From the Editor

Hard to believe, but in July it will be three years since we lost Contributing Editor Tim Leary in that tragic fall. (If you're too new to the magazine to remember Tim, he was our Field Gear Editor and the coordinator of our Readers & Writers Wingshoots.) Still, after all this time, hardly a day goes by that I don't hear a reference to something Tim did or at least think about my dear friend. (Perhaps it has something to do with the photo of him, with his last two setters, grinning down at me from over my computer screen.) Some people just make indelible impressions on you.

Evidently, I'm not alone in feeling this way, as this past March I attended the inaugural banquet of a new chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society-the Tim Leary Chapter-in Lancaster, New Hampshire. Members reside in Tim's old stomping grounds of Northern New Hampshire and Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, so the name is most appropriate. And for a man who was passionate about grouse and grouse country, I can think of no more fitting tribute.

The gathering itself was lovely, and I was lucky to share a table with Donna Whitehill, Tim's fiancée at the time of his death; Terry Wilson, owner of Ugly Dog Hunting Co. and newly elected RGS director; and Terry's wife, Nancy Anisfield, Senior Editor of The Upland Almanac. We had fun talking grouse, dogs and guns, and Donna and I shared memories of Tim as we looked over the photos of him she'd brought. The banquet program was, of course, dedicated to Tim, and it included nice remembrances written for the occasion by Michael McIntosh, Tom Huggler and Charles Fergus. I especially liked something Tom wrote: "If you knew Tim Leary-writer, photographer, sportsman, friend-you knew his gift to each of us was his purely unselfish self."

I'm glad to know that Tim's spirit will live on in the good works of this wonderful organization.

In a similar vein, this fall Tim will be remembered by friends and shooting compatriots at Pheasant Crest Lodge, in Kimball, South Dakota. Pheasant Crest hosted several of the Readers & Writers Wingshoots that Tim organized, and last year lodge owner Brian Havlik decided to organize a hunt in Tim's honor. The first event was attended by the full complement of 15 shooters, and a portion of the lodge's fee was given to Donna Whitehill. This year the hunt is scheduled for November 16 to 18, and there is again room for 15 participants. When I spoke with Brian at press time, he was waiting for several deposits, so there still may be openings.

For more information, contact Pheasant Crest Lodge, 605-778-6340; www.pheasantcrest.com.


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And finally, a head's up to watch your mailbox for our latest Reader Survey. You may be one of the lucky 1,200 subscribers chosen to answer questions about your wingshooting experience, gear-buying habits, gun ownership and more. Obviously, we're hoping for as much participation as possible, so if you do receive the Survey, we'd appreciate you filling it out and returning it as soon as possible. The information gathered will be kept strictly confidential, but I will summarize results in a future issue.

Thank you in advance for your help.

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