Heartworm disease is caused by a parasite called Dirofilaria immitis . They’re called heartworms because the worms are typically found in infected animals’ heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Commonly found in dogs and cats, our pets serve as hosts for the worms to mature, breed, and multiply. When mature, the worms look like long strands of spaghetti. Female worms can be 10 to 12 inches in length, and male worms are a little shorter, averaging four to six inches long. Heartworms can cause lung dis...
Feb 02, 2023•8 min
The Gunnison sage-grouse (GUSG) is a critically imperiled sage grouse species most folks aren’t familiar with. Historically, it was lumped in with greater sage-grouse until the 1990s, when biologists began questioning whether or not it should be its own species. It was designated as a new species in the year 2000 by Dr. Jessica Young and her colleagues. Differences in filoplume length, strut rates and vocalizations during lekking season, and genetics were enough to differentiate it from other sa...
Jan 31, 2023•11 min
This summer, reports of a strange virus sickening dogs in the upper peninsula of Michigan made national news. Further testing at the Michigan State Veterinary Diagnostic Lab revealed this was not some new disease or variant, but an old, well-known foe: parvovirus. Parvo is widespread throughout the world and most dogs will be exposed to it at some point (if not several times) in their life. I’m not joking when I say that some dogs will see this virus daily, especially if you’re a frequent dog pa...
Jan 26, 2023•9 min
Natural selection has a funny way of influencing nature. American Woodcocks (Scolopax minor) are a fantastic example of this. Often referred to as Timberdoodles , the woodcock is one of those strange creatures bopping around our world as a result of evolution. I can recall my first experience observing American Woodcocks. I was an undergrad studying wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison enrolled in a field ornithology course. My class took a morning birding trip out to the loca...
Jan 10, 2023•11 min
There are a few ways to fuel a fury-filled debate in any subculture. For uplanders, simply state that your favorite game bird is King of the Uplands and watch the chaos ensue. But what does it take to claim the title of king? Is it the bird’s behavior or environment? Are external factors involved, or is it just in our heads? Perhaps it’s a combination of many things. William Harnden Foster , the father of modern ruffed grouse hunting , wrote: “There are champions eager to rise and contest this c...
Jan 07, 2023•22 min
That year was a particularly challenging one. A record-breaking wet spring during nesting season hit the pheasant hatch hard. The roads into a bunch of properties didn’t fare well, either. Forest fires had been brutal in the Pacific Northwest, burning hundreds of thousands of acres of grouse and quail habitat. The heat dome really did a number on chukar and Hungarian partridge numbers, too. Then, on top of it all, there was the logging . Even though this happens regularly, it was just the first ...
Jan 02, 2023•11 min
To walk the walk, bird hunters need to first learn to talk the talk. Deciphering the various terminology of the pointing dog world can be confusing. Dog training verbiage is not universal. It can vary regionally, and the dogs you are running or the program you are following may have their own verbiage, too. When I picked up my first Deutsch Kurzhaar (DK) pup, I was greeted with a long list of required breed tests. I found myself swimming in alphabet soup in short order. I remember being told I h...
Dec 27, 2022•19 min
Non-lead hunting ammunition has been mainstream, especially for waterfowl hunting , for over 20 years. Since the ban on lead ammunition for waterfowl hunting, many bird species have been conserved due to the decrease in lead on our landscapes like raptors, waterfowl, and scavenging birds; today, these critters are ambassadors for using non-lead ammunition when hunting. But lead ammunition is still legal to use for upland bird hunting, including some spots in Wisconsin. As a result, lead continue...
Dec 21, 2022•11 min
However, their reputation is only partially deserved. These birds become far more wary with dogs on the ground. Clearly, they evolved to avoid canids and big cats, not humans. If you want a sporting hunt for dusky grouse, a dog is all you need to make it interesting. In 2006, taxonomists recognized distinct genetic and morphological variability in two major groups of blue grouse. They renamed the birds of the interior Rockies dusky grouse ( Dendragapus obscurus ) , and named the occupants of the...
Dec 19, 2022•15 min
While staring out my kitchen window one morning, I watched Rudy, my resident yard rooster , come sailing through the sky to land in the orchard down below my house. I quickly finished my morning tea and grabbed my two setters to see if we could rouse Rudy from his hiding place. As expected, my two girls slammed beautiful points in the morning light. Of course, the place Rudy settled in was a native Montanan rose thicket. Cursing, I set forth to flush him from the brush, kicking and stomping as m...
Dec 13, 2022•8 min
Every bird hunter reaches a point in their life when they desire to travel to a different state and hunt a new species. There are too many intriguing birds and landscapes to stay satisfied with hunting near home. Alternatively, in some states, one must travel to find success. While the culmination of a good bird hunt is ultimately the point, flush, and successful taking of the target species, getting to that point on an out-of-state hunt can be difficult. Read more at projectupland.com ....
Dec 11, 2022•13 min
Similar to many upland game species, the northern bobwhite has experienced range-wide declines over the last century. These declines are primarily attributed to changes in land use and habitat loss. However, many unanswered questions remain regarding the sustainability of populations exposed to an annual harvest and associated hunting pressure. Read more at projectupland.com ....
Dec 09, 2022•13 min
Something about side-by-sides speaks to the grouse hunter in me. My personal journey into side-by-sides is likely similar to others’ amongst the under-45 crowd finding their way into them today: nostalgia seeped into my veins. Although I wanted one, I hesitated to buy a vintage gun because I lacked confidence and the knowledge of how to select one that functioned properly and was fairly priced. I had never even shot my great-grandfather’s Belgium-built hammer gun, even though I always meant to t...
Dec 07, 2022•14 min
Learn to avoid these simple mistakes before you step foot in the uplands again. Read more at projectupland.com .
Jan 10, 2022•8 min
There is a decent amount of talk about training once hunting seasons end. Oftentimes, that talk turns to dogs—honing skills or learning new ones. There are also discussions about their human counterparts staying sharp, specifically with our shooting. Read more at projectupland.com .
Dec 15, 2021•8 min
Firsts can come at any time. For long-time waterfowl hunter Steph Lane, her first snow goose hunts were that of disappointment and heart-beating, exciting redemption, respectively. Read more at projectupland.com .
Dec 04, 2021•11 min
A West Virginia University wildlife and fisheries student joins experts from the U.S. Forest Service, Ruffed Grouse Society, and West Virginia Division of Natural Resources on an interagency project outside of Elkins, West Virginia. Through this visit to the worksite, it's clear that multispecies management via interagency collaboration is a successful model to bolster successful conservation practices. Read more at projectupland.com .
Nov 16, 2021•10 min
The "glamorous" life of a chukar hunter is like no other. You will spend nights away from your family, sleeping in your trailer, tent, or in the bed of your truck. You will experience incredible vistas that stretch on for miles in all directions. The rugged mountains, steep hills, and grassy flats that make up chukar country are a monochromatic feast for the eyes. At different times of the season, there will be specks and patches of green, along with streams or pools of blue where water flows or...
Oct 02, 2021•11 min
If you have been searching for that "one," that Holy Grail gun, don’t overlook the Fabarm Autumn; it will likely surprise you. Although my experience with an injured arm is on the extreme side of the spectrum, it illustrates perfectly what a properly-balanced, lightweight side-by-side can do for you. After a long day of pushing brush and following dog bells you may only get one opportunity to bag a bird; with the superbly-balanced Fabarm Autumn in hand, you will be making shots that you may not ...
Sep 14, 2021•13 min
I've learned why West Virginia isn’t a bucket list state for waterfowlers. Still, I learned a few things from those mistakes and few successes that have translated into tactics necessary for hunting ducks in the best places the Mountain State provides for waterfowl hunting: small bodies of water. Read more at projectupland.com .
Sep 08, 2021•7 min
Wearing an oversized camo jacket, a generic blaze orange hat, and awkwardly carrying a borrowed youth 20 gauge, I walked into the lobby of the local trap club where the participants of the Eastern Oregon Women’s Pheasant Hunt were gathering. It was clear almost immediately that I was not the only newbie; if not from the other neophyte’s nervous shuffling, then from their attire. Only the women who had attended the event in prior years seemed to know how to dress for the occasion. Over the next t...
Aug 03, 2021•9 min
It's one of the most dreaded announcements a North American government agency can make: a species has been proposed to be listed under the Endangered Species Act. The announcement that the lesser prairie-chicken had been suggested by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be re-listed was painful but not unexpected. According to the USFWS, it's estimated that the species’ range has been reduced by as much as 90% from its historic dispersal. Read more at projectupland.com ....
Jul 14, 2021•19 min
Hunting gloves are, perhaps, one of the less considered items in our kits. I’ve personally been on a quest to find a solid, all-around glove and have been met with mixed results. They all work for some applications, but I have struggled to find a general-purpose glove that checks all of the boxes. The “boxes” I look to check are fit (including any break-in period), which is affected by material, insulation/warmth, dexterity/tactility, and protection. For example, there are typically trade-offs i...
Jul 12, 2021•9 min
In many ways, that day set me on a course for what has become the obsession of my middle years. The Tensaw jacket lodged itself in my mind as a symbol of the old school appeal of all things upland, mingled with vague memories of my grandfathers’ hunting attire, and was a reminder of the joy of that first day at the quail hunt—trying things on for size, both figuratively and literally. Read more at projectupland.com .
Jul 06, 2021•14 min
A staple of American conversation is likely to see a resurgence in the early years of Joe Biden’s Administration, as U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on April 21 changes to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Read more at projectupland.com .
Jun 10, 2021•16 min
There are a few pieces of legislation making a comeback in the early months of the 117th Congress, but one particularly holds a significant amount of weight to advance outdoor recreation and conservation in the first quarter of the 21st Century: the MAPLand Act. Read more at projectupland.com .
Jun 03, 2021•18 min
With spring in full swing and summer just around the corner, many hunters are planning their fall and winter hunting trips . While most excursions will take place in their home state or surrounding states, some will come to a crossroads: do I fly or drive for that hunting trip several states away? There are certainly benefits to both, but flying always raises some concerns for our beloved firearms. Read more at projectupland.com ....
May 27, 2021•8 min
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a new proposal to expand hunting and sport fishing opportunities on 90 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) and one National Fish Hatchery, encompassing 2.1 million acres. It is the largest proposed expansion in United States history and adds to a list of expansions beginning in the George W. Bush Administration. Read more at projectupland.com ....
May 20, 2021•11 min
If you own a bird dog, you’ve heard the adage that “it takes birds to make a bird dog.” Regardless of advances in technology and training devices, you can’t avoid the fact that it takes real birds to teach a dog about the expected behaviors while on a bird hunt. Finding suitable birds can be a challenge, which often leads to side projects such as housing your own pigeon flock or building quail recall houses. Versatile hunting dogs that will be used to hunt small game or track big game come with ...
May 18, 2021•10 min
There are a lot of dogs out there. It doesn’t take a master internet user to find someone, somewhere that has a litter from which they’d love to sell you a pup at almost any price you could imagine from innumerable (and potentially questionable) lines. A brief foray into breed-specific or hunting Facebook groups will quickly dissolve any illusion that there are universally-practiced ethics and procedures around dog breeding. It’s a lot of information to digest if you are new to buying dogs and i...
May 14, 2021•11 min
