Follow the path of Lewis and Clark to the ultimate upland bird and big game hunting lodge with salmon, steelhead and smallmouth on the side.
Nose thrust forward, the pair of German shorthairs, Otis and Trigger, romped back and forth through the heavy grassy thicket. They freeze. Gingerly Alex approaches. On command, they edge ahead. A cackle, a beat of wings, green head, russet body, long dancing tail feathers, cock pheasant! He brings his gun up. One shot, the first from the brand new Franchi over/under 20 ga. Dead bird.
With the sun setting and a rainy front forecast for the morning, photos were my priority on this, the first evening of my three-day “Fin and Feather” stay where mornings were spent bird hunting and afternoons floating the Clearwater tossing flies for smallmouth. Ever with an eye on the weather. I’d asked guide Alex Staal to show me some feathers before we did anything else.
Alex and Otis congratulate each other after bagging the Franchi’s first Flying B pheasant.
He obliged and ferried me to a tight cover in Walnut Flat on Lawyer Creek about a mile upstream from the lodge. The little rolling floodplain, less than 100 yards wide, couldn’t have offered more promising cover. Against the base of steep sedge tufted talus that rise 1500 feet to broad and tawny plateaus grew dense brush that just had to hold birds. Into it plunged Otis and Trigger. Knowing his dogs well, Alex laid back and let them work.
As soon as they pointed, Alex stepped forward gently. On the flush, he swung the little 20, and in a pair of minutes Otis retrieved the fine cock. Walking down the gravel road along the creek back to the truck, we watched the pointers probe a little wet-weather swale at the base of the opposing bluff. Another point, three chukars flushed, and two were added to Alex’s bag.
Of the little Franchi Instinct L, Alex had nothing but praise for its light weight and smooth handling and its matt finished walnut stock, color case hardened receiver, and shiny blue black barrels. Though inexpensive, this svelte over/under breathes top of the line quality.
Upland bird hunting can be that easy on the Flying B’s 5,000 acres. Steep and rocky canyon breaks hold chukars. Coveys of huns hide in brushy creek bottoms. Blue and ruffed grouse hang out in timbered draws. Pheasants abound. Birds are wild and released, but try to tell the difference. This is walkin’ country. Gunners ride their guide’s hunt-truck with dog box in the back to the section chosen for the morning hunt. Then it’s boots on the ground. Here they find wild terrain matched to their physical ability. Wheelchair-bound hunters are not a problem.
Little more than 10 minutes from the ranch flows the Clearwater River, well known for spring and fall runs of salmon and steelhead. Lurking too at the base of its many riffles are smallmouth. Along with the the 20-ga. Franchi, I’d brought along my six-piece, 6-weight bamboo travel rod, which I hope will handle everything fly fishing from the Flying B offers.
Orvis Wingshooting Lodge of the Year for 2003 and 2014 and Sporting Classics Award of Excellence winner in 2011, the lodge itself is a 14,000 square-foot masterpiece of modern western architecture. Guests stay in 19 rooms with private baths in the lodge or in a nearby guesthouse. Dinners feature wild game but not the way your Uncle Harry cooked it. Chefs prepare birds guests shot and will share the recipes if requested. Afterward, retire to the deck, sit around the fire, swap stories and gaze at stars as only they can glisten in the western night sky.
