Warren stumbled into a life of bird hunting. As a Westerner it took years for him to realize that shotguns and the birds one hunts with them were serious pursuits. Somewhere along the way he realized that he'd taken most of North America's native grouse. With the addition of Maggie, the Gordon setter, to his life, the pursuit of the Grouse Grand Slam seemed possible. The book includes the mutual training of each other and the graduation of a bird hunting puppy into a true bird dog along with Warren's realization that the dog, too, was as dedicated to the hunt as he was. These stories of man, and of dog and man, cover western North America from places as different as Fairbanks, Alaska is from Fort Riley, Kansas, as British Columbia is from Arizona. Laugh with the dog that won't tolerate the waste of time for the first cup of coffee in the morning and cry when two people shoot at the same bird. Consider the interplay of planning and sheer dumb luck in both the training of the dog and the happenings of the hunt. Whether you've been there yourself or haven't ever hunted beyond the outskirts of town, this book has something for you to enjoy.

Join Warren as he takes us to Alaska beyond the city lights.In the Bering Sea aboard Japanese and Korean fishing boats he discovers cultural differences that make a seemingly mundane job into a real learning experience. When the Korean Captain asks him to repair an officer's severed finger, he learns how different things can be. Canoeing trips on wild rivers in interior Alaska give him a swim in waters barely above freezing and the necessity to do everything right the first time simply to preserve his life. An attacking bear doesn't leave any room for errors. Groceries aren't always found on shelves; in Alaska much of the table fare comes from the wild. Warren takes us on hunting trips that rarely turn out as expected. Warren shares life with us a few others live it.