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Upland Safari
Unread 03-11-2012, 09:49 AM   #1
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Default Upland Safari

Woodrow (Wid) McCready was perplexed. It was August 2011 and he was faceing the fall season with nowhere to go.

You see Wid is first and formost a big game hunter. Nothing stirs the soul like a bugeling Elk on a frosty clear morning in the Colorado Rockies. The shrill cry of a lovesic bull will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. The way a giant Moose will appear as if from thin air is a miracle to behold and the clash of antlers in a South Texas Sendero brings the hope of a "Booner" to the waiting hunter.

The letter from the Alaskan Outfitter brought bad news for Wid. Seems legal entanglements with the Outfitter's soon to be ex wife and her relationship with the head guide had put the business in a downward spiral and his much anticipated Moose hunt was put on hold.

The mail continued to bring nothing but bad news as the Elk tag for Arizona and Colorado didn't come, neither did the Deer tag for Montana or the Bighorn Sheep permit from Alberta.

Bird hunting was always a sidelight to Wid's big game pursiuts. He just loved chaseing Elk through the Quakies and the view from a tall mountain but as this was not to be he needed a new plan. Some internet searching and a few phone calls to friends and he was ready to embark on his Upland Safari by mid September.

With the dog box loaded and the two GSP ready and willing he hitched up the travel trailer and headed north. Once he crossed the Mackinaw Bridge he turned left and headed for his Deer camp in Crystall Falls. He would limber up the dogs on some Grouse and Woodcock do some preseason scouting for the November Deer hunt and fill the woodbox.

The leaves were thick as thieves this time of year but that didn't matter to Wid as he was hunting and enjoying the solitude of camp and unwinding. He brought two Parker shotguns for the "Safari". His Grouse/Woodcock gun was a Damascuss DH 16 with 28 inch tubes. He had had the chokes opened to IC/M, the second was a VHE 12 that was choked M/F also with 28 inch tubes. He figured this would be good for the Western Pheasants and Sharptails he hoped to hunt.

After a couple of weeks at the cabin and the chores completed, the big scrape line put into the GPS he pointed his rig west. He was headed to Minnesota for Grouse/Woodcock with an old college friend. Once again he found thick foliage and the Woodcock were scarce but there were enough Grouse to shoot at to give the dogs some work and after all thats what mattered. He was begining to feel overgunned with the 16 and would have liked more open chokes for the thick close cover shooting he was doing.

From Minnesota he headed to North Dakota's Devils Lake area where he joined up with a PGCA member he met on the forum for some waterfowl hunting. In the predawn darkness the decoys were set, the blind tidied up and the first thermos of coffee opened. As daylight eroded the night the ducks began to fill the sky. Mallards, Pintails, Gadwalls and Blue Bills crowded the horizon. The VHE 12 got plenty of action and the two boxes of RST Non Tox evaporated quickly. The Blue Bills came in low and fast and it took some misses befor Wid got the hang of them as compared to the Puddel Ducks that came into the decoys with their feet down, wings cupped. After the morning Duck hunt the intrepid hunters took to the vast CRP fields and unleashed the two GSP in search of Roosters. Once again the VHE 12 was put into action as the big birds flushed further than what a Grouse did and the heavier #5 shot brought a limit to bag in just a couple of hours.

That evening with the ducks plucked, the Pheasants cleaned, the dogs fed and watered he enjoyed a Wiskey and a fine cigar as a Michigan Grouse simmered in the cast iron frying pan. He looked out into the vastness that was the North Dakota Prarie Pot Hole region and began to realize there is more to life than chaseing Deer and Elk.

From North Dakota he slid over into Montanna to try his luck on Hungarian Partridge as well as the local Pheasant population. In his internet searching he located some BLM land and with the help of the local Fish and Game folks a campgound where he could hook up the trailer for water and electric wasn't far from where he intended to hunt. The Hungarian Partridge or Huns as they are called proved a challenge. They flushed from brushy areas found in wheat fields and resembled Quail on steroids. The flush was heart stopping and the birds hardy. Twice when the dogs pointed the 16 brought down a double but each time only one bird was found. On one occasion the first bird was a cloud of feathers when the #7 shot connected. It made Wid wince as he was a little too quick on the trigger, the second bird was just wing tipped so he went after the cripple first and once that was retrieved he went in search of the first. There were feathers in the wheat stubble, lots of feathers but no bird. The dogs looked long and hard but no bird could be found. A shadow going across the field caught his eye and as he looked up he saw a hawk fly off with a bird in it's talons. His bird? Maybe, probably what other explanation could there be? Not wanting to feed the local Raptor population for the rest of the day only singles were taken on the covey rise and the Hawks had to their own hunting.

He learned this Upland Hunting was no push over when he went after Sahrptails. A carelessly slammed door sent birds flying 200 yards away and it seemed they never stopped flying. Long hard miles and lots of boot leather later he had one bird to show for eight hours of effort. The endless miles of wind swept Prarie was worth it as he imagined what it was like when men traveled across it in covered wagons and the Buffalo spanned from horizon to horizon. Although he carried a 120 year old Parker the thought of Buckskins and a Sharps rifle were never far away.

The Autum skies turned gray and the leaves had all turned yellow, red and gold and were begining to fall as the month of October had slipped by. It was time to head for the ranch. He wouldn't be home long befor it was time for Deer season. On the long drive back he time to reflect on his odessy and came to two conclusions. The first being this bird hunting wasn't so bad afterall and that if he were to chase the King of the Uplands and his partner the Woodcock perhaps an open choked 20 or better yet a 28 would be required for next season.
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Unread 03-11-2012, 10:20 AM   #2
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Rich ,Very Nice ! You should consider , A Hunting Book of Short Stories , It would sell like hotcakes ! Put me first on the list ! Russ
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