Hunting

Looking for a mid-day “virtual” getaway? Take a “walk” through the Manchester, Vermont Orvis Flagship store using the “street view” feature of Google Maps.

Here’s a cool video of a p-heasant hunt in South Dakota shot by Kansas City-based photographer Scott Hepler. I’ve never hunted in SoDak—the farthest West I’ve shot pheasants is Goose Lake, Iowa—but seeing this really makes we want to go in the near future.

The description on this video says it’s a “quick little break from the office.” It must be awesome to work so close to such great, open chukar country. The dogs and humans are having a great time here, and the birds are lovely.

The male Mearns’ is a gorgeous bird. all photos courtesy Dave Brown

One of the most beautiful game birds to be found in North America is the Mearns’ quail. Although there is a small population in West Texas, only Arizona and New Mexico have huntable populations. The range is limited to the Davis Mountains of Texas, the southeastern corner of Arizona and the southwestern corner of New Mexico, then south into Mexico. Unlike its two desert-dwelling cousins—the Gambel’s and scaled (or blue) quail—Mearns’ quail are generally found above 4,000 feet in the oak-lined canyons of the area’s sky islands or mountain ranges that make up the. . .

If you ever manage to hit one of the darned things—my season has been a little frustrating so far—cleaning a ruffed grouse is actually a pretty simple affair. Here’s an excellent demonstration from a Canadian hunter, who takes care to use the entire bird.

One of the great things about having our offices located in the mountains of southwestern Vermont is that we have pretty much instant access to the outdoors. Last week, a few us of took a long lunch to chase grouse on a hillside behind my house. Orvis Rod & Tackle Manager Steve Hemkens brought his dog, Cayenne, and Eastern ELOG Coordinator Scott McEnaney brought. . .

We’re not ones to get particularly excited over celebrity sightings, but we have to say, this is pretty cool. Phil and Si Robertson of Duck Commander stopped by our Sandanona Shooting Grounds! We hear that over 6.5 million people watched the season final of their TV show Duck Dynasty last night, which doesn’t surprise us at all. Of course, everyone wanted to get a picture with these two:

Phil Robertson, Orvis Sandanona‘s Andrew Johnson, and Si Robertson

Brett Ference (far left) with his new pals in Timber Lake, South Dakota. photo courtesy Brett Ference

I flew into Bismarck, got my shells and additional supplies in town, and headed across a rolling brown ocean to Timber Lake, South Dakota (Population 592), for the three days of hunting wild pheasants. As a New Englander, I was struck by the absence of trees and endless horizons, which made me feel whatever the exact opposite of claustrophobic is. I had been invited by a friend to come along on an annual trip he makes with friends from high school and a few other. . .