The highs and lows of uplands and lowlands

As you learn about hunting small game, especially sporting birds such as quail, rail, pheasant, woodcock and grouse, you'll run into the terms "upland" and "lowland." Uplands are generally identified as dryer ground that's elevated above the meadows, swales and plains found along rivers, streams, lakes and oceans. The latter are known as the lowlands, which may sometimes encompass "wetlands" due to the presence of marshes and swampy areas. I dearly love those terms. There's something poetic about strolling through autumn's upland leaves or stepping gingerly through the damp lowlands. They belie the wet socks, nose-swatting briars, boot-sucking mud, loose-rocked hillsides and the tripping greenbrier-vined thickets. The words also overlook the hours of de-burring burdock, trefoil, sticktights, foxtail and other hitchhiking seeds from your trusted dog's fur. I won't even get into the occasional skunk or porcupine that Rover provokes during these upland-lowland excursions. Nevertheless, when autumn arrives, there's a hypnotic pull that urges hunters to prepare to return to these bird hunting haunts. My dog's keen nose catches the season's scents drifting by on the cooling breezes as she impatiently paces the yard. Shotguns are oiled and thrown to the shoulder to track imaginary crossing shots, and calendars are marked with the hunting season's opening dates. Another fleetingly short year is approaching its grand finale and with it, one more chance to follow it into its waning days. If you add a light autumn rain, I'll become as infatuated with the season as my wife does at a golden retriever puppy convention. The aromas of wet leaves and damp dogs seem to awaken every aspect of the landscape and my English cocker appears to shed half of her nine years as she dashes happily about, searching for the errant woodcock. I've been asked what the best shotguns and dogs are for hunting the uplands and lowlands. There are plenty of experts that offer skilled opinions, and there are dozens of books on the subject. I've always appreciated their views but I've got my own ideas. I believe that those things evolve with our experience, just as our dogs develop their own strategy while investigating coverts and thickets. Available cash may have its influence, but that's often overrated. As for shotguns, farm work during my teen years helped me replace my Winchester pump shotgun with a more graceful Ithaca double. This started a lifetime affair with side-by-sides and the advantages they offer. Since then, I've used every gauge available. My favorites remain the 16 and 28 bores, though I still grab a 12 when opportunities become scarce. My first real bird dog was Shadow, a Springer-pointer cross whose litter was destined to be discarded. To me, that was offensive and something I couldn't stand to see. I volunteered to take the pups once they were weaned. Each found homes except one, and he became the best dog I've ever known. He was followed by a springer, two Britts, a Gorden setter and an English cocker — followed but never replaced, just like each one of the others. At that time in my hunting life, some would say Shadow was an imperfect dog, learning to hunt with an inexperienced person using a less-than-ideal shotgun. Since then, my equipment has improved, my dogs more thoroughbred, and I've become more experienced. Regardless of that progression, those long-ago hunts remain the most memorable — possibly even the best — of my life. What have I learned? What are the best combinations? I'm not sure there really are any. Maybe the best happens to just be what you have available. It's not about your equipment, experience, or your dog's pedigree. While "things" may contribute to the experience, it's the experience itself that you will hold tightly in the years yet to come. You never know when the best will arrive — or end. "Sometimes you will never know the value of something, until it becomes a memory." — Dr. Seuss Along the Way I know it's a little early to write a letter to Santa, but I like to give him some time to reevaluate my position on the nice or naughty list before all those goody two-shoes bounce me off completely. This year's inspiration for my line-jumping is a book that highlights North America's most beautiful waterfowl, the wood duck. Written by Greg Hoch, "With Wings Extended: A Leap into the Wood Duck's World" should be a hit for a variety of readers. Whether a hunter, birder or someone looking to improve local habitat, this book has a great deal to offer. Just 100 years ago, the wood duck was preparing to follow the flight of the passenger pigeon into the clouds of extinction. The demise of the one actually helped to spur the interest that would help to save the other. This book explores the wood duck's natural history from that edge of oblivion to today's position as America's favorite duck. Its numbers have recovered to the extent that Atlantic Flyway hunters annually harvest more of them than even the seemingly ever-present mallard. "With Wings Extended" offers a look back at the work that has kept the little duck in our world. From the early protection efforts to the use of nesting boxes, you'll learn how the wood duck found its way safely into a new century, leaving you with the hope that other catastrophic losses may be avoided. There are chapters about taxonomy, nesting, migration, anatomy and hunting. The work shows how partnerships between interested factions including national conservation organizations, foresters, wildlife biologists and hunters can avoid future losses. The book will leave you with the realization that saving the wood duck is one of America's greatest conservation stories. If you're concerned that the elves won't get the book printed in time for Christmas — or that you might not have made the nice list — you can find a copy by visiting the University of Iowa Press at https://www.uipress.uiowa.edu/ Step Outside • Follow the Your Wild Ohio Hunter Facebook page for hunting tips and useful information as you get outside this season. • Today: Deer Archery Season begins. • Sunday: IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) Tier 2 Match. Visit www.idpa.com/matches/flag-city-challenge-diamond-edition for more. • Thursday: Sporting Clays for Scouting, Elkhorn Lake Hunt Club, 4146 Klopfenstein Road, Bucyrus. All funds stay local to support the 5,000 Scouts and Explorers in our area. Visit donation.scouting.org/#/council/449/events or email JimMason@scouting.org for more information. • Thursday and Friday: Trap and Skeet, 5 p.m., UCOA, 6943 Marion Township 243, open to the public. • Oct. 3: Blackpowder Competition, patched round-ball only, 1 p.m., Black Swamp Muzzle Loaders, Portage Township 19. Contact Kevin Thomas at 419-722-5063 for details. • Oct. 16: Ladies' Day at the Range, at the newly renovated Delaware Wildlife Area Public Shooting Range, 1358 Ohio 229, Ashley. This ladies-only event includes a gun safety class taught by certified instructors; one-on-one instruction on the outdoor range; the chance to shoot handguns, revolvers and rifles; time on a video simulator to practice shooting skills; lunch, social hour and more. Contact Angela Armstrong at 614-715-4867 or aarmstrong@buckeyefirearms.org for more information or to register. • Hunter and Trapper Education Class information and registration is found at www.wildohio.gov or 1-800-WILDLIFE. Locally, call 419-424-5000. Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via email at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com