Andrew Marshall Wayment's Blog, page 14
April 27, 2014
Skin Laceration Repair in the Field: SportDOG Blog
Here’s my latest veterinary blog post on SportDOG Brand’s Blog.
http://www.sportdog.com/blog/2014/04/skin-laceration-repair-in-the-field/
I’ve been fishing the Arkansas River a lot this spring and the caddis are finally here…more to follow.
March 23, 2014
FLY FISHING IDAHO’S SECRET WATERS by CHRIS HUNT
I just finished my friend, Chris Hunt’s new book, Fly Fishing Idaho’s Secret Waters. Fly fishermen are usually a tight-lipped bunch about their favorite fishing spots. So to write a book on this subject is a touchy proposition. Being a diehard fly fisherman from Idaho, however, I can truly say that I enjoyed the book. I honestly did not take offense at any of the locations or the information that Chris discloses. The simple truth is Idaho is so chuck full of good fishing that I do not think that Chris’ book even scratched the surface.
I have fished many of the waters that Chris mentions, in particular Moose Creek, Bear Creek, and the Little Lost, and experienced great fishing on all of them. Chris suggests that fishing upstream is the only way to go on Moose Creek, but he may be surprised to know that my best success on that little gem of a spring creek is to fish downstream with one of my Dad’s Red-Butted Double Renegades and, after the fly passes over a sweet spot, then I skitter the fly back upstream. For me, the overwhelming majority of the strikes and the fish I’ve caught on Moose Creek have come from that irresistible skitter. Regardless of how you fish Moose Creek, once it grabs ahold of your heart, this sweet little creek won’t let go.
No sense to come in out of the rain . . . especially when fishing Moose Creek.
As for the Little Lost, I’ll just say that Chris’ family may have a little company from the Wayment Clan the next time they fish this awesome river. Chris’ chapter on this sink stream totally piqued my interest and I can’t wait to try for a native bull trout . . . I mean a redside rainbows (wink, wink). For those interested in reading this chapter, follow this LINK.
Many of the rivers and creeks that Chris mentions in his book I have not fished and may never, but that did not lessen the enjoyment of the book for me. I’ll be honest. I’m not a huge fan of where-to/how-to books. However, Chris has a way of telling a good story while sharing interesting and useful information and he’s a dang good writer, to boot. He makes it look easy. I particularly liked the chapters where he shares anecdotes of fishing with his daughter, Delaney, and his son, Cameron. Oh, and though I’ve fought the urge for years, Chris has me chomping at the bit to try Tenkara on some of my favorite little creeks. In fact, I plan to take Chris this summer to one of my favorite little Yellowstone Cutthroat creeks, a place I call, “Trickle Creek.” Maybe the master can show me how it’s done.
Eden fights a little brookie on Moose Creek.
In addition to excellent writing, this book is packed with numerous beautiful color photos, which makes the book visually appealing. I have Chris’ first book, Stream Dreams: A Fly Fisher’s Guide to Eastern Idaho’s Small Water, which I use all the time. It’s a great book, but lacks color photos! The beautiful color photos in Secret Waters brings Chris’ work to a whole new level.
Stream Dreams by Chris Hunt
In addition to telling a good story, Chris’s passion for conservation really shines through in every chapter. Chris is National Communications Director Trout Unlimited. Interestingly, Chris did not start out as a conservationist, but rather as a fisherman. It was his love of the trout and the wild places they inhabit that led to his current profession. A significant theme–if not the major theme–of the book is that these little known creeks and rivers throughout Idaho are worth saving. I couldn’t agree more.
Our rivers and streams are a sacred heritage that we must preserve to pass on to our kids.
To sum it up, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to the readers of Upland Ways.
Thanks again Chris for letting me review this beautiful book!
March 15, 2014
March 2, 2014
February 26, 2014
BANNER DAY WITH WALTER
In October of 2008, Shawn and I got together for our annual weeklong hunt in the uplands of Idaho. Shawn invited our friend, Walter Bruning, to come along for the adventure. I knew Walter a little through the Upland Equations blog, but had never met him in person before this time.
My friend, Walter H. Bruning, with his first sharptail from the Royal Macnab.
Walter had not hunted for a few years because of health issues, but with Shawn’s help, Walter found a fully trained English Pointer, “Erin’s Southern Pride,” or “Pride” for short, and planned to hunt again that fall. During the weeks preceding our hunt, Walter expressed enthusiasm for the forthcoming hunt, but he felt some trepidation about whether he could haul his old bones up and down our hilly Idaho coverts.
At the time, I was having troubles with my semi-auto 12 gauge and Shawn offered to let me use his Ruger Red Label 20 Gauge O/U for the week. Unbeknownst to me, Shawn planned to give this gun to me as he had fallen for his little AYA 20 Gauge SxS. Walter was in on the plot and picked up a box of 100 7 ½ shot shells for me. When we met up at my parents’ home in Rupert, Idaho, Shawn and Walter presented me with their gifts. I was both grateful and humbled by their generosity. I really liked Walter from the beginning.
On our first day of hunting, we headed north to Sun Valley in hopes of finding some chukars and Huns in the morning and some spruce grouse in the afternoon. Our morning hunt was a bust with no birds to show for our efforts. In fact, the highlight of our morning occurred when my younger brother Robbie, who joined us for only that first day, walked out of the local gas station and declared: “I came out of that place feeling a lot lighter and it ain’t from the $1.50 I just dropped for hot chocolate!” We all laughed as we caught his drift.
Robbie Wayment, our comic relief for day one of the hunt.
For lunch, we stopped at our favorite taqueria in Bellevue and then headed over Galena Summit to search for spruce grouse, but again found no birds. So my dream of obtaining the Idaho Grouse Grand Slam—taking one of each of Idaho’s five species in one season—would have to wait. Unquestionably, bird numbers were down in Idaho in 2008. So for day two, we all felt we needed a different game plan.
The Royal Macnab by Walter H. Bruning
The choice was easy: The Royal Macnab, which I have written about numerous times. This incomparable covert is comprised primarily of CRP fields that slope gently downhill. However, through the rolling CRP fields the hand of time has gouged numerous parallel draws running east to west which have drained the area for ages. As the draws slope downhill to the west, they become increasingly deeper and wider to the point where they become more like canyons. Inside, the draws are lined with quaking aspens and numerous berry bushes, including service berry, rose hips, elder berry, and choke cherry which serve as food sources for all the game birds, including ruffed grouse, Hungarian partridge, pheasant, and most importantly, sharptail. Above the CRP fields to the east are grand, steep mountains with thick pine forests. To sum it up, the surrounding panorama is simply breathtaking. We couldn’t have picked a more glorious day to hunt this locale. Walter was smitten just like us Wayments when we first experienced this wonderful place.
Shawn and Ellie hunt the Royal Macnab at first light.
For our first hunt, we hiked toward the Pinch Point and then across the big draw and down the rolling CRP hills that have consistently held sharptails over the years. I hiked on the right-hand side near the large draw while Walter and Shawn hunted parallel to me on my left. I watched from a distance as Miss Pride locked up on point, a sharpie flushed straightaway, and Walter smoothly mounted his gun. Everything seemed to unfold in slow motion. I saw the bird fall before I heard the gun’s report. I could tell that Walter was elated by Pride’s find and his good shooting.
Shawn’s Ellie soon found and flushed a bird and Shawn added a sharptail to his bag. Shortly thereafter, Walter made good on another opportunity filling his two bird limit around 10:00 a.m.
Andy and Sunny hunt the rolling CRP fields in search of sharptails.
At around 10:30 a.m. we all hunted south directly toward the first small finger draw. As we passed through some choke cherry and elder berry thickets and stepped onto the grassy foot of a hill, a nice flock of sharptails flushed before me and I promptly swung my new shotgun and dropped one, but did not take a second shot.
Shawn asked me, “Why didn’t you try for a double?”
“That’s a good question. I guess I was surprised to see the first one fall.” I lamely replied as Sunny Girl made the retrieve. Due to the heat of the Indian Summer day, Walter then decided to head back to the truck for a break.
Meanwhile, Shawn and I split up. I recall that I missed quite a few shots that day with my new over and under because I was unsure where it was shooting. I’m sure I felt terrible about my shooting, but time glosses over those miserable misses such that I don’t recall the specifics.
Whereas, Shawn hunted a quakie thicket we call, “The Pinch” and had a wily ruffed grouse royally burn him in the thick timber. Shortly after this experience, Shawn fondly wrote: “I’ll be dreaming of the ruffed grouse that THUNDERED out of that aspen choked draw of the Royal Macnab, without offering me a shot, for years and years to come!” I chuckle because I had that same bird burn my biscuits a time or two. I report with a twinge of sadness that I finally caught up with this grudge bird in December of 2009.
Shawn’s dogs soon found a sharptail in this same draw and Shawn finished his two bird limit for the day. With the heat of the noonday sun overhead, I hunted back up the edge of the biggest draw on the property and Sunny soon found a covey of sharptails loafing in the shade of some golden quakies. I blazed away with both barrels to no effect. At the time, I wondered—as I have so many times before—if I had blown my chances to get a limit. However, as long as the gun is loaded and there is cover between you and the truck, a hunter should never give up hope.
When Sunny and I reached the top of the draw, we approached a creek bed with shoulder high grass and a solitary sharptail flushed presenting a quartering right to left shot, which is a favorite of mine. Even with the new gun, I comfortably swung through the bird with a slight lead, pulled the trigger, and the bird dropped into the tall grass. Little Sunny struggled through the grass to locate the downed bird and I ended up finding it before her. My hope had paid off.
Hope fulfilled.
With that last shot, Shawn soon made it up to my position and we congratulated each other on filling our limits. We walked back to the truck with smiles on our faces as we discussed our good fortune. We found Walter sitting in the back of the truck soaking up the October sun, relishing the moment. I decided then to play a little trick on Walter.
Walter, soaking it all in.
“I love this place! I heard lots of shooting. How’d you guys do?” asked Walter eagerly.
“I got my limit.” Shawn replied.
“I had lots of opportunities, but I just couldn’t connect.” I responded with a look of disappointment.
When I saw that Walter had bought into my fib, I then reached into my game bag and, with a big smile on my face, pulled out two grouse.
Royal Macnab Harvesters by Walter H. Bruning
“Andy, you turkey! So we all got our limits? Praise God! I’m so happy for you. Good job!” exclaimed Walter.
By the time we left the Royal Macnab, I had no doubts that Walter treasured this place, this day, and our banner hunt. While we enjoyed the rest of the week hunting in Idaho, we had no other days that even came close to this special day. I’m happy to report that Walter hiked hard the whole week and held up just fine.
Shawn, Ellie, Gretchen, and Walter pose with three limits of sharpies. What a banner day!
I did not realize it until recently, but this week in 2008 was Walter’s final hunt on wild birds. Walter now hunts with his paint brush and recreates from memory beautiful scenes from the uplands that still haunt his dreams. While I am sad that there will be no more days afield with Walter, I am glad that Shawn and I got to spend this week with him and that he got to experience firsthand the Royal Macnab. I am certain that when I reach the winter of my life and I can no longer take to the field with dogs and guns, memories of this sacred place will warm my soul.
Walter and Andy work the tree line.
Author’s note: Please check out Walter’s awesome paintings on his website: www.abigbrushwithnature.com. Walter’s paintings are reasonably priced and the proceeds go to a good cause.
February 17, 2014
A BIG BRUSH WITH NATURE: THE ARTWORK OF WALTER BRUNING
“And God saw everything that he had made. And they were very good.” –Genesis 1:31
I wanted to share with the readers of Upland Ways the artwork of my friend, Walter Bruning. Walter has been a friend of the Wayment Brothers since 2008 and he was a contributor to our blog Upland Equations, which was the precursor for Upland Ways. We asked Walter to join forces with us because of his wealth of experience in all things upland including dogs, birds, fine double guns, conservation, and even writing. Walter was one of the original board members for Pheasants Forever and wrote numerous articles for various hunting magazines. I didn’t know until recently that Walter is also an excellent artist.
Walter Bruning and his English Point, Erin’s Southern Pride.
In October of 2008, I had the good fortune of spending a week with Walter and my brother Shawn in the uplands of Idaho. While the hunting was tough, we shared some beautiful days together. I did not realize that this was Walter’s last hunt on wild birds until I read his website. I am honored that Shawn and I could spend this time with Walter. Be watching the next couple of weeks for a post about a banner day we shared together hunting sharptails at our favorite covert, the Royal Macnab. What a glorious day that was!
The Royal Macnab by Walter Bruning
Unfortunately, Walter’s days afield are at an end, but hunting and fishing are still close to his heart. On his website, Walter wrote: “Since my hunting, shooting and fishing career is over, I paint God’s world from my memories . . . .” As you look at Walter’s paintings, it is evident that he has truly been there and done that. It’s good to know that Walter can still feel that special connection to Nature and Nature’s Creator through paintbrush and paper.
This is a painting by Walter from our sharptail hunt in 2008, This painting captures one of my favorite places in the height of its glory. Of course, I bought it.
As you can see, Walter’s artwork is excellent. I should note that the paintings Walter sells on his website are original watercolors and not prints. Walter also does commissions, so if you have a scene that you want captured from your outdoor adventures keep him in mind.
Woodcock . . . No Snipe! by Walter Bruning. I absolutely love this painting because it captures so grandly the aspen uplands. This is my personal favorite from Walter’s portfolio.
The absolute coolest thing about Walter’s endeavors is that the proceeds from the paintings go to a good cause. Except for a small amount to cover his expenses, Walter donates the money to Brother Benno’s Foundation for the Poor and Homeless. Walter just started the website a few weeks ago and he has already donated more than $1,200.00 to this worthy cause.
Fast Water Rainbows and Browns by Walter Bruning.
I encourage you to check out Walter’s website, A Big Brush With Nature to see more of his work. I am sure you will find his excellent paintings visually appealing and reasonably priced. People like Walter make me want to be a better person. I am honored to call him my friend.
February 16, 2014
February 15, 2014
SMOKE ON THE WIND by DOUG DEATS
I recently read my friend, Doug Deats’ book, Smoke on the Wind: Short Stories and Essays, on a cold, Saturday in February. With the hunting season over and the fishing season not quite in full swing in Idaho, this book was a great way to spend a day and to feel that special connection to my beloved outdoors.
Smoke on the Wind by Doug Deats
For those of you who don’t know Doug Deats, he hails from Central Virginia and works at the Rasawek Hunting Preserve where he trains dogs and guides hunts. In his spare time, Doug writes about his outdoor passions. I’m happy to report that the most popular post on Upland Ways was a guest post by Doug entitled: “The Final Word.” It’s a classic! Doug is the son of a preacher and is, himself, a preacher of sorts. His strong faith shines through in his stories, but never in a judgmental, in your face sort of way. It’s just who Doug is.
Doug Deats and a few of his varied dogs.
Smoke on the Wind contains true stories of Doug’s outdoor adventures from hunting squirrels with a brown dog as a kid to the pursuit of his beloved ruffed grouse with setters and native brookies with the fly rod. My favorite chapter of the book, “The Brookie,” combines these two passions as Doug hunts for grouse with his bird dog through an abandoned homestead with an overgrown apple orchard like you read about in so many of the classics. As he hunts this covert, Doug observes an old pump house that catches his attention. When he looks inside, Doug senses the presence of something special and soon sees a monster of a brook trout trapped in the pump-house pool. The mystery of such a fish was intriguing for both Doug and this overgrown kid. Doug wrestles with the thought on what to do with such a fish, let it be, catch it and take it home and eat it, or release it to the trickle of a creek it came from. I won’t spoil it for you, but I will say I love what he decides to do.
Brookie Painting by Bob White.
Doug’s book also contains many short fictional stories. I enjoyed the ”Brown Dog” chapters and “The Hermit of Root Hollow” (which had a nice twist), but my favorite short story was “The Pastor and the Partridge.” As an attorney, I always tell my clients that the three worst things a person can go through are: (1) Death of a loved one; (2) divorce; and (3) bankruptcy. In this story, the Pastor’s world is rocked by two of these life-altering traumas: The death of his son and a recent divorce. For a time, the Pastor struggles in doubt and darkness as he grapples with his loss. The heroine of the story, Dorthy, also had recently lost her husband to cancer, but rather than withdrawing from life, she decides to give her husband’s English Setter to “the grouse-hunting Pastor” she had heard so much about. Through this act of kindness, the Pastor is able to overcome his grief as he returns to grouse hunting. You’ll have to read it yourself to get the whole story, but it is a story of love and hope. I agree with Doug that there is something truly revitalizing about being in the great outdoors, especially with bird dogs.
Doug’s breed of choice, an English Setter.
Lastly, Smoke on the Wind has some great essays. For me, the most notable are “The Club” and “Whippoorwills and Woodpiles.” ”The Club” is an essay about the small things in the outdoors that bird hunters and fly fishers experience–oftentimes alone–but which others know or relate to. Such common experience brings bird hunters and fly fishers together in an unspoken club. I could certainly relate and I’m glad to be part of such a group. As for “Whippoorwills and Woodpiles” the central theme is that “you can tell a lot about a man by the way he stacks his wood.” Doug will be happy to know that I used this chapter the other night to teach my kids the importance of doing their best at whatever task is at hand.
To sum it up, I enjoyed Doug’s book and I recommend it to the followers of Upland Ways.
On a personal note, I hope this is not Doug’s last book. I say this because my friend, Doug is currently suffering from cancer. The other day when I asked Doug about his health, he reported: “They say the cancer is back on the move so they are changing my chemo to some stronger stuff so time will tell, but I am truly OK with what God has in store. Thanks so much for your prayers and friendship.” I tell you this not so that you will feel sorry for Doug, but in hopes that his faith will inspire you as it did me. Doug is a good man and I am glad to call him my friend. God bless and preserve you, Doug Deats!
For those of you interested in Smoke on the Wind, here is the LINK.
February 8, 2014
Final Days on the Prairies with Gundogs
Matt Lucia (Mark Kastler joined us on one of those special days) and I spent three glorious final days on the prairies in pursuit of birds. Havilah Babcock’s
prose of not wanting to travel to the Dark Continent to kill elephants has rang true to me this season…Colorado has a good population of my favorite game birds…scaled quail. I have spent oodles and oodles of time researching Colorado’s scalies on the internet. This research has led me and the birddogs into some of the most attractive scaled quail coverts I’ve ever seen…within the shadows of the Spanish Peaks and the Sangre de Cristos. Matt and I found a few really nice coveys to embarrass us and give the dogs a workout. I plan to spend a few more February days on the prairies with a camera before the caddis start to emerge…and the ponderosa forests start to echo with the love-sick yodels of Merriam’s turkeys. Below are some photos from my last few days with scaled quail…see ya on the prairies!
February 5, 2014
THE BLAZING SADDLE
Do you have any coverts that you dream about during the off-season when it’s freezing cold outside? I have many, but lately, I’ve been thinking about a special place in some mountains in Southern Idaho that I named “The Blazing Saddle.”
The mountains around Grouse Rock and the Blazing Saddle are beautiful.
I first began grouse hunting in the general area in 2001 when some family members and I miraculously discovered a covert we now call, “Grouse Rock.” I wrote an article about this very experience entitled, “Roadside Revelations,” which appeared in the Autumn 2011 issue of The Upland Almanac. Incidentally, this story is now the title chapter to my forthcoming book on bird hunting. Grouse Rock was so good for the first few years that we had no need to search elsewhere for birds.
However, in 2004, we found very few birds when we hunted the wooded draws and fingers of Grouse Rock. So the dogs and I started to explore the steep hills and draws across the narrow valley. One day in November, after hiking up an extremely steep grade, the dogs and I fortuitously stumbled upon a shallow saddle packed tightly with quakies and a few interspersed Douglas fir trees. Once you scratch your way up to the saddle, the slope lessens dramatically and the walking becomes much easier. The moment I saw the place I knew we would find some grouse. It just had that look.
In the chapter, “Dusty Boy: Perfect Memories and an Imperfect Bird Dog” in Roadside Revelations, I wrote the following about our first experience in this covert:
In November of that same year, we returned to Grouse Rock and again hunted the opposite side. We came into this birdy-looking saddle and Dusty struck a nice point in a berry bush, but this time his tail was not flagging. Remembering my lesson from earlier, I honored the point and a ruffed grouse got up in front of me. I whiffed my first chance, not once but twice, but marked the bird down. On the second flush, I missed again, swung hard, and caught the bird just before it tried to duck behind a huge pine tree. Despite my poor shooting, I count this as a bird taken from one of Dusty’s points. I named this covert, “Blazing Saddle,” because of all the powder I burned trying to harvest a bird over Dusty.
A red phased ruff is rare in Idaho.
Ever since this time, this covert has held a special place in my heart, but I have only been able to hunt it a few times during the last decade.
Dusty Boy is now flushing birds into the endless horizon of that great covert n the sky. Rest in piece, buddy.
Most recently, I hunted the Blazing Saddle last October during my week-long hunting excursion with my brother, Shawn. That week, the hunting was the toughest we had experienced since 2008, not to mention that I was suffering from a shooting slump. On the last day, I took the opportunity to roam this covert once again. Here’s my journal entry from this hunt:
Tom Davis, John Loomis, and Shawn Wayment hunt ruffed grouse behind Ellie.
For our last hunt, we went to Grouse Rock, but I wanted to hunt the Blazing Saddle for old time’s sake. Tom Davis and Shawn hunted up a draw running parallel to Grouse Rock. I offered to have Tom or John (the New York photographer) come with me, but when they saw the steep stuff, they wanted none of it, which honestly, was fine with me. Admittedly, it was a bugger to get up there, but it was so darn beautiful. Misty and I worked our way over to the saddle and it was in its full glory and looked as birdy as ever. As we worked through the saddle downhill, I remembered my first time there and actually pointed out where I finally overtook that bird with Dusty and Sunny all those years ago. . . good memories! When we stepped out of the saddle and into the service berries bushes on the bench, Misty swung around the edge of the big wooded draw and kicked up a thunderous grouse that flew right in front of me, which I missed twice. I’m starting to think that lately Misty is pushing these birds to me on purpose. However, those shots where the bird flies right at me or crosses directly in front of me are tough. The unruffled grouse dropped back into the saddle and we pursued in hopes of another opportunity. Once inside the saddle, we worked up to the top of the covert and Misty swung to my right and then pointed briefly and the nervous ruff blasted out of the cover quartering right to left. With my confidence really lacking, I tried to get on the bird, but ended up shooting behind it. . . .
This was my last chance at a bird for the week. In my younger years, misses like these used to really eat at me, but not anymore. I guess that comes with time. This is actually a great memory for me. In my journal, I summed up my sentiments on this week of hunting:
It was good to be with my brother and Sterling in beautiful country with our dogs. That alone, is worth the price of admission.
The hunt helped me to appreciate just how good we had it in 2010, 2011, and 2012. We have been blessed!
We ate delicious food every day. Any week you eat tacos/Mexican food 4 times is awesome.
I loved being in the outdoors during the best time of the year. The colors, the lighting, the temperature, the taste of frost ripened apples, are all good for the soul.
I got to remember hunts from years past and to tread the same paths my dogs and I walked in our younger days.
I was humbled by my shooting and realized that shooting slumps are part of the game and I learned to say: “This too shall pass.”
I realized that, even without birds, a hunt can still be a good experience. As Sterling so aptly put it: “It’s just another birdless day in paradise.”
Birds or no birds, any day in the grouse woods with bird dogs is one to be cherished, especially in a place like the Blazing Saddle.
Grouse Rock. There’s grouse in them thar hills.
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