Hedgerow Hunt Club and Pat Perry have had an impact on my bird dogs and hundreds more dogs in the years since Pat began the operation of Hedgerow in Royalston almost 40 years ago.
Over that time, his special abilities as a trainer made many bird dogs – and more importantly their owners – better at the things that make hunting birds with a well-trained dog so very special. Pat passed away last Friday He had closed the operation of Hedgerow, which he operated with his wife Holly, last summer due to declining health.
Pat’s accomplishments went far beyond Royalston. He was a competitive trap shooter and was well-known as a field trialing judge and competitor across the U.S. and Canada in both English Springer Spaniel and English Cocker Spaniel field trials and hunt tests. Over the years, my time spent with Pat was responsible for each of my French Brittanys reaching levels that would not have been possible without him and the excellent training area and facilities he had at the hunt club.
Over the years, this writer referred a number of hunting dog owners to Pat for training and to deal with issues that are often part of bird dog ownership. In every case, they thanked me for introducing them to Pat and were more than happy with the results. My heart goes out to Holly and the family for their loss and the loss of a great member of the bird dog community.
Last weekend, my brother Chris joined me to take in the Nashua River Ducks Unlimited Chapter’s annual banquet, which was held before a packed house at the Double Tree Inn in Fitchburg. My past life included time spent as regional director of DU. It also included time spent with the Donnelly family, as Ed Donnelly and my father John Roche were great hunting and fishing buddies.
Ed’s son Mike was one of the first people on my list to reach out to when the job started and he formed the Nashua River chapter, which remains one of the leading Massachusetts chapters to this day. Mike has been a passionate volunteer on behalf of ducks and wetland conservation and has been a leader in Massachusetts, including serving as state chairman.
During the meal Saturday night, Mike came to our table and informed me that our mutual friend, Jay Beard, would be unable to serve as auctioneer and asked me to consider stepping into that important role. During my time as regional director and beyond, yours truly has seen a few hundred wildlife fundraiser auctions, but never been an auctioneer. After giving it some thought, doing something to serve the conservation mission of Ducks Unlimited seemed more than worthwhile, and after all, how intimidating is a crowd of 200-plus people anyways after dealing with high school students for 30 years?
So that put me on the podium and after watching and critiquing DU auctions it went quite well, particularly with Mike Donnelly doing the spotting for me. To top the evening off, my number was drawn in the general raffle, and the prize was an AYA 12-gauge shotgun, just what this guy needs! Actually, it is perfect, as this gun with a black matte finish and black composite stock will make a great turkey gun.
That gun will be permanently housed in Kansas so the issue of traveling with a cased gun will be over. The challenge will be getting it to Kansas. An inquiry was made to the post office, and it remains to be seen what option will work best. It is my hope that the dealer in Clinton – IDC Firearms, where the gun can be picked up – will be able to ship it to either me or my brother-in-law Jim Wolf in Kansas.
Those of us with gray hair and lots of candles on our birthday cake are always asked during doctors visits if we have fallen. It has been a source of pride for me that even with the constant challenges of walking miles in thick cover bird hunting, and despite numerous close calls, the answer has been “No.”
That all changed last Friday. Conditions were finally good to run the dogs looking for migrating woodcock and we headed off to familiar covers. The second run, at a WMA, was productive with five producing points as we approached the Silverado. After climbing atop an old stone foundation, I called Tessie. She could not figure out how to navigate the five-foot high challenge. After she ran around the corner, my calling was not responded to and a glance showed her to be on point 10 yards away at the base of the foundation. That meant climbing back down and as my front foot reached the level below, my rear boot toe caught on something as my weight shifted forward. Instantly, my face planted on the grass, hard! Quickly righting myself, it was time to assess damage. My Hy-Wyd shooting glasses were on the ground, bent, and with one lens knocked out of the frame. My hat was nearby and everything else seemed functional. However, my finger showed some blood from my forehead.
The first matter of business was Tessie, and she was still staunchly on point, steady as ever. The woodcock was flushed and the blank pistol fired and then we went directly to the truck to assess damage. In the rearview mirror, there was a cut over my eye that was trickling blood and there was a cut on my nose. Driving home there was an assessment of whether a trip to the ER was merited and that was tabled.
When symptoms and some numbness persisted, a visit to the doctor was scheduled for Monday. A thorough exam determined that the eyeglass frame that caused the cut on the eyebrow, probably impacted a nerve, which was causing the numbness, but no concussion. Getting better each day. Come on spring!
Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, counselor and director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.