COMING FULL CIRCLE AFTER A YEAR ON THE ROAD

It is time to head home. Canada was grand this year but I have both an elk hunt and sheep hunt left in Northern Nevada. I descend through the Canadian Rockies back through Idaho stopping at Ketchum to pay my respect to Ernest Hemingway and the life he lived but killed so young. It was a year ago I remember fishing Silver Creek and praying beside Ernest's grave . It was in September but this year I would visit him in November.

He was bigger than life and set the beat generation on the move much as the Beatles and Woodstock did for the hip generation. Hemingway made it OK to let the demons out loose on the sporting fields without the trapping of correct behavior. He did not care what others thought and killed himself when he couldn't produce to his liking. Gusty but selfish.

I took a pic of the two hunting dogs next to Hemingways grave site and the I place my Holland and Holland Royal Ejector 12 bore that took many phesants and grouse across his grave. I can tell you that Ernest thank me and told me where to fish Silver Creek. I wish I didn't have to be Elk and Sheep hunting so soon

I think he would like very much his great grandson's generation and clearly would despise the hip self centered generation of the 1960-70 who elected two Bush's, Bill Clinton and maybe a second Clinton. talk about being dumb without imagination.

I will enjoy Sun Valley visit friends have some good coffee eat where Hemingway had his last meal and prepared mentally for the Elk and Sheep hunt.

I am already thinking of out Arizona bird hunting trip with my son and Ellen and our trip down to Mexico for fishing, beaching and touring Zacatecas. The Warmth of the Sun....

MY HUNTING DOGS

My wise father said, "You are not hunting without dogs you trained, " and how true he was. Training you dogs to be what they are wired for is an art form that require an everyday routine with keen insight into animal behavior. Do it right and every day and you shall be rewarded beyond measure. One must have an understanding about the nature of the animal in question and above all the ability to accept the bond that the dog is capable of giving. Many can not handle that commitment and the dog becomes just a tool to amuse Dogs are breed for work, hunt, companionship and are as close to perfection, a gift from the heavens and truly angels on four legs. I train my dogs well esp. the force fetch phase because I base my beginnings on trust and imprinting. My dogs think they are like me human most of the time. Unlike my training dogs, my falcon are encouraged with food and then the trust and bond follows but in the end the hawk is killing and for itself out of hunger

I am partial to black labs although we have had many shorthairs, springers and pointers. The black lab seems to be the most intelligent of the dogs and a olfactory beyond belief. My present lab is the queen of the house and she pretty much dicates our routing. Here younger sister is a very pleasant mild manner German Wirehair that looks like if just came out of the Bavarian Forest. Together they are a team and the wirehair is depressed without the lab unless she is afield. They go everywhere with us and if we can not take by auto we do not go