upland birds « Tosh Brown's Hunting Fishing and Outdoor Photography Blog


	Posts Tagged ‘upland birds’ Point! Monday, March 1st, 2010 Folks who know me will attest that quail hunting is one of several things that I get all yippy about. Unfortunately the 2009-10 Texas bird crop wasn’t much to yip for. After two consecutive blistering summers there were scant few coveys and lots of bird dogs and hunters riding the bench. I actually went the entire season without firing a shot, but just before the final bell I did get to fire a few frames on one of the rare patches of Texas ground that held a huntable density of birds. By nod from Joe Crafton and Bubba Wood with Park Cities Quail in Dallas, I tagged along on a two-day hunt to photograph a group of quail aficionados at Mesa Vista Ranch in the Texas Panhandle. Owner T. Boone Pickens had graciously donated the hunt to raise funds for the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch, and his guests were treated to a literal hunt of a lifetime. Through extensive water management and habitat improvement, Boone has transformed what was once a large piece of dusty cow country into one of the most productive quail factories in the Southwest. Rainfall goes a long way to fuel quail production, but during drought times Mesa Vista makes sure that the key components of water, forage, nesting, and screening cover are still abundantly intact. In a year when quail slipped way down the priority list for most, Boone’s dogs got a workout, his guides stayed busy, his hunters found coveys, and a pile of money was raised for quail research. Winner winner, chicken dinner. After the hunt, I poured a selection of the photos into a hardbound mini coffee table book and a slideshow CD for the attending hunters. Those items will also be used to jumpstart the bidding on the Mesa Vista 2011 hunt that will be auctioned off next week at the annual Park Cities Quail fundraiser. This was a rewarding project for all involved. Click here to see these, and more shots from my quail and upland bird hunting archive. *Mesa Vista Ranch* *Chest-high to a bird dog* *Scatterguns and plum thickets* *You can run, but you can’t hide* *Skint back* *Hunkered in a creekdraw* *This season’s most valuable player* Tags: hunting dogs, quail hunting, Texas, upland birds Posted in Upland Bird Hunting \| 5 Comments » Stepping Into Fall Friday, October 2nd, 2009 Opening Day I had big plans in September to spend quite a bit of time in the field with doves, dogs and camera gear. In Texas, dove season typically brings a change in the weather, and this year we were needing one in a big way. After months of parched pastures, dusty roads, dry tanks, and searing heat, the rains arrived right on schedule. I managed to get in a couple of shoots between opening day and the first deluge on September 6th, but every planned hunt after that date was a washout. Literally. Below you’ll find a smattering of images that I shot before the rains fell and the early season birds scattered. Hopefully there will be a couple more dove days before other distractions take over. Return to Versus Country Back in July, I traveled to Georgia to do a shoot for Versus Country television. They’ve just sent me the ad layouts with the images from that shoot, and I’m amazed at what their graphic design folks have done with my shots. These ads will be running nationally for the next few months to promote VC’s fall and winter TV lineup. Mike Hanback – The Buck Stops Here Bill Dance Outdoors Jeff Foxworthy & David Morris – The Bucks of Tecomate Larry Weishuhn – Winchester Whitetail Revolution Coming Up In late October I’ll be traveling to Montauk, NY to work on the first installment of a large-format pictorial on fly-fishing the Altantic Seaboard. Author Pete McDonald will be penning the commentary and I’ll be doing the photography work. Our plan is to cover the Atlantic coast from Maine to The Outer Banks over an eighteen-month period and chronicle the huge, ravenous and ecclectic fly-fishing culture of striped bass, bluefish, false albacore and whatever else we snag. If all goes according to plan, this book will release in the Spring of 2011 through my Departure Publishing imprint. Check back next month for a preview of those images. Tags: dove hunting, Texas, upland birds Posted in Big Game Hunting, Upland Bird Hunting \| 1 Comment » Unplugged in the Neo-Tropics Sunday, July 5th, 2009 Key West This was our seventeenth year (parents, siblings, kids, et al) with the same dates, same guides, and undoubtedly some of the same tarpon. In some years we’ve hit it perfectly (late May/early June) and in other years the planets were mis-aligned. We had some goofy west winds and poor visibility that hindered a few days, this year, but the tarpon performed on cue when the conditions were right. Click here to see a few shots from this year’s Key West Trip. These are Redfish At the end of June, the wife/kids and I arrived in Port Aransas for our annual redfish sabbatical. For six straight days we had glass calm flats that were covered with tailing fish. And then, by divine coincidence, the blasting winds arrived right alongside the annual migration of July 4th revelers. As I sit typing this report, the ferries are carrying those crowds away and the winds are forecast to lay again by Tuesday. Click here for a sampling of what I’ve shot, so far. Need Upland Bird Images? This month I’m featuring images from my upland bird hunting archive. If you need shots of pointing dogs, prairie hunters or flushing birds, I’ve got a large selection of images From Montana to the Texas Brush Country. Coming Up Later this month I’ll be putting the rods away for a quick assignment shoot for one of the outdoor television networks. By some miracle they’ve managed to gather their entire fall talent lineup into a single location for a two-day media event. I’m glad I wasn’t the one in charge of scheduling that one. The shots will be a mix of candids and stages that will be used for their 2009-10 ad campaigns. Check back next month to see the images from that shoot. All of these shots are available (really big) by FTP delivery and I can usually get them to you within minutes as long as I’m not too far from my desk. Stock usage rates are priced on request. Drop in and have a look… Tags: Florida, Florida Keys, fly fishing, kayak, Key West, Port Aransas, quail hunting, redfish, salt water, tarpon, Texas, upland birds Posted in Saltwater Fly Fishing, Upland Bird Hunting \| No Comments »