Post by stubbleducker on Nov 17, 2010 9:29:24 GMT -5
Made my annual pilgrimage to KS again last weekend. Drove out there on Friday through pouring rain. Rain gauge at the farm showed just under 2”. Last time that happened, some guy named Noah was building an ark.
Luckily, the rain subsided as we pulled into town. The bonfire burning bright in the fire pit took the chill off while we all caught up on each other’s lives, sharing stories, beer, and lies. The calf fries were swimming in the bubbling oil along with some redfish and alligator tail & backstraps that Keith had arrowed in Texas. The grill was loaded with fresh mule deer tenderloins from these two bruisers that Terry and Dave arrowed just days before on the sacred ground we were blessed to soon be walking.
Terry’s monster…
And Dave’s beast…
Saturday morning we woke too early, still stuffed full of Rocky Mountain Oysters, but that didn’t stop us from gorging ourselves at the Hunter’s Breakfast at the local church. First light found numerous mule deer out searching for companionship in the flat light.
Clouds and drizzle obscured the typical glorious Kansas sunrise, but soon the cackles of roosters lifted the clouds and our spirits…
Beauty was to be found everywhere, from the fossils in the post rock fence posts…
to the oversized jackalopes that sprang from cover at our approach…
The cover was thick…
Much too thick for the inseam-challenged...
But the bird porters still had a good time.
In addition to my 12 year old, I had the privilege of hunting alongside my good buddy (and college RA)’s 16 yr old on his first foray into wild birds. Both boys did an admirable job and their conscientious gun-handling and good marksmanship was rewarded on more than one occasion.
Being Jared’s first bird, he was inducted into the Longtail Society, now celebrating its 20th anniversary. Since the pheasant he took had given its tail to Jared, Jared in turn, gave back his to the land from which it came…
And then his hat was loaded with a water bottle, thrown in the air, and all active members of the Longtail Society christened it for him with #6 shot.
With his proud papa…
The birds were just icing on the cake…
Cleaned birds, said goodbyes for another year, and headed for home about 4pm. My son was asleep before we hit the blacktop and didn’t wake up until we pulled into the driveway at 6:30 Monday morning.
It was a long night, but the camaraderie of friends and time shared with my son made it worth every hour/mile behind the wheel and left everybody smiling.
Luckily, the rain subsided as we pulled into town. The bonfire burning bright in the fire pit took the chill off while we all caught up on each other’s lives, sharing stories, beer, and lies. The calf fries were swimming in the bubbling oil along with some redfish and alligator tail & backstraps that Keith had arrowed in Texas. The grill was loaded with fresh mule deer tenderloins from these two bruisers that Terry and Dave arrowed just days before on the sacred ground we were blessed to soon be walking.
Terry’s monster…
And Dave’s beast…
Saturday morning we woke too early, still stuffed full of Rocky Mountain Oysters, but that didn’t stop us from gorging ourselves at the Hunter’s Breakfast at the local church. First light found numerous mule deer out searching for companionship in the flat light.
Clouds and drizzle obscured the typical glorious Kansas sunrise, but soon the cackles of roosters lifted the clouds and our spirits…
Beauty was to be found everywhere, from the fossils in the post rock fence posts…
to the oversized jackalopes that sprang from cover at our approach…
The cover was thick…
Much too thick for the inseam-challenged...
But the bird porters still had a good time.
In addition to my 12 year old, I had the privilege of hunting alongside my good buddy (and college RA)’s 16 yr old on his first foray into wild birds. Both boys did an admirable job and their conscientious gun-handling and good marksmanship was rewarded on more than one occasion.
Being Jared’s first bird, he was inducted into the Longtail Society, now celebrating its 20th anniversary. Since the pheasant he took had given its tail to Jared, Jared in turn, gave back his to the land from which it came…
And then his hat was loaded with a water bottle, thrown in the air, and all active members of the Longtail Society christened it for him with #6 shot.
With his proud papa…
The birds were just icing on the cake…
Cleaned birds, said goodbyes for another year, and headed for home about 4pm. My son was asleep before we hit the blacktop and didn’t wake up until we pulled into the driveway at 6:30 Monday morning.
It was a long night, but the camaraderie of friends and time shared with my son made it worth every hour/mile behind the wheel and left everybody smiling.
