Over the Top, Dogs and Sheep. Well Done!

ER M. Shelley, his Champion Pointer "Hard Cash" and one of his hounds

 Shelley accompanied Paul Rainey on his African Hunts where they hunted Lion with Hounds, Airedales and Curs. Shelley trained many bird dogs to become field trial Champions and is in the National Bird Dog Hall of Fame in Grand Junction Tennessee.

Above "Hard Cash" by Edmund Osthaus and below one of Shelley's Hounds by Osthaus

"James Monroe Avent (1860-1936), along with Hobart Ames, was responsible for establishing the National Bird Dog Championship in Hardeman County. The bird dog trials continue to be held annually at the Ames Plantation in Grand Junction. Avent’s house in Hickory Valley was listed in the National Register on April 25, 2001, because of his role in starting and promoting the bird dog trials. Both Avent and some of the dogs he trained were notable enough to be placed in the Field Trial Hall of Fame. The house is also significant because it is a fine example of the popular Queen Anne style. A variety of sawn and turned woodwork embellishes the house." -- Tennessee Historical Commission Website, 2002, National Register of Historic Places 

The story goes that the manner of his death was as follows: J. M. Avent at age 76 wanted to go fox hunting but had pneumonia. The doctor 
said he would die if he went. Avent said, "I would rather go fox hunting and die than stay at home." So he went ... and died.

James Monroe Avent below with World Champion "Momoney"

Tyrus Wong, Another Favorite Artist!

 Wong retired in 1968, nearly half a century ago, and in this time he began making kites, a pastime that has grown into something larger than a mere hobby. Wong recalls that the first kite he built didn’t fly, but after three more attempts he got one off the ground. He’s created so many kites now—including one that’s 200 feet long—that they hang from the ceiling and fill his house.¹⁹ Wong’s kite making caught the attention of documentarian Erik Friedl, who featured Wong in his 1990 short Flights of Fancy.

Though Wong’s most well-known work is the background art he did for Bambi, which helped make the film what it is, he has also been an exhibiting artist since before Roosevelt was elected president. He has illustrated books, painted murals, created Hallmark greeting cards that have sold millions, and worked on John Wayne films. (He says that Westerns are his favorite.) In 2004, See said that Wong was the oldest living Chinese American artist; if that wasn’t true then, it more than likely is now, and you can see works from the course of his long life at the Walt Disney Family Museum.

Quotes from "Edward Abbey"

Portrait Finished

Got to do this portrait for a friend. It's of his Great Great Grandfather. All I had was a pic of a Old Photo that had ended up being destroyed in a fire so I took his pic and blew it up a bit and painted from that. The photo was very washed out and had been torn in two. I took permission to put a tie on him as I couldn't tell from the photo what was happening around his neck. Hope to get back to painting a few dog Paintings which I have wanted to do for a while.

THE LURCHER IN THE FILED, FEN, FOREST AND SCRUB, VOL 1      Simon Fairclough

from over at "The Hunting Life" where you can order online

New Release “The Lurcher ~ In Field, Fen, Forest and Scrub” Volume One.

This hardback book contains interviews with lurcher hunting enthusiasts from around the world including Richard Christian, Colin Didriksen, Jo Hendley, Davey Rodgers, Steve Barton and many more.

There are also various hunting stories including “Foxing in America”, “Bulpa”, “A Mixed Bag” and a write up on a coyote hunt from the Western United States.  With over 60 colour photos of working dogs and their quarry, ranging from rabbits and fox to coyotes this book is a must for any hunters book collection.This is the first volume of what will be a collectable series so order your copy now.

The book is priced at £25 plus £3 for first class postage. (Overseas orders please contact us at friedlettucebooks@gmail.com for postage charges)

Payment by cheque or Postal Order to…..
Fried Lettuce Books
PO Box 8132
Ilkeston
DE7 0ES

Please make cheques payable to “Fried Lettuce Books”

One of my Bear Stories

I was just reading Jameson Parker's post about a new book he is reading, "A Story Like the Wind"by Laurens Van Der Post. He mentioned a few dark nights he had experienced, one in particular in Africa where I have experienced some very dark nights myself. This led to a memory of a story of a dark night that was told to me way back when I worked for an outfitter in the Teton Mountains of Wyoming. My friend Willy Watsabaugh related this little diddy to myself and a few other buds as we sat at the bar in Moose Wyoming on our way home from a ten day Elk Hunt.
It seems that Willy's outfit which hunted the drainage next to us had from the start of the season been visited regularly by a grumpy old Grizzly Sow. Now tensions were high in that camp and the cook was especially on edge as he often spent the whole day in camp alone while the rest were out hunting. Things had progressed to the point that the Game Wardens had flown in by helicopter and installed an electric fence around the entire assembly of tents. Still the old girl persisted and had on this day stuck her head into the Cook Tent and gave a little low grunt at the unsuspecting cook, busy with his back turned washing the mornings dishes. Needless to say there was a few deathly silent moments until she turned and with another low huff bumbled off to parts unknown. Well when the parties of guides and hunters returned late in the day they were greeted by a heavily armed, very shaky cook. He related the days events and as darkness fell there was still a group out who arrived late in the night and upon hearing the story from the crowd who by this time was armed to the hilt all assembled in the cook tent and steadily became more and more worked up. Willy, eased out into the night to go feed the horses down by the corals. There close by was a tent set up to house the tack and feed and a fellow guide stood up at the cook tent shinning a light and holding a rifle for moral support. Willy pulled back the loose flap on the tent and reached for the fifty five gallon barrel that held the feed. As he reached forward his hand came to rest on something warm and furry and as the warm piss ran down his leg he high tailed it back to the cook tent arriving from his fifty yard sprint with out taking a breath exploding in curses that, "that damn bear was in the saddle tent and this was the last straw", he had had enough and he was going to shoot that _?___?__?__?__ bear. A quick plan of attack was devised and every hand got locked and loaded, checked flashlight batteries and began a semi circle like stalk. The darkness got darker and the lights didn't seem to be quite enough to anyone but there was strength in numbers. Rifles, Pistols and knives glistened in the light of the flashlights as the posse approached the dark quiet tent. A long dead pine sapling held by Willy waved in the air as the proper approach was followed so as to avoid possible stray bullets. A last minute survey of the hoard was made just before be eased the sapling into position to hook the loose flap and pull it aside rendering the inside seeable. At this point I have to say all that were there at the bar were shaking their heads still in disbelief that they had survived the encounter. We hung on his every word as he spoke. He said, "I moved the flap aside and the lights found their mark as our old Pack Mule turned his head into the light to look at the amassed bunch of open mouthed killers while munching blissfully on a mouth full of oats." "Well Hell," he said it's that damn mule. So everybody went back to the cook tent and proceeded to get very drunk.