The Upland Almanac Autumn 2020

Just a few weeks more, and the days for which many of us live will be here. It’s as if we gladly do what we need to do for nine months of the year just so we can enjoy maybe three months chasing birds carrying our favorite guns with our favorite dogs leading the way. Whether it’s mourning dove, grouse, woodcock, pheasant or quail, the birds call us to the woods and hunting grounds and to leave the real world behind for an hour, a day, a week or however long we are out hunting. ...Read More >

Dog: Max, English setter ...Read More >

As Upland Almanac Editor Tom Carney was researching his article “Deciphering Dog Food Labels” (Summer 2020), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was conducting some research of its own. The upshot: You might want to think twice about feeding your dog some of the brands that advertise the most. ...Read More >

Syren USA is the division of Caesar Guerini USA that specializes in producing shotguns for women. To that end, Syren engineers guns to fit women’s anatomies and builds them with their body configurations in mind. One such gun, the Tempio field model, is elegant, balanced and soft hitting. At the same time, it is a serious shooting tool that doesn’t cut any corners with quality. ...Read More >

As part of a recent decision by the Board of Directors of Woodcock Limited to pursue a more focused approach to habitat work, Secretary/Treasurer Dennis LaBare has been working with the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) to seek funding for habitat restoration in southern New Jersey. ...Read More >

Few sounds in the woods really frighten me. A wolf howl makes my hair stand on end, every time. This one was butt-clenchingly close. ...Read More >

As we head into the field this fall, here are some training questions you might also have. ...Read More >

If a boy can be said to have a bucket list, quail hunting was an item on mine. Or perhaps it was just a dream that arose from seeing Walt Disney’s The Biscuit Eater and reading Robert Ruark’s “The Old Man and the Boy” stories. At a very young age, I thought quail only lived in the South; I imagined they were hunted by the elite on plantations, with horse-drawn wagons to transport the pointing and retrieving dogs, the hunters on horseback and a brace of skilled, well-trained dogs on the ground accompanied by a professional handler. When a find was made, the hunter would dismount, retrieve his bespoke high-end double-barreled gun and walk in for the covey rise. If a bird were downed, a pair of Boykin spaniels would be released to make the retrieve. ...Read More >

Do you remember when you left hints all around the house suggesting that all you really wanted for your 16th birthday was a new shotgun? Can you also recall the feelings you experienced while finally opening that pleasantly heavy, rectangular, gift-wrapped box on your special day? Interestingly, times have changed. Now parents or grandparents are likely to search for that perfect shotgun for Johnny or Mary at a much earlier age. ...Read More >

Want some big flavor? Try stirring in some guts. ...Read More >

Laurel, my spaniel sidekick for the past 11 seasons, will not be in the truck this October. She turned 12 in January, and her days afield are limited to memories. ...Read More >

Pyke Gear, D=Filson, SureCan, Inc. and Braeval. ...Read More >

I’ve got a gun. It’s a stupid gun I got to settle a feud; or at least, an impending feud. ...Read More >

Henry David Thoreau loved to deliver aphorisms, those little, “Hey, I’m a smart guy, get this” observations meant to illuminate others on some aspect of life he felt he had discovered. One of the things that makes Walden; Or Life in the Woods so difficult to read is the aphorisms. As I recall, you can’t make it through two consecutive pages without having to stop to try to figure out what newly discovered truth he is expounding upon rather than just blowing through the story of some guy who lived in the woods and liked to watch ants battle each other. ...Read More >

There are several reasons why I have written this book. I have hesitated to undertake it for a long time. I am aware that I cannot paint in glowing colors commonplace events. I know I have very little literary talent, but I have had such a glorious time afield with rod and gun for half a century, I feel that others should enjoy some of these memories with me. ...Read More >

Good sage grouse country is vast by necessity. In Oregon, Highway 140 takes you there, where the soil sits on top of Miocene rocks, 17-million-year-old basalts exposed by wind and water on the edges of sage plateaus. The dark igneous stones — earth’s prehistoric eyes — stare as you walk past. ...Read More >

It’s time for our annual preseason look at the habitat conditions, weather phenomena and bird populations across the Lower 48 states that will probably play a major role in the situations you face when you step into your favorite upland bird hunting spot this autumn. And please remember: Instead of only asking state-level game bird biologists to gaze into crystal balls during early spring and make astounding predictions for autumn, our crack team of reporters sought information and evaluations of the situations one can expect to encounter in each state. So here, over the next few pages, you’ll see their “scout,” their reports on what they’ve learned about bird hunting possibilities as we approach our favorite opening days. ...Read More >

It happens with a crack of a stick while walking in on a distant point; a covey explodes both left and right into the thicker stands of young Douglas firs. I touch off a shot down a darkened corridor between the trees, unsure whether a quail drops. But the telltale feathers lingering in the still forest air give hope of a bird in hand and a bird for Parker to retrieve. ...Read More >

Use it or lose it. A friend pointed this out recently as yet another reason to spend time and effort exploring the public land we citizens own and private land enrolled in states’ walk-in hunting access programs. But there are plenty of other reasons to check out such areas including price (free), availability (millions of acres) and prime habitat (sometimes). ...Read More >

Autumn brings the scent of wet dogs, Hoppe’s gun oil and fallen leaves. It’s time for a change. Evidence can be found in the golden leaves of the aspens and the muted reds, purples and oranges of the scrub oaks here in the Colorado Rockies. While marveling at the natural beauty of a changing season, though, hunters need also be aware of fairly recent changes in grouse species designations, seasonal grouse habitat variations and the hunting strategies and equipment that can improve grouse hunting success. ...Read More >

The fact I have never been on a “classic” quail hunt was rubbed in again last October by a gentleman with some obvious Southern roots. He had pulled up his pickup behind mine as I exited a tangle of wild blackberries that loosely followed a small creek into a steep, rocky canyon. ...Read More >

Bird Dogs & Birds is the second collection of 34 original bird hunting short stories written by lifelong upland bird hunter and outdoor writer, Chuck Martin. An Illinois native and avid conservationist, Martin writes with passion and understanding about bird dogs, hunting competitions, fine shotguns and a genuine love of the land. His stories cover over 50 years of outdoor adventures. His use of humor and surprise makes each story worth reading and remembering. ...Read More >