Winter is here.

We had our first big snow. I ended up with about 8 inches on my lawn. Much more to come. I had to get some pictures of my pigeon loft for someone. While I was out I got a couple of pictures of my favorite bird.  I really like the first one against the cloudy sky.

I’m so much cooler online.

This new Brad Paisley song cracks me up.  I found the video on youtube. 

Quick update.

Where to start?  Sorry I have neglected this blog for several weeks.  There has been a lot of things happen which have kept me very busy both personal issues and with my other hobby websites.  The Utah Division of Wildlife forum met it’s demise.  I helped out as a volunteer moderator for a couple of years there.  During that time I learned many things and developed some great friendships.  I was interviewed by the newspaper about the events,   ”Closing of DWR’s sometimes raucous online forums comes as no surprise“. 

The decision to pull the forums was made difficult for DWR officials because they account for the vast majority of visits to the site. Karpowitz said there will be a revised format for public comments on the site in the future.
The volunteer moderators did not want to wait for edited and state-controlled content. They prefer open discussion, even if it does get heated at times, and have revised the forums in a similar format at a new site - utahwildlife.net - with no ties to the state.
“We hope a lot of the people from the forums will find their way to our site so we can continue where we left off,” said Rod Ashby, who served as a volunteer monitor on the DWR’s site and helped create the new forums. “A lot of good things come from the forums. We had a lot of ethical debates about how to handle certain situations. And, personally, I got to meet a lot of people I probably never would have met if it wasn’t for the forums.”
There are many anglers and hunters on forum pages who have met each other for fishing or hunting trips, and probably a few marriages came as a result of these chat rooms.
Ashby said he is working with the DWR to access the years of archived forums from the state Web site. Those will be posted at the new site once they are obtained.
“We will try to maintain the same atmosphere of promoting the ethics of hunting and fishing and the sharing of ideas,” Ashby said.

As the article mentioned we worked together and launched www.utahwildlife.net .  Many of the regular members who posted on the Division of Wildlife forums have joined up there.  Then I also launched another project which has been very fun so far www.utahbirddogs.com .  A forum for those interested in hunting with and training bird dogs. 

I am looking at getting back on track here with my blog.  Sorry I left it idle for so long.  I have some hunting adventures coming up.  Stay tuned……..

My Dove Opener.

I got up early on Saturday to make the 2.5 hour drive to my favorite spot. Camryn, my 6 year old had decided that she wanted to come along. After hitting the Wal Mart in Payson for some supplies we were running a little late. It was getting light and I could hear shots from the parking lot. We still had another hour to drive.

When we got near my spot, I noticed some turkeys (I really need to draw a tag for this area.). I would have put the stalk on for some better pictures, but I wanted to get hunting.

Then we pulled up to my spot. It is not on my Dad’s property, but I know who owns it. I have hunted that spot for the last few years on the opener. It is some cedar trees that are next to a retention pond that my Dad built for his irrigation system. Great spot for Doves. To my dismay, there were already three trucks there with about 8 hunters. I talked briefly to one of them. He said “We’ve been hunting this spot for 14 years.” - Yeah right. I left them alone and went to try some other spots.

Camryn and I ended up wandering around the trees on my Dad’s property. Exploring and taking pictures.

Finally I saw one dove in a tree. I was able to get close enough for a shot just as it took off. Spooner retrieved his first wild bird nicely. Not to hand, but I was glad that he would retrieve a dove.

Meanwhile I could hear those guys back at my spot. Shot after shot rang out. We didn’t see another bird. Camryn and I walked around a lot. She likes exploring as much as I do.

We hiked over to the spring that ends up as the irrigation water for my Dad’s place. It had been a long time since I hiked up to the source. Camryn hadn’t been there yet and I thought it would be fun for her.

This is where it comes out of the ground. There is a muddy area just above it. I could see that it had been used recently as an Elk wallow.

Camryn and Spooner above the Spring.

On the way back down from the spring, Camryn said she saw an animal. She wasn’t sure what it was but it was grey and it looked like a wolf or “woof” as she called it only smaller. I missed it, but I guess she must have seen her first coyote.

By this time it was only about noon. We headed into town for some lunch, and explored the Territorial Capitol in Fillmore. Camryn was still having a good time with “her old man”. I can’t believe she already calls me that. We headed back out and found my spot empty. We took a short nap under a tree. Then took a look at the watch. It was only 3pm. I figured we could wait around till dark for another chance at birds. Camryn wanted to head home. Reluctantly I gave in.

About half way home I called Caleb to see how his hunt was going out in the west desert. He said there was plenty of birds and that I should come out.

You want to do what?

Caleb gave me his GPS coordinates and we changed course. We arrived to meet Caleb and Tyson with about 2 hours of daylight left. Plenty of time to exchange stories about the days events. Tyson had shot his first 3 doves that morning. Caleb had a few in the bag too.

Just as the sun began to set, the birds started coming into the watering hole Caleb had picked out. Caleb and Tyson put a couple more in the bag. I missed some easy shots. Camryn was a trooper and hung out with the boys despite being tired.

I have shot training birds over Spooner several times. He never showed any signs of being gunshy. The thought never entered my mind to worry about him. After the second or third round of 3 of us blasting our shoguns at the same time, Spooner took off back to the Jeep. He glued himself to a tire under the rig. I am very sad and concerned about this. I plan to go back to square one introducing gunfire. I hope there wasn’t permanant damage done.

We left at dark and I hurried out of there. My wife wasn’t too happy about the side trip on the way home, so I tried to hurry. We got home around 9:30pm. It was a long day. 500 miles round trip for one dove. But you know what….

….. It’s not always about the birds.

Dove Hunt though the eyes of a 6 year old.

Camryn went out on the Dove opener with me. She wanted to take some pictures. I let her use my little Pentax WPi. I showed her how to turn it on and how to take a picture. These photos are unedited just as she took them. Not bad for a 6 year old.

Tomorrow starts the Dove Hunting season.

Mourning Dove, originally uploaded by Mangesh Bhide - Z612.

 

I’ll be heading to Millard County, UT with my Daughter Camryn.  On this hunt I won’t bring all the dogs.  Just Spooner this time.  I want to get him some experience retrieving birds.  Hopefully he’ll get a few chances.

 

The Upland Bird Season is here!

 

Pigeon babies day sixteen.

Still growing. The feathers are coming in better. Looks like we’ll have a blue bar or a grey bar.

Pigeon babies day fourteen.

I missed a few days due to the vacation. He’s still growing. Specifically his wings grew a lot during the past few days. Looks like he is already testing them out a bit.

I also ended up with 7 other squabs that are just one week behind this guy. Should make for a fine crew of young fliers this fall.

Checking out.

I’ll be away for a few days.  Headed up to beautiful Star Valley, Wyoming.  We’ll probably visit Jackson Hole and might even make a quick run for Yellowstone.  Hope to get some fishing in with the kids and some serious relaxation.  Were going to hit some geocaches along the way.  I’ll cook some dutch oven meals and with any luck I’ll eat some fresh trout.

I’ll get some photos and report back on Tuesday.

Here We Are. - Jimmy Buffett

I located a great clip.  This video was played at the 2006 “Party at the End of the World” Tour.  I really enjoyed this one.  I hope you will too.