Before I ever owned a gun dog, I walked up pheasants on the family farm by myself. While I wouldn’t go back to hunting without a dog, I remember the special thrill of dogless hunting: there’s no ...

This story, “Better Pheasant Hunting Alone,” was originally published in the October 1984 issue of Outdoor Life. Over the past several years, I’ve kept records on more than 100 pheasant hunts. During ...

It took us about an hour, but we were finally on one. My black Lab Otis was charging hard from my right, head down low, ears perked forward. I was running (yes, running) forward to cut off what I ...