGE AND BRAKER GUN CLEANING MAT - $245 (SAGEANDBRAKER.COM)

Sage and Braker’s gun cleaning mat is a beautiful, functional, and durable tool for cleaning your firearm. Made of wool, waxed canvas, and leather, with four large pouches to store gun cleaning supplies like brushes, rods, bore snakes, and swabs, this mat holds everything you need to service your gun after a hunt. It’s also portable—just roll it up, buckle it down, and toss it in your vehicle.

We used it hard and enjoyed the convenience of having everything in one spot. At the end of the day, cleaning our shotguns was a pleasure instead of a chore.

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strung magazine

UPLAND

DUCK CAMP LIGHTWEIGHT HUNTING SHIRT - $89 (DUCKCAMP.COM)

This is the Strung crew’s go-to upland hunting shirt! The shirt is lightweight with a built-in mesh venting system for hunting in the heat, but still manages to keep you warm on cool mornings. In colder temperatures, it’s a tough outer layer to throw over a thermal (Duck Camp also makes awesome merino base layers). It’s comfortable, quick drying, and looks good. We also wore the woodland camo version for turkey season and loved it. This is the best upland hunting shirt we’ve come across.

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UNDER ARMOUR CH1 GTX HUNTING BOOTS - $300 (UNDERARMOUR.COM)

Under Armour realizes that while hunters don’t play a big four sport, they are still athletes. They recruited Cameron Hanes to help design their CH1 GTX boots. Well designed and mindful of fit and pressure points, these boots feel like athletic shoes with the stability of hunting boots—perfect for fast paced hunting.

Traditional laces have been replaced by the locking BOA system which is a small network of fine cables that tighten in two places for a perfect fit. The mid-foot control provides additional fit and comfort by allowing for quick adjustments during steep mountain ascents. The Vibram soles are sturdy and grip well in a variety of environments. The Under Armour team definitely put some thought into these backcountry boots.

TOM BECKBE TENSAW ES COAT - $495 (TOMBECKBE.COM)

The “ES” in Tom Beckbe’s Tensaw ES coat stands for “early season” and is a lighter version of their popular Tensaw jacket. We wore this jacket throughout hunting season and found it to be durable and highly versatile. The cut of the coat allows a full range of motion, and the ample amount of thoughtfully placed pockets hold everything from loose shotgun shells to your wallet and phone. We also liked that it looks as good around town as it does in the field— no need to pack multiple jackets. Beautifully tailored, the perfect weight, and built to last, the Tensaw ES is a testament to Americanmade craftsmanship.

FIDO PRO AIRLIFT EMERGENCY DOG SLING - $75 (FIDOPROTECTION.COM)

Would you carry another 8-ounces in your bird vest to save your dog’s life? The Fido Pro Airlift is a lightweight packable harness that fits into a small stuff sack. In an emergency, the harness folds out to secure a 35-to-100-pound dog, and shoulder straps along with a chest clip allow you to carry a dog hands-free. We brought the Airlift on hunts across multiple states and enjoyed the peace of mind knowing it was there. Thankfully, we never had to use it, but we tested it at home and found it quick and simple to use.

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strung magazine

UPLAND

GARMIN ALPHA 200I - $749.99 (GARMIN.COM)

Getting your dog out of the field in an emergency is one thing— getting yourself out is another. The Garmin Alpha 200i is a dog tracking handheld that doubles as a backup plan if something goes wrong in the field. Two-way SMS messaging, as well as an emergency SOS trigger that operates on a global satellite service, means you can call for help whether your truck breaks down out of cell service or you break your leg 10 miles from the trailhead. Throw in mapping software that includes public land boundaries, topographic maps, satellite imagery, and hunt metrics, and the 200i is a solid choice for anyone who spends time in the outdoors. Pair the handheld with Garmin’s TT 15 collar and you have the ability to track multiple dogs as well as stimulation, tone, and vibration controls with intuitive quick keys.

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EUKANUBA ACTIVTRAINERS - $6.99 (EUKANUBASPORTINGDOG.COM)

Whether you are clicker training your dog or just want to give them a treat, Eukanuba ActivTrainers are an excellent choice.

Why ruin your performance dog’s diet by giving them junk food treats? At less than 2 kcal per treat, ActivTrainers won’t cause weight gain and are formulated with high-quality animal protein like salmon and chicken to support lean muscles and a healthy coat. ActivTrainers also contain DHA for healthy brain function.

The Strung dog team loves them (two English setters, two English pointers, two Labrador retrievers, and a golden doodle) and we like that the resealable top keeps the treats fresh.

RUFF LAND KENNELS - $147-$340 (RUFFLANDKENNELS.COM)

Our editors are fortunate to hunt with some of the top dog trainers in the country. We noticed they almost all use Ruff Land Kennels so we decided to try them out ourselves. After a year of use we like that they are lightweight, yet tough and stackable. They are also well ventilated with tapered walls so even when the kennel is against a wall there is still air circulation. The floor of the kennel is slightly raised so that hair, dirt, and liquids fall to the side and collect in a recessed groove. This makes them easy to clean. We like that the ambidextrous doors that swing either way. With a variety of sizes there is a kennel for every vehicle and situation. We’ve also enjoyed the top tray add on that stacks above the kennel and holds collars, shotgun shells, and our hunting vests as we drive from spot to spot.

FIRST LITE SAWBUCK BRUSH PANTS - $150 (FIRSTLITE.COM)

In the past we have had to pick between comfort and durability in our upland hunting pants. Pants that are tough are usually stiff and hot while pants we actually enjoy wearing get shredded by brush and briars. First Lite, a company who has made their name in the big game hunting arena, has come up with a brush pant that combines the best of both worlds. Their Sawbuck Brush Pants combine a 4-way stretch nylon with double-reinforced brush panels on the legs. They are durable, comfortable, and don’t have you sweating after the first mile. These feel like the comfortable lightweight pants we enjoy while fishing, but are hardwearing like a pair or chaps.

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RATIONS & INTOXICANTS

By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley

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My first hunt, 10 seasons ago, was a

a recipe—unfortunately, there wouldn’t be

compared to my first dove hunt a decade

dove hunt. On the invitation of my

a dove recipe for a long while. Perhaps it

ago. And best of all, I now had enough doves

then-boyfriend, now-husband’s friends,

was lack of opportunity—but more likely

in the freezer for several recipes, one of

we tagged along to hunt on an Indian

embarrassment—that prevented me from

which I’m offering here.

reservation in Arizona somewhere on the

pursuing doves again for several years, at

Colorado River. It was September, and

least not seriously.

As we enter another hunting season, the September dove opener is a reminder to aim

daytime temperatures hit 114 degrees that weekend—a heat so dry that it made our

Then finally, during the summer of 2019, I

small to miss small. For the meat hunter, it

lungs feel like brown paper sacks.

decided to pull my head out of the sand. I

also means you get to eat more.

was going to become a better wingshooter.

For a first-time hunter, doves are a tough

I connected with a local shooting instructor,

initiation. Although the dove symbolizes

and once a week during the summers of

peace, don’t mistake that for frailty. These

2019 and 2020 I was out on the range

fast-flying birds can change direction on a

familiarizing myself with my 20-gauge

dime, seemingly possessing a Matrix-like

over/under.

Servings: 4 appetizers

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Ingredients:

- 16 whole plucked doves

ability to dodge shot. And just when you think you’ve hit one, it keeps on sailing.

DOVE AND SHOESTRING FRIES

I still suck, but I’m glad to suck a little less.

- 1 cup of milk

And my time in the field has become so

- Sea salt, to taste

I’m still not sure if I actually hit the dove

much more enjoyable and rewarding. All that

- 2/3 cup of cornmeal, plus extra

that Rick let me claim on that hunt. What

practice culminated in an early-September

- 1 tablespoon of paprika, to taste

I do know for sure is that I burned more

dove hunt in the Nebraska Sandhills with

- Mild curry powder, to taste

shells than the number of birds I could share

new friends. I didn’t shoot my limit, but I

- 5 large russet potatoes

with my party for the grill that night. And

came as close as I could, and I was happy

- Frying oil (peanut, canola, corn, etc.)

I certainly didn’t take home any meat for

with it. The difference was night and day

- Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, to taste

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1. Peel potatoes and slice thinly with a

mandoline, about 1/4 to 1/3-inch thick. Then cut slices into matchsticks. Rinse potato sticks and then submerge in a bowl of ice water for one hour. Next, drain potatoes and spread them onto a large cookie sheet lined with paper towels. Dab the top side dry with paper towels. Potatoes must be dry before frying, which will prevent splattering and allow them to crisp.

2. Turn oven to warm setting. In a

saucepan or fryer, heat oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, rinse doves in cold water and allow to sit in milk and set aside.

3. When the oil comes to temperature, cook potatoes in batches until golden and crispy.

Drain and immediately toss with seasoned salt. Keep shoestring fries warm in the oven as you fry the remaining potatoes. Always allow oil to return to 350 degrees before adding a new batch of raw potato. Remove oil from heat while you prepare the doves for frying.

4. Combine cornmeal and paprika. Remove doves from milk and do not pat dry. Season doves with sea salt—including inside the cavity—and coat with cornmeal mixture; the milk helps the cornmeal adhere to the birds, so rewet birds if the cornmeal isn’t sticking.

5. Return oil to 350 degrees and fry doves in batches for four to five minutes, or

until cornmeal coating becomes golden and crispy all over, flipping doves halfway through. Carefully remove doves from oil and immediately dust with curry powder while still hot and wet from the oil. Serve immediately with shoestring fries and desired condiments.

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SALTED CARAMEL APPLE CIDER Ingredients:

- 2 ounces Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Vodka, or to taste - Apple cider - 1 wedge of lemon or lime - Kosher salt - Ice - Whipped cream - Hershey’s caramel syrup - Diced fresh apple, for garnish (optional) Moisten the rim of a pint-size Mason jar with a lemon or lime wedge, and then salt the rim. Fill the jar three-quarters of the way with ice. Add caramel-flavored vodka and fill the rest of the way with apple cider.

Add whipped cream on top and drizzle with caramel syrup. Garnish with pieces of apple on a toothpick (optional).

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OCEANS APART

by Callum Macgregor Photos by Sammy Chang

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Perhaps no other subject in the retriever

dog, a natural marker,” says Criscoe of the

Frankly, I am not here to argue for one over

world provokes as much controversy as the

differences between the breeds, “because

the other. Anyone who has had the privilege

American-versus-British-Labrador debate.

marking often wins the day in an American

of owning a dog capable of winning a field

Proponents of American Labs say they are

field trial. American dogs also tend to be

trial in either country knows such animals

fire-breathing athletes capable of holding a

leggy to cover the long distances in American

are to be treasured as much for their

line over land and sea at hundreds of yards,

trials, and they have to be able to handle

courage and honesty as for their rarity.

while fans of their British counterparts

the pressure of training, which in turn can

Instead of debating the relative merits

proclaim that British Labs are easy-to-train,

create a dog too hot for the average hunter.

of either line of Labradors, exploring the

even-tempered, game-finding machines.

With British Labradors, even field trial ones,

reasons why American Labs and British Labs

Jeremy Criscoe, Director of Training at Blue

the priority is still the hunt and the natural

have developed in different ways yields a

Cypress Kennels, is one of the very few

ability of the dog. The UK lines tend to be

deeper understanding of the true nature

trainers in the world to have competed at

nose-strong because the game finder often

of both. More than any other single factor,

a high level in both the United States and

wins their trials. The dogs tend to be smaller,

the divergence in field trial competitions

Britain. “Americans need a sight-driven

quieter, and easier to handle.”

on both sides of the Atlantic over the past

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80 years has resulted in Labradors bred

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

began importing Labradors and recruiting

with different working priorities. The skills

At their inception, field trials in the United

British gamekeeper/trainers to work on their

required to win a field trial influence the

States and the United Kingdom were very

own properties. On December 21, 1931, the

training for those field trials, which in turn

similar and involved the same lines of

first retriever field trial in the United States

informs the type of dog that excels at that

dogs. The first retriever field trial in the

was held at the 8,000-acre Glenmere Court

work. Those same select dogs win the field

United Kingdom took place in 1899 and,

estate of Robert Goelet in Chester, New

trials and subsequently are in high demand

not surprisingly, by 1911 Labradors were

York. Although the event is considered to

for breeding the next generation of field

dominating the British competitions.

be the first American retriever field trial, all

trial competitors, thereby completing

Those early British field trials were held

accounts of the competition reflect that it

the cycle. American field trials are very

on an actual day’s shoot, and the best gun

was held under British rules. The Labradors

different competitions from their British

dog was judged to be the winner. Wealthy

running in this inaugural event were either

counterparts, so should we be surprised that

Americans—mainly from the Northeast—

direct imports from Britain or offspring of

breeders for each have focused on different

who travelled to the United Kingdom to

those direct imports.

qualities in their dogs?

attend lavish shoots on British estates

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The exclusive nature of those early

Competitive American dogs are expected to

American field trials, held on expansive

display tremendous discipline in maintaining

private estates with imported gamekeepers

whatever line the handler indicates—

handling imported dogs for wealthy clients,

regardless of factors like wind, cover, or

meant they were destined for failure

slope of the ground—and carry that line

considering the exploding popularity of

out over long distances. On blind retrieves

retriever breeds, access to hunting on

in particular, the handler’s control of the

public land, and our persistently American

dog is paramount. The dog is expected to

belief in egalitarian competition. Before

“challenge the blind” by maintaining a tight

long, the American approach to field trials

line all the way to the bird—the location of

moved away from an exclusive estate

which is indicated by a visual marker like a

shoot to a series of tests open to all in

stake or survey tape—even if that means

which every dog running was judged on the

making a long swim when a nearby bank

same set of retrieves. Over time, as the

would be faster and easier.

number of competitors increased and the sophistication of the training advanced, the

Meanwhile, field trials in the United

tests became increasingly more technical

Kingdom have remained remarkably

and difficult until they no longer reflected

unchanged from those held decades before.

actual hunting scenarios. As the American

The United Kingdom Kennel Club’s infamous

Kennel Club’s own History of Retriever Trials

J Regulations, which govern field trials,

notes, “Today’s trials for retrievers, in spite

state, “A field trial should be run as nearly

of the dictates of the AKC rules, no longer

as possible to an ordinary day’s shooting

represent practical hunting situations.”

[…] The task of the judges is to find the

(Note that as a reaction to the move away

dog which, on the day, pleases them most

from hunting scenarios, disgruntled American

by the quality of its work from the shooting

retriever handlers developed hunt tests as a

point of view. They must, therefore, take

way to retain elements of actual hunts. The

natural game-finding to be of the first

first AKC hunt test was run in 1984.)

importance in field trials.” Interestingly, the regulations also specifically direct the

The American move to more difficult,

field trial judges to take into consideration

technical trials makes sense if the goal is

the award-winners’ impact on future

to run a large number of dogs on the same

generations: “[F]inal placings may influence

series of tests. Imagine 80 or so highly

breeding plans and so determine the course

trained retrievers competing in a field trial

of breeding development.”

in which they are required to pick up a single thrown mark at 100 yards. Every dog would

The British competitions are still, for the

make short work of the retrieve, leaving

most part, held on large, private estates

no significant separation between any one

with a limited field (24 dogs for an

dog and the rest of the field. Take those

open level, two-day trial); amateurs and

same 80 dogs and run them on four to six

professionals compete against one another

retrieves at a time over combinations of

on a traditional day’s shooting. Any legal

land and water at distances of upwards of

game that is shot during the competition,

400 yards. Then throw in distractions like

whether pheasant, duck, woodcock, or

“poison birds” and gunners in white coats,

rabbit, is expected to be retrieved as

some of whom stay in the field and some

directed by the judges. The goal is to get

of whom disappear back into holding blinds.

the dog to the area of the fall, make short

Narrow the angles between the birds to

work of the hunt, and gently retrieve the

a small wedge, and run series after series

game back to hand as quickly as possible.

until you winnow the field down to the best

In keeping with the formality of British

dog. That is the evolution of the modern

shooting, proper etiquette is mandatory.

American retriever field trial.

Any noise, poor heel work, or breaking or hard mouthing of the game by the dog results in an automatic disqualification.

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That all sounds simple enough, but consider

to pressure and to controlling the dog at

yards before making the retrieve. There is

a driven shoot: Dozens of pheasants fall

vast distances. Conversely, almost none

no corollary command to the hunt whistle

around dogs that must remain calm and

of the top British trainers use e-collars in

in the American field trial world, in which

quiet—dogs that are expected by judges

their training. In fact, e-collars are illegal

the birds are located at predetermined

to ignore the dead birds in plain view and

in parts of the United Kingdom and are on

positions, and the dog is expected to work

instead find a runner that has disappeared

the chopping block in the remaining parts

under control of the handler at all times.

into the woods 200 yards away. On a walk up

of the country. In other words, e-collars

shoot, the dog is asked to ignore the healthy

are either an essential tool in training your

For more than eight decades, retriever

birds flushing around him and distinguish,

field trial dog to the highest level, or they

training and field trials in the United

at a full sprint through cover crops, the one

are completely unnecessary, depending on

States and the United Kingdom have

shot bird in the area.

where the trainer is competing.

taken different paths from their oncecommon beginnings. Over that time,

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A WORD ON TRAINING

The second significant indicator of the

breeding objectives have tilted toward the

The differences in field trials in the United

differences between British and American

characteristics of the champion dogs of

States and the United Kingdom have also

training methods is the use of the hunt

their respective countries. It should not be

resulted in significantly different approaches

whistle command. The hunt whistle

surprising that, over many generations,

to training for the respective competitions.

command essentially tells the dog that

different breeding and training priorities

In fact, books could be written on the gulf

he is in the right area and should start

would produce dogs with different

between the different training styles today.

a thorough hunt of that location to

temperaments, abilities, and even

However, two key distinctions may be useful

recover the bird. It is as commonplace at

physical characteristics.

in illustrating the basic philosophical divide

a British field trial as a stop whistle or

between trainers in each country: e-collars

back command. In essence, the handler

When choosing a dog for your own family, it

and the hunt whistle command.

who uses the hunt whistle command is

is important to recognize these differences

The use of electric collars (also known as

turning things over to the dog to use its

to find the appropriate match for your own

e-collars or shock collars) is ubiquitous

natural ability to locate the game, which

objectives and situation. The pedigree of

among American field trial trainers. If

may have run from the place where it

your prospective pup will contain valuable

anyone in the United States has trained a

originally went down. David Latham, four-

clues about what traits and temperament

field trial champion retriever without the

time winner of the International Gundog

you may expect from a full-grown dog.

use of an e-collar in recent memory, it is

League Championship (essentially the

Use those clues wisely. Unlike most other

the most well-guarded secret in the gun

British national championship), famously

investments your family might make, in

dog world. American professionals consider

recounts putting his hands in his pockets

this case past performance is very likely to

these electronic training devices essential

and watching silently as his dog Beiley

indicate future results.

to instilling the appropriate responses

trailed a wounded bird for several hundred

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Not Just a Dog, A Hunting Companion.

HUNTERS THAT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE CALL BORN TO RUN KENNELS. PUPS & PROPERLY STARTED DOGS DEVELOPED ON WILD BIRDS MONTANA | IDAHO | SOUTH TEXAS www.BORNTORUNKENNELS.com STRUNG MAGAZINE

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by Matt Wemple

Sipping coffee in the mildly cool air, the sound of a rooster pheasant echoed among the Russian olive shelterbelts.

Fall is a coveted time—more so with each

seems criminal. Even the pessimist in us

Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. This is the

passing year. Its warm, gentle, angular

seeks what is good about life this time of

middle of the prairie pothole region which

light soothes in ways we can’t fully know

year and soaks up every drop.

produces much of the continent’s waterfowl.

but feel. As each day wanes shorter, the

In addition to being prime waterfowl

feeling of time slipping away is ever present,

Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge sits

habitat, this is also the beginning of the

intimating glimpses of your own autumn.

in the far northeastern corner of Montana.

pheasant breadbasket that stretches into

You realize there might be more time behind

North Dakota is minutes away. Not far across

the Dakotas. While waterfowl and pheasants

you than in front of you. Wasting a moment

the state line lies the confluence of the

are abundant, people are scarce.

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Medicine Lake had been on my to-do list for

those mallards in the prairie sunlight struck

driving. Roxy and I settled in for a few hours

a long time, but it isn’t a place you go on a

a deep chord. In less than 10 minutes I had

of sleep.

whim. I put it on the backburner for years,

talked to my wife, emailed my vacation

despite the fact that my friend Wade invited

request, and let Wade know I was in.

me each year. I always came up with an excuse, knowing that by the time I got home

here—a long line of light infinitely spanning Mentally, I was already there.

an additional thousand miles would be on the odometer—all without leaving the state.

You can see dawn coming for miles out the horizon that is visible more than an hour before sunrise. Spirits were high as we

Two days later Roxy and I were in the truck

stood around the trucks at the ranch sign-in

heading east. Leaving straight from work

box. Wade, Jamie, and the rest of the crew

Then finally, a photograph did it. In Missoula

with a vault of music and a thermos of

had hunted this place the last several years.

for work, I was sitting in my hotel room

coffee, we made the 460-mile trek east. We

Sipping coffee in the mildly cool air, the

when a photo came through from Wade. In

pulled into camp a little before midnight.

sound of a rooster pheasant echoed among

the photo, ducks winged their way across

Wade and his friend Jamie were still up and

the Russian olive shelterbelts.

a prairie pond among fall shades of green

came walking out of the horse trailer, which

and tan, bathed in brilliant sunlight. No

doubled as a cook shack. Wade handed me a

Shooting time upon us, we staged at the

mountains nearby—just rolling prairie. The

cold beer. They’d been taking in the prairie

head of our respective shelterbelts. Jamie,

ducks looked like mallards, maybe gadwall. I

night while everyone else had turned in.

his wife Rae Lynn, and I would walk together

thought of Roxy, my Lab, and her gray chin

They gave me the rundown: Wake-up was

with Roxy. Roosters were crowing feet

whiskers. Opening weekend of duck season

at 4:30 a.m. Wade’s dad Larry would have

away as we stepped off. Roxy got birdy

had been less than productive. The sight of

breakfast going. At 5:30 we would roll out

right off the bat, her nose leading her into

to a block management area down the road

the shelterbelt. Wings fluttered among

and lock up the front gate with four trucks.

the Russian olives. Pheasant flushed from

Any hunter in their right mind would keep

multiple directions and shotguns thumped across the prairie. The first two birds in front of me were hens; then a long-tailed rooster flushed. I folded him on the first

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shot. Roxy fetched it up, hard mouthing it a

shelterbelt walking both sides. Some hens

We drove toward Swanson Lake. Pulling up I

bit before bringing him in.

flushed but no roosters. Roxy was starting

could see a few scattered rafts of ducks on

to look a little tuckered, her stamina shorter

the far end of the pond. Just short of the

Shotguns sounded in all directions as birds

with age. I figured it was probably time for

lake I spotted a small boulder with a plaque

took off in disarray and confusion. I bagged

us to head toward the truck. Rae Lynn and I

that read, “Swanson Lake. Dedicated to

a second rooster. The heft in my game vest

were walking opposite sides of an irrigation

the memory of Shannon Swanson, 1963-

felt good. The smarter birds were staying

ditch; as Roxy went down into it, several

2007. Husband, Friend, Naturalist, Wildland

in the shelterbelts and running to the far

roosters got up. Rae Lynn scored a double

Firefighter. We will always remember your

end. Often they will bunch up at the end

and I dropped one on my second shot, the

quick wit, easy smile, contagious laugh,

of the belt and when the hunters arrive

two of us limited out. Jamie, right behind us,

and optimistic outlook on life.” I paused

they flush in mass. At the end of these

couldn’t shoot. It was 8:15 in the morning.

after reading and took in the lake and its

belts was a long irrigation ditch lined with

surroundings while Roxy probed the grass

tall grass and cattails—the final refuge for

The prairie sprawled to the horizon in all

beyond in a zigzag fashion, nose to the wind.

pheasants before they were forced to take

directions. Isolated stands of cottonwood

Clearly Swanson had spent a lot of time

flight. Walking the next shelterbelt over, we

popped gold intermittently, the leaves

here, touched peoples’ hearts, and loved

met up with Jim and Joe back on the road

gently shaking in the breeze that had been

life. The plaque was etched with a hunter

who had the water bowls out to hydrate

picking up since mid-morning. With the

gazing skyward at ducks, shotgun resting

their dogs. Roxy sidled up next to them for

day ahead of us, Roxy and I went scouting

on his right shoulder and a brace of two big

a drink. We talked while the dogs drank

for ducks. Nearing the refuge, I could see

ducks in his left hand. This place was special

their fill, their noses overwhelmed with the

faint slivers of blue cutting open the tan

to Swanson. I can relate. Most times the

number of birds present.

prairie. Bulrush and cattail lined the edge of

good medicine we need doesn’t come from a

Medicine Lake. I picked up a map from the

pharmacy.

Roxy, head up now, lifted her nose toward

kiosk. The place is big; scouting it effectively

a clump of grass maybe 20 yards away. She

requires a vehicle and binoculars. An initial

Back in camp the mood was light as we

moseyed casually over to it. Poking her head

inspection of the water didn’t turn up large

kicked back while Nicki walked around

in the grass a rooster flushed a foot from

numbers of ducks. Not far in, I crossed paths

offering up barbequed pheasant morsels

her head. We headed back to the nearest

with the refuge warden. He confirmed what

bathed in a tangy mustard sauce. Meanwhile

I saw: the ducks just weren’t here yet.

Larry was in the horse trailer grilling up New York strips to order. Nothing too good

If you wait for things to be perfect, you’ll never get anything done that’s worth doing.

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for this bird camp. While everyone else was

Backs to the sun, we pitched out a hasty

could have meant a couple of things: I’ll

talking of pheasant, Jamie and I were quietly

spread and hunkered into the cattails.

never let that dog loose again, or I’ll never

having a conversation about duck hunting

see another drake canvasback that close.

prospects for tomorrow. I had soaked up

Soon there were blue-winged teal zipping by,

every ounce of this day, but thoughts of

which we missed, unable to connect in the

We picked up our decoys as the sun winked

Medicine Lake’s shoreline and the possibility

gale. Then a moment came—one of those

good day below the western horizon. The

of arriving ducks kept intruding on the

moments that only lasts a few seconds but

sandhills’ staccato continued to echo at

present moment. We agreed that Swanson

is what you’ve come for. In these moments

dusk. Walking away, all I could think about

Lake was our best option.

you have to do everything right. It is the

was the canvasback and the scene that

Dusk came on, the prairie sun well below the

culminating event of a trip—though you

surrounded us. Some hunts just whet the

western horizon. Our focus shifted north. As

never know it in the moment.

appetite for more. This was one of them.

dark settled in, an aurora appeared where

Driving back to camp Jamie talked of a

the prairie met the sky. With a fresh belt

Jamie and I were hunkered down from the

November trip. He said that was when it

of single malt in my tin cup, I stared at the

wind. The evening sun was sitting low and

could really be good.

undulating light show and stroked Roxy’s

casting a brilliant light

head. A moment of silence overtook the

across the water.

The next morning I snuck out of camp

camp as this miracle of nature performed.

To the southeast

before dawn, alone, back to Swanson Lake.

Among all the blessings we had this day,

the crescendo

Just me and Roxy. We set up on the opposite

what could be a better end?

of thousands

shoreline. The wind had gone. I managed

of sandhill cranes’ Of course, I’d looked at the wrong sunrise/

primordial staccato

sunset table. Naturally worn out—and with

echoed eerily across the

a couple of glasses of Glenfiddich—I checked

land. They slowly winged

the time zone covering my home range.

Luckily it all worked out. Setting up a little after shooting time, nobody seemed upset that we’d started off late.

It had been a later night for some than for others so we pitched decoys in

across the sky, staging for their

broad daylight.

migration south.

Dark clouds soon hung over us; rain and high

As if the sandhills weren’t enough, a lone

mallard. By

winds were forecast after mid-morning. The

drake canvasback came buzzing along a

the time we

birds we saw were well out of range on the

couple of feet off the water. His burgundy

were picking up, the prairie was

opposite shoreline. The rest were rafted up

shaded head, black breast collar, white body,

bathed in a gentle October glow.

in a far corner. A single flew by, and I took

and gray-tipped wings couldn’t have looked

Back on the tailgate, shimmying

the only shot, missing well behind it.

more brilliant in the setting sun. He was

out of my waders, I took a good

everything you’d look for in a wall specimen,

look around.

to score on a gadwall and a

As pheasants began crowing in the cattails

and he was the first one I’d ever seen up

it didn’t take much convincing for the crew

close—maybe even too close to shoot. I

to switch from ducks to pheasants. I was

raised my shotgun at a range I couldn’t miss.

content to sit in the blind a bit longer with

At that moment Roxy was up and running

Sometimes you just throw caution

Roxy and take in the expanse of prairie

smack dab between me in the bird. I couldn’t

to the wind and dive in. Two years

surrounding the lake. Hunting in solitude

shoot for fear of hitting her. I lowered my

later a rooster pheasant’s crow

seemed more appropriate anyway. We sat

gun, cursing beneath my breath.

couldn’t be heard within a hundred

watching the empty sky.

Jamie and I watched the lone drake, in

miles. Hard winters the likes of which

all his fall splendor, sail out over the lake

we hadn’t seen for 20 years decimated the

Later in the day Jamie and I loaded up for

and disappear into the creeping dusk. He

population. In that same time, I had lost

the evening duck hunt. The skies were

might as well have been a bighorn ram

Roxy. If you wait for things to be perfect,

clearing to the west as the wind buffeted

disappearing over the ridgeline. I wanted

you’ll never get anything done that’s worth

the prairie. Arriving at the lake we settled

him badly.

doing. The trip was one of the best moves

on a narrow channel that flowed between

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Timing is everything in life.

I’ve made—and it made me wish I had done

Swanson and Medicine Lakes. Here we had

Jamie looked over at me with a slight grin.

tall grass for cover as well as a windbreak.

“You’ll never have that happen again!” He

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so more often.

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by Ryan Sparks

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In 1991, the federal government banned lead shot for waterfowl hunting.

Initially the ban motivated a transition from lead to steel shot, and steel remained the only option for waterfowl hunters for many years. Though steel shot is certainly less harmful to the environment than lead, its effectiveness is far from perfect. While steel is harder than lead, it is also less dense (around 8 grams per cubic centimeter versus lead’s 11 g/cc), which means less kinetic energy downrange. Simply put, hunters who had grown up shooting lead quickly noticed that steel didn’t kill as effectively, and they complained of wounding and losing more birds than in the days of lead. The inadequacy of steel shot led hobbyist loaders to experiment with materials like bismuth, nickel, iron alloy, and eventually tungsten.

Materials like bismuth and nickel were slight improvements over steel, but it was tungsten that changed the game when it comes to how we think about shotgun ballistics. Having a density of 19.3 g/ cc (nearly 70 percent denser than lead), tungsten is a great option for hunting ammunition. However, tungsten was a thorn in the side of metallurgists for hundreds of years after its discovery. With a tensile strength of 1,510 megapascals, tungsten is the strongest naturally occurring metal on Earth. This strength, along with its brittleness and an extremely high melting point (over 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit), makes tungsten very difficult to work with.

Ammo manufacturers experimented with different alloys until they came across what we now refer to as Tungsten Super Shot (TSS), a composition of 95 percent tungsten and 5 percent nickel and iron powder. TSS isn’t just an alternative to other nontoxic shot materials, it’s a vast improvement over anything that’s ever existed.

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TSS IS UNDENIABLY BETTER THAN LEAD IN ITS EFFECTIVENESS, BUT IT IS ALSO BETTER FOR THE PLACES WHERE WE HUNT AND FISH.

One company that has been leading the

The higher density of TSS means it can

“is that my sons can shoot them and be as

tungsten revolution is Mississippi-based

deliver killing blows at longer distances.

effective at 40 and 50 yards as a guy with a

Apex Ammunition. Founded, owned, and

Moreover, smaller pellet sizes mean better

12-gauge shooting steel.”

operated by three friends and military

penetration and more lethal shots. Smaller

veterans, Nick Charney, Jared Lewis, and

pellets are also less affected by wind

“The number of kids who have shot their

Jason Lonsberry, Apex hand-loads a variety

because of their smaller surface area—which

first bird with our .410 loads is incredible,”

of TSS shells for everything from turkeys to

leads to greater accuracy, especially at

adds Charney. “It’s great to introduce

waterfowl to predator hunting.

longer distances. Perhaps more important,

someone to hunting because of the lower

smaller, denser pellets slow less quickly, and

recoil, and it has also allowed children,

“There are a ton of advantages to TSS,” says

thus maintain speed and energy for a longer

the elderly, and people with disabilities to

Lewis. “First, being 60 percent denser than

distance. “[TSS] doesn’t hit and smush like

drop to sub-gauges and have that hunting

lead and over twice the density of steel (18.5

lead,” says Lewis. “It hits and drives through

experience, but still do it responsibly.”

g/cc), hunters can get more kinetic energy

the target. It’s like the difference between

out of a smaller shot size. Second, with the

throwing a ping pong ball and a marble.”

drop in shot size more pellets can fit into a single shell.”

Realizing the effectiveness of TSS, many states are changing their regulations to allow

Then there is what might be the greatest

turkey hunting with smaller bore shotguns

advantage of TSS: the opportunity to drop

like a .410 as well as allowing smaller shot

For example, a single No. 9 pellet of TSS has

the payload weight, enjoy the corresponding

sizes to be used. TSS also means you can

a similar mass to a No. 5 lead pellet—and

drop in recoil, and still retain the ability to

get away with carrying a lighter gun like a

because No. 9 pellets are much smaller, you

drop birds at long distances. A hunter can

28-gauge for pheasants and still be effective

can stuff a lot more pellets into a shotgun

now carry a sub-gauge shotgun and enjoy

at traditional 12-gauge ranges.

shell. Imagine a traditional 2 ¾-inch shell of

the effectiveness of a larger load without

No. 5 lead pellets with over twice as many

the punishing recoil.

pellets inside, and you start to understand

Because of its high cost, TSS has traditionally been associated with turkey

the extreme effectiveness of TSS. Still, the

“What I love about our shells, and

hunting, in which outside of patterning a

advantages go on.

specifically our .410 shells,” says Lonsberry,

shotgun, a hunter might only need a few

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89

shots per season. Apex, however, is quickly

many people are going to be shooting TSS at

expanding TSS outside of turkey hunting. In

the sporting clays course or the dove field.

many states, the limit for upland birds like

Still, when you take all the costs of a hunt

grouse and pheasants is two per day—hardly

into consideration, ammo is probably one of

high-volume shooting. “Hunting pheasants

the cheapest components.

with TSS makes perfect sense,” says Lewis.

“If you are putting on some miles, you

“You might spend more per shell, but

want to make the shots you get count.”

you aren’t shooting as many shells,” says

Moreover, many states are making nontoxic

Charney. “You are killing birds on impact

shot mandatory on public lands. Choosing

instead of having to take follow-up shots.”

to shoot TSS means you don’t have to worry about matching your shot material to where

Apex also offers shells through their custom

you are hunting.

shop, so you can have a TSS load made to your exact specifications. Even better, every

Apex also has a line of shells designed for

shell is handmade and goes through a level

waterfowl hunting that blends TSS with

of quality control not found elsewhere.

their plated S3 steel shot. These shells give you the benefit of TSS but are more

“It’s a hands-on process with everything we

affordable for days when you need more

do,” says Lewis. “By the time a shell gets

than just a handful of shells. TSS especially

boxed, it has been touched seven times.

shines for waterfowl hunting because of its

We want everything to be consistent.

consistent patterning. Unlike lead, which is

Every Apex shell is plus or minus one pellet

quite soft, TSS shot doesn’t deform when

because we measure based on weight, not

it collides with other pellets in the shot

volume. Every box is hand-signed and dated

column. This deformation is what causes

by the builder to ensure quality. It’s hard to

fliers, holes in patterns, and fewer pellets on

understand how well it works until you see it

target. In ballistics tests TSS consistently

for yourself.”

offers full and predictable patterns out to 60 and even 70 yards.

TSS is undeniably better than lead in its effectiveness, but it is also better for the

“As long as you have patterned your gun

places where we hunt and fish. As hunters

with the choke you intend to hunt with and

and anglers, we care about clean water and

know the load you are shooting,” says Lewis,

healthy ecosystems. Switching to nontoxic

“the days of shooting 3 ½-inch BB steel

TSS is a no-brainer. When you combine the

loads for ducks and geese are over.”

level of detail Apex brings to shotgun shells with the undeniable effectiveness of TSS,

Of course, how much you are willing to

you have the greatest advance in shotshell

spend on shotgun shells depends on your

performance in recent history.

budget and how much shooting you do. Not

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A Wolf at the Door 92

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Imagining a Future for America’s Top Predator

by Reed Knappe

In all the animal kingdom, no species is

estimated 6,000 gray wolves. Likewise in

more contradictory than the gray wolf

the Northern Rocky Mountains (Montana,

(Canis lupus): divisive and celebrated, iconic

Idaho, and Wyoming), where reintroduced

but despised, persecuted yet undisputed

wolves have thrived beyond expectations,

sovereign over remote parts of the earth.

the animals have been delisted and hunted

No animals have caused more blood and

intensively since 2011. Love it or hate it,

ink to be spilled than wolves, where merely

the process of prying wolves away from

writing about them is an invitation to

Endangered Species protections has been

calumny. And nowhere on earth is the

underway for decades, without seeming to

animal’s status—its very existence—more

reverse a steady growth in wolf numbers.

charged than in the United States, where

In immediate terms, delisting alters only

the wolf issue melds animosities born on the

the status of wolves in their most populous

historical frontier with the cynical polarities

stronghold: the Western Great Lakes

of contemporary politics. In November 2020,

region (northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and

spurred on by an eleventh-hour nudge from

Michigan), where modest hunting seasons

the Trump Administration, the U.S. Fish and

are now in the offing and where some three-

Wildlife Service (USFWS) officially removed

quarters of (non-Alaskan) American wolves

wolves from the Endangered Species List.

reside.

1

A culmination of decades of debate, the delisting drew fierce criticism from scientists

If, for the sake of argument, we set aside

and environmentalists, and it is quickly

the wolf’s mystique and charisma (features

transforming how wolf populations are

not universally recognized anyway), there

managed. The termination of protections

is a certain cold logic to arguments for

marks a unique inflection point in the wolf’s

delisting. The original conservation goals,

history: a moment for asking hard questions

dreamt up haphazardly in the early days

about the human-wolf relationship and for

of the Endangered Species Act (ESA, 1973),

revisiting old dilemmas.

have been met and exceeded. Wolves have done better than anyone expected, both by

Viewed from a certain distance, the change

recolonizing habitat from the Canadian side

in legal status doesn’t change much:

of the border and in a handful of successful

Wolf hunting has continued unabated

reintroductions. Supporters of delisting

for decades in Alaska and Canada, whose

point out that turning responsibility over to

respective populations of 11,000 and 50,000

individual states will free up federal funding

to 60,000 animals dwarf the lower 48’s

for more seriously threatened organisms.

The Eastern red wolf and the Mexican wolf subspecies are exceptions, still protected in small populations in the Southeast and Southwest, respectively. This article focuses on the more numerous and contentious gray wolf.

1

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Brutal weather, disease, livestock rustling, market fluctuations, and poverty stalked the rancher, and the wolf paid in blood for the rancher’s misery.

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If wolves are no longer dying out, why not

To another, more numerous brand of hunter,

and merciless. The struggle reached its

focus on species facing real extinction—and

steeped in a particular relationship to

apex with the sheep and cattle boom that

let states manage their own wolves? For

the landscape and its animals, the wolf is

remade the intermountain West (roughly

delisting advocates, including many USFWS

something else: a menace to a cherished

1875 to 1895), when bounties were paid on

officials, doing so seems consistent with

way of life. For such men and women,

hundreds of thousands of wolf pelts. Lopez,

both the letter and spirit of the law.

often the descendants of homesteaders,

like many authors, acknowledges that early

the notion of protecting or reintroducing

ranchers had no choice but to kill wolves,

Take a closer look at the wolf, however, and

wolves—undoing the hard bloody work of

but the intensity and cruelty of the killing,

things get more complicated. Questions

past generations—is madness. Their belief

and its continuation for decades and into

multiply, simple answers evaporate, and

that wolves should be confined to a few

regions far beyond the necessities of the

unplanned consequences start to unfold.

wilderness redoubts or wiped out altogether

ranching economy, have puzzled scholars

The ESA, put in place as a legal mechanism

is amazingly tenacious across the American

and naturalists ever since. It is, arguably, the

for stemming the decline of American

West. (Sporting the silhouette of a wolf

only planned extinction on record.

biodiversity, has always been an awkward

framed by crosshairs, a popular bumper

fit for the wolf, a geographically diffuse

sticker in Montana reads, “Smoke a Pack a

In these years of heroic conquest, wolves

top predator that once ruled over much of

Day.”) And the attitude has deep historical

were inscribed in the Western mind as

the continent. Most of the United States

roots.

nemesis: cruel, gluttonous, indolent villains

is former wolf habitat; how much of it can

unworthy of a place in the natural world.

still sustain wolves? How much of it should?

The historical frontier was a place of

They were shot, beaten to death, trapped,

The ESA offers little concrete guidance on

astonishing upheaval, and much of its

poisoned, burned, and tortured in countless

these questions, beyond the vague mission

spectacular violence was waged through

ways, pursued into desolate reaches far

statement of protecting species “in danger

and for control over the environment. The

from humans and livestock. As Lopez and

of extinction throughout all or a significant

destruction of the great buffalo herds

others have recounted, the big predators

portion of its range.” By 1973, after more

is broadly familiar to many Americans,

came to function as a scapegoat for all the

than a century of vigorous extermination,

but the related, century-long campaign

cruel hardships of life on the frontier: Brutal

the wolf was confined to two small,

against the wolf is less well known. Yet it

weather, disease, livestock rustling, market

precarious populations on the Great Lakes—

was every bit as thorough as—and waged

fluctuations, and poverty stalked the

in other words, unambiguously endangered.

far more creatively than—what befell the

rancher, and the wolf paid in blood for the

American Bison. As it happens, states being

rancher’s misery. By the turn of the century,

Today, however, that metapopulation is

recolonized by wolves today once hosted

the animals were all but wiped out in the

stable and growing, and wolves have an

the most sophisticated and successful

heart of the ranching empire, but state

increased presence in the Northern Rockies

predator killing spree in history, sparked

legislators continued doling out exorbitant

and the Pacific Northwest. At the heart

by an ecological collision course between

bounties for a handful of lonely stragglers.

of the matter is the question of where

settlers and wolves. In the classic account

By midcentury, they were gone.

(if anywhere) Americans are willing to let

of human-wolf history, Of Wolves and Men,

wolves expand and multiply—and buried

the late Barry Lopez traces the progress

While hostility to wolves is rooted in

within that, the deeper and still more

of wolf extermination from its earliest

history and geography, handed down

intractable problem of how we understand

colonial roots through to the 1970s. As

across generations of rural families, it is

the animal.

trappers and settlers entered the West,

also colored by present-day politics: Rural

they slaughtered prey animals—buffalo,

communities have weathered the vagaries

A certain kind of hunter won’t linger on

elk, moose, antelope, and deer—by the

of economic globalization and the ebbing of

these questions. To them, the wolf is only an

millions while bringing their own, more

traditional ways of life (chief among them

exotic quarry—something to kill and mount

vulnerable beasts to multiply across the

ranching), and politicians have made good

as a trophy. Methodically gunning down a

emptied land. The inevitable outcome was

business out of harnessing their pain and

pack from a helicopter offers them a kind

a virtual war between wolves and humans.

frustration. For many in the intermountain

of unreflective thrill, not unlike playing out

First glutted on the countless carcasses

West, the hated figures of autocratic feds,

a video game or action movie in real life.

of bison, then increasingly desperate as

tree-hugging coastal elites, and wolves

I invite anyone who finds this caricature

traditional prey disappeared, packs of

form a baleful triumvirate dedicated to the

unfair to spend five minutes Googling

wolves fell upon the settlers’ slow-moving,

destruction of rural liberty and prosperity.

trophy wolf hunts.

guileless livestock. Retribution was swift

An often-theatrical resistance to those

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forces has cultivated a widespread, potent

in significant numbers using traditional

Likewise, claims that Idaho’s elk need

antipathy to wolves over the past 30 years.

hunting methods, so all possible means are

protection from wolves are unsupported by

back on the table: unlimited bags; hunting

basic facts: Idaho’s present population of

from aircraft, snowmobiles, and ATVs;

120,000 elk is significantly higher than it

A turning point in this synthesis arrived with

night vision; poison; baiting; and traps. The

was when the wolves were reintroduced. As

the wolf reintroductions of the mid ‘90s.

frenzy of legal restructuring has extended

conservationists are fond of pointing out,

In 1995 and 1996, the USFWS released two

to adjacent states like Utah and South

all biological evidence suggests that wolves

small populations of Canadian wolves: one

Dakota, where any wolf that strays over the

are good for ecosystems. Detailed studies

in Yellowstone National Park and another

state border may be shot on sight, putting

conducted in Yellowstone over the past 20

in Idaho’s Frank Church River of No Return

a significant brake on recolonization of

years have produced overwhelming evidence

Wilderness. The projects were greeted with

further habitat.

that wolf predation culls diseased animals

intense hostility by ranchers across the

from the population (notably, individuals

region, whose fear that the wolves would

Most extreme among the laws passed so far

suffering from Chronic Wasting Disease)

multiply was soon borne out. Protected

is SB 1211, introduced by Idaho Governor

and disperses herds across the landscape

for roughly 15 years in prime habitat, the

Brad Little. The law mandates extermination

in a way that benefits the health of the

reintroduced wolves quickly increased

of 90 percent of Idaho’s 1,500 wolves,

entire ecosystem. By the same token,

their numbers by an order of magnitude,

drawing the population back down to the

wolves almost certainly make elk and

expanding beyond the protected areas

original reintroduction goal of 150 animals.

other ungulates appear more scarce: more

even before 2000. Their legal standing was

Although opposed by the Idaho Fish and

wary, less vocal, less concentrated, and less

ambiguous, however: A 1982 revision to

Game Commission and the USFWS, the

conspicuous along roadways. For hunters

the wolf’s ESA status had categorized any

bill passed the state house in May, with

this can be a real frustration that is easily

reintroduced populations as “experimental

lawmakers citing the urgency of defending

misconstrued as a decline in the target

and nonessential,” paving the way for state

game populations (particularly elk) and

species.

management in the Rockies and ensuring

Idaho’s ranchers from wolf depredations.

that deliberations over ESA delisting

These rationales, although grounded in

considered only the larger, Western Great

While the most dramatic immediate impacts on wolf populations are certain to

Lakes population. While the measure of recovery was thus pinned to the Eastern population, the consequences of last year’s delisting have come down most dramatically in the mountains.

The struggle to delist Rocky Mountain wolves got underway around 2000, finally succeeding in 2011 in Montana and Idaho

96

(and a few years later in Wyoming). In the

historical memory, cannot withstand even

meantime, environmental organizations

casual scrutiny. On average, 118 livestock

unfold in the Northern Rockies, the larger,

used the ESA to challenge the delistings,

were killed by Idaho’s wolves each year

foundational population in the Western

and when the region’s wolves were returned

between 2018 and 2020. Compared with the

Great Lakes also faces consequences from

to state management it was agreed that

roughly 40,000 animals claimed annually

delisting. In Wisconsin, the most anti-wolf of

states would abide by relatively restrained

by bad weather and disease, the deaths

the region’s states, this year’s trial hunting

conservation plans—written in collaboration

represent a tiny drop in the state’s 2.8 million

season ended in an uproar symptomatic

with the USFWS—that would preserve wolf

livestock—certainly not enough to justify

of the contradictions at the heart of

numbers roughly at contemporary levels. In

spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer

wolf management. In just three days this

2021, with the wolf now fully delisted, those

dollars on bounties. Moreover, unlike livestock

February, Wisconsin hunters killed some 216

management plans are dead letters, and

killed by other predators or by weather, the

wolves—nearly twice the 119 specified in

Western politicians have already enacted

USFWS compensates ranchers for half of the

the state plan. The federation of 11 Ojibwe

a flurry of legislation to put the wolf back

value of livestock that fall prey to wolves.

tribes, which elected to forgo hunting its

“in its place.” Common features of the new

In a further ironic wrinkle, strong scientific

allotted 81 wolves on behalf of conservation,

laws are expanded (or unlimited) hunting

evidence suggests that killing wolves disrupts

condemned the overkill and criticized the

seasons, liberalization of hunting methods,

the ability of packs to coordinate in taking

decision to open the hunt during breeding

and new versions of the old bounty systems.

natural prey, leading directly to increased

season. The wolves killed represented

It is virtually impossible to eradicate wolves

predation on livestock.

roughly 20 percent of Wisconsin’s total

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population—nearly double the proportion

point—hunters who insist that they value

once encompassed much of the continent,

hunted in Canada or Alaska, and potentially

the existence of the wolf “in its place” and

but many of the wild landscapes that

a high enough rate to drive the population

do not seek its ultimate destruction. Ask

made up that habitat mosaic are gone—

down significantly within a decade, if

any gathering of interested parties to define

bulldozed into fields, highways, suburbs,

continued.

that place, however, and responses quickly

and parklands of all kinds. By and large, the

disintegrate into a babel of contradictory

few big remaining tracts suitable for wolf

In some ways, the explosion of enthusiastic

positions and recrimination. Nobody seems to

recolonization are home to rural communities

wolf killing since November is misleading.

have a clear or practical vision of where the

that are ambivalent about or hostile to the

There are numerous examples of formerly

line might be drawn, and this impasse hints

prospect of sharing fields and valleys with

anti-wolf individuals coming around to more

at intractable tensions at the heart of the

toothy, unpredictable neighbors. Which brings

nuanced positions, and communities where

modern human-wolf relationship.

us to the second, more abstract sense of

antagonism has given way to something

place: What place are we willing to give the

else. In countless local instances, ranchers

The matter of the wolf’s future in the United

wolf in the natural world, and in relation to

and rural folk have been instrumental in

States boils down to questions of place, in

our society?

wolf conservation. And of course there

two distinct but related ways. In the literal

Like humans, wolves are apex predators

are hunters who pursue the animals from

sense, Americans have yet to resolve the

who kill to live, inscribing their supremacy

a more thoughtful, respectful vantage

question of where the wolf belongs. Its range

all the way down the food chain. Though

Detailed studies conducted in Yellowstone over the past 20 years have produced overwhelming evidence that wolf predation culls diseased animals from the population (notably, individuals suffering from Chronic Wasting Disease) and disperses herds across the landscape in a way that benefits the health of the entire ecosystem.

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industrial meat production and tidy

of documents surrounding last year’s

recognizes that we have transformed most

packaging conceal this reality from most

delisting and its consequences, I cannot

of this continent into environments built

consumers, it is something hunters and

escape the impression that recent shifts

around the satisfaction of human needs,

ranchers grasp intuitively. Unlike most

in wolf policy are motivated mainly by

and that having wolves alongside us—free

humans (excepting those who fill their

hatred of the animal—originating in the

roaming, intelligent predators capable of

own freezers or otherwise contribute to

wolf’s challenge to the human prerogative

travelling hundreds of miles and adapting to

maintaining healthy wildlife populations),

of ruling over nature and perpetuated by

diverse habitats—means making coherent

wolves have an inborn capacity to make

profoundly cynical politics. The legislation

decisions about where they live and taking

some ecosystems healthier and wilder. Also

being written in Idaho, Wyoming, and

tough steps to implement those decisions.

unlike humans, wolves cannot adapt the

Montana reflects a desire to destroy

If the ESA was a flawed instrument for

fulfillment of their metabolic needs or place

the animal, or if that proves legally

defining the wolf’s present and future

themselves in a position to accommodate

impracticable, to confine it in populations so

reality, we desperately need some kind

other living beings. They are at once too

small and remote as to be little more than

of wolf-specific replacement: a coherent

near to us and too alien, and the wages of

open-air zoo exhibits. Personally, I would

national policy. This sense of responsibility

this unhappy intimacy are historical cycles

not hunt a wolf, but the issue at stake is

also entails working closely with rural

of cruel violence and burning hatred. The

not wolf hunting per se. The problem is

communities, so that wolf management

wolf’s removal from the Endangered Species

what one might call exterminationism: an

isn’t autocratic or indifferent to local

List seems poised to set in motion another

unquenchable hostility fed by a thousand

concerns. The second kind of supremacy,

round of this dismal cycle.

fears and insults that have little or nothing

which insists man must have perfect,

to do with actual wolves. It is difficult, but

absolute dominion over all the earth—has to

To most hunters, hatred of the quarry

worthwhile, to continue imagining new ways

go. It is out of touch not only with the realities

is an unwelcome and unfamiliar feeling.

of transcending this attitude.

of coexisting with wolves but also with the

The frequent metaphorical slippages

98

larger planetary context, in which balancing

aside, hunting is neither warfare nor

To hammer out a working relationship

human needs with the preservation of natural

extermination. When the killing of animals

with the wolf, Americans may need to

systems is now more difficult than ever.

approaches those extremes, it becomes

simultaneously embrace one kind of human

something else. Having read through reams

supremacy and abdicate another. The first

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Certain consequences of the state

They are at once too near to us and too alien, and the wages of this unhappy intimacy are historical cycles of cruel violence and burning hatred.

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management of wolves may be positive.

of the wolf in the Southern Rockies looks

In such places, ironically some of our wildest

Probably if wolves continue expanding into

promising.

landscapes, we will have decided that there

coastal states where citizens are more

100

is room for only one top predator—and that

sympathetic (or from another standpoint,

Whatever positive outcomes might arise

a place for wolves can exist only when they

naïve), we may see bold experiments in

from returning wolves to the mercies of

have effectively ceased to be wolves. It is a

carving out new-old places for the wolf.

state control, the negative outcomes are

hard-hearted, small-minded way of treating

There is certainly still room in the West. The

more predictable and swifter to arrive.

nature, one that dresses up a loathing of

same month the USFWS delisted the wolf,

Environmental groups have lost their

real wildness in the phony livery of a rugged,

Coloradoans voted by a narrow margin to

major legal recourse, and it is unclear how

nostalgic frontier spirit. Inside today’s

begin reintroducing wolves to the Southern

the wolves in several of the recovered

Western state houses one can see the

Rockies, America’s greatest remaining

populations will survive. In places where

jealous fulfillment of an old, familiar desire

expanse of quality wolf habitat and home

politicized anti-wolf sentiment reigns, packs

to see nature wholly subjugated and the

to the world’s largest elk population. It

will be whittled back down to scattered,

howling wilderness converted to a garden, a

remains to be seen how the tensions

dysfunctional fragments, killing the odd

feedlot, or a zoo.

arising from this decision will be negotiated

lamb or calf but ceasing to contribute to a

(and how they will be influenced by the

larger, national wolf presence that crosses

recent delisting), but for now, the future

borders and exists within larger ecosystems.

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