I want to thank the guys for their input on my last post about dementia. Since then, I got out on another trip with the boys and Barb. A totally different outcome with Jake. His actions with Grady’s point was very acceptable to me. Just before the flush, you can tell he get a snout full and was no longer honoring but pointing. Maybe we’ll be hunting together more next year than I thought. No matter what, he’ll always be invited.
On another note, I was invited to the Idaho Chapter of The Wildlife Society annual meeting last night. There were lots of displays and workshops on things like movement of wildlife, mortality factors of wildlife, environment data, habitat and food requirements for certain wildlife and much more. There was certainly a lot there for me to learn.
Of course, my main interest was on chukar. I’ve been invited to speak at a Boise State University Zoology 409 class a few times over the past few years. They get very involved in the dissection of chukars and breaking down every organ of the bird to see what makes them tick. My part is simply to talk about what I love. The dogs, the bird and the country.
They break down the food that the birds eat, what foods they actually extract water from, which foods have the most value to a chukar’s health, the different food at different times of the year and hundreds of other facts to determine how chukars survive. It’s been a very interesting trip for me.
Talking with many of the wildlife agencies, as well as the Idaho Fish and Game, their findings may someday make it easier to predict upcoming seasons for hunters. From what Jennifer Forbes, the professor at Boise State tells me, once we get samples from different environments under different conditions we soon might be able to predict that. Conditions like fire, drought, very wet weather, very cold weather, and others will soon be able to help make forecasts.
Jennifer actually takes this contraption in the field so that she can immediately obtain data that evidently can be lost by just a few hours of death.
I got to meet several people from both the environmental concerned folks as well as other hunters. Seems both sides are interested in the same outcome. I met Brandt, the founder of the Chukar Chasers of Idaho. What a great organization that is. Especially for the youths. That’s him on the left. Jennifer is on the right and Catharine, one of Jennifer’s graduates, is in the middle.
This is just one more way I stay involved with my passion of chukar hunting. It’s not like being in the field, but talking chukar and dogs is a close second.
The topping on the night was Jennifer giving me this metal art work done by her father for me. What a beautiful piece of art work. It depicts my two dogs chasing the bird I love in the state that I love. It can’t be much better than that.
The Reigning Chukar Champions 