Upland Hunting
Hi, Jon,
We ended our season today on a high note, finally finding birds after a week of tough hunting in ice-crusted snow. Our season was a challenging one in which two of our dogs were diagnosed with cancer, one not making it through the season. We did not hunt as much as normal, but maybe enjoyed each day we were afield even more. Our two-year old pup got extra chances and made good progress. The weather alternated between mild and bitter cold, dry and snowy — typical Midwestern weather. The cover was great, and the birds challenging. I couldn’t ask for more. I just wanted to thank you for providing opportunities for us to hunt wild birds in beautiful places.
Garry
PS Here’s a few pictures from this past season.
The last week of the Iowa season was a tough one. Lots of challenging conditions, but beautiful in its own way.
Snow hunting is often a boom or bust situation, with birds either flushing wild or burying deep in the grass. I had to goose this single out with my boot. You can just see Alder, our 7 year old Gordon Setter holding tight in the lower right corner of this photo.
We had some really fine weather during the season. The cover was great, and each bird was earned.
Our puppy, Aspen, made good progress.
And had ample chances to re-enforce his training.
Some days produced more chances than others, but we enjoyed each of them.
Here’s hoping for a mild end to the winter and good nesting conditions for this Spring.
