Frick's Creek and Other Tales

By Christopher Eckhoff

In many ways, being an outdoorsman on the plains and prairies of North America is much the same today as it was one hundred years ago. The hunting concept of fair chase, the respect for the environment, even the dangers associated with being out on the prairie on a frigid winter day in pursuit of game hasnt changed over time.
Fricks Creek and Other Tales takes the reader on a humorous and thought provoking journey across the plains. It loosely follows one extended family in a tight-knit community, showing how youngsters are taught the code and how adults live by it.
A short novella about a champion bird dog, told through the mind of the dog, is included as well. The author has been training and competing with these rare dogs for over thirty-five years, and he has come to understand their true nature as much as a person can. Anyone who has owned, trained, and/or handled these dogs knows there is something different about the way they think. This novella gives the reader a good idea of what that thinking is. The journey starts at birth and continues well beyond the dogs competitive years. At times heartwarming and tragic, this story is riveting throughout.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 22, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481718790

Christopher Eckhoff

Christopher Eckhoff has been published in Gun Dog and Pointing Dog Journal magazines among numerous other publications. The author has been a bird dog trainer for over 35 years, the most recent 28 years professionally. He is owner/operator of Upland Kennel which is located in eastern Montana. Christopher has been involved in bird dog field trials since 1979. He championed four of his own dogs, and has done training on many other champion dogs. “This work of fiction was a pleasure to write. The stories are based very loosely on a few real life experiences, but for the most part they are completely made up.”

Book preview

Frick’s Creek and Other Tales

CHRISTOPHER ECKHOFF

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AuthorHouse™

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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©

2013 Christopher Eckhoff. All rights reserved.

Illustrations drawn specifically for this book by Frank Todd Johnson.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 3/19/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-1881-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-1880-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-1879-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013903168

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Part I

Every Dog Has His Day

Part II

Frick’s Creek

The Program Begins

Huntin’ Ducks on Frick’s Lake

Hey, a Sale Is a Sale

The Grady Place

The Elk Hunt

The Haystack

Local Lore

The Epiphany

The Norwegian Bachelor Farmer

Grace’s Story

A New Shotgun

Saying Goodbye

About the Author

This book is dedicated to all the farmers and ranchers on the prairies and plains of North America, especially those of eastern Montana. This stoic, resolute, and often times humorous group of people are the ones around which this book is based.

Part I

Every Dog Has His Day

My first recollection was of sound, a soft cooing. Then came a warm, wet sensation. It felt good but I really did not know why. The sound was low and deep. It was very comforting. In time, I came to realize that wherever the sound came from I could find sustenance. It was sort of like, well, a dinner bell.

Everything was dark, but in a fuzzy, gray sort of way. Before now there had been only blackness. I was able to tell I had legs and that they were growing stronger all the time. I don’t remember why, but I knew it was important to stand up. My first attempt was a disaster. I felt so proud for an instant, but as my head swayed from side to side, it finally swayed too far and my body smacked into a hard surface when I lost my balance. I rolled and rolled, I don’t know how far. When I stopped I could hear the sound again, but it seemed so far away. I panicked and not knowing what to do, I tried to make a sound. What was I doing? But listen! Every time I made my sound, the other voice did the same. The next thing I knew that warm, wet feeling was over me again and I felt better. I was also hungry. But then that was nothing new, I was always hungry.

Each time I woke up I noticed a difference. There was a haze in front of my eyes. It was not a vision, or even true light. It was as though there was a deep fog around me. The fog did not feel wet, or cold, or anything. It just was.

My God, what was happening to me? I could stand now. I was not the modest sort from the start, so if you do not mind my saying so, I was the first to walk. At least I was sure I must be. As I stood I observed that sometimes the fog was brighter and sometimes, when I turned around, the fog would go away and it would be dark again. This was interesting.

The most fascinating thing to happen in my entire life came next. There was a tingling sensation. It’s difficult for me to describe, even now. All I knew was that there was this, I don’t know, I guess I would have to call it, a scent. Yes, that’s it, a smell. Then there was another, and another, and then a world of smells. It was all so confusing. What did it mean? This sensation scared me. Eventually, I realized that even though I could not see anything yet, if I tried to use my nose I could always find the food source. Of course, I knew now that the food source was a big, warm, comforting version of me, my mother. I also came to realize these other smells were coming from beings just like me. I do not know who they were, but I did know when I was hungry they got in my way and I had to thrust them aside. I also quickly learned that each one of them had a different essence and some of the smells meant they were easier to push out of the way than others.

To this day I remember the moment: I was asleep when a sudden warmth enveloped me. This warmth was different than my food source. This warmth was dry, and the texture was smooth and naked like my tummy. But it was not at all frightening. I felt as though I was being elevated. Then there was the smell. It was really an awful smell, not like any of the others I had experienced. But once I got used to it, the smell was not all bad. I knew it must be all right because my mother was at ease. Somehow that just made it OK. Yes, I had experienced my first human being.

Some of these new smells were not all right, though. I remember early on a smell that was different. The sound that accompanied the smell was a purring, not the gentle cooing I was used to. The next new sound was loud and harsh. As I think back, I remember it was the first bark I had heard. This was followed by a ruckus. Mom was gone and the purring became a shriek. But she soon returned and all I can remember then was, I was hungry.

As time went on the fog began to lift. There was certain clarity now. I began to put some of the sounds and smells together as I focused them on one source. Mom made sense. I came to realize she was just a bigger rendition of these other little ones around me. And since I was with the group I must be the same as them. I figured that out on my own, I really did. Yes, I was an intelligent little bugger right from the start.

These humans were a curious sort. Mom seemed to like them so I knew they must be all right. At this stage of life what Mom said was the law. The people became more numerous, and I noticed two things about them. They were very tall and they were always smiling. Yes, I knew right then and there that people would be part of my life. They also helped me realize early on that every blessed thing in my world had its own smell. All smells were unique. I mean, all my brothers and sisters smelled similar but distinct. People were the same way. The purring critter also had a distinct odor. I could tell it was going to be a chore sorting out all these smells.

In the days to come my vision cleared. Along with vision came strength in my legs. Now I could venture about without constantly bumping into obstacles. Every adventure away from Mom brought on a new world of smells. Oh, those smells. They were still all very confusing and difficult to sort out.

One day a person entered the room carrying a strange object, something round and sort of shiny. As it was brought close it aroused my curiosity and I decided to investigate. Nearing the object, I remember losing all semblance of control. My legs pulled me forward and my nose went completely berserk! The smell was wonderful. I do not know what gave me the impulse, but I knew I had to see what this smell tasted like. My God, this was food. And look at it all! It was a mountain of food. I immediately knew that if I tried hard enough I could eat it all before any of those other piglets found out it was here.

The first time I tried to swallow, the food came right back up. Hmm, there must be a trick to this. I tried to swallow the same piece again—after all, every dog knows dog food tastes better the second time—and it went right down. All right! Uh-oh, here come those other little fleabags. What was I to do? I knew there was just enough for me. If they started eating I would starve. Maybe if I lay down in the middle of this dish and spread my legs as wide as I could it would hide all the food from them, and they wouldn’t even know it’s there.

It took me about five seconds to realize they all had the same plan. Oh, well, I had eaten so much that my legs couldn’t reach the ground past my stomach, so I guess I could be generous enough to let them have a little. Yes, sir, I was a heck of a good sport at that age.

Although humans came in with the mountain of grub every time I seemed to get hungry, I never got over the feeling it was all meant for me. And those after-dinner cordials of Mother’s milk, they were good. I had noticed, however, that they were not as good as they used to be. Matter of fact, the last couple times I had dinner I really did not even want the milk.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

My world consisted of my mother, brothers, and sisters, and this enclosed area called a room. At least as I walked around, the walls were as far as I could go. There were so many different smells I couldn’t help but think there must be other things than what occurred in this room. One day our person bundled all of us into a crate and headed out of the room. It was frightening at first, but I had developed a level of confidence in people, plus I could still smell and hear Mother so I knew things would turn out alright.

As my person set the crate down and opened the door, I knew we were in for a unique experience. There were so many smells. My memory banks seemed to be drinking in information and I welcomed this opportunity with an open mind. It still seemed frightening, though. We all remained in the crate, even though we knew we could leave whenever we wanted. It was a strange mixture of trepidation and excitement. As usual, I was the first in the bunch to try something new. As I stepped out of the crate, the feeling under my feet was wonderful. It just felt so natural. This material, which I later learned was called grass, sank under my feet and was softer than any surface I had experienced. And the scent, it was wonderful. I had to just bury my nose in it and take it all in.

I saw Mother; she was a short distance away, so I decided to see if it was time to eat. After all, there were certain priorities in my life and food was still at the top of my list. As I got closer she kept moving away, a little at a time. By the time she stopped I realized that not only had my brothers and sisters caught up, but we were all so far from the crate we could hardly see it.

Mother laid down for us and we all enjoyed a little snack. In time, I felt the urge to explore. This was the first time anything had taken precedence over eating. It was just that with all these scents, I had to figure out what objects they were attached to. The grass already made sense, I had smelled that before from our room and now I knew what it was all about. But there were so many others that were making sense as well. The earth itself had a scent, as did this pine cone, and the rock next to it. The tree trunk smelled alive but the fence post did not. There was a lot to think about. After a few minutes, my head began to swim with new information. I needed something to fall back on that I understood: Mom, where are you?

Mom seemed frantic. My brothers and sisters had spread throughout the yard and Mom seemed to be hastening from pup to pup. Finally she gave the moan only a mother can give. She stood still and we all knew somehow we were being beckoned to her. We gathered in and were rewarded with another snack. The next thing I knew here came our person with the dog food. Hot darn, grub again. After gorging on a good meal we all gathered up on the soft grass and took a long snooze. I was so tired I had not realized our person had picked us up, placed us in the crate, and returned us to our room. I slept as I had never slept before. Somehow I knew there was a lot more to this outdoor thing. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I was destined to explore every nook and cranny of the outdoor world. That would be the only way I could ever be fulfilled in life.

I had just about given up on Mother’s cordials by now. They just did not seem important. Mother was not so anxious to offer them anyway.

The outdoor visits had become a regular part of our lives. We would venture out frequently. There came to be more and more people as well. They would always be picking us up just as we scented something new. Oh, well, these people were friendly enough and Mom did not seem to mind. One day a person picked up one of my brothers and walked away with him, but I was sure he would be back soon. Anyway, if he didn’t return it was just more food for me. As it turned out, he did not come back. Strange, I thought. Still, Mother was not concerned so why should I be?

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

It happened during one of our outdoor play sessions. A person was sitting on the ground. As I came over to see what he smelled like, he waved this cloth in front of me. Well, I had to see what the cloth smelled like so I went after it and just as I got close enough to smell the cloth the person snatched it away. Wait a minute, I thought. I want to smell this thing and what I want I’m supposed to get. I lunged for the rag but as I got near he snatched it away again. I was infuriated now. He was going to let me smell this object and that was all there was to it. He jerked it away a couple more times, then it flew through the air and settled on the ground a few feet away. I knew I had it this time. I ran to the rag and smelled it to my heart’s delight. But you know what; the smell was not as exciting as the chase. I wanted to do that again. I wondered if I took it back if I could have a repeat performance. I picked the rag up in my mouth and started back to the person. I tripped over the rag a few times, but finally got it to him. When I arrived the reaction I received was quite unexpected. The person grabbed me into his arms and made sounds I knew must be elation. He seemed extremely gratified. I guessed he liked the rag more than I did. Anyway, he played the game with me a second time and it was as much fun as the first. Low and behold, when I brought it back he was as elated as the first time. I knew I had hit on something here. This was my first real interaction with a person, and what a pleasant one it had been.

Not all the adventures outside had been as enjoyable. Once I found a pine cone. It smelled nice and seemed edible. I had decided to carry it over to a corner and try it out, but along the way my brother saw the cone as well. He came over and growled. What was he mad about? After all, I had it and that should’ve been all there was to it. Apparently he did not see it my way. Ouch! He was suddenly biting my ear.

Well, now, here was a predicament. I could not bite back because I had this pine cone in my mouth and if I dropped it to bite him I might lose the cone. The pain in my ear, however, was too much for me. I had to do something. I dropped the cone, turned my head, and bit his foot. As he screamed in pain he released his hold on my ear. Well, there was a lesson I wanted to remember. As he was yelling, I picked up the cone.

I thought the issue was settled but it was not. This time my brother came up on the blind side and bit my back leg. Enough was enough. Somehow I knew this thing had to be settled right now or I would never be able to enjoy my pine cone. I wheeled around and snarled at him. The snarl itself seemed to have some value because he backed up a bit. As we faced each other I remember thinking that he looked bigger somehow. In time, I was to learn that this was nothing more than his fur bristling up. A ruckus ensued. It all happened so quickly the details are a blur as I think back about the fight. All I do recollect was I got the cone. The funny thing is the cone tasted awful and I ended up leaving it uneaten.

Time passed. More and more people had come by and I had noticed that they sometimes left with one of my brothers or sisters. There was only myself and a sister now. I remember feeling strange, but not bad. It just felt, I guess, natural. When there were only the two of us left, people stopped visiting. I put this together in my mind and surmised we were home. I had also noticed my person had attached names to my sister and me. My person also seemed to have a name. At least, every time I heard the sound Chris, he would either respond with a series of sounds or at least turn and look at the person who had called. I figured if it was alright for him to have a name, it was alright for me to have one as well. Yes, sir, my name was Jack and I was proud of it! They named my sister Jill.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Every time afield was exciting. As was always the case, there were new smells. This particular time some of those smells seemed very much alive. I couldn’t see where they came from, but somehow I just knew that something alive had been there an instant before. I saw Mom briefly when we were first released into the field. She was interested in one of these smells as well. She seemed to pick it up and follow the trail into the distance. That was the last time I saw her for quite awhile. I wasn’t bothered by her disappearance. My confidence in the field grew each time I went out. Many of the smells were familiar and I was able to sort them into those that were interesting and those that were not. I began to bypass the uninteresting smells and to reach out further and further for ones that were interesting.

The weather was warm now. We had been to the fields quite a few times and both Jill and I were very relaxed there. In fact, I began to feel more comfortable in the field than anywhere else. On one trip, Mom had gone off as usual. I didn’t know where Jill was. I had picked up another one of those scents that seemed to trail off into the distance. I reasoned that if I followed it far enough this scent might turn into something. I had tried this tactic before, but it seemed that every time I followed the trail it got to a point where the smell just disappeared. It was uncanny. The scent did not get weaker and weaker, but was strong until it just vanished entirely. I did not know what to make of it.

This particular trail was somehow different. On this occasion the trail led me into very thick grasses. That was not bothering me, though, as I had grown in size and