Upland Bird Hunter

(Photograph copyright 2017 by Dan Routh)

Meadows of Dan, Virginia.

Pheasant Hunt

(Photograph copyright 2016 by Dan Routh)

Near Meadows of Dan, Virginia.

At the Hunt

(Photograph copyright 2016 by Dan Routh)

Near Greensboro, North Carolina.

Before the Hunt

(Photograph copyright 2016 by Dan Routh)

Near Greensboro, North Carolina.

Pheasant Shooting

(Photograph copyright 2016 by Dan Routh)

Hunter and loader. Meadows of Dan, Virginia.

Game Keeper

(Photograph copyright 2016 by Dan Routh)

Meadows of Dan, Virginia.

Dog Handler

(Photograph copyright 2016 by Dan Routh)

Meadows of Dan, Virginia.

More Upland Birds

(Photographs copyright 2016 by Dan Routh)

Pheasant hunting. Meadows of Dan, Virginia.

Pheasant in Flight

(Photograph copyright 2016 by Dan Routh)

Meadows of Dan, Virginia.

Upland Bird Hunting

(Photograph copyright 2016 by Dan Routh)

Meadows of Dan, Virginia.

Pointer

Banjo, the English Pointer, works a field near my home in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

(Photographs copyright 2013 by Dan Routh)

ATV Ad

(Photograph copyright 2012 by Dan Routh)

Commercial advertising photograph for an ATV manufacturer.

ATV Rider in the Field

(Photograph copyright 2010 by Dan Routh)

ATV rider from a commercial outdoor apparel shoot.

Bird Hunting

Saturday I tagged along with Cory Routh, his dad Larry and neighbor Austin Capps for a few hours of upland bird hunting at Blue Horizon Quail Preserve near Randleman, North Carolina. Ricky Nixon along with guide Chad Robbins manages about 200 acres of land set up and maintained for good quail hunting. It brought back memories of my Grandpa King, who absolutely loved to hunt birds. While shooting is a big part of the equation, it is most fascinating to watch a really good dog work. Ricky's English pointer Banjo is a master hunter and is the star of the show. He finds the birds, he points, and he retrieves every time. Ricky's wife also fixed one of the best stews I've had lately for lunch. For info on Blue Horizon, go to www.BlueHorizonQuailPreserve.com.

Preserve owner Ricky Nixon.

Guide Chad Robbins.

 (Photographs copyright 2012 by Dan Routh)

Fox Hunting Photography

I spent Thanksgiving morning this year with the Sedgefield Hunt Club on a farm in Rockingham County, just north of Greensboro, North Carolina. It was a splendid day with some gorgeous horses, a pack of energetic and handsome hounds, and a lovely young lady who like me was at her first fox hunt, except unlike me, she was riding.

(All photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Sedgefield Hunt

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

I spent yesterday morning with the Sedgefield Hunt Club for their annual Thanksgiving Day fox hunt near Greensboro, North Carolina. A gorgeous day for sure. I will post more images in the next few days.

Bird Dogs

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Bird dogs in black and white.

My Grandfather was a Hunter

For the past few weeks as the weather has been pretty nasty for North Carolina, I've been shooting objects on an old table in my den. These are very eclectic things for the most part and some of them have special meanings only for me. Today the images are of a box of cartridges and a hand-made turkey call that belonged to my Grandfather. I've mentioned the problems we've had with poachers around our farm lately on this blog, but I don't want to give the impression that I don't like hunters. On the contrary, I have great respect for hunters, real hunters. Living during the Great Depression, my Grandfather was a real hunter and fisherman. He ate what he killed, he hit what he shot at, he respected other people's property, and he never took more than he needed for his family. I just wish the guys riding around my house at night could be more like him.

(Photographs copyright 2010 by Dan Routh)

ATV in the Woods

(Photograph copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Out-take from a recent fashion shoot for men's outdoor apparel.

Coon Hunting

On Wednesday night there was a full moon (almost), and my wife stepped out on the deck and then rushed in to say, "They're running!". I went outside and heard the deep bay of Walker hounds running a coon (raccoon). Suddenly the bays turned more excited and I knew they had treed, and just across the road.

Coon-hunting was a very popular activity in my community in North Carolina for past generations, but not many people do it anymore. Guess folks don't care to trudge through the woods at night chasing dogs, basically just to hear them run. A couple of my neighbors still do, however, and we allow them to go across our property. Let me say that where I live, it's really not hunting, it's more of a race. The dogs chase the coon till he goes to a tree and then the "hunters" take the dogs somewhere else and start again. No guns. These races can go on for miles, and Mr. Raccoon is tired I'm sure, but left unhurt. Coon-hunting has become more high tech as well. These days the hounds wear safety collars with flashing lights so they can be seen, as well as GPS units so their owners can track them. Important, because some of the dogs can be worth hundreds or thousands.

(photographs copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)