Today was maybe the most frustrated I' ve been with hunting since I moved out east. While working my dogs on a state release hunting area, I became acutely aware of just how little opportunity exists for upland hunting in the upper midwest. The only real opportunities for wild bird hunting are ruffies and woodcock, but they are soon thinned out.

Instead of the large prairies and wheat stubble fields I grew up on, I now wade shoulder to shoulder, playing a sort of demolition derby game, with all of the other hunters in the area. All of this to find a point on a weak bird that can hardly flee or fly.

I guess my bitching is leading up to this: Where is Pheasants Forever? Why aren' t there habitat improvement/impoundment signs up on every carner post? Isn' t there more to conservation than banquets?

Our state DNR' s are all facing budget cuts, and hunting clubs are incredibly expensive surrogates. It may already be too late, but we need to do something to save our hunting traditions. If hunting is to remain a noble pursuit of fair chase gamebirds, we must do something to protect and increase our wild birds.