Lake In The Dunes

Summer Lake Extravaganza!

October 8, 2012 By Scott Haugen

The year was 1952, the first time my dad, Jerry Haugen hunted waterfowl at Summer Lake at the age of 12.  In 1976 I hunted Summer Lake for the first time, at age 12.  This past weekend, Braxton, our oldest son, hunted Summer Lake for the first time, also at age 12.
As with many Oregon waterfowlers, Summer Lake is a special place that runs deep within our hunting culture.  The sounds, sights and flurry of distant gunshots that erupt throughout the valley the moment legal shooting light hits on opening morning is something that has to be experienced to be appreciated.
On this trip we joined up with area guide and owner of Lake In The Dunes, Russ Scott (www.lakeinthedunes.com).  Russ owns and manages several hundred acres just north of Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge. I first discovered the fishing on this wonderful property in 1986.  Then it was a flat, dry, sandy desert pocked with a few lakes created by artesian wells, stuffed full of monster rainbow trout.  Since Russ acquired the property, he’s taken it to a whole new level.
 Today, multiple lakes course through the property and are still home to big rainbows.  Willows and Russian Olives now dominate the landscape, as do tall grasses and rushes, creating ideal habitat for all sorts of wildlife.  The quaint cabin that sits on the property is perfect, as is the welcoming atmosphere Russ and his wife, Tonimarie, have created.
Dad, Braxton and I arrived a day early, enjoying a warmup round of trap shooting at the 13 station course running throughout the desert.  After a quick lunch we were hunting the pheasant preserve.  Pheasant hunting has greatly declined throughout Oregon, and preserves like this create opportunities that no longer exist in many place.  Though I’ve only hunted on a few preserves, this was the best setup I’d ever seen.  Dense habitat and varied terrain made the hunt exciting, and proved to be the perfect warmup for the next day’s waterfowl opener.
The next morning we were wading through rushes and setting decoys, the silhouettes of ducks buzzing overhead like mosquitos.  Thirty minutes before shooting light we were ready, hunkered in cover, watching ducks spill into the decoys, their intense calling and whistling wings breaking the calm, still morning.  Braxton was loving it.

The moment shooting light hit, barrels were ablaze.  Hagan, the yellow lab, worked harder than any dog I’d seen, retrieving 28 ducks in just under 90 minutes (Russ was behind a gun on this hunt..we couldn’t leave him out on opening day!).  When it was over, a solemn feeling hit.  Years of anticipation for Braxton’s first duck hunt had come to a quick close.  “Dad, we’ve been on some great hunts,” Braxton noted.  “You know I like deer hunting, and loved hunting in Africa, right?  But this was my favorite hunt of all.  Can we do it again?”
Braxton’s statement and sincere smile was one of the highlights of my life.  While Dad and I relived decades of memories on this hunt, Braxton became infatuated with waterfowl hunting.  The great part, we were fortunate to capture all the action on film for an episode of Trijicon’s The Hunt, which will air July, 2013.
You can bet we’ll return to this magical place now that the fourth generation of Haugen’s has fallen in love with it.

Pheasant Hunting Oregon

August 1st - March 31st

Group Memeberships Split the membership with
1-6 hunters per day

60 birds included
Fly Fishing Included
Duck hunting (during season) included
Cabin stay included on two day trips with minimum of 40 birds released
Memberships are unguided.
Include a guide for $175 per day.  Guide includes instruction, dogs and bird cleaning.       
Membership must used in 1-3 days throughout season.
Minimum of 20 birds released per day; additional birds are $20.00 per bird used within your 3 days

Membership cost is $2,500

Available dates will be on a first come first serve biases.
Must pick one or more dates at time of payment, and must give 2 week notice when choosing other dates.
Membership fees are non-refundable and paid up front
Left over birds are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Sharing the outdoors with our youth

Taking time to spend a day with our youth is priceless!!

The Future of are outdoor sports depends on moments like these.



Special thanks to Gary Lewis, Matt and Dara Smith, Loren Irving and Lake In The Dunes for a great day!!

Smart Dog, New Hunter

       This morning started with a  good friend Duane, wanting to bring up a new hunter and teach him how to pheasant hunt.  Also to work his dog Brit who doesn't get out as much as she should.  Brit was ready to go as soon as she jumped out of the truck as usual, so we hurried off in search of the first rooster.
 
        Right away Brit showed us that she still new exactly what she doing with solid point and flush. John our new hunter was spot on with a great shot, folding the bird sending it crashing into the open water. With no hesitation Brit plunged into the cold water bringing back the prize.
        
        We continued on with our hunt to find Brit locked up right around edge of the lake again with in minutes.  As we approached, the rooster made a short run out on the ice that had formed the night before flushing at the waters edge.  Once again Brit was rewarded by another great shot by John.
       
         This time Brit just stood at the edge of the thin ice and stared at the downed bird.  She looked at it then back at us almost saying "No way! You go get it this time. That water was way to cold last time." Duane went to throwing rocks out near the bird to try and convince Brit to make the retrieve.  After ten minutes of this, he said "well, she hasn't hunted in a year. Maybe if we come back after getting a few more she'll swim out and get it." I agreed with him and we continued on.
           Brit rewarded us with three more great point, flush and retrieve scenarios but all over dry land.  On the walk back we spent another twenty minutes trying to convince Brit to retrieve our second bird that was still out at the edge of the ice and open water.  We tried every trick we could think of, from rock throwing, treat tossing to even shooting the water out past the bird.  Brit just still gave us the look of "No Way I learned my lesson the  first time. That water is way to cold."

       Duane finally turned to John "well looks like your getting wet! Welcome to bird hunting. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do." Before I could even suggest going and trying one of my dogs or crabbing the long poll with a hook on it I have, jimmy rigged for such occasions. John had his shoes off and was wast deep in the water. He wasn't going to let one of his first birds ever get away from him I suppose. Come to think of it more than one of us have been there too.

Brit just sat there with a smile in her face knowing that she won.

It's All About The Take

Guiding has taught me to enjoy the little moments in a day at the office. It's not always about when a client gets to take home a full limit of birds or is able to land multiple giant rainbows on dries. Although those days feel really damn good too!!!


 I came to the realization a long time ago that "It's All About The Take!"  As a guide, not being the one with gun or rod in hand, I get to enjoy "The Take" in many different forms.  There are so many of these moments that I can't list them all.  Here are three of my favorites...
  
 "The Take" that stands out in fly fishing is when I watch that giant fish almost eat a clients fly, and they have no idea. I find it the best when I get the look like I'm crazy after I jumped up and down like a little kid and said "Holy crap did you see that fish! He almost ate it!!"

"The Take" in upland hunting is when I get to see the look in the eyes of a pointer that is sure that a bird is there. If they could talk they would say "Shhh!!! It's right there!" or "Hurry up. I've done my part."  It could be one of my dogs or a client's dog, it doesn't matter. However, almost every trip, a dog and I get to share a brief moment both knowing that we have done our job. As we go in together to flush a bird knowing that the fate will be left up to someone else.  Sometimes the dog gets rewarded with a retrieve and I get rewarded with high fives but no matter what we both get rewarded because we got to do what we love.

Some day's it's about watching the joy of someone new to the sports, young or old, have that moment where everything clicks. The best is when they say to themselves, not thinking that anyone is paying attention, "That was Awesome!!" When this happens I feel really good inside to know that I was part of introducing them to a life time of great adventures.

I'm positive that if we all take the time to look in our daily lives we will find the little "Takes" all over!

Pheasant Hunting at Lake In The Dunes

This is my first video at Lake In The Dunes