Growing up in northern Michigan I was raised on a steady diet of hunting and fishing. My home town of Grayling boasts a rich outdoors heritage - it's where Fred Bear opened up shop in 1933 and 26 years later it's where Trout Unlimited was founded. Hell, even the ubiquitous Adam’s fly was invented just a few miles down the road on the Boardman River.

My parents had me out in the field back before I can remember, a service that I will forever be grateful for. We would regularly fly fish our favorite stretch of the Au Sable just ten or fifteen minutes from our house nearly year round.

November 15th is a holy day for all in Northern Michigan School would always be closed for this, the opening day of rifle season. I took my first whitetail with my bow from a tree stand in the woods behind the house at 13 and occasionally I still make the pilgrimage back to hunt whitetails in the north woods because there’s nothing quiet like it.

On the day after I graduated high school I moved to Colorado, calling Fort Collins home for the next decade as I focused on getting an education and a career. Unfortunately I left most of my hunting and fishing behind during this time, only taking the occasional day trip to fish the overcroweded Poudre River. In early 2022 I decided I had enough of it and I moved to Boise - a city in a state to which I had never been before. Since the move I have been making the most out of every season in this bountiful new home.

I got Ronan from a random guy on Facebook looking to offload his now grown puppy because he "didn’t have the time for him anymore" in January of 2021. Ronan was about a year old and unfortunately very poorly behaved. Our first six months were rough but we eventually established in him a good standard of canine citizenship. I am now happy to say that Ronan is my best buddy, his heart, devotion and personality makes up for the few stubborn behavioral shortcomings that remain.

Ronan is at his best on the river, always faithfully watching over me from the bank or the back of the drift boat as I fish. He gives a mean bark and growl at anyone rude enough to low hole us -- and don't get him started on the rafters. Ronan loves to come hiking and camping, requiring very little supervision I often forget he's come along until he conspicuously steals all of the sticks from my firewood pile.

I’m excited to have put down a deposit on my very own GWP puppy. I expect to receive the dog in June of 2025, I’m planning to focus mainly on hunting the chukar hills and the snake with my new canine partner.