Wings: Game Birds and Bird Dogs of Alaska

Wings will take you on one man's journey across Alaska, hunting game birds and sharing that experience in a symbiotic relationship with man's best friend. From the slopes of Turnagain Pass chasing ptarmigan as a young lad with a .410 shotgun, to the eel grass beds of Izembek Lagoon where Canada geese and black brant abound, this book will take you on an exciting wing-filled adventure as seen through the eyes of an avid bird hunter and a passionate dog lover. For more than fifty years, Mike has hunted nearly every game bird Alaska has to offer across its tundra, over its wetlands, high in its mountain terrain, and deep in Alaska's spruce forests. Mike will also help you choose your perfect Alaska bird dog, a companion and hunting partner that blends well with your personality, training abilities, and needs as a hunter. He will share with you some of the pitfalls of training a bird dog, and lift you up when times seem bleak and your canine partner is seemingly incorrigible. There is hope and accomplishment to be found in every hunting dog, and the rewards are great for those who are loving, patient, positive, and determined. The author shares some of his own life experiences and lessons learned while training and hunting with retrievers, flushers, and pointers over the last fifty years. You will find interesting information about most of Alaska's game birds from snipe to white-tailed ptarmigan, and Mike includes some of his favorite recipes for preparing those very birds for the table. Whether you are a grouse hunter or a waterfowler, whether you like Labrador retrievers or you are thinking about getting a cocker spaniel, this book is for you! Where your dog and your gun abide, there your heart will be. Mike Chihuly arrived by boat with his family in Whittier, Alaska, in 1957, and they traveled by train to make their home in Anchorage. Mike's dad was an avid outdoorsman who began to drag him around hunting, fishing, and trapping with an you're-on your-own parenting mentality. Mike was educated through the 12th grade in Anchorage and then attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he received a BS and MS in fisheries biology. Mike worked as a fisheries biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and for LGL (private consulting firm), and served three years on the Alaska State Board of Fisheries. For the last 37 years, Mike and his wife, Shirley, have been settled in Ninilchik, where they built a charter-fishing business and Mike worked as a volunteer firefighter, emergency medical technician, and fire chief. He is now happily retired. Bird hunting is his passion and bird dogs are his love.