Every fall, Todd and his dad travel to Montana and the Dakotas to hunt pheasants. This has become a tradition, with 2008 being their fourteenth year travelling south across the line in pursuit of upland game birds. Prep for the trip starts in the spring – applying for the appropriate non-resident hunting permits, securing permits to transport their guns to the US, ensuring the dogs are vaccinated and papered, and making hotel reservations. The list is endless. Ammunition, orange/blaze gear (which is not required in BC), game bags, maps, dog gear, hiking boots, etc., etc., etc..
Upon their return back to Canada, Todd and his dad regale us with the tales of their travels. From falling down a coulee and landing on a cactus, to befriending a community of Hutterites, to watching one of the dogs take off after a deer and not return for several hours. Eventually they work their way around to how many birds there were, and what the terrain was like, and how much snow was on the ground. Whether or not they reached their limit seems to be secondary to the trip itself.
