Hunting
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Sandy has hunted for many years with his favorite waterfowl hunting. When we moved to northern Minnesota, I started "hunting" with him--Sandy with a gun and me with a camera. We have shared many hunting trips since then. He always wanted me to shoot also because, as our trips expanded from waterfowl hunting to the addition of pheasant hunting, he felt it would be advantageous to have 2 guns. It did seem that when we hunted shelter belts and small areas, many of the birds got up on my side and were "long gone" before he could shoot safely.
Pheasant hunting has always been my favorite. We have stayed at a Catholic Monastery and spend time with the monks, even attending Evening Vespers (Pretty good for a couple of Methodists!)
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After the 2001 hunt, I decided that I would be able to shoot birds since they were more "anonymous"--I would not have to form a relationship with them the way a deer hunter does with his/her prey. Thus began "The Anniversary Surprise."
I decided that I would surprise him for our August, 2001, anniversary and hunt with him in the fall. I took gun safety lessons in March and April, bought a shotgun, and drove 100 miles for shooting lessons. In a small town it is difficult, at best, to keep something from someone, especially someone as sociable as Sandy. By the time the surprise was revealed I figured that almost 100 people knew about it. They all felt it was a pretty cool thing that I was doing and said they would keep the secret. The surprise for me was that no one told Sandy!
It was amazing how easy it was to "sneak around." I told him I was taking a computer class for the five weeks of the lessons. I bought the shotgun from a friend of ours who owned a gun shop. He thought I was shopping when I took the lessons (and never once asked why I rarely had any packages!).
I had always told him that if I ever won a gun at the local Ducks Unlimited Banquet, I would hunt with him. Two days before we were to leave for a fly fishing trip to Montana I won a gun at the DU Banquet. When my name was called, the entire room erupted in laughter. Sandy thought it was because everyone knew about my promise to him. Little did he know, they were laughing because they knew about the surprise and the fact that I already had a gun and had taken lessons.
At any rate, he was shocked and loved the surprise and we have had wonderful hunting trips since then. That fall we had great luck hunting--in fact on the first day of our duck hunt, I shot 2 with one shot! I guess I should have quit after that! Since then I get my share of the birds and we have a great time.
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There is nothing like the sunrise over a North Dakota slough.
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The year these were taken, we hunted pheasants in zero degree weather and wind and snow and hunted ducks in temperatures over eighty! Both were very successful hunts, as you can see. Go figure!
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This was one of our Christmas cards when we were doing silhouettes.
A perfect end to a perfect day of duck hunting in North Dakota.
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I do not go deer hunting. Birds are fine because they are somewhat "anonymous," but deer are something else. Sandy had a very successful 2005 deer hunting season and always has a great time wherever and whenever he is hunting.
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And here's to you--wishing you a successful hunt and an enjoyment of the great outdoors!