Our trailer squats on a flat spot where upland and bottomland collide . It ’ s ranch country , so up on top , of course , it ’ s wide and open and dry . There are some decadent stands of big cottonwoods in the river valley , along with thick shrubbery that extends up into the attendant coulees . We suspect the primary reason the grand trees don ’ t seem to be regenerating is from thrashing and grazing pressure , but we ’ re careful to keep our thoughts to ourselves , lest we alienate ourselves with our ranch hosts . Substantial acreages of the bottom land have been converted to irrigation farming , producing grains and other crops , but even here livestock is often run . In addition to cattle , a few sections hold horses , which these days seem to be kept mostly for traditional reasons and nostalgia . Across the road from the trailer , there ’ s the bull pasture , and to the east and west , interspersed by tree and other cover , a number of various sized fields irrigated with circular pivots .
Gazing at the vastness of the scene in front of me , it ’ s easy to understand why the west is often referred to as ‘ Big Sky Country ’. The term might have been coined in Montana , but
59 Wild Guide . Fall 2017 southern Alberta has similar scenery . Plus , I can ’ t think of a better way to describe the unfettered view of miles and miles of rolling grassland with the occasional dot of a clump of poplars and a never-ending skyline . Even though it ’ s early in the morning and light levels are still low , there ’ s an obvious hint of green to the viewscape that greets my eyes .
In the fall , for the most part , the scenery out here is usually a simple mixture of yellows and browns , plus whatever colour the sky happens to be . When snow blankets the ground , it can be hard to separate heaven from earth .
It is a very dry place we hunt , although this year , on the drive in , we had commented on the height of the grass and how things didn ’ t seem near as brown as they have in the past . There were also vibrant splashes of reds and orange in the coulees . We conclude it must have been a good growing season , and hope this translates into a bumper crop of birds .
We had also talked how things actually appeared to be somewhat lush , although as we rolled along it struck me that ‘ lush ’ is probably not the best word to use in a country where the ground is largely carpeted with cactus . I glance down and see I ’ ve narrowly missed walking into small clump of prickly pears .
Brill has finally stopped her antics and leads me back inside the trailer . The ‘ boys ’ have just about got things cleaned up , and it looks like we are ready to go . My gun is already in the truck , so all I have to do is don my vest , make sure there are enough shells in my pack and pick up Brill ’ s water dish . Glenn has jugs of water for both us and the dogs . Rob pours himself a thermal cup of coffee and then ruins it by pouring in a dollop from a can of Carnation evaporated milk . Brian has made himself a thermos of hot tea , which he , as with Rob ’ s coffee , never has to share .
I suspect our plan to ‘ have a quick hunt before anyone else arrives then come back to camp and have a big breakfast ’ is doomed to fail , which I mention to Brian . He laughs and doesn ’ t need to remind me that it ’ s a plan we ’ ve made before and one which has never worked out . If we ’ re lucky , we may get to eat by early afternoon .
All of us engage in some non-serious banter then decide , like we always do , to head east past the ranch house and hunt on the edge of Reg ’ s largest pivot .
With dogs and hunters loaded into two trucks , the ‘ Trailer Park Boys ’, a name taken from the TV show and whom we are referred to by the locals , and only somewhat because of our accommodations and habits , finally pull out . It ’ s Day 1 of a new season .