By the Numbers
If there’s one thing that drives me nuts when talking about hunting or fishing, it’s “one-uppers.” You know the type.
They can hardly let you finish your story before they leap in with their all-too suspiciously even better story – or worse yet, a secondhand story from “a buddy.”
I can tell you it’s left me tight-lipped in many social situations, disinterested in revealing my own participation in just about everything outdoors.
Those aren’t the stories I care to hear or tell.
They don’t fill me with nostalgia for the field, or paint pictures of wild places in my imagination, or hit me in the heart.
They reduce everything I love about this lifestyle into inches, pounds, limits, points, bands and numbers.
Numbers that at the end of the day don’t equate to anything meaningful to me.
So, you may be surprised to know that we have a spreadsheet for Finley, to track the number of upland birds shot over him.
Sure, it spits out some numbers, but what I’ve enjoyed more about it are the stories between the lines.
It’s pretty easy to tell that our small hunting party and bird populations have come a long way since 2017, his first season.
And it’s no secret who’s a better shooter between my husband and me, but it’s fun to see the guest appearances in the “Other Shooters” column, too.
People who I will be reminded of years from now when I scroll through the file and I’ll smile because nothing in my experience can form a bond more instantly than hunting alongside someone, even if it’s just once.
For example, there’s a pair of pheasants in 2018 that belong to North Dakota Pheasants Forever regional representative, Renee Tomala.
At the time I was also working for Pheasants Forever when Renee and I rolled into a small PLOTS section because we vowed to do one hunt before returning home to families and obligations.
I did my best to keep young Finley close as we walked the north side of a slough intending to walk it back into the west wind.
We managed to get past the slough, turn around and begin the upwind trek.
Finley got birdy and was moving fast, one rooster flushed un-pointed between Renee and me surprising us too much to even shoot.
But as we neared the truck, I saw Finley on point.
With Renee to my left we looked at each other with uncertain eyes, after all, this whole upland hunting and pointing dog thing was still pretty new to both of us at the time.
I took a few steps in Finley’s direction, heart racing, almost wishing a bird wouldn’t flush out of fear of messing up his first pointed bird.
I didn’t get my wish.
Not one, but two roosters flushed.
They flew Renee’s direction, and both dropped.
She looked at me and said, “Sorryyyy!” knowing those were Finley’s first points.
I was elated.
I could care less who shot them.
Even better, they fell to a person I consider a good friend and someone I look up to.
It was the beginning of an addiction for me and what would become an impressive career for Fins.
In that year, a total of 12 birds were shot over Finley, for a lifetime total of just 19 after our unimpressive first season in North Dakota – a self-learning, how-to upland hunt and train a puppy in a drought year.
On Dec. 5, 2021, the spreadsheet holds an asterisk.
Scott shot two pheasants that day and the first was Finley’s 100th pheasant.
I remember it was cold and snowing and we were at a PLOTS tract near Underwood.
It’s funny because it’s one of those PLOTS that’s not super good, but because we’re familiar with it, it feels better to walk it than try somewhere totally new.
Thus, despite its mediocracy, there’s several entries in the spreadsheet from it.
I was in the middle of Scott and our friend, Jason, and Finley’s collar was beeping from the thick cattails and I said, “get ready,” as I often do.
It’s a story that’s repeated itself hundreds of times … rooster flushes, Scott downs it.
But this one is running.
And I got a front row seat to watching Finley, likely unintentionally, slide tackle the rooster in the few inches of fresh snow, securing its fate and his 100th pheasant retrieve.
I can also see a few Thanksgiving visits from one of my brothers and North Dakota OUTDOORS editor Ron Wilson’s son even makes an appearance in 2021.
In the early years, there are only two species columns, pheasant and sharp-tailed grouse.
But the columns have now grown to include Huns, quail, prairie chickens, ruffed grouse and sage grouse as we’ve expanded our horizons and taken Fins in tow.
Impressively, its actually hard to notice too much of a difference once Fischer entered our lives, even though our time became more limited.
Bird numbers and our knowledge has come a long way.
This year the spreadsheet ended sooner than we’d like as Fins ripped off a toe pad on Dec. 8 that’s still mending.
He’s leaving the season well under the usual average without a trip to northwestern North Dakota and a few late season jaunts to our favorite honey holes, so I made a note to remind myself why.
When I look at the spreadsheet, I often wonder if my column will ever start getting more threes.
I wonder if the numbers serve as an index of bird numbers or simply reflect a growing love and dedication for upland hunting.
I wonder who will be added to the “Other Shooters” column, if we’ll add anymore species, and sadly, when I’ll enter the last number on “Finley’s Upland Count.xls.” I also don’t know how many years or dogs before the spreadsheet’s stories fade into just numbers, but I have to believe even if the numbers don’t tell them anymore, they’ll all be there in my memory, waiting to be relived and retold.
Author
North Dakota Game and Fish Department R3 Coordinator