In many places around the county a bird season of some kind has just opened (Dove, Grouse, etc…). For those of you with an open season, be safe and have a great time!

Remember, as hunters we can be very proud that the biggest conservation groups in the world are made up of people just like us; other hunters. People who are not only passionate about hunting, but who also have a genuine desire to protect and enhance the lands and habitat that these animals live in, preserving these opportunities for future generations.

If you have the opportunity, please introduce someone new to the outdoors.

Jay

This last weekend was the Ta-hoe Nalu Stand Up Paddle Board Race. This is one of the largest races in North America, and many of the top competitors from all over the world were on hand to race. This year we experienced some really strong winds that combined with the wind direction made some of the hardest race conditions that most competitors had have experienced.

I personally did not have a very good race. Normally the first mile of the race is when I really try to push the pace, but because of conditions that were very unfamiliar to me, I was pretty slow over that first mile. After that I was able to pick up the pace and really started passing people, but a lot of the damage was already done. The turnaround point was 5 miles into the race, and at that point we would then have a long 5 mile down winder back to the finish. I had just passed four people right before the turn around and thought there was no way I was going to get caught by them, as I was finally paddling in a good rhythm. So, I made the turn, started paddling hard and was quickly passed by three people. Honestly I was very surprised, but I quickly realized that they were surfing the swells far better than I was, and spending less energy doing it. So, I spent the rest of the race to the finish line trying to go as fast as I could while learning how to be better at surfing the swells.

Overall I just wrote the race off as a learning experience. I have been so focused this year gaining better conditioning and a more efficient forward paddle stroke that I totally neglected the fact that I also need to learn to be good under all weather and water conditions, not just the conditions that I am comfortable racing in. So, back to the drawing board.

The next race is a month away. It is a 22 mile race across the length of Lake Tahoe. Hopefully I will get back on track and will have a better result this next time.

Jay

I ran the dogs on some wild birds early Saturday morning and it was a great time. We got into three separate coveys of quail, and the dogs got some good work in. I flushed each covey one time, then we left that covey alone.

I have been noticing a lot of people out running their bird dogs, getting them in shape and tuned up before bird season. It is always fun to see other guys running their hunting dogs because it’s like without saying a word, we are all speaking the same language.

Jay

Paolo and I spent the last week in Salt Lake City at the Outdoor Retail Show. This is my favorite show because I get to see so many people that I have known for many years. I always have a great time catching up with friends, former business colleagues, and with many of our great retailers.

We got back in town late Friday night and for me the weekend was surely going to involve two things; Running my dogs and paddling, and I did a lot of both. The dogs were excited to get out and put in some miles on the dirt, and I was excited to get out and put in some miles on the water. Saturday I put in a really hard paddle board workout, which I am oddly still sore from, and Sunday Lisa and I went up to Tahoe for a paddle. I stopped by and visited Phil at Tahoe paddle and Oar http://www.tahoepaddle.com/home and he was nice enough to send me out on one of his race boards. It was a great weekend, and was definitely needed.

For me this is going to be my last hard week of training before the next paddle board race coming up in two weeks. I will be happy to get this week over with so that I can relax and recover a little next week in preparation for the race. I recently got a waterproof case and headphones for my iPod from H20audio http://www.h2oaudio.com/ and am now even more happy when on the water. Sometimes working out can be painful and honestly not a lot of fun, so having good music with me one the water has definitely helped make those moments much more enjoyable.

Best,

Jay

For those of you, like me, who enjoy studying the biology of the animals that you hunt, here is a study written by the Nevada Department of Wildlife on the biology of Chukar. It was originally written back in the late 50’s, then rereleased in 2008, I believe. http://www.ndow.org/about/pubs/reports/1970_Chukar-Partridge_Bulletin.pdf Personally there is only one topic that I found to be inconsistent with my own experience, but that is certainly not to suggest that the topic in question is not accurate within this particular study. The only information that I discount, is in this particular study the author speaks of hens laying eggs from mid March to mid April, which I certainly believe is possible, but not typical. On average I believe that is at least 4 to 8 weeks early, but no matter, it is still a VERY informative read.

Jay