Upland Almanac Summer 2018

If you are like me, you will be watching television and see something that's going on in the world. You'll pay attention for a while and then your own life gets in the way, and you don't pay attention to that incident anymore. ...Read More >

Welcome to our 20th Anniversary issue of The Upland Almanac! I hope you have been enjoying the journey we’ve taken together and that you, like me, still after 20 years find little nuggets of surprise and joy in our magazine. ...Read More >

“One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen.ˮ – Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac ...Read More >

With reported threats to ruffed grouse populations, high-quality and abundant young forest habitat is where the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society will maintain their focus. ...Read More >

As you can see in my photo on this page, the type of dog that suits me is the English setter, specifically the one known as Ryman-type, named after George Ryman who developed the prototype dogs between 1911 and 1955. These dogs have shared my life for over four decades, but never in that time have I seen such an organized and directed effort on their behalf as there is now. ...Read More >

Two main problem areas seem to trouble trainers more than others: control around birds and obedience in the face of distractions. ...Read More >

The beauty and romance are in the eye of the beholder. When I arrived at the covert, my friend Dave was sitting on the tailgate of his truck with a hammer gun open over his knee and his dog’s leash hooked to the trailer hitch ball. He displayed that special grin that suggested a surprise was about to be revealed. ...Read More >

We human beings are far from perfect when we swing our shotguns. We are flawed and make mistakes, and sometimes when we are bird hunting – or clay target shooting – we make more snafus than we can easily live with. ...Read More >

Humidity and heat do nothing for this antsy bird hunter apart from making me check the calendar often and hope that the weather isn’t going to be too warm this year for early season doves. Even the 2-year-old springer has joined the golden retriever in the shade behind the barn, and that never happens. ...Read More >

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” That statement was running through my head as I loaded up my black Lab Frank in the backseat of my pickup with plans for a morning California quail hunt. Part of the statement I agree with, part I don’t. First of all, I’m halfway through my sixth decade, and with each decade I’ve seen changes in my style of hunting. Not looking to bust up a mountain anymore after chukar, more to an easier walk through farmland. What haven’t changed are my dog’s excitement and my own of another hunt. ...Read More >

Years and years ago, it occurred to me that self-satisfaction corrodes the gearbox of one’s drive for excellence. To repel such an enemy, I formulated a maxim that makes a pre-emptive strike before the rust even begins to think about setting in: “Don’t trust contentment; it can lead to complacency.” ...Read More >

Released from his crate at the edge of a huge expanse of CRP, the young springer Gus hit the ground running and was immediately on a bird. In hot pursuit, my Usain Bolt impression lasted 10 yards, then slowed substantially when the distance stretched to 50 yards. At 75 yards, my burning lungs called time out. No gold medal for Alan. ...Read More >

Kurt Oelmann had a Ryman setter named Satan; Black Satan JOJO, to be exact. This dog was bred by our mutual friend George Hanson and was Kurt’s pride and joy. He wanted a pup out of Satan very badly. Badly enough to leave Satan with a breeder for a period of time, hoping that he would sire a litter of pups. As far as Kurt knew, he did not succeed. ...Read More >

Just outside the back door of the main lodge at Brown’s Hunting Ranch near Gettysburg in north central South Dakota, rugged ravines give way to a breathtaking stretch of the Missouri River, where the big waters reach up into Whitlock Bay before taking a hard turn toward the west. In the distance, the Forest City Bridge ushers vehicles on U.S. Highway 212 across these broad waters, while below the lodge a landscape trades its summer clothes for the reds, golds and browns of fall. Time for some of the best pheasant hunting South Dakota has to offer. ...Read More >

Italy’s Valtrompia Valley, known as the “Valley of the Gun,” is perhaps the most influential of all firearm manufacturing regions in the world. ...Read More >

“When I hunt ruffed grouse, I choose to kill only male grouse. When I hunt woodcock, I choose to kill only male woodcock.” ...Read More >

We tested the CleanShot during a Ruffed Grouse Society shooting event at the Gun River Skeet and Trap Club near Grand Rapids, Michigan, last fall. ...Read More >

Brad Varney, “The Shooter’s Guru” is Maine’s Premier Wing and Clay Shooting Instructor. With over 60 years’ wing shooting experience and 45 years’ instruction experience, Brad Varney teaches how to shoot safely, accurately, and naturally. ...Read More >