Letters

The Crucial Quail

I enjoyed Vic Venters' articles on modern quail management in the South ("Quail Hunting's New Good Old Days," May/June & July/August) very much. As a point of interest, shortly after the first article came out I had occasion to attend a conference in Washington, DC, on "Markets and Payments for Ecosystem Services from Our Nation's Forests and Farms." The conference was intended to foster dialog between government, industry, environmental and social groups directly impacted by forest management and instruct how to create and sustain new markets for products and services relative to the forest ecosystem.

Special sessions during the conference were focused on "Conservation Incentives for Southern Forests." Presentations during these sessions centered on the need for a holistic management approach for Southern forests as an essential component of the environment at large. At least four speakers stressed the incredibly important part that bobwhite quail hunting plays in the overall picture.

When the session was completed, I approached one of the speakers, a game biologist from Alabama, and asked, "With all this talk about bobwhite quail habitat improvement as a crucial part of forest management, just where would quail hunting in Southern forests rank on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of overall importance to the social, economic and environmental makeup of the Southern forest infrastructure?"

He was quick to answer, "It's got to be at least a 6 or a 7." When I expressed real surprise that the pursuit of this tiny little bird had such a profound impact on the mix, he continued, "The equation is basically very simple: Better forest management equals more birds equals more hunters (on both public and private forest lands) equals more income to the landowner for more and better forest management and so on."

It just so happened that I had my copy of Shooting Sportsman with Vic's article in my briefcase, and I asked him if he was familiar with the magazine and had seen it. He said he knew of SSM but had not seen the article, whereupon I pulled it out and gave it to him. He looked it over, smiled and said, "I need to read more; this is great-hunters once again carrying a big part of the mail in conservation. Other groups need to take from their example and put their money where their mouths are. In years to come there will be no other way."

Go little Bob!

Kevin McCormack
US Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC


Grand Slam Gripe

I really enjoy your magazine, but one cliché in the September/October article "Highland Adventure" set me on edge.

To characterize a mixed bag of chukar and gray (aka Hungarian) partridge, pheasant, bobwhite quail and valley quail as a "Grand Slam" in Oregon does both the West's native upland birds and hunting acumen a great disservice. And you need look no further than your own pages to see the statement's hyperbole.

A true Grand Slam in Oregon is comprised of not only valley quail but also mountain quail, sage grouse, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, spruce grouse and sharp-tailed grouse-all native to the state, all naturally produced on healthy landscapes, and all written about in Shooting Sportsman. Unfortunately, some of these fine birds are now increasingly rare, as the sensitive native habitats they depend upon are degraded by booming human populations and land alteration.

Not to denigrate the non-native (but often pen-reared and mostly farm-associated) pheasants, Huns, bobs or chukar, but what editor would let a scribe recast Africa's Big Five to include Holsteins and house cats? Or the Grand Slam of wild sheep to include domestic merinos? To be sure, all can be sporty.

To my mind, the role of a fine publication such as yours is to accurately educate the current and upcoming generations of hunters to appreciate not only fine guns and dogs but also the hunting traditions and natural histories of the species and places we hunt. Plus to help all of us recognize and honor truly extraordinary hunting experiences when we accomplish them.

I for one never expect to achieve Oregon's native-upland-bird Grand Slam, but perhaps some younger or more dedicated hunter than I will in the future. However, this only will be possible if they know what it is.

Ben Deeble
Bird biologist
President, Big Sky Upland Bird Association
Via e-mail


As outlined in the article, the Grand Slam referred to is comprised of the five species of upland birds that Highland Hills Ranch offers hunting for. When all five species are taken in one day, the Ranch considers this a Grand Slam-and even presents an award for it. As for someone achieving an Oregon native-upland-bird Grand Slam, that would be wonderful, too, but please don't encourage hunters to include sharptails and spruce grouse in that bag. There are no open seasons on those species in the state.


Sage Advice

I would like to commend you for Tom Reed's article on sage grouse and their survival in viable numbers on Western public lands (Conservation, Sept/Oct).

The sage grouse is an important and unique native species in the Great Basin. Over-utilization of these largely public lands by extractive industries-among which I include grazing-is a serious issue and growing more serious in the current cycle of prolonged drought.

It is time that the wholesale industrial use of these lands be balanced by concern for the inherent values of wildlife and recreation and that these resources be fairly represented in the management objectives of the BLM and other public-land-management agencies.

These vital and rich lands are viewed by many as deserts, which they are not. But if current usage trends and management practices continue, they truly will become deserts.

Please continue to publish articles making your readership aware of the larger issues facing lovers of open space and wildlife as we plunge headlong into a new century.

Michael Spies
Palo Alto, California


Back to Alaska

I just read Ed Carroll's "Trudging Across the Tundra" (July/August), and it almost brought a tear of remembrance to my eye. I lived the first 60 years of my life in Alaska hunting upland birds, waterfowl and big game all over the state.

I have come to anticipate your magazine every two months and really enjoy articles about shooting birds "back home." I introduced my young son to ruffed grouse, spruce grouse and ptarmigan in the old Petersville Mining District near the south end of McKinley Park and to the trap range at Birchwood, north of Anchorage, and I guess it paid off, because he now out-shoots me on a weekly basis at the local trap range in Medford, Oregon.

The pictures were great, and I almost could smell the salmon stream Ed tossed the fly into. I wish you could have seen the salmon runs of my youth in Southeast Alaska where my grandfather from Norway was a commercial fisherman. Likewise, the bird shooting was intense, but as kids we were mostly .22 Long Rifle bird shooters.

In later years after competing with some very fine old shotgunners at the local trap range in Juneau and raising a wonderful black & white springer, I settled on my 20-gauge double as my mountain bird gun of choice.

Thank you for sparking my old thoughts of home, as I'm still the only one in my newly adopted town flying the Alaska flag.

Jay Yakopatz
Via e-mail


We appreciate receiving your comments, criticisms and suggestions. Please send correspondence to Letters, Shooting Sportsman, PO Box 1357, Camden, ME 04843; editorial@shootingsportsman.com.

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