William G. Tapply 1940-2009: Loss of a Great Outdoor Writer!

I read with great sadness last night of the loss of one of my favorite outdoors writers of all times, William G. Tapply. I hadn't heard the news until yesterday when I picked up the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of American Angler and read the news on the Editor's Page.

Bill's writing touched many outdoor sports-peoples lives. He was one of the last links to bird hunting legends like H. G. ("Tap") Tapply, Gorham L. Cross (aka Grandpa Grouse) and Grouse Poet Laureate himself Burton Spiller. More information can be read about the life of Bill by going to his website (CLICK HERE).

Emile and Remy: Training with Gary Ruppel

My good friend and hunting partner Mark Thompson recently acquired a new member of the family...a French Brittany from the author of "A Hunter's Road" Jim Fergus. Here are some photos of Remy and Emile with gun dog trainer extraordinaire Gary Ruppel. I can hardly wait to get in the field with Mark and his bird dogs!

Here are the words of Mr. Thompson as he sent them to me in an email:

Emile and Remy got a trip over to our friend and well-known gun dog trainer, Gary Ruppel, for some bird dog training today. Gary worked with Emile on quail, though he was a bit weasy after being car sick during the hour ride out to Kiowa. He is only around 12 weeks old, so he has lots of birds ahead of him, so we didn’t push him too hard. Emile is being carried around by Lauren as I write this note, as she loves her puppies, and they are very tolerant of her games. And he loves retrieving a frozen quail in the driveway at home. has been very keen on birds hunting this year, at least the few that we found as we have had a tough year with grouse, even in our honey holes. Anyway, he is now a year old and coming into his terrible twos year and needs a lot of whoa put back into him, as he enjoys chasing the birds too much for a pointing pup. It was amazing, as Gary had him steady to the flush in about 15 minutes of training. He was steady to the flush on several birds the rest of the session. Just when I thought I had learned all of Gary’s training after 15 years now, apparently I am still only performing at 75%, as his consistency and posturing did the trick in short order. I can’t wait for pheasant and quail season, which opens in another week.

Mark Thompson photographs:

Wingshooting Jacket...Gearing Up for the Quail Season

I'm patiently awaiting the Kansas quail season! Can't hardly wait...like a kid for Christmas. I plan to be there every week chasing coveys of BIRDS. I ordered Filson's new Wingshooting Jacket and it should arrive just in time! I'll give an update on it once I've put it through the ringer!








Wingshooting Jacket
Style Number 10110
$295.00

Features

Fully sealed seams.
Waterproof front zipper.
Interior zipper security pocket.
Detachable hood.
Interior shoulder pockets accept recoil pad.
Adjustable cuffs with brass snaps.
Handwarmer pockets and bellows front pockets.
Fabric
100% 6-oz. 3 layer nylon twill
Sizes
S, M, L, XL, 2XL
Care
Machine wash cold. Line dry or dry flat.
Country Of Origin
Imported

Star Tribune Blog Contributor: Congrats to My Good Friend and Hunting Partner-in-crime...Walter Bruning, PhD

In 1992 my wife and I moved to California. I had spent 17 years pursuing ruffed grouse and woodcock in Minnesota preceded by a decade of pheasants and quail in Nebraska. California seemed right for us then; I'm not so sure now. More of that as the blog unfolds in the weeks to come. (Click here to go to website)

I am back, sort of, in a "virtual" way. The blog is the vehicle. I never really got the Minnesota woods out of my system. I made several trips back for grouse/woodcock hunting during the 90s but eventually a series of severe problems with my eyes brought shooting to an end. Through the efforts of some super-skilled surgeons in Alabama during 2004-2006, I regained sharp vision once more. Three years ago a Marine pal took me to the skeet and trap field at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, CA to try a few clay targets. I was hooked again. Now, with four shotguns, reloaders for three gauges, a passel of new hunting gear and a wonderful English Pointer bitch named Pride, I am back in business. The only thing lacking is a set of 30-something legs to make me go! Nearing 71, I don't roam the fields quite the way I did way back when. But, I persevere!

What can I bring to Minnesota bird hunters and shotgunners from the Left Coast? Remains to be seen, but maybe I can put a little perspective on bird hunting from my experience, sound a few alarm bells regarding the steady erosion of gun rights out here--they are coming after all of you too-don't be mistaken. And, share a little thinking about the beauty of our outdoor heritage.

Some of you may remember me from the skeet/trap clubs around the TC area, my early days on the board of Pheasants Forever--I was present at the start--and the early Ruffed Grouse Society banquets. I remember the first ever in the TC area at the Lafayette Club many moons ago. I also remember when clear-cutting and controlled burning to improve habitat weren't dirty words and there were really good populations of grouse and woodcock. We'll recall some of those days.

Stay tuned. I hope to hear from some of you as I toss out a few bones to gnaw on.

Thanks, Dennis, for the opportunity to be here.

Upland Idaho Dreamin'

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1G

I recently updated my camera for the up and coming Upland Bird Season! So far I'm very pleased! Here are some photographs from Thursday and some specs on the camera! I plan to take lots of photos this Fall and even some videos!






DMC-TS1G

12.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

•3m Water Proof

Take photos under 3m of water.

•1.5m Shock Proof

Durable casing to withstand falls.

•Intelligent Auto Mode

Helps prevent shooting errors.

•4.6x Optical Zoom

28mm wide-angle LUMIX® Lens

•Green

More Detailed Specs for the nerdy type!!

Camera Type Tough
Series TS
Model Year 2009
KEY FEATURES .
Intelligent Auto (iA) Mode Face Recognition (Still)
Optical Image Stabilizer (Still & Movie)
Intelligent ISO Control (Still & Movie)
Face Detection (Still)
Intelligent Scene Selector (Still - Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Macro; Movie -
Camera Effective Pixels 12.1 Mega Pixels
Optical Image Stabilizer MEGA O.I.S. (Auto/Mode1/ Mode2)
Optical Zoom 4.6x
Image Sensor 1/2.33-inch / 12.7 Total Megapixels / Primary Color Filter
Image Sensor Size 1/2.33-inch
Extra Optical Zoom 5.6x (4:3 / 8M), 7.2x (4:3 / 5M), 9.0x (under 3M)
Digital Zoom 1 4x
( Max. 18.4 x combined with Optical Zoom without Extra Optical Zoom )
(Max.36.0x combined with Extra Optical Zoom)
Focal Length f=4.9-22.8mm (28-128mm in 35mm equiv.)
Lens LUMIX® Lens
9 elements and 1 prism in 8 groups
(5 Aspherical Lenses/6 Aspherical Surfaces, 1 ED lens)
PERFORMANCE FEATURES .
Conversion Lens Compatibility No
Focusing Area Normal: 30cm - infinity
Macro / Intelligent AUTO : Wide 5cm / Tele 30cm - infinity
AF Metering Face / Touch AF/AE Tracking / Multi (11pt) / 1pt HS / 1pt / Spot
Focus Normal / Macro, Continuous AF (On / Off), AF Tracking (On / Off), Quick AF (On / Off)
AF Assist Lamp Yes
ISO Sensitivity Auto / 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600
High Sensitivity (ISO 1600-6400)
White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / White Set / White Balance Adjustment (+10steps, except for auto set) (Selectable at Portrait, Soft Skin, Self-Portrait, Sports, Baby, Pet, High Sensitivity, and Highspeed Burst mode)
Exposure Program AE
Exposure Compensation 1/3 EV Step, ± 2 EV
Backlight Compensation Yes (only in Intelligent AUTO mode)
Auto Bracketing (AE) +/- 1/3 EV ~ 1EV step, 3 frames
Light Metering Intelligent Multiple
Dedicated Button/Mode Switch [Playback]
Shooting Mode (Mode Dial)/Rec. Mode Intelligent AUTO, Normal Picture, SCN, Beach & Surf, Snow, Sports, Clipboard
Scene Modes Portrait, Soft Skin, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Food, Party, Candle Light, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High sensitivity, Hi-Speed Burst, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Aerial Photo
Shutter Speed/Shutter System 8-1/1300 sec (Selectable minimum shutter speed)
Starry Sky Mode : 15, 30, 60sec.
Self Timer 2sec, 10sec
Auto Review 1sec, 2sec, Zoom, Hold
Review No
Picture Adjustment No
Color Effect Mode No
Color Mode Standard, Natural, Vivid, Black & White, Sepia, Cool, Warm
Recording Format Still Image: JPEG (DCF / Exif2.21)
Motion picture: QuickTime Motion JPEG
Image Quality Fine/Standard
4:3 Aspect Ratio (Still Image) 4000 x 3000(12M)/ 3264 x 2448 (8M EZ) / 2560 x 1920 (5M EZ) /
2048 x 1536 (3M EZ) / 1600 x 1200 (2M EZ) / 640 x 480 (0.3M EZ)
3:2 Aspect Ratio (Still Image) 4000 x 2672(10.5M) / 3264 x 2176 (7M EZ) / 2560 x 1712 (4.5M EZ) / 2048 x 1360 (2.5M EZ)
16:9 Aspect Ratio (Still Image) 4000 x 2248(9M) / 3264 x 1840 (6M EZ) / 2560 x 1440 (3.5M EZ) / 1920 x 1080 (2M EZ)
Motion Image (4:3 Aspect Ratio) VGA: 640 x 480 pixels, 30fps (Motion JPEG)
QVGA: 320 x 240 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG)
Motion Image (16:9 Aspect Ratio) WVGA: 848 x 480 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG)
CONVENIENCE FEATURES .
Unlimited Consecutive Shooting 2 1.8 frames/sec
Intelligent Exposure Still & Movie
Digital Red Eye Correction Yes
Easy Zoom/Zoom Resume/Motion Zoom No
Still Image Recording with Audio 5 seconds
Audio Dubbing Maximum of 10 Seconds
Real-time Histograms Yes
Composition Guide Lines Yes (2 patterns)
Built-in Memory approx. 45MB
Scene Mode Help Screen Yes
Flip Animation No
Travel Date/World Time Yes/Yes
Text Stamp/Date Stamp Yes
STANDARD FEATURES .
Built-in Flash Type/Mode Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
0.6 - 6.0m (Wide/ISO Auto), 1.0 - 2.8m (Tele/ISO Auto)
External Flash No
Viewfinder No
LCD Monitor 2.7" TFT Screen LCD Display (230K dots)
Field of View : approx. 100%
AUTO Power LCD mode, Power LCD mode, High-Angle LCD
Playback Mode Normal Playback, Slideshow, Category Playback, Favorites Playback
OSD Language English, Spanish
Recording Media Built-in Memory
SD Memory Card
SDHC Memory Card
MultiMediaCard (Still image only)
Microphone Built-in (Mono)
Speaker Yes
Interface miniHDMI, USB2.0 High speed / AV Output (Stereo Type, NTSC) /
DC Input (requires optional Multi-Adapter)
Color Green
Power Supply ID-Security Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 940mAh) (Included)
AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC) (Optional)
Battery Life 3 330 pictures (CIPA standard)
ACCESSORIES .
Included Software PHOTOfunSTUDIO v3.0
ArcSoft (MediaImpression / Panorama Maker)
USB Driver, QuickTime
Standard Accessories Battery Charger, Battery Pack, Battery Carrying Case, Lens Cap, Lens Cap Strap, AV & USB Cables, Strap, CD-ROM
SPECIFICATIONS .
Multi-Exposure No
Multi-Aspect No
Color Bracketing No
2-Speed Zoom No
Aperture F3.3 - 5.9 / 2-Step (F3.3 - 11 (W) / F5.9 - 18 (T))
Focus Range Display Yes
Max Auto ISO Setting No
Quick Menu Yes
Continuous Shooting Mode Full-Resolution Image, 2.3 frames/sec Max. 5 images-Standard, Max 3 images-Fine
High-speed Burst Mode: approx. 6.0 frames/sec-Image
approx. 10 frames/sec-Speed
(recorded in 3M for 4:3, 2.5M for 3:2, 2M for 16:9)
Optical Zoom in Motion Picture Yes
Macro Zoom Yes
Orientation Detector Yes
Aspect Ratio 4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9
Touch Zoom No
Thumbnails/Zoomed Playback 12,30-thumbnails / Max 16x
Calendar Display/Dual-Image Playback Yes / No
Set Favorites/Rotate Image Yes / No
Playback Still Images with Audio Yes
Playback Motion Picture Yes (Motion JPEG/AVCHD Lite)
Slideshow Mode All / Still Images Only / Motion Picture Only / Favorites / Category
BGM Effect (Natural / Slow / Swing / Urban / OFF)
Show Histogram Yes
Show Highlights No
Delete Image Single / Multi / All / All except Favorites
DPOF Print Setting/Set Production Yes / Yes
Resize/Trim/Aspect Conv./Leveling Yes
PictBridge Support Single / Multi / All / Favorites / DPOF
iA Direct Button No
Mode Button Intelligent AUTO, Normal Picture, MySCN, SCN, Motion Picture
Movie Scene Mode Portrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Low Light, Food, Party, Candle Light, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Beach & Surf, Snow, Aerial, Pinhole, Film Grain, Underwater
AVCHD Lite REC NTSC
One-Touch Movie Button Yes
Water Proof 3.0m ( IEC60529 IPX8 compliant )
Dust Proof Yes (IEC60529 IP5X compliant)
Shock Proof 1.5m ( MIL-STD810F Method 516.5-Shock compliant )
LED Illumination Yes
Viera Link Yes
HDMI Output Video: Auto / 1080i / 720p / 480p
Audio: Dolby Digital Creator
Movie REC Guide Yes
Wind-Cut in Motion Picture Yes
Motion Image (HD Movie) 1280x720, 60P(CCD output is 30p)
(AVCHD Lite, SH: 17Mbps / H:13Mbps / L:9Mbps )
/ 30fps (Motion JPEG)
Dimensions (H x W x D) 2.49'' x 3.87'' x 0.89''
Weight Approx. 0.36 lbs lbs

The Quiet Dog!

Lil' Ms Ellie desperately needed her teeth cleaned...so today was the day! This is the quietest we'll ever see this little gun dog! She's quickly becoming one of my best friends and companions! Who'd a thunk?

Groused Feathers Again!

October 1st...my favorite day of the year! Of course it would snow on my favorite day to chase grouse...but any day spent in the uplands is a glorious day! Tim and I looked hi and low for birds, but never made contact! Here's a few photos from the day. The Kansas pheasant opener is just around the corner...can't hardly wait!