Nice walk but no feathers to show for it

[Richard Flanders]

I know you're all bored with me showing these same pictures every spring but it was a particularly nice day yesterday. My first flite since early September. The snow in town was/is bottomless slush but it was nice down in the Range where spring is not quite as advanced. Still, the snowshoeing was pretty tough. Lots of ptarmigan tracks in the brush on the ridge but no birds. They seem to come out there for feeding but retreat to the valley to the south for roosting. I set up my step thrower and shot(at) some clays with my Repro 28. I managed to hit a few. Perfect setup as I can retrieve the unbroken clays and reuse them.

[Dean Romig]

I recognize that lake from previous years. Nice pictures!






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[Mills Morrison]

We are never bored with your photos, Richard

[Dave Tatman]

I agree with Mills, Richard!

Dave

[Garry L Gordon]

The photos are new to me! I really enjoyed them. When does bird season end?

[Richard Flanders]

End of April. I'm going to try for one more day down there on snowshoes, hopefully tomorrow.

[Garry L Gordon]

...and I'll be opening our Missouri turkey season in 70 degree weather. I might rather be on snow shoes. Good luck.

[Stephen Hodges]

Richard, how much longer can you hunt ptarmigan ? Looks beautiful there.

[Richard Flanders]

Got another day in on snowshoes today. Gorgeous day. Went over the hill and up a creek to the south where I always find birds and saw at least 25 birds today. I could hear them clucking nearly all day(hearing aids are a wonderful invention). Only got two but that's better than a skunk. They were flushing pretty wild and far out but my 28" M/F VH20 will reach out pretty well using 7-1/2 game loads so I just kept trying. I was impressed. I'd have done much better if I could still shoot right-handed. The big male is changing color and is at the best phase for mounting. They look pretty nice at this stage. I give much credit for my successful foray on snowshoes in ratty snow to my pint water bottle of Super Beets juice. That stuff is incredible. I was going stronger after 3 hard hours than I was at the beginning. Usually this trip leaves me barely able to make it back to the plane. So, here's some pics of the hunting grounds and the birds brought to bag.

[Dean Romig]

Aging hunters want to know.... What is "Super Beets?"

Is it like Viagra for the legs?






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[Richard Flanders]

Basically yes Dean. Beet juice is all the latest rage. The olympians in Rio are said to have been chugging it by the liter every day. It's high in nitric oxide, which makes your arteries more flexible and as a result increases your blood flow and lowers your blood pressure. I bought some as an experiment and was most impressed yesterday. I'll be dragging today with sore muscles but was on fire yesterday. It made a huge difference. I felt at least 5 yrs younger. After I got home I still felt like I could have flown back out and done it all again.

[Garry L Gordon]

Thanks for the additional pictures. They were great! So where does one get the secret sauce? Health food store...grocery store?

And the big question. Can you mix it with beer?! ;-)

[Dean Romig]

Thanks Richard - that's definitely going on my shopping list... Especially during grouse season! A quart of that and a couple of Aleve and I should be a new man!

(Psssst... don't tell Kathy - she'll set me to more yard work and new "honey-do's")






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[Richard Flanders]

Amazon is the best source but health food stores carry it. You can find quite a variety of brands on Amazon. Super Beets is the one that gets most of the press, but there are many and most are much cheaper than SB. The only thing the packaging says to not mix it with is citrus.

[Richard Flanders]

Couldn't help myself. Had to do one more day on snowshoes while I still could. This will be my last trip down there for the spring. Snow is too punchy now. I worked a different area today and found birds again. Managed two - a male and a female so I'm thinking they're pairing up. When I was done I sat in the sun and almost finished "Brave New World". Does a Sunday morning get any better than that? Sometimes I hate to see the snow go away. I think it should be about 10deg and have 2ft of snow year round. That's my idea of paradise. I landed in high mountain saddles in the area in the center distance in the first photo today on skis that I can only get to with a helicopter in summer.

[Phillip Carr]

Richard that last picture is incredible !!!

[calvin humburg]

Great pictures. I will b getting some beet juice to.

[Richard Flanders]

It was a good one Phil. I took one of it showing the valley to the south also. They make for great pictures.

[Dean Romig]

Lots of bunny tracks up there - did you see any?


That halo around the sun looks like snow is on the way.





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[Richard Flanders]

There are bunny tracks everywhere Dean, the most I've ever seen there, but I have never in all the times I've hunted there, spotted one. There's lots of lynx tracks this year too as their cycle is tied to the rabbit cycle. Maybe if I went there and camped and hunted by the full moon I'd see the bunnies. I used to do that on our farm in Michigan; very fun.

[Dean Romig]

Are they the Varying Hare up there?

When I'm deer hunting in the snow I keep my eyes peeled for that black marble set in the pure white of his fur and the snow. Put the cross hairs of my .270 on that black dot and I will be eating bunny that night.





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[Richard Flanders]

I think the hare around here are snowshoe hares. We have bigger ones, called Alaska Hare, that are up north and in the west that can be up to over 15# in weight and can stand straight up on their back feet and be mistaken for small humans in the fog. I saw one standing in the fog north of Nome one day and it was weird; they're huge!