I am a hunter as previous posts indicate. I have had a passion for the outdoors, nature and hunting my whole life. Growing up, my father and uncle went hunting for birds and small game. I remember my father always enjoyed hunting cottontail rabbits. My dad and I still get out hunting together, though his was always a passing interest in hunting. I learned how to safely handle a firearm and shoot from my father. I remember reading hunting magazines my father had amassed over the years, and getting books out of the public library on hunting. As I grew older, I looked forward to my fifteenth birthday when I would be old enough to get a hunting license of my own. I underwent the mandated hunter safety education and passed the tests easily and was issued my first hunting license. I remember well my first opening day [the opening day of duck hunting season], back in September of 1976. I was so excited I could hardly sleep the night before. This was the first time my father and I actually set out for opening morning. We were pretty inexperienced. We waited in the car for legal shooting time to begin, not realizing that we should have been using the time to set out our decoys and getting into position. We were jolted into action when the shooting started. My dad got his first wild duck that day. I came home empty handed, but I had a great time.

From this humble beginning, I have become quite a competent huntsman. I have a very good knowledge of the game I hunt. This is crucial so you know what it is you are shooting. While I am out hunting, I see a great many non game species. I am careful only to shoot game birds and animals, when seasons permit, that I intend to take home and eat. I am proficient with the different types of shotgun and rifle I use. This ensures that crippling losses are kept to a minimum. I go afield with my second gun dog these days. I trained both dogs myself. Whether I am out hunting by myself, or in the company of friends, I always put safety first. I do my best to see that hunts are enjoyable and everyone comes home safe and sound. My friends and I are careful not to leave any litter behind. When we meet up with other hunters and non-hunters in the field, we are careful to observe the proper etiquette. We unload our firearms as soon as we see other people and leave the actions open until they have passed by safely.

I get a great deal of enjoyment from hunting. I am familiar with the opinions of those who staunchly oppose hunting. They are free to hold these opinions and express them, but I am happy and comfortable with the ethical choices I have made. Hunting is legal. It is well-regulated by the state. You require a hunting license and there are closed seasons. I am an omnivore. My diet consists of meat, fish and vegetables. I eat the flesh of both domestic and wild animals. I make the choice to kill birds and animals myself in order that I may eat them. I am sometimes accused of "liking to kill things," but people who make such accusations really do not know me at all. Hunting, as I practice it, is a tradition in which sportsmanship is paramount. The pursuit of game is conducted in a manner that ensures a fair chase. Every bird or animal taken during a hunt has a chance to escape. I do not suffer those who engage in illegal or unethical hunting practices. Hunting regulations are enforced by the provincial and federal Conservation Officers. I have met up with COs on occasion and been complemented on my comportment as a hunter and knowledge of hunting regulations. I look forward to going hunting for many more seasons to come.

I had an interview today for a job in the main university library. I think I made a good impression. Now I wait and see if they offer me the job. I so want out of the place I am currently working! Here's hoping I am successful this time. After the interview, I came home, changed and took Maggie out for here daily run. It was a mix of sun and clouds today and a very light wind. It was a great day for a run. I met up with a man walking two dogs, we said hello, nice day to eachother. I spied a redwing blackbird's nest through the leaves in a tree along one of the trails. I heard a gray catbird meowing in the shrubs too.

Today is the anniversary of my beloved Christie's death. This year, two years after her death, I am finding it easier to cope. She was given an easy death with the help of Dr. Mellor, the veterinarian who had treated her during her life. I held Christie and told her she was my girl as Dr. Mellor administered the injection. My tears flowed like a summer rain. Who knew the death of a gun dog would be such a painful experience? She was a sweet little dog, not a mean bone in her body. I had her body cremated and the ashes returned to me. It took a few months before I could let her go. On Labour Day weekend I left Christie's ashes in a stream that runs through the Arboretum of the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa. I stood on the middle of a bridge over the stream and scattered her ashes. I took Christie for runs in the Arboretum throughout her life and still take Maggie there. The Arboretum is a happy place. Lots of people with their dogs and children visit and have a good time there. The Arboretum is situated between my home and office too. Christie's memory is something I will cherish for the rest of my days.

Christie, 1994-2004

Christie was my first gun dog. I brought her home on April 16, 1994 when she was between six and seven weeks old. She passed away on May 19, 2004. Her life came to an untimely end due to cancer. Her death was a devastating loss for me. Letting her go was difficult, but now I treasure my memories of our time together. She lives on in my memories and in Maggie, her niece, my surviving gun dog. Maggie is three and a half years old. She and I will have many years afield together, carrying on the hunting traditions of mine and Maggie's ancestors.

I remember fondly one magical day afield with Christie on October 14, 2000. I had planned to go afield that morning with Christie and Glenn Lester, one of my hunting buddies. It was raining when I woke up, and Glenn called to bow out because of the rain. Undaunted, I took Christie and we set off to a patch of cover in the Marlborough Forest I call Twins. By the time we arrived at Twins, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. We arrived at about 8:00 AM. It was a Saturday morning. The temperature would climb to about 18 degrees C by mid-morning. Christie and I set out on what would prove to be a most memorable hunt for woodcock. Christie locked up on point in minutes. I walked up the point and flushed a woodcock. It offered a fairly easy shot, but I managed to miss cleanly to Christie's chagrin. No matter, it turned out, because Christie quickly pointed another woodcock. This time I did not miss. We moved on through the cover, working our way through the first of a series of meadows and through some pines. By the time we reached the second meadow, I had four woodcock in the bag, all shot over Christie's points. This was exciting. We continued through the cover, working our way through the lowland bogs with aspen, alder, birch and hawthorne. There were more than thirty woodcock flushes that morning, most of which were over Christie's points. By the time we completed our sweep of the cover at about 12:00 PM, I had seven woodcock in the bag. This is just one short of the daily limit of eight birds. I thought about stopping at one more cover on the way home to get the bird number eight, but decided that knowing I could do this was sufficient.

I will love Christie forever. May she rest in peace.

I took Maggie out for her daily training run today. It was a nice day for it. Sun, clouds and about 20 degrees C as we set out. I run her in some fields and a wooded area in the south end of the city. The Rideau River runs by this area, so Maggie can cool off as she needs on a hot day. Maggie, by the way, is my three and half year old Brittany. She is a working gun dog. She needs these daily runs to stay in shape. She looks forward to her daily run too. While we are out, I watch the comings and goings of the wildlife that resides in this area. There are many species of songbird, wildfowl and game birds to be found. I see lots of red wing blackbirds, goldfinches, cardinals, yellow warblers, sparrows, tree swallows, eastern king birds, robins, chickadees,
grackles, some wood thrushes and brown thrashers, to name a few. There are mallards and wood ducks on the river, some woodcock and Hungarian partridge in the meadows and woodlots. There are cottontail rabbits too. Maggie loves to chase them. I do not encourage this. She is a bird dog, after all. I try to keep her away from the ground nesting birds too.