I am heading out later today (thursday) for my annual 3 dayer pheasant hunting trip to Kansas. I first started going there in 1996 while I was stationed on my first stint in Colorado Springs. I was invited by a friend of mine's dad who met up with a guy who lives just outside of Dodge City and is a custom cutter. They didn't have dogs and I had my labs and was running them in all sorts of field trials and hunt tests at the time.
As a Texas boy born and raised and then joining the Air Force and getting stationed all over, I had never hunted wild pheasants and always wanted too. So after that first time hunting I was hooked!! I am also an avid waterfowler, however I love walking thru the fields with my labs as much I like sitting in a duck blind calling em in.
Now, with my son being 11yrs old, finishined his hunters education course and after hunting opening day in Colorado with him. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing him shoot his first pheasant.
I just want to pass along how much I appreciate the good folks in Kansas. It warms my heart knowing that there are still folks who put God, country, family and hunting above everything else...they work hard but play harder...and that they still believe in handshake.
It is what we called in the Air Force, Integrity. Which is doing what is right when no one is looking....
I do know that things have changed a bit over the past 14years down there. My local friend use to be able to get us on any private land anywhere around there. Now, folks have started charging and people hold their fields and stuff for their "paid" hunters. Which I guess I don't blame in a way, I mean you have to make a living.
In fact I talked to him earlier this week and he said "Greg, it has gotten tougher...there are still places to go and hunt, however not like it use to be"....
That kind of makes me sad in a way because I think back to how good it really was at one time and I just thought it would always be like that....guess I should have known better....and I just hope that there will still be places for son to take his son and my grandchildren....
Well I wish the weather was going to be colder, however like I have always said, if there are birds then it doesn't much matter what the weather is like....it can help, however if they are there they won't be going very far....
meanwhile back at the ranch...
Greg
As a Texas boy born and raised and then joining the Air Force and getting stationed all over, I had never hunted wild pheasants and always wanted too. So after that first time hunting I was hooked!! I am also an avid waterfowler, however I love walking thru the fields with my labs as much I like sitting in a duck blind calling em in.
Now, with my son being 11yrs old, finishined his hunters education course and after hunting opening day in Colorado with him. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing him shoot his first pheasant.
I just want to pass along how much I appreciate the good folks in Kansas. It warms my heart knowing that there are still folks who put God, country, family and hunting above everything else...they work hard but play harder...and that they still believe in handshake.
It is what we called in the Air Force, Integrity. Which is doing what is right when no one is looking....
I do know that things have changed a bit over the past 14years down there. My local friend use to be able to get us on any private land anywhere around there. Now, folks have started charging and people hold their fields and stuff for their "paid" hunters. Which I guess I don't blame in a way, I mean you have to make a living.
In fact I talked to him earlier this week and he said "Greg, it has gotten tougher...there are still places to go and hunt, however not like it use to be"....
That kind of makes me sad in a way because I think back to how good it really was at one time and I just thought it would always be like that....guess I should have known better....and I just hope that there will still be places for son to take his son and my grandchildren....
Well I wish the weather was going to be colder, however like I have always said, if there are birds then it doesn't much matter what the weather is like....it can help, however if they are there they won't be going very far....
meanwhile back at the ranch...
Greg
