As the song says "for everything there is a season" We must cherish each day we are given, try to live them to the fullest, cause like they say time waits for no man! Find you a new hunting buddy someone younger that could possibly help if needed. I am 76 my family are always on me to carry a cell phone when I am out in the woods, They do not realize there is no phone service in most places up here, I walk a couple miles each day with my dog and my 44 mag, If the good lord decides to take me home what better place to be than in the woods I love! enough of my rambling, Gary

Nice piece Shawn.





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That was a great song written by Pete Seeger and performed by the Byrds with Roger McGuinn singing lead. Pete took the lyrics from the Bible almost word for word. He donated all his royalties from the song to Israeli charities.

I can sympathize with the pain of the loss of a long time hunting partner. It must be difficult and entering the field without that partner will always be incomplete. As a mostly solo hunter, I won't have to deal with that. But I do have to deal with the pain of losing my canine hunting partners. I miss every one I had and I have had them since the first one at 14 years old. When my partner Stoney died, I vowed to never have another bird dog, the pain of losing him was so great. I was ready to stop bird hunting. I still had my retriever for ducks, but I pretty much decided that Stoney would be my last bird dog. But after 3 years I am now ready to get back into the game. I am looking for another setter which is a bit difficult since my breeder and trainer has died. But there is a little setter for me out there somewhere and I will find a new buddy.

Great piece, Shawn!

"And a time for every purpose under Heaven."

I recited every line of the biblical verse at my mother's funeral... It wasn't easy.






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Told you guys before that Shawn( and his brother Andrew) are a good read. I dont think I was subscribed to his blog when that one came out. I highly recommend their Upland Ways blog, not just for their outdoor passion, but also for their philosophy of life gleaned from thier blog.
But back to the topic in question, like Tom, I relish a day outdoors with just me and my dogs. On my 2 week grouse trip each year, the first is spent with my closest friend Terry. He no longer has a dog, so all points are shared with him. We double so often on birds that the first question after the flush is "Did you Shoot". He goes home after a week, and I spend the second week hunting by myself. My flush rate often goes up, and my kill rate always goes up. It is then that I usually switch from the VH 20, to my hammer guns--much safer when by yourself. I have hunted the North Country for 32 years now and am comfortable by myself. I do carry my cell phone with the local Google Earth maps downloaded onto it, and a GPS. I have been thinking of getting one of those emergency locators, ssuch as SPOT, in case something happens.
I am basically 65 but in good shape, and I know the last time I saw you, Matt, a couple years ago, you looked to be in good shape. Hope you can make it up their again.

Matt, I know the feeling. My uncle Phil was my hunting and fishing buddy since I was around five. He was the consummate bird dog man and an all around great outdoorsman. Long drives to old family hunting grounds were always filled with great stories about our family, hunting adventures and the such. When he died a few years ago so did my desire to hunt. However, shortly before his passing I had started hunting with a couple members of the PGCA. He thought I was the luckiest guy on earth. It turned out he was right. I found and connected with men of similar natures and the hunting spirit was rekindled within me. All those experiences and lessons learned with Unk come back to me today and give me a much richer sense of satisfaction. Had I given in to the melancholic sense of loss I was feeling I would have missed some of the greatest adventures and best people in my life. You never know what the future might have in store for you. If you want to go hunting, I don’t live that far from you. I would be happy to help you try and bag those last two grouse in Ohio. Just PM me sometime if you want to.

Well said Mike. I feel exactly the same about the people I’ve met in the PGCA.





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That story reminds me of my post titled "The Old Man and the Dog". Kinda how I picture going out. Ike will be a year in September and I'll be 66 in October so it might be close.

I have a two bedroom house in the Upper Peninsula and if ANYONE wants to give the grouse hunting a try just let me know. I usually hunt alone and will be in "camp" from the 22nd of September to the 1st of November.

Very generous of you Rich. That time frame is a busy one for me but I am going to put that on my calendar with a ? by it. Who knows maybe a long weekend or something. I figure you would let me shoot that Lefever you had at the Southern with the brass woodpeckers on it, right :)