When 30 seemed so old

Article by Marileen Tilberg, Editor of The Onida Watchman (and good friend of Casey and Jamie!)

Husband Darell and I were among over 100 guests at a surprise birthday party for Casey Griffith, former Sully County Conservation Officer. His wife Jamie definitely surprised him with a party three weeks after his 30th birthday. Guests were hiding at their lodge in Presho before Casey arrived. They included former college roommates, people who he had worked with, friends and relatives. His actual birthday came a couple of days before their baby daughter Claire was born, so there was no time for a party then. Congratulations on a little sister for Kellen, for surviving college, your GFP career, marriage, a family, and your many hunting trips in 30 short years! Way to pull off a surprise Jamie!

Bonus Birds

Like I said, it has begun, and the last couple of days have been good. The Clarke Trio showed up yesterday and teamed up with our resident Clarke and with the Boone's on their final day to have a heck of a hunt. Six shooters limited out in one strip with plenty of birds to spare. A good hunt for a closing shoot and a beginning shoot. That was just a warm-up though. We headed west this morning and put the boys on some Sharptail Grouse and Prairie Chickens. We saw hundreds of birds, but they also saw us, and the wind and cloudy weather didn't help. After paying our dues the boys finally broke up a big covey and then began to pick'em apart one-by-one. Chris "manslaughter" Manny had a career day, and says he feels bad for having to help the boys out a little. John "jackrabbit" Pearson could have cared less after he bagged his four-legged friend.

They weren't done yet. After a quick lunch, we hit the preserve for a limit of birds. Not quite as quick as the first day, but fun, none the less. We skipped the golf game today, but we're looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow. Good start for the first day of Fall. Who says the good 'ol days are gone.

It has begun...

Kellen's ready, how about you? We got out yesterday with our first clients, the Boone's, a father/son combo from Missouri. I don't think they were disappointed and either were we. Lots of birds, and more to come with so many that you can't tell what they are. The boys shot decent, but wished they would have done better. Don't we all? It only took a few walks and they had their limit. It's always a little tough with only two guys because you know lots of birds are running around you, but we managed to get it done.

Marlys and Jamie headed to Sioux Falls and put a dent in the future supply run. Just the basics for now to get us by, until we make the big run. They also managed to do a little extra shopping for Kellen, Claire, and themselves. As you can see Kellen wasted no time in trying out his new duds. I've got a feeling that it won't be long and I'll have a full-time assistant. He's already got it figured out that I'm hunting about everyday from here on out. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as he and I.

Velvet Mulies

We came across these mule deer the other night while driving around. They happen to be on a piece we rent for hunting, and Cordie and I do have our deer tags. Not sure we'll find time once the season rolls around in November, but good to see a decent buck in the area. Hopefully he makes it a few more years to grow a little more. Along with the deer tags we've got turkey and antelope too. Those should be harvested by the time Opening Weekend rolls around. All part of the feast for the big celebration. Looking forward to seeing you then.

Lodge Update

Work continues on the new Lodge/House. We have the walls up on the garage, and plan to put the rafters up soon. Once we get the garage enclosed that will give us something to work out of this winter when the weather may not be so nice. We'll see how much we get done, but it's getting down to crunch time with less than a week left before hunters start showing up. Lots of things to do yet to get completely ready for the hunt. Cordie has been busy mowing things up and counting the birds. Hard to believe the overall count is down when you see all the birds around. The countdown has begun, lots to look forward to.

State Pheasant Count

The State says the overall pheasant numbers have declined this year by 26%, yet are still 13% higher than the 10-year average. The 2009 count was still the fourth highest count in the last 45 years. In Lyman County the numbers are up with this areas brood surveys increasing by 8%, with an even larger increase in the area where we hunt the most. We are included in the Chamberlain, Winner, and Pierre area counts, which boast the most pheasants per mile during the annual brood surveys. In the past four years hunters have harvested nearly 2 million birds per year, and this year should be no different. At the Snake Den our harvest has increased along with the number of hunters hosted and this year looks to be no different.

There's also been a changing of the guard as far as Game Wardens go. Bob Karlen our local warden for nearly 20 years resigned this summer, and there's a new kid town. Dan Altman was recently placed in Presho, and will be working Lyman County for many years to come, we hope. We were sad to see Bob leave because he's been so good to us over the years. Dan was a CO intern prior to me leaving the Game and Fish, so I did get to spend a few days in the boat with him. Nice guy, we look forward to working with him, and hopefully he won't have to make too many "work" trips to the lodge. You can read an article on him in the Lyman County Herald by clicking the "Presho News" link.

And then there were three

I attended the annual dove hunt, hosted by good friend Bob Karlen, and the shooting was as good as usual. Normally, there are about 10 of us that get together for an evening shoot, and then a lot of food and a few beverages. Jason and Bob said this is the 13th year that they've done the hunt together. I believe it was the 6th year for me. It took on a little different tone this year, but we still had a good time, and the food and drinks weren't bad either. I did manage to bag the "golden dove", which I hope has nothing to do with killing the goose that laid the golden egg. In fact, I didn't realize there was anything different about the dove until Sully brought it back to me. Not sure if this one laid any golden eggs, but it too was no different on the inside, but it sure ate like a million bucks, along with the rest of them. There are still a few doves around, but it looks like the weather is going to get cool and wet towards the weekend, which generally sends the birds south. Here's to good friends and the beginning of fall.

New Arrival(s)

I know that I'm way behind, and many of you have been waiting to see pictures of our new baby Claire, among other things, but I promise if you stay tuned in the next couple of weeks, I'll have a lot to post about. Due to computer errors and everything else, I have not been very prompt about updating everyone about what's been going on, but that's about to change.

Claire Judith was born on Monday, August 24th at 3:07 PM. The Dr. had predicted a couple of weeks earlier that the baby could come at any minute, but no minute was soon enough for Jamie, so between her and the Dr. they decided that she would be induced that Monday morning. The labor was fairly uneventful, and mom felt much better after a dose of the good stuff. Soon after, Claire was born. Weighing in at 8lbs 15oz., and 19.5 inches long, there really could not have been much more room for growth.

We found out this past Friday at her 2-week appt. that they may not have stretched her quite enough because she is now measuring over 21.5 inches long. Her weight is doing just fine also at 9lbs and 7oz. Everyone is doing fine at home including big brother Kellen. He likes holding, kissing, and talking to her, but we'll see how long that lasts.

Not to be outdone, somebody else has finally gotten in the grandbaby race. Abby and Brandon are due to have their first in March. Everything is going well so far, and everyone is excited for the next baby to enter the Snake Den gang. I'm sure Grandpa and Grandma would be completely happy if we all kept rolling one out every six months or so. Only one team left to join the race???