Back to Reality

Last week Nichole and I went back to Buffalo, NY to visit my family for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I had some time put aside to get in some deer hunting with some friends and family. I was able to get out for 3 hunts. The weather was unseasonably warm for that time of year and it seems the deer were just not moving. So in order to move deer we moved them, our family sits for the first part of the morning and then we go on foot to move the deer. Deer drives are always time honored tradition in our neck of the woods. For us they are successful for others maybe not but at least you keep warm and you see deer.

Camp

We were able to get some shots off but unfortunately none of the shots hit their mark. Not for me nor my brother-in-law. We hunted hard to show my nephew Ben that deer hunting with family was as fun as we have always told him it was. He hunted as hard as anyone and hoped as hard as anyone for one of to take a deer. But like we told him..."it's called hunting and not shooting". He'll be toting a firearm be for too long but his enthusiasm for the hunt is high as ever.

Pete and Ben

Ben

When I wasn't hunting I was enjoying some time with my family. This was the first time in 12 yrs that the 5 of us have been together for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It was a great time and we shared a ton of laughs...mostly at each others expense.

"The Whole Dam Family"

Well it's back to reality as I am geared up to work the next three weeks. It's our busy season at work so I hope I can make it out at least once for some pheasants before Christmas.

til next time......

Sometimes

To those you spend their days on the water, vast fields or thick coverts you know what it's like to have the distraction of our passion to mask the roller coaster of life. Wednesday was one of those days when being a field was the best thing possible. My Dad was having sugary while I was out on pheasant hunt with my brother, brother-in-law and hunting buddy Adis. The surgery was nothing too major but it was relief to be out on the plains chasing those wily birds. It's amazing that when life throws curve balls at me I always have the greatest opportunity to have the uplands and rivers as a temporary distraction. Eventually you have to face life but it's always easier when sometimes the medicine is the outdoors.

To sometimes!

til next time......

Standing Corn

The 2009 CO pheasant opener has come and gone and I'm fine with that. The over anticipation was quickly flattened by the middle of our hunt on Saturday. Once I realized that all of the birds where going to or in the standing corn I knew we were in for a long hunt. The good news.....there are plenty of birds and I can't wait until January!! Actually the bird population is the best I've seen in CO. Overall the hunt was a great. The dogs worked hard to put the birds up so we could miss some cherry shots but it wouldn't be hunting if that didn't happen. We'll see if I can make it out later this week.

Snowy bird from Sunday's hunt

til next time.....

Getting Ready...again

I guess one of the best parts about living in the west is the extended upland season. It seems like it was many moons ago when I itched to see Sept 1 on the calender. That has come and gone and so has the hunts that followed. The elk and deer and are now table fare. But we have yet another upland opener...pheasants and quail. I'll be chasing pheasants this weekend and a few days until the new year. I'll have a greater opportunity after the new year to really to hit the coverts but for now Saturday is another opening day.

Mia from a few years back. 1/07

til next time.....

Freezer is full

Yesterday, I returned from our annual Colorado big game hunt and it turned out to be a great success. We had the usual crew of six in camp and all had a great time. Here are a few photos to tell the story because I'm too tired to type.

A big thanks goes out to our crew for helping each other drag and pack out all the game:

Pappa Denny, Adam , Pete, Pete M & Phil.

Between the six of us in camp we took 3 bucks, 1 6x6 bull elk and 2 cow elk. So the freezer is going to be full and we'll be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor for the next year.

Back to the birds!!!

til next time..............

Let it Begin

Tomorrow starts a month long journey of big game hunting in the CO mountains then the CO pheasant opener and then a trip home to NY. It's going to be one busy month but I'm looking forward to it. I have a great assortment of tags for our big hunt so I hope to fill the freezer and maybe trophy!?! I'm sure the girls will be going nuts while I'm up at camp but they'll get a chance to shine on the pheasants.

Here are a few more photographs from a grouse hunt in early October.

til next time.....

Purgatory

From what I remember from my 12 years of Catholic schooling, purgatory is the time/place between death and heaven. By no means am I getting religious on you because the roof might fall on us...Yes, I mean us because I know about some of the readers of this blog!!! I'm just trying to explain that I am longing to chase some wild birds again. That chase won't pick back up until November 14th when we hit the prairies of Eastern Colorado for the Chinese Ringneck Pheasant. Unless we have some divine intervention in my work schedule I don't believe that I'll get after any Blue Grouse ......I mean Dusky Grouse until Sept 1, 2010. But before I start chasing those ditch chickens I'll be heading up to the high country for some deer and elk with the usual suspects, just take a look at this crew.

My lucky ass brother Phil with cousin "Peaches" in the back round!!

"yeah sure we'll waste a day of hunting to pack out your deer for you!!

The girls will be driving Nichole next week when I head up to deer camp for a few days but we'll be chasing birds before we know it!!

The girls resting and waiting.

I guess purgatory can't be that bad....I'll still get to hunt...!

til next time.....