Sportsmen ’ s Alliance members have great stories to tell that speak to the success of conservation and their efforts to continue the traditions of hunting , trapping and fishing . We ’ re proud to share such stories in these pages , as they demonstrate the commitment of citizen huntervationists . The Sportsmen ’ s Alliance recently caught up with Hannah Hayes to hear about her love of hunting , bird dogs and falconry . The following is her story , in her words . Shortly after bringing home Cooper , I was playing fetch with him in my living room . He ’ d run after the toy and before he got there , he ’ d lock up in this super cute , uncoordinated point . I thought , Well , if he can find birds , I could probably shoot them . That memory
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is etched into my brain because it was the first moment that catapulted me into this bird dog world . It was like the first moment , really , of the rest of my life .
I joined my local NAVDA chapter and met a pointing dog trainer who lived down the road . I volunteered at his kennel and would spend pretty much every morning planting birds and walking behind him . I just watched this guy train his client dogs ; I didn ’ t know anything about any of it . I went hunting and Cooper pointed some quail , and I shot some birds over him .
Shortly after my first quail season my job relocated me to Austin , Texas . I loved the city but living with a 1-yearold Vizsla in 400 square feet was nearly impossible . Every day consisted of getting
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him enough exercise so that I could sleep at night . I didn ’ t know anyone in Texas and so had to rely heavily on public lands , which there aren ’ t any . In two years living there , I didn ’ t hunt a single time . I needed to leave Texas and live somewhere with more access to upland bird hunting .
I met a woman named Emily on social media and she invited me to Montana . I made the drive from Texas to eastern Montana , and we hunted together . It was early September , so it was just Huns and sharptail , but I fell in love with it . Those prairie birds , the habitat they live in , the landscape , everything was breathtaking . I told myself , “ I have to get up here somehow .”
During this same time , I made another friend through social media who
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COURTESY OF ROBERT JONES |