Maven's First Bird

Maven's first bird was a funny one. I don't recall the details leading up to the moment "dead bird!" rang out, but I'll never forget the heart thumping moment when I realized that my puppy, just weeks from her first birthday had done it—that she had found a grouse and held steady through the shot.

I remember that I was shaking, a symptom of pure joy coursing through my veins, so you can imagine my shock when I turned around to find a glowing, ivory elk shed lying at my feet. I think I laughed.

If you live in elk country out West, an elk shed may not be that big of a deal, but here in Northern Michigan, our herd is less than 1,000 deep spread out over 100,000+ acres of hilly, swampy woodland, so finding a shed, even when you're looking hard to find one, feels like it shouldn't be possible. Finding one on accident? It was an unparalleled rush.

I have spent many, many hours poring through wet, cold springtime swamps and creeks looking for one of these treasures. That this one managed to go undiscovered and unscathed by squirrels until the fall, AND my dog's first grouse was shot at the very spot where it fell from a bull's head, is plain silly. What are the odds? Somewhere around 1 in a bajillion, I figure.

It felt like the universe was winking at me.

And it's a good thing the woods provided this extra memento because can you guess what happened to the tail fan of that bird? My blessed, beautiful, perfect, can-do-no-wrong dog ate it.