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In this day-and-age the single-shot or single-barrel shotgun is quite possibly the rarest gun carried in the upland fields. To see one carried by any bird hunter would be astonishing. In fact, so infrequently seen the single-shot is almost mythical. In my experiences I have seen . . . one! The last time I encountered a single-shot shotgun was during a hunt with a good friend and his son. Our group was hunting pheasant and bobwhite quail on Kansas public lands in the mid-2000s. My friend’s son carried the small toy-like shotgun proudly as if it were a Holland-and-Holland 12-bore side-by-side. 

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Hunters have been waiting all summer for September 1st to finally show up on the calendar. Opening day of dove season is one of the most anticipated days of the year for many bird hunters, for it’s the first hunting opportunity of the upcoming fall. Dove hunters have been scouting designated dove fields on public lands, shotgun shells of ALL gauges have been cleared from the shelves–12, 16, 20, 28, and yes even the .410–camo is the color of choice, and comfy chairs have all been set neatly by the door for an early morning start to get to “the spot”.

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Endless wilderness in every direction. I had taken the only road that went into this area and parked where it ended along the banks of a winding river. From here the only navigable path was the river itself, its gravel bars littered with the end of a salmon migration and signs of the bears that come with it. My Labrador and I were here in search of ruffed and spruce grouse, but in Alaska there’s always more than one layer to the adventure.

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My eyes squinted into the late morning sun on the first day of May as I struggled to steady my hand and scratch my name across a filled turkey tag with a ballpoint pen. I had hunted and taken spring turkeys for years, but none like this, none with the promise of the fellowship of family, and pledge of tradition that this hunt brought. This turkey, this moment, wasn't particularly exceptional, or more fantastic than any of the other amazing hunts I have enjoyed, except for the shotgun that I carried into the woods this spring. Like a well-worn favorite hat or a broken-in pair of boots, my shotgun this season was familiar and reliable. My grandad’s Winchester 12-gauge shotgun with its fixed full choke and worn oil finish is a perfect example of pump action shotgun tradition. An American classic pump, this Winchester Model 12 is indeed that.

What I eventually landed on was a positive reinforcement training approach. At the time I did not understand the model, which I will describe below. I did understand that the techniques worked and worked fast. Once I switched to positive reinforcement, Kate’s retrieving went from complete avoidance to acceptable in a matter of days. It then went from acceptable to field reliable much faster than I had experienced with traditional force fetching other dogs. 

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Developed in 1902, Browning shopped the design around, Winchester refused his terms and an agreement with Remington came unglued when their president died of a heart attack as they worked out terms. Browning then turned to Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (now known as FN), where he had an established relationship as they manufactured many of his pistol designs. 

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Somewhere out there in all the trees, tall and short grass, rimrock, and hillsides, there are birds. Nearly every article a hunter reads concerning binoculars is about the technical side. The basis for using optics, whether it be a spotting scope or binoculars, in any hunting situation is that a hunter cannot hunt what they cannot see. Normally associated more with big game hunting, the use of binos is a good way to locate and catch birds coming and going. Glassing for upland bird hunting is an often overlooked, underutilized, or ignored tactic. Although binoculars are not required when upland hunting, they are an invaluable tool when used. The use of binoculars for wingshooting, although unorthodox, is a valuable pairing.

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Upland hunting gets a bad rap for being an expensive hobby. Certainly, the idea that upland hunting is expensive is perpetuated by the industry. Flip through most upland hunting magazines or follow one of the many upland hunting social media influences and you’re bound to get lost in a sea of premium name brands. Although most of us (if not all of us) aspire to tromp through the uplands in Russel-Moccasin boots, donning Filson Tin-Cloth head to toe, while carrying an Arrieta side by side, the price tag on those items can be cost-prohibitive to some of us.

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By most standards, I was a spoiled kid. I was blessed with upland and waterfowl opportunities from the onset. My first memory in the field was in the duck blind beside my dad – he let me (illegally) carry a BB gun into the marsh so I could feel like more of a man. In my defense, I didn’t fire a shot and the statute of limitations has passed.

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It's no secret that sage grouse populations have been declining for decades. Between climate change fueling hotter, longer wildfires and the expansion of the extractive industry into the bird's ranges, agricultural development and the invasion of conifer woodlands and annual grasses, habitat loss has accelerated.

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