Endless October Reviews

 

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2019

Verified Purchase

A wonderful walk with a fellow bird hunter. Mr. Schultz does a fine job with his collection of stories that touches all the emotions as a good book will do. A touch of how to that is helpful but not overwhelming as the stories unfold in many different subject from the world of bird hunting. You get a lot of useful info from traveling and learning about the different bird species around the U.S. Then again the author does not shy away from luck playing a part in so much of hunting something wild. Well done Mr. Schultz, didn't surprise me as you wrote from the heart with plain old fashioned truth!!!!!

Randy with Books

Edwinh

5.0 out of 5 stars Head Um Into The Wind!

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2019

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Endless October is a wonderful collection of stories told by a true traveling bird hunter. This collection of stories by Randy Schultz is a fun read & contains information that is useful to beginners to the sport as well as seasoned veterans. Randy hits on all the things that make our sport magic! He also covers many of the mistakes that we have all made in the field. Haven’t we all been hung up in a barbed wire fence or beat up by cactus? The only way to learn is to put your dog out there & burn boot leather. As You read you will understand that you are gonna mess up so just learn from it & enjoy our sport. Also contained in these stories is information about hunting across the country - how to do it & what to expect on the road & in the field and all the prep & research that goes with it. I was especially impressed by Randy’s description of his first major field trial win. Mr. Schultz nailed all the emotions that go with hunting your old hound against the best! A well trained wild bird dog doesn’t know that he can be beat. That’s a human emotion. Well done Mr. Schultz. I hope that you add to this collection!

Andy W.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read on a Friday Night!

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2019

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I read this book on a Friday night in one sitting. Randy tells a good story. I love the diversity of the birds and the cover that Randy describes, grouse in the Great Lakes states, sharpies and Huns in Montana, scaled quail in Texas and New Mexico. My favorite chapter was about Bo, the English Setter, in the Quail Unlimited Field Trial. You gotta love a dog that doesn’t have no in his heart! I also loved reading about Randy taking a generous limit of ruffs over his Brittany’s points. Oh, and I laughed out loud reading about Randy’s $200 guns. This book is a great read! I highly recommend it.

Chrsiti

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for an avid bird hunter!

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

This book was a gift for my dad, a good friend of the author's. He absolutely loved it! There were stories about field trials my dad was at and places they hunted together. He really enjoyed reading it.

 Mumpy

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book written with passion for the sport

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2019

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I bought this book and could not put it down. Randy put his heart into it and you can tell it’s written by someone that’s as passionate about bird dogs as they are for this wonderful thing we call Upland Bird Hunting! It’s a must have if you enjoy bird dogs and bird hunting. 

 

Texas Troutbum

5.0 out of 5 stars Fuels my desire to be a bird hunter!

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

Diving into the world of bird hunting, love the book and actually listening to the author’s podcast right now. Great stuff!

Vicki

5.0 out of 5 stars A bird hunter's memories.

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2019

I got this book shortly after it was published. It is an entertaining read. It evokes so many memories of hunting quail with my dad and my brothers. From the thick woods to the open fields, just to be outside was like a small piece of eternity. Each story tells a tale of companionship and the deep love that develops between a man and his dog through years of working and enjoying life together. There is joy, humor, and even sadness. I highly recommend this to all bird hunters and dog lovers in general.

sporting road

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and true

Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2020

Funny tales of the framed lab and the $200 shotguns. I enjoyed it.

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I am so grateful for the many good reviews of my first book (Endless October)!  Reviews are important to Amazon (and to me, to ensure what I write is worth reading!).  Please select the appropriate book and leave a 5 Star review.  Thank you all, so much! Good hunting, my friends!  

A Bird Hunter's Thoughts- Turn 'em Loose- New Podcast Episode!

Click Here for the Podcast

On Amazon Books, Kindle, and Audible (soon)

Endless October (The Series). Now available on Amazon Books.

Click Here to go to Amazon

 

Endless October and Endless October Season 2

 

For a traveling bird hunter, October is heaven on Earth. It's the author's favorite month. He is a story-teller, dog trainer, wingshooter, and wandering bird dog man. Every fall, he turns his truck north and west to match wits with grouse, pheasant, quail, and Chukar. He takes us through the years and the dogs. He tells the stories of coveys flushing, roosters cackling, quail running, shotguns, family, and even one unlucky yard chicken. He will take you west to Montana, Idaho, and Arizona, north to Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and south to Georgia. You can feel the wind, hear the exploding flush, smell the prairie, see the sunset, and taste sweet victory in the win. The journey isn't without a few bumps in the road, as Randy learns as much from his dogs as they do from him. From season to season, puppies grow up, dogs hit their prime, and old dogs die, but through it all, the yearning and the restlessness aren't satisfied until that glorious month of October.  

Season 2 in the life of a traveling bird hunter. Randy brings us more exciting stories of hunting across the country with his bird dogs. One dog gets lost in the desert of New Mexico, and a frantic search goes on for more than a week. One old campaigner hunts the mountains of southern Arizona like he's a bullet-proof three year old again -- right to the point of a thirty foot fall off a rock face. One old girl proves intelligence and desire can make up for lost youth. All these stories, and more, will get your heart pumping, your head nodding in agreement, and may even wet your eyes occasionally. Randy's goal is to make it to heaven in a cloud of dust, sliding to a halt, and exclaiming, "Wow! What a ride! Thank you, Jesus!" This book, the second one, so far, shows that he is a little farther down that road, and even more excited than ever!  

Endless October- Season 2 Bird Dogs, Stories, and the Traveling Bird Hunter

The Proof is here!  Look for it on Amazon mid-June.

 

Endless October Season 2 (Proof)

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the everyday bird hunters. The men or women who buy a dog, train it, and hunt it. They overcome fear, uncertainty, and financial obstacles along the way. They fear failure, training the wrong way, and lost or hurt dogs. They experience uncertainty about where to hunt, how to hunt, how to shoot, and how to handle and care for the dog. They have financial obstacles in buying equipment, guns, trucks, and traveling. And, despite all that, they load up, drive out, put dogs out, and, overcome a real fear of the unknown day ahead with a dog on the ground. They slide a few shells into their shotgun, turn into the cold breeze, and step forward into a brand-new adventure. They don’t field trial, blog, post, message, video, or share. They bond with their dog to become a predator team. They harvest the bounty that God provides, and they put meat on the table. This book is for them. 

Email me at: endlessoctoberbook@gmail.com for a signed and/or personalized copy!

 

CLICK HERE to go to Amazon for the first season!

 

Gear That Works! Carrying the Water: RuffLand Waterhole and Dakota 283 Dash

 

RuffLand Waterhole (Note the carefully applied orange tape, so I don't donate another one to Rest Areas around the country.)

 

This is, and has been for many years, my primary dog watering hole. I like it.  A lot.  It's a recommended piece of gear.  In addition, I carry gallon jugs to fill this container while on the road or hunting.  I always thought it carried 2 gallons of water, however the company website reads it carries one gallon of water.  The video on the website shows it accepting a gallon of water, but it's a misnomer (in a good way).  Yes, you can pour one gallon of water into the front, open section of the bucket.  But, the way I handle this is to then tip it back and have the water run back in to the container, then add another gallon up front.  So, it will hold almost two gallons.  The downside is that driving using my method will splash a lot of water out- back to nearly the original gallon. And, although the back of the truck is all-weather, I now have water splashed into the back of my truck. 

 

How the Waterhole travels.

When I went to the "4 kennels in the back" method of hauling the Brit pack, I could not find room for the square cube Waterhole.  Now it sits, angled up to keep water from splashing out, between the kennels and the tailgate.  A keen observer will note: I cannot open the tailgate without first grabbing the water bucket and lifting it out.  It's not a huge inconvenience, but it's not the best solution, either.  

Enter the Dakota 283 Dash.  When I won a Regional NSTRA field trial, this was one of the awards.  I'd never heard of it.  I got home, opened the box, and pulled it out. 

Dakota 283 Dash 3.5

It's made out of a hard plastic (that's a non-technical term I apply to most things not wood or metal) similar to the Waterhole.  I was initially unimpressed with the cute little, blue plugs.  So, I filled it, inserted the plugs, and it's water tight.  Wait!  No splashing?  I laid it flat, and pulled the bowl plug.  The bowl filled with water using the same siphon wizardry the Waterhole uses. Then, I tilted it back up, and all the water in the bowl ran back into the hole.  Plug inserted, I lifted it back to the vertical position. I was pondering how long it would take me to lose the little, blue plug in the bowl, when I noticed a round slot in the back perfectly sized for the plug from the bowl. It's a clever, little storage place for the plug. (I can see already, I'll need to order and extra plug. Or, run a little cable from the plug to the handle, so it won't walk off on its own.)

Back of the Dash with bowl plug storage showing.

So, all that is good, but here is the BEST feature.  The shape of the Dash allows me to store it between my Bed Slide and the bed sidewall using the integral handle grip at the top.

Dash stowed out of the way.

To recap: The Dash gives me 3.5 gallons, that won't spill, and stores out of the way.  

Cost for each unit might be a factor.  The Dash goes for $89, regardless of color, at various online retailers, while the Waterhole goes for $46-$49, depending on color (white's the cheapest).  I suppose the techno-geek in me is rearing its head when I say I can haul 3.5 times the water, without splashing, for about twice the cost.  Sounds like a win-win to me. 

Dakota 283 Dash and RuffLand Waterhole

I really like them both.  I am a huge fan of RuffLand (notice the kennels), but in this case, the Dash scores a home run.  I think the combination of spill-proof, 3.5 gallons, and storable on the side wall makes this water delivery system a MUST BUY!  

(Full Disclosure:  I bought the Waterhole (and lost three other ones), and I won the Dash.  I was not compensated in any way, by either company.  The opinions and crackerjack science are my own.  No animals were harmed during the testing.  (In fact, no animals were harmed during most of my last bird hunting trip, but that's another story.  See Endless October on Amazon Books.)  #abirdhuntersthoughts