Culbertson

"A friend is one who incessantly pays us the compliment of 

expecting from us all the virtues." ~ Thoreau

Gentle Readers and Loved Ones,

So, after a nice stay in Omaha, Rowdy and I loaded up and drove to Culbertson, Neb. 

We stayed at the ‘Alamo Hunt Club’ for the next 5 days and had a blast.  The AHC derives its name from its resemblance to the fort where the heroes drew the line in the sand.  

There are a lot of facets to the story of that week and I’m going to break them down into individual posts, trying to keep them shorter and more interesting.  As, always, you the reader will be the judge of my success at entertainment.

This story starts roughly a year ago with me sitting at this laptop.  Rowdy and I have been paying for farm pheasants and having some success with flush and retrieve training at Coyland Creek.

I really wanted to go someplace new and hunt wild pheasants.  If you google the search-string “SD+Pheasant Hunting” you will be immersed in the myriad lodging options that land of plenty offers you.  Being a frugal sort, the price tag of most of them puts me off.  But despite being parsimonious and cheap, that’s not the major reason I did not use one of those.

In “A Deadly Shade of Goldl”, Travis McGee says: “…it's like being marched in formation to look at a sunset.”   I wanted to find a place where Rowdy and I could just go out by ourselves, flail around inexpertly and learn from our mistakes.  I didn’t want a big, expensive guided extravaganza.

Let me now weave in another strand in this rambling tapestry.  Last year, Ann and I drove down to Florida to see Dad.  We really like audio books and we listened to "The Other End of The Leash" on the way.

Dr. McConnell really has a great way with words and this book is worth your time.  One of the points she makes is that humans and dogs have been in a symbiotic relationship for thousands, if not tens or even hundreds of thousands of dog generations.  That is more than enough time for evolution to have occurred and dogs aren’t wolves anymore.  They are a species that has evolved through breeding and culling to need humans and to value our company.

…and I think humans have had time to evolve a little where it concerns dogs.  People who enjoy and have a talent for getting the best from dogs gravitate towards each other.  We seek each other’s company.

Jeff is one of those guys.  I met him shooting skeet in Wisconsin over the last few years.  He is a true extrovert and like Will Rogers,“Never met a man he didn’t like.”   Jeff is a hard-core dog guy. Not only does he hunt his pointers, he competes with them and he’s judged AKC events.  I have learned a lot from watching him and stand in awe of his competence.

Coyland Creek Sporting Cows

 I mentioned my search for a pheasant trip, one thing led to another and I found myself being introduced to one of Jeff’s old friends.   Don is also an experienced dog guy with all the credentials Jeff has.  Experienced in competitions, judging, with decades of hunting experience, Don also commands my respect.

Don at sunrise.

Don graduated HS in Culbertson, Neb, and he has maintained a residence there.  He also has an ongoing relationship with the landowners there and has had for decades.  His brother remained there to own and operate The BearCave Lounge and Café, a mere block from the Alamo Hunt Club.

What Don did for me was perfect.  Informal, loosely guided trips out into the plains, corn-fields and couloirs that lay just across the Republican River south of Culbertson.  He gave Rowdy and I room to learn and grow together while at the same time providing pointed, quick, helpful suggestions when I needed them.

Culbertson is a modest, humble and dwindling community - much like a lot of farm communities across the US in the face of farming technological advancement. That does not change the fact that it is really great upland bird hunting country.  Up on the flat plains, the agricultural fields provide enough bounty for a lot of birds.  The ditches, steep hillsides and canyon like couloirs provide a perfect habitat for both pheasant and quail.  There is cover everywhere for the birds to hide in. 

Hemp for Victory!  I close on this fascinating historical fact.   Before WWII, much of the hemp that the US used came from Japan.  So, there was a crash program to grow and cultivate hemp products in Nebraska and elsewhere.  Therefore, hunters frequently flush birds out of thick hemp cover.

  

On that happy note, I remain,

Dad / Geoff