We were poking around on chukar spots my buddy had marked the season before, and between huffs and puffs, shots and misses, I wondered: Could you spend an entire season chasing the Sasquatch icons? What might you learn about wild birds, untamed places, dogs, intriguing people and especially about yourself?
That day was about quiet, isolation and stunning scenery, volcanic castles looming, us darting among the ramparts and the chance of falling off cliff. A life-threatening descent as we pursued that imaginary beast lent savor to the first bottle of beer that night, and every step, all the climbs, each vista made the risk worthwhile.
We crossed from one state to the next busting valley quail, Huns and chukars. Sasquatch was absent but for our imagination.
That was my first acquaintance with the legendary creature that was my running buddy all season. On that trip, I marveled at Huns in all the wrong places. Crisp, dry cheat grass slopes held them. So did sandy creek bottoms and boulder fields.
I never saw a giant footprint, but I did see three-toed tracks galore, often followed by the whir of wings and that squeakygate screech of theirs.
The following week, I hauled out my old-school paper maps and scrawled Sasquatches here, there and oh yeah, there too. I marked a tangled draw north of a honey hole, a lush prairie where wild horses graze. I recalled the vague tale of a lost covert someone related over a glass. Like a magnet, it pulled me toward the unknown. Bigfoot was the perfect symbol for my season-long search for what?
On that trip, I found beauty and spectacle and learned a little more about myself.
Author André Gide said, Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” He was right.
Denne historien er fra Winter 2022-utgaven av The Upland Almanac.
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Denne historien er fra Winter 2022-utgaven av The Upland Almanac.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Tailfeathers
The essence of fly fishing, I think I've decided, is time.
Ten Questions with Tim Flagler, Fly Tyer/Cook Extraordinaire
Culinary Creations from Gordon Hamersley
GREY on the Wing
Hands clutching the wheel of a large, lumbering vehicle whose vintage and purpose partially prompted the invention of \"powering steering,\" disengaged the clutch and applied the brakes, bringing it to a stop.
James Purdey & Sons Ltd.One of London's "Best"
At the conclusion of a recent breakfast meeting of the Shrewsbury Men's Club of Massachusetts, I was packing up my show-and-tell aids after giving a presentation.
WAWAWAI
I don't chase chukars anymore, but from the time I was 16, chukar hunting had been my favorite bird hunting endeavor.
A FAIR EXCHANGE
Among the concerns faced by many small community gun clubs here in the Northeast is our inability to attract and maintain new and younger shooters.
Coming to Heel
I'n the world of gun dogs, it's not unusual that retrievers are taught to heel.
Bird Dogs - Health Matters
Avoiding Medical Mishaps on the Road
MATT HART
Matt Hart, owner, designer and artist of Hartist Metals, is a highly skilled metal sculptor based in the picturesque Catskill Mountains of New York.
Luigi Franchi Imperial Monte Carlo Extra: One of Italy's "Best" SxS Doubles
As on London’s gun-maker’s row, Italians had skilled craftsmen who made “Best” guns of superb quality