Books - Wingbeats and Heartbeats: Essays on Game Birds, Gun Dogs, and Days Afield

W INGBEATS AND H EARTBEATS

Essays on
Game Birds, Gun Dogs, and Days Afield

D AVE B OOKS

Illustrated by C HRISTOPHER S MITH

T HE U NIVERSITY OF W ISCONSIN P RESS

The University of Wisconsin Press
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Copyright 2014
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any format or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without written permission of the University of Wisconsin Press, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles and reviews.

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Books, Dave.

Wingbeats and heartbeats: essays on game birds, gun dogs, and days afield / Dave Books.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-299-29470-0 (cloth: alk. paper)

ISBN 978-0-299-29473-1 (e-book)

1. FowlingUnited StatesAnecdotes.

2. Game and game-birdsUnited StatesAnecdotes.

3. Hunting dogsUnited StatesAnecdotes. I. Title.

SK313.B6932014

799.2'4dc23

2013015043

First, this book is dedicated to
H ELEN and L ES , my parents,
who taught me to love and cherish the outdoors.

Next, to
the gun dogs who have made my days afield so rewarding:
B ULLET , C HIEF , M AGGIE , S ALLY , G ROUCHO ,
J ENNY , O LLIE , and B AILEY .

Finally, to
ALL MY HUNTING BUDDIES ,
who have made it so much fun. If I start naming names I might
forget someone, but you know who you are.

Some of these stories, or earlier versions of them, have appeared in hunting and conservation magazines, notably Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Ruffed Grouse Society Magazine, Montana Outdoors, Gun Dog, Wing & Shot, Under Wild Skies, and The Upland Almanac. Id like to thank the editors of these magazines for their help and encouragement, especially Mark Herwig, Matt Young, Tom Dickson, Chuck Wechsler, and Tom Carney.

Its late August, and the nights have been getting noticeably cooler here in the Rocky Mountain foothills. The cold rain that began stitching down this morning has been drumming a steady cadence on the cedar shingles all day long. Thats how summer ends in Montana. One day its blistering hot and youre wading a trout stream in shorts and a T-shirt; the next day dawns cold and rainy, with a fresh- off-a-glacier wind. Tomorrow, wet snow will likely blanket the high country. Its time to say goodbye to summer and get ready for the opening of upland bird season on September 1.

The dogs, too, sense the change. When I took them for a walk in the rain this morning, Ollie the Brittany, a veteran of nine hunting seasons, bounced around like a six-month-old pup. Bailey, a four- year-old black Lab who loves the snow and cold, twirled in excited circles, free at last of summers oppressive heat. Her excitement is premature, of course, because when this storm passes there will be plenty of warm September days, followed by the glorious Indian summer days of October. But this first autumn storm will chase the tourists back to more hospitable climes, muttering, Winter sure comes early in Montana.

For the last three decades Ive opened the bird season somewhere in Montana, always with a Lab or a Brittany, and usually both. Before that, with the exception of a few college years, I spent opening days chasing ruffed grouse and woodcock in Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Upper Michigan. Thanks to a father who introduced me to the Wisconsin grouse woods before I was old enough to carry a gun, Ive been in love with game birds and shotguns since childhood. My life has been richer for it, if not my pocketbook.

One day not long ago, while I was rattling on about bird hunting to an acquaintance, he said, Youre really passionate about it, arent you? I hadnt thought of my favorite pastime that way, but I had to admit he was right. I enjoy a lot of outdoor activitiesfishing, hiking, birding, camping, wildlife photographybut wingshooting is in my blood.

What is it about bird hunting that compels us to spend countless hours training dogs and logging hundredsor even thousandsof miles every fall in search of a perfect hunt? In part, its the wildness and beauty of the birds themselves. Upland game birds and waterfowl are noble creatures, the product of healthy habitats in rural landscapes. Whether its a long-spurred rooster pheasant in a Montana river bottom or a diminutive Gambels quail in Arizonas Sonoran desert, game birds in flight against an autumn sky are the stuff of hunters dreams.

But its more than just the birds we seek. Its the peace and serenity of the places where game birds live. Its the fragrance of decaying leaves, the sight of hardwoods ablaze with color, the rose-tinged beauty of a prairie sunrise, the tang of autumn in the air. Its the elegance and athleticism of gun dogs, doing what theyve been bred and trained to do. Its the heft of a familiar shotgun, perhaps one handed down from a father or grandfather. Its the freedom to walk the woods or prairies until your legs ache, and come home happy at the end of the day. Its the priceless hours spent afield with friends and family. Its the bird hunters roadhunting rigs, leaky tents, campfires, small-town cafes, and mom-and-pop motels where the signs say Hunters Welcome.

There are many ways to enjoy bird hunting, but the one I have chosen is simple: no fancy hunting lodges with planted birds, no quail plantations with mule-drawn wagons, no driven birds in England or Scotland, no sizzling dove shoots in South America. I have nothing against these things; theyre fine for hunters with the financial means and the inclination to enjoy them. But for me, it has always been wild birds, a dog Ive trained from a pup, an old gun that has served me well, and plenty of boot leather. Most of the time, my hunting trips have not yielded a bulging game bag. But theyve provided me something more valuable: a wealth of experience, a slew of adventures, and a rich storehouse of memories. In the end, its not how many birds you shoot that is important; its how you take them and how you honor their taking.

Because I respect and admire gun dogsboth the upland breeds and waterfowl retrieversyoull read much about them here. For me, following gun dogs has been an irresistible calling, and Ive been fortunate to roam the fields and marshes with several fine ones. More important, my dogs have shared and enriched my life year-round, and for that I owe them much. I hope youll enjoy coming along with us in the pages of this book.