Ryan
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Well, once again it seems that my job is making me choose between a fall Powell trip vs a fall pheasant trip.
I love Lake Powell, but I can’t pass up the opener in SoDak.
The trip this year was different than past. The Dakotas got hammered with about 16” of snow two weeks before we went. They also have suffered through an incredibly wet year.
So all the crops are still up. And there was still feet of snow in the corn. Made for difficult hunting (Relatively speaking).
Saturday was opening day. And while we had to walk more than other openers, we were successful.
Sunday was one of the most miserable hunting days I’ve ever had. Forecast called for rain, but only said 1/10 “ accumulation. So I dressed with that in mind. And was disappointed to see it start to rain as we got into the field. And never stopped. By an hour in I was cold and miserable. And things just got worse.
We ended up hunting about 3 1/2 hours until everyone had enough.
Weather on Monday was the same as Sunday. But I was prepared for it, and wore my waterproof clothing. Very glad I invested in good stuff, as I had a much better day.
The demographics of our trip have changed. We have gone from people that stayed out late every night to people who are back in the hotel my midnight and meeting for breakfast at 8.
Lots of changes in the dogs as well. The “superstars” have also grown old or gone. I was worried if Big Blue MOOSE could step up his game. But that was definitely unfounded. He had his best trip ever. Multiple points. 30+ retrieves. Always seemed to be in the right place. At 8 years old he has really hit his stride.
This trip is not about the birds, but about reuniting with old friends - people we only see once per year. And it will be memorable in many ways. We’ve been making this trip for over 25 years now. I’d love to continue for another 25.
I love Lake Powell, but I can’t pass up the opener in SoDak.
The trip this year was different than past. The Dakotas got hammered with about 16” of snow two weeks before we went. They also have suffered through an incredibly wet year.
So all the crops are still up. And there was still feet of snow in the corn. Made for difficult hunting (Relatively speaking).
Saturday was opening day. And while we had to walk more than other openers, we were successful.
Sunday was one of the most miserable hunting days I’ve ever had. Forecast called for rain, but only said 1/10 “ accumulation. So I dressed with that in mind. And was disappointed to see it start to rain as we got into the field. And never stopped. By an hour in I was cold and miserable. And things just got worse.
We ended up hunting about 3 1/2 hours until everyone had enough.
Weather on Monday was the same as Sunday. But I was prepared for it, and wore my waterproof clothing. Very glad I invested in good stuff, as I had a much better day.
The demographics of our trip have changed. We have gone from people that stayed out late every night to people who are back in the hotel my midnight and meeting for breakfast at 8.
Lots of changes in the dogs as well. The “superstars” have also grown old or gone. I was worried if Big Blue MOOSE could step up his game. But that was definitely unfounded. He had his best trip ever. Multiple points. 30+ retrieves. Always seemed to be in the right place. At 8 years old he has really hit his stride.
This trip is not about the birds, but about reuniting with old friends - people we only see once per year. And it will be memorable in many ways. We’ve been making this trip for over 25 years now. I’d love to continue for another 25.
