Steve
First thing, tell your dad to get in shape; more hunters die from heart attacks than anything else. Let me see, youre 28, Im 63 and my kids are 30 and 34 so Im figuring your dad is in his mid-50s. Now I havent hunted in three years, my wife has incurable cancer and its just been too hard to leave her for the weekend while I go hunting. If only I still lived in IL I could hunt at some of the half-day state-run put and take operations. Unfortunately, what cost me $35 in IL costs about $500 here in TX. As usual Im getting distracted (one reason I dont reload). The thing is, at the ripe old age of 60 I had no problem putting in a full 8am-5pm day of hunting, usually having lunch with my dog in the field, you just have to watch your weight and do a lot of walking off-season. When I lived in IL, nearly every Sunday Id do a 6-mile walk with my dog through one of those put & take areas. I could enjoy God and nature while my dog flushed birds left over from the hunting season.
Youll find like-minded people to hunt with, but dont be put off, not everyone who hunts has your ethics and there will be a lot of people you may not want to hunt with (and vice-versa). For many guys hunting is nothing more than an excuse to get away from the wife and get drunk every night, Ive hunted with my fair share of them. Usually on a weekend theyre good for a morning hunt on the first day and maybe another late morning hunt the last day. Over the years Ive found three people I really like to hunt with, one guy and also my best friend, lives in AK and we get together here in the lower 48 (or hunt grouse in AK) every few years. The other two Id get together with several times a season and often shoot clays with. Anyhow dont despair; there are still many people who like to hunt upland. Perhaps you could join a local sportsmans club.
Jeeeez what a rambling post, Im starting to feel like RWTF!
Steve
