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 Old Hemlock
Foundation is dedicated to promoting the writings and philosophy of George
and Kay Evans.
Friends of Old Hemlock have submitted some of their favorite
George bird Evans quotes.
From Steve Marshall:
"There is time, and you must take it,to
lay your hand on your dog's head as you walk past him lying on the floor or
on his settle, time to talk with him, to remember with him, time to please
him, time you can't buy back once he's gone."
Source: October Fever, Page 62
From Tom Bowman:
- “If a man’s life is
not long enough, a dog’s is even shorter and anything you can do to
make that fuller is worthwhile”. Page 152.
- “Much of the
pleasure of shooting is what accompanies it and sharing it all with a
good friend.” Page 156.
- “And if
gunning over an intelligent handsome setter enriches my sport,
certainly a hearthful of them on a winter
evening or speckled faces peering out of our station wagon are things to value.” Page 213.
- “I want there to be
woodcock forever flying over in October, and solitude, and Hunter’s
Moons. But most, I want there always to be Grouse- of all wild
things, the wildest- in these endless mountains we call home.” Page
301
Source: Upland Shooting Life
From Steve Hitsman:
"Ruffed grouse dogs are bred, not born, and once born they are
developed, not made."
Source: An Affair with Grouse, "Sonnets to Six Grouse Dogs", Page
34.
From LeJay Graffious:
"Be worthy of your game"
"If I could shoot a game bird and still not hurt
it, the way I can take a trout on a fly and release it, I doubt if I would
kill another one. This is a strange statement coming from a man whose
life is dedicated to shooting and gun dogs. For me, there is almost
no moment more sublime than when I pull the trigger and see a grouse
fall. Yet, as the bird is retrieved I feel a sense of remorse for
taking a courageous life. About the time I passed fifty I noticed this
conflict becoming more pronounced...
"How then, can you love a bird and kill it and
still feel decent? I think the answer is, to be worthy of your
game. Which boils down to a gentleman's agreement between you and the
bird, never forgetting that it is the bird that has everything to
lose. It consists of things you feel and do, not because someone is
looking or because the law says you may or must not, but because you feel
that this is the honorable way to do it."
Source: George Bird Evans The Upland Shooting Life (1971)
“I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures
we might be if we weren't certain we knew better. They fight for
honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they
do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death.
Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their
worrying.” ~George Bird Evans
Source: Troubles with Bird Dogs
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