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A new dad shares the Montana upland experience with his daughter

By Hunter VanDonsel

I took my daughter, Harper, on her first bird hunt at four weeks old. 

She could fit in one hand at that point, and was peacefully napping as I gently clipped her into the carrier on my chest. My wife, Alexis, and yellow-lab, Fletcher, set out 50 yards or so ahead of us on the hunt for sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge. 

Montana’s impressive grasslands and sagebrush stretched out in all directions just asking to be explored. I was on cloud nine, a brand-new father, taking my new daughter on her first ever family hunting excursion. Does it get better than this? That moment of bliss was fleeting as Harper began screaming, she hit her limit after around 15 minutes of walking. We quickly scurried back to the pickup to feed, change, and set her down for another nap. 

That quick 15 minutes might be one of my most memorable and cherished Montana upland experiences. It’s hard for me to describe that feeling, but I can feel it even now deep in my chest. The experience was multi-faceted, consisting of the incredible grassland landscape, my family, the opportunity of finding birds and the big blue sky of Montana tying it all together. I’m sure anyone who has experienced Montana’s grasslands might have a similar experience to share. The characters and setting may change, but Montana’s impressive grassland landscape encompasses so many experiences.  

A shotgun and car-seat were often in the backseat as we explored Montana’s grasslands as a family that first season as new parents. I’ve always been passionate about wild places and wildlife habitats, but that fall put things into perspective. My passion was rekindled and focused — I wanted to make sure the Montana upland experience was available for my daughter, future generations, and everyone to enjoy; FOREVER.  

Pheasants Forever launched our Montana Grassland Initiative to make an ecosystem scale impact on Montana’s grasslands to ensure that the Montana upland experience lasts forever. Montana’s grasslands are vital to upland hunting opportunities, communities, sportsmen and healthy wildlife populations. They are also incredibly at risk due to land use conversion, invasive species, conifer encroachment, lack of management, and loss of species diversity. Our team is striving to address these risks and impact over 1.5 million acres through this comprehensive initiative.