Category Archives: Bird hunting

Bird hunters’ camp

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Jerry Johnson

The rip-rumble of the tent flap’s zipper sets the dogs whining in their travel crates. They’ve been awake, stretching and yawning, for ten minutes or more, ever since the creak and thump of my cot-flip interrupted their sweet and untroubled … Continue reading →

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Good day in Dakota

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Jerry Johnson

A good day in South Dakota, November 2016. Six hunters, three dogs, 18 roosters. From left to right: Abbey, Ty, and Sam. Over the Gang members are Cy, Dennis, Fred, Ken, and Bob. Not pictured: The Old Coot. Abbey offered … Continue reading →

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Stormcrow

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Jerry Johnson

Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow? – A bewitched Théoden, King of the Mark of Rohan, in response to the arrival of the wizard Gandalf, from The Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), … Continue reading →

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Not dead, just hunting

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Jerry Johnson

The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.    – Mark Twain (1835-1910), American writer and humorist Not dead, just hunting In response to questions from readers via telephone calls, e-mails, and text messages: No I have not died. … Continue reading →

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Bird hunting in the classic style

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Jerry Johnson

More than seventy-five years ago William Harnden Foster, the laureate of ruffed grouse hunting and a principal in the development of grouse dog field trials in New England, observed that trials for quail dogs had become “races,” so specialized in … Continue reading →

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Last call

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Jerry Johnson

It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true; it’s called ‘Life.’ – from the novel The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett (1948-2015), English author of fantasy novels Last call It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Guns, Bird hunting, Grouse hunting. Springer spaniels. Bird Dogs, Hunting Memories | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

One perfect bird

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Jerry Johnson

One perfect bird is far, far more rewarding than a limit of fortuitous birds, and the recollection of the hunt for that bird will strike sparks in your memories of great moments afield long after dozens of easily brought-to-bag birds … Continue reading →

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One thing’s for certain

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Jerry Johnson

Live everyday as if it’s your last, boys, and one day in the future when you look back, you’ll have lived ten thousand lifetimes.             – from the novel I Have Lived Today by Steven Moore (b. 1974), teacher, painter, … Continue reading →

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Senior hunting camp

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Jerry Johnson

This list is not intended to be comprehensive, and there may be some regional and cultural differences, but I expect that every bird hunter past middle age will identify (or identify with) several of these axioms that I have titled … Continue reading →

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Honor among thieves

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Jerry Johnson

All bird hunters are jealously possessive of their birds – or their best bird coverts, at any rate – and they would more willingly tell the IRS all their sources of income than reveal the location of good bird ground. … Continue reading →

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