Frick's Creek and Other Tales
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The group was to meet at Jeremy’s farmstead before they left for the elk hunt. The meeting place rotated from year to year with each member taking a turn. Most of the hunting partners were farmers, although there was an occasional insurance salesman from town, or perhaps a relative of one of the regulars who had been invited for a “trial” hunt. No one was ever invited back a second time unless all members of the regular party approved, and this rarely happened. This was more of a practical matter than someone simply being mean spirited. After all, the hunting party was already at eight men and the more people in it, the more unwieldy it would become. Therefore, it was a rule, an unwritten rule to be sure, that when a new member was given a trial hunt, they were very tightly scrutinized. Then, someone was expected to find something, no matter how small, that precluded him from being invited back. While not a written rule, they each took turns with this job so no one person looked like a perennial grouch. Ben’s case was a little different. His trial run took on an entirely new dimension. Raif had been a regular member of the elk hunting party, and although Ben would be given a little latitude in whether he would be invited back or not, the unwritten rules did still apply. Surely the group would not go looking for some small thing to disqualify the boy, but it could still happen. In the summer, when Jeremy told Ben he could come along on the hunt in the fall, he explained the situation to his nephew. “Ben, here’s the deal. I know your dad told you for years you would be a part of the hunting party, but when he passed away it changed things a little. Although you’re like a son to me, you still aren’t a son to the other guys in the group. To them, you’re just another person being given a trial hunt. So, you do what I tell you to do and don’t do anything I tell you not to do, is that understood?” Jeremy asked his young charge. “Uncle Jeremy,” Ben replied, “Dad told me about this hunt. He explained things in a way that made it perfectly clear what the deal was. The last thing he told me about going on my first elk hunt with you and the other guys was just to be myself and let the chips fall where they will.”
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About the Book
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 hasn’t changed over time. Frick’s 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 dog’s competitive years. At times heartwarming and tragic, this story is riveting throughout.
About the Author
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.”