04/03/2025
Thought I'd share my editorial from the upcoming May/June issue, for, in the spring, thinking spring thoughts...
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As of this writing in mid-March, it’s possible – ever so faintly but incredibly possible – that spring might be on its way by the actual weather if not by the calendar. Some rare 70-degree days in northern Michigan a week or so ago hinted that nice weather wasn’t, in fact, a myth, but then a few inches of snow the next day left more than a little doubt that we hadn’t dreamed the whole thing.
Then I heard it when I let the dogs out for their evening duty: the first peent from the woodcock that always finds the little patch of meadow on our neighbor’s property. Robins showed up, the local ducks started getting frisky again, and that overwhelming sense of renewal permeated the outdoors as much as the dank aroma of a spring rainstorm ready to burst from the clouds.
I recall a younger time in South Dakota with a young English setter still unsure as to what to make of all those wonderful smells. The horizons stretched before us in those warm, off-season days as we ran and trained and learned and grew tired. So much hope and promise in those days, made richer by the fact that I didn’t carry a gun.
I wonder if, during this off-season time of year when the muscles stretch once again and we start the long process of preparing for the season, we don’t strengthen the bond with our dog more than during the actual hunting season. Perhaps it is because we’re going afield without any intention other than working together to get better. We’re not worried about firearm safety, we’re not trying to bag dinner, we’re not competing against our friends who just posted their tailgate results from their latest trip. It’s just us and the dog and “out there.” Running, training, sweating, paying close attention to this friend of ours whose only desire in the world is to be exactly where he or she is at that moment.
As much as we encourage one another to “soak it up” during the hunting season, this season can hold just as much if you’re willing to get out there and see for yourself.
