Fourth Generation – A Sage Grouse Hunting Film – Presented by OnX Hunt
For four generations the Moss family of Montana has been hunting Sage Grouse.
Montana is a place of many natural wonders, one of those a vast sage steppe that is home to the iconic sage grouse. Here we are captivated by a very personal story of struggle, tradition, and the escape of the uplands. Brandon Moss is not only a fourth generation sage grouse hunter but a passionate bird dog trainer. His love for sage grouse conservation is equal to his love for the American Brittany. This is his journey from childhood to the present day — backdropped in the boundless and haunting beauty of sagebrush habitat.
“I am a fourth generation sage grouse hunter. My grandfather started hunting them with his father in 1909.”
What makes this story even more unique: though Brandon is a Montana native, we follow him to an area he has never hunted before. At the camp, the crews of Project Upland and OnX Hunt converged in an AirBnB to pursue these huge upland birds. Armed with OnX Hunt he navigates not only his own success but also first birds for the film and photography crews. By identifying large tracts of huntable land along with sage grouse habitat, he demonstrates the benefits OnX Hunt brings for public land hunters.
“I literally have things that my great grandfather learned about sage grouse in the 1800s, have been taught to me, that I am still using today.”
Sage grouse are considered an iconic bird of the West. More recently, they have become the subject of major conservation issues surrounding their loss of sage grouse habitat. Folks like Brandon Moss continue to work at grassroots levels to volunteer and educate on the unique issues facing the sage grouse and conserving the species for future generations.
This is a Project Upland Original Film presented by OnX Hunt.
A Film by A.J. DeRosa and Chet Hervey
Awesome. While I’m an AKC Spaniel Hunt Tester, these type of tests provide goals that really do keep your training honest.
How many people stop after teaching simple line-steadiness stating, “Yea, that’s good enough for me.” I even see it at the Mater Level… “I don’t need a dog steady to wing and shot.” That’s millennial for “I don’t want to work hard enough to achieve the most out of the relationship between my dog and myself.”
Not unlike purchasing a $4,000 shotgun only to use it 4 times a year (along with their dog) and wonder why they can’t hit the broad side of a building. Education + Training + Time = Results. Take any of those away, and your ROI tanks.
I know it’s not for everyone. But how cool is it to hang out with fellow dog folks, watch awesome dogs perform and learn more in a 30 minute tailgate conversation than you could spending 3 years of reading books and doing it alone?
AKC, NAVDA, HRC… whatever. Do it for you and your pup.
Just got back from a 2700 mile round trip for an HZP. Dog scored a 171.
Congrats! We are headed to ours today…