Story Fair 2023

Written By: Seth Owens. Grand Forks, ND I’m often frustrated by that prehistoric, instinctual, fight-or-flight response that all humans have in the 21st century. Not because it was crucial to our ancient ancestors, who were constantly at risk of being preyed upon by a big animal with pointy teeth, but because of the sinking pit in our stomach that we feel when anxious or excited. Here I was, walking through a sea of swishing sagebrush, feeling like I was about to vomit, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the excited apprehension or the 2:00 a.m. gas station...

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Written by: George Skakel. Staples, MN Within a year of our wedding, 35 years ago, my new father-in-law, a man of some means, invited me to go Ruffed Grouse hunting in Minnesota. I had never heard of or had ever seen a Ruffed Grouse; in fact, I kept talking about Ruffled Grouse until eventually corrected. I was all excited about hunting in the woods over trained dogs and in preparation for this new adventure I purchased a handsome new Orvis “hunting” jacket. In the first hour of the hunt our dogs, wearing special collars that emitted a particular sound when...

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Written by: Scott Hill. Tecumseh, MI July 18th, 2001 was a very memorable day at the Hill house. Our setter Jazz along with my wife and two daughters delivered nine beautiful pups. There was a handsome male with a large black eye patch and a freckled nose that caught my eye almost immediately. Eight weeks later that same pup would not be leaving with his sibs but instead “Henry” would become our next generation grouse and woodcock dog. After the usual puppy stuff and adolescent obedience training, it was time for bird introduction. By spring, Henry was eight months old....

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Written by: James Falstad. Winthrop Harbor, IL THE HUNT On an early October Friday I snuck out of work a couple minutes early, loaded the dog and pointed the truck north. We were headed to northern Wisconsin and if we hit traffic just right we’d make it with moments left of shooting light.  Roughly 300 miles later I was throwing the truck in park, opening the door,  and turning off the engine in one fluid motion. I had backed into a cut I found late last October with good woodcock numbers. Making my way around the back of the truck to...

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Written by: Ron Weber. Weyerhaeuser, Wisconsin It was just the kind of day I had been waiting for. The temperature hovered in the low forties with a light northwest wind gently rattling the golden leaves of the quaking aspens in my yard. So far October had been warm, almost summer like. Overnight a cold front had moved through bringing with it some light rain and noticeably colder temperatures. In its wake were clear blue skies which foretold of steadily falling temperatures and by morning the season’s first frost. The birds, insects, plants and animals all sensed the change and...

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Story by Anthony J. Conte. Manhasset, NY The blistering sun tortured us unmercifully as it attempted to burn through the multicolored foliage that hung desperately to the branches of the trees that created this wonderful upland grouse habitat.  This unseasonably hot October day made grouse hunting difficult for me and my Brittany Spaniel, Rusty, as we meandered through the upland grouse cover in Washington County of upstate New York. As a ruffed grouse enthusiast, I hunted this king of the game birds since 1958, and to me, any day in October is a “Grouse Hunting Day” regardless of the weather conditions....

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