Montana Husker
Banned
Well, turning 50, half a century old. Thinking about the changes in Bird hunting that I have seen and experienced. Grew up hunting Nebraska since I was old enough to walk thru stalks, draws, and fence lines. I remember starting carrying a gun in the late 70's, there were birds, pheasant, quail and grouse, but nothing like it would be with the start of CRP. If you ever hunted in Nebraska, you will know the name Lyell Bremser, he called Husker football games on Saturdays. How many birds I cleaned while listening to him, I will never know, but I do know every cafe or gas station in Nebraska was tuned into him on Saturdays, listening. But Lyell called it quits, just after that, CRP came to be. I was able to experience pheasant hunting on friends and family farms that I will never forget. I remember as a young man, telling my boss, I didn't know when, but the first snow fall, I would be out sick on that day...sure enough it came, and I was. Pheasant hunting was my addiction. Seeing waves of birds was truly amazing. There were places in Nebraska in the late 80's and early 90's that at the time, were the best in the country. I hunted from Crawford to Falls City. I will never forget those days. Then, the late 90's came, fewer acres of CRP, fewer birds. Soybeans have taken the place of Milo as a rotation crop. The 2000's came, and I was lucky enough to come to Montana, where I still call home. I was promised bird hunting like few ever see, and boy did Montana deliver. Coulee's and stubble fields have been awesome. I admit, I have been spoiled when it comes to hunting, family and friends have always been kind to me, and vice versus. But now, pheasant hunting is in a crisis, weather, habitat, farming. The biggest change of course is farming practices, machinery, fertilizers, ect.. Weather, it changes, always has, always will. The extreme drought still ongoing here where I live in Montana has been very tough on birds, I can only hope they can bounce back, but it is looking tough, for a bird that was introduced to this country. Grouse, quail, they seems to fair better, understandably. The commercialization of bird hunting is another huge change. Right or wrong, that is for a different conversation. The mobility of hunters is another huge change. A person get on a plane in NY or LA and be bird hunting the same day. Vehicles are a lot more reliable, I remember hunting with my dad in a old jeepster commando......well, tried hunting, usually ended up fiddling with jeepster more then hunting, which reminds me, the heaters the new Pu's have are wonderful, compared to that old jeep.
I have hunted thru a few blizzards, worse I recall in Nebraska was the Halloween Blizzard in '91. driving thru closed roads, drifts, white outs, stupid things you do while your young and invincible. I have hunted Montana during a storm or 2, but I am a lot wiser then when I was young. Had a group of friends come a few years back, either 08 or 09, early December, Blizzard hit, high's were in the -25 range, winds were brutal. But, they were damn sure we were going out. I took them to one spot , walked about 100 yards, and told them, this wasn't fair to dogs, birds or me, loaded up and headed back to town. In Montana, weather can kill you, or your pup.
Now, pups. I have truly been blessed with the dogs I have that I have had. My first was a Golden Retriever, folks named him Nugget, lol, he was a good family dog, can't really remember hunting with him, do remember my dad cussing a time or two at him. Then I had a Brittany, Misty was here name, very nice dog, good nose, great family dog, was plagued by seizures, thinking it may have been diabetic, still lived a long good life. Then, I became a young man, I decided on GWP pups. I have owned 4, Grizz, Cody, Rowdy and my current pup, Sport. They have been and continue to be why I hunt, to see their drive and passion in their eyes, I will not brag on each of them, I will say, a bird hunter, would have been proud to call any of these theirs. I have added a new breed to my home, a Large Munsterlander, Lauger, second LM I have owned, Chance was the first. They have been a very neat addition to my hunting, Tremendous nose, retrieving, their attitude is different then my GWP's, more affectionate, always wanting to be close to me, not to say they are at my feet hunting, they range fine, The GWP's on the other hand, all are highly driven, their life is hunting, period.
I worry about my nephew's and nieces and their kids future for hunting, seems like to many family's do not keep that tradition alive any more, very sad. I do all I can to invite my family hear to Montana and experience it when ever they can. But kids are so busy anymore with activities. But strangely, how often do you see kids playing football, basket ball or baseball, just for fun, not in a league. Heck when we were young, we would wear out our lawn playing those things on it. Just my 2 cents. I hope to have my nephew shoot his first buck next fall here in Montana, during the youth season, with his father as a mentor. That is how I was brought up, greeting my dad, grandfather, even great grandfather home after hunts, still have great granddads pic of the '30's at farm up near Clarkson, NE, old ford pu, with a box full of pheasants...lol, I hope I always remember that.....
Well, I could go on, but that is enough for now, how about you, what changes have you seen?
I have hunted thru a few blizzards, worse I recall in Nebraska was the Halloween Blizzard in '91. driving thru closed roads, drifts, white outs, stupid things you do while your young and invincible. I have hunted Montana during a storm or 2, but I am a lot wiser then when I was young. Had a group of friends come a few years back, either 08 or 09, early December, Blizzard hit, high's were in the -25 range, winds were brutal. But, they were damn sure we were going out. I took them to one spot , walked about 100 yards, and told them, this wasn't fair to dogs, birds or me, loaded up and headed back to town. In Montana, weather can kill you, or your pup.
Now, pups. I have truly been blessed with the dogs I have that I have had. My first was a Golden Retriever, folks named him Nugget, lol, he was a good family dog, can't really remember hunting with him, do remember my dad cussing a time or two at him. Then I had a Brittany, Misty was here name, very nice dog, good nose, great family dog, was plagued by seizures, thinking it may have been diabetic, still lived a long good life. Then, I became a young man, I decided on GWP pups. I have owned 4, Grizz, Cody, Rowdy and my current pup, Sport. They have been and continue to be why I hunt, to see their drive and passion in their eyes, I will not brag on each of them, I will say, a bird hunter, would have been proud to call any of these theirs. I have added a new breed to my home, a Large Munsterlander, Lauger, second LM I have owned, Chance was the first. They have been a very neat addition to my hunting, Tremendous nose, retrieving, their attitude is different then my GWP's, more affectionate, always wanting to be close to me, not to say they are at my feet hunting, they range fine, The GWP's on the other hand, all are highly driven, their life is hunting, period.
I worry about my nephew's and nieces and their kids future for hunting, seems like to many family's do not keep that tradition alive any more, very sad. I do all I can to invite my family hear to Montana and experience it when ever they can. But kids are so busy anymore with activities. But strangely, how often do you see kids playing football, basket ball or baseball, just for fun, not in a league. Heck when we were young, we would wear out our lawn playing those things on it. Just my 2 cents. I hope to have my nephew shoot his first buck next fall here in Montana, during the youth season, with his father as a mentor. That is how I was brought up, greeting my dad, grandfather, even great grandfather home after hunts, still have great granddads pic of the '30's at farm up near Clarkson, NE, old ford pu, with a box full of pheasants...lol, I hope I always remember that.....
Well, I could go on, but that is enough for now, how about you, what changes have you seen?
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