Sad news . . . a great sporting ethicist has died

Just found this out tonight--Don Johnson, author of one my all-time favorite grouse books, has died. His full obit is online, but here's an excerpt:

Don L. Johnson, outdoor writer for Milwaukee Sentinel, dies

(Published Tuesday, January 24, 2006 09:55:43 AM CST)

MILWAUKEE - Don L. Johnson, whose subjects as an outdoor writer for the Milwaukee Sentinel ranged from hunting and fishing to stopping environmental pollution, has died at the age of 78.

Johnson, who worked for the Milwaukee newspaper for more than 20 years before turning to freelance work, died at his home in Menomonie in western Wisconsin Friday after battling cancer and Parkinson's disease, the family said.

"He was an outstanding writer," said Bill Windler, senior editor for sports at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and previously sports editor at the Sentinel. "What I remember most is that he tackled everything with enthusiasm. He was both a great outdoors guy and a great journalist."

Johnson grew up in Milwaukee County but spent much of his boyhood on family farms in Dodge and Buffalo counties, hunting and fishing.

Grousers who attended a Wisconsin camp some years ago--quite possibly the very first Cornell Old Tamarack grouse camp--will recall the mirth and enjoyment we experienced when reading aloud from Johnson's book. If memory serves me, I was working on a dissertation about hunting ethics, and Johnson's book was a key "primary source." (I think that hunting trip was also a tax deduction for me--working holiday.)

If the group will indulge me . . . the following passage is from Johnson's section titled, "Road Hunting and Other Sins":

Someday somebody may write a book on the art of road hunting. It ought to be a good seller because road hunting certainly has a lot of practitioners. The dust rarely settles on the back roads of some areas during the first week or two of the season, especially in a year when there are lots of young, dumb grouse standing along the roadsides. You really have to marvel at how fast some of those guys can get a gun into play. Wyatt Earp would have paled at the sight. . . .

. . . I'll admit that there is one kind of road hunting that I sometimes indulge in. We'll be rolling along on a forest road, maybe still trying to decide which place to try next, when a grouse steps into the road up ahead, like it's going to thumb for a ride. Peggy Hays, one of the most dedicated grouse hunters I know, calls such an appearance "an omen."

Obviously, we are looking at something that needs checking out. Neither are we averse to shooting that particular bird. However, we will not swat it on the ground. We will walk it up instead. Maybe.

We might try stopping seventy-five yards or more before reaching the bird, but that is risky. It might duck back into the woods while you're unloading dogs and loading guns--which is what we want it to do. However, it is also apt to take wing. The bird is much more likely to simply step back into cover if we drive by it without slowing down. Then we'll stop seventy-five yards beyond, assemble our forces, and keep dogs at heel until we're near the spot.

Odds are that the grouse has not hiked far back into the brush, so we'll be ready for a point or a flush soon after stepping from the road. Chances are that we will flush additional birds nearby. We'll follow up those that escape, and see where they lead to. I can recall some fine coverts I've found that way.

Ground-swatting a grouse is not only unsporting, it can be dangerous. Taking any low shots in heavy cover can put a hunting partner or dog at risk. But what about shooting grouse perched in trees? I'm not sure all will agree, but I think the jury is still out on that one.

The opportunity doesn't occur nearly as often as it did in the old days, but there are still times when we spy a grouse on a perch. Usually it will be because we saw or heard the bird alight there. Occasionally, one will even start "purting" nervously at you or the dog, although more often, once settled on a limb, the bird will literally transform itself into part of the tree.

Grouse already perched in trees are tough to see. Perhaps they've been up there budding and just "froze" when they heard you coming. It happens quite often late in the season. The dog acts confused. There are birds around somewhere, but the scent is drifting around aimlessly. If you can "read" your dog, you'll start looking up. Maybe you'll get lucky and see a grouse.

Regardless of how it came about, you are now looking at the bird. It knows that you are looking at it, but is still trying to decide what to do next. You may be indecisive too. You know how hard a grouse is to hit when it swoops out of a tree. You also may be remembering that your wife has told you that she has invited two couples for a grouse dinner, and that there are only four birds in the freezer. You really need another to fill the platter properly.

"Shoo!" The grouse stares at you. So does your dog.

Now what? You've given the bird its chance. A dim-witted bird like that is doomed to soon be caught by a hawk, isn't it? Such a dumb grouse probably should be removed from the gene pool anyway.

"BLAM!" Dead grouse. But it really wasn't any fun.

One of my hunting partners unabashedly calls that "Shooting them in the pre-flight position." Most grouse hunters I know do it at times. Not all of them admit it.

On the other hand, I've heard that there are some grouse hunters who will never even take a shot unless the bird has been properly flushed from a solid point. I guess I'm still working up to that.

Jim again: Johnson was a great writer. I recommend that every grouser get Johnson's book.