Bird Camp Diaries: October 2008

The Bird Camp Diaries are nothing more than whimsical monthly musings. I hope you find them entertaining, and sometimes thought provoking.

An Oddly Perfect October Opener

Vegas odds makers wouldn't have liked our chances, either. Yet Saturday morning, there we were, pulling out the blaze orange and loading up the shotguns for the season's first pheasant hunt.

All things considered, we knew the hunting would be tough-going (hunter speak for "abysmal"). We were greeted by morning thunder and lightening. It was drizzly and humid. And the corn harvest had been nonexistent, providing the birds plenty of escape routes.

When you wait nine months for this, it doesn't matter. It was far too much walking for too few birds, but Dad and Sean, as they usually do, managed to maintain our party's respectability. Though I didn't connect on my two long shots, the day remained a success because of what I didn't do.

For the better part of six hours, I didn't think about ACORN or Ayers, ballots or bailouts, Congress or conservatives, debates or Democrats. I didn't think about lipstick. Or pigs. And I didn't think about the number 401 or the letter K.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my time outdoors, I wasn't consciously taking note of it. You need another column on explaining "Why?!" like I need more spam mail. I walked. I wandered. I ate salami and cheese sandwiches and washed them down with Sun Drop. I laughed...a lot. I got dirty. And by the end of it all, I was good, I was tired, and I was good and tired.

On this odd October opener, somehow that was just perfect.

If you have story ideas, dog photos, pre-1980 hunting photos and requests for future On The Wing consideration, please send correspondence to ahauck@pheasantsforever.org.

"On The Wing" Archive

• On the Wing: June 2009
• On the Wing: May 2009
• On the Wing: April 2009
• On the Wing: March 2009
• On the Wing: February 2009
• On the Wing: January 2009
• On the Wing: December 2008
• On the Wing: November 2008
• On the Wing: October 2008
• On the Wing: September 2008
• On the Wing: August 2008
• On the Wing: July 2008
• On the Wing: June 2008
• On the Wing: May 2008
• On the Wing: April 2008
• On the Wing: March 2008
• On the Wing: February 2008
• On the Wing: January 2008
• On the Wing: December 2007
• On The Wing: November 2007
• On The Wing: October 2007
• On The Wing: September 2007
• On The Wing: August 2007
• On The Wing: July 2007
• On The Wing: June 2007
• On The Wing: May 2007