Karen Seginak with her story “Immersion” in Spring 2020 Game Trails
Karen’s unique perspective and story-telling brought her second win of the DSC Literary Award this year!
Here is a quick excerpt of her adventure with her late hunting dog, Hank:
One fine spring day a few years ago, when my Treeing Walker Coonhound, Hank, and I got home from work, we were both pretty tired, so a short nap was in order. When we awoke, the last hours of the day were picture-perfect spring conditions. Even though I had lots of stuff I “had” to do, I made a quick decision instead to take Hank for a ramble out across the prairie to take advantage of such a fantastic evening…It didn’t take long before Hank’s ever-searching, exquisitely sensitive hound nose had picked up the scent of something. In a flash, he sped off in hot pursuit, soulfully singing that sweet hound music that I love to hear so well. Away into the wetlands, he trailed it, full speed ahead!
The challenges of hunting often demand that you let the game take you where you may not voluntarily go otherwise, both mentally and physically. They force you to learn, respect and appreciate the land in all its various moods and conditions, and the intricacies of the endless myriad of interactions occurring every single moment of every single day.
For those of us who are hunters, we are always hunting in some way, literally or figuratively. Hunting takes many forms and often involves complex partnerships and orchestrated teamwork. It’s in our blood, the blood of those who hunted before us, and in the blood of those who hunt with us, whether they be other humans, dogs, or falcons.
You can read the full story here.
And congratulations to the other top four finalists. DSC Publications would be nothing without your writing and dedication:
- Gary Christensen “Killer Crocs” in Summer Game Trails
- Ken Heard “A True Glimpse of Wilderness” from Summer Game Trails
- John Justus “A series of Misfortunes” in Fall Game Trails
- Jon Peterson “Reflections on Astronauts, Heritage and Hunting” in the Jan/Feb. Camp Talk
This year’s judges include Craig Boddington, Fiona Capstick, Dave Fulson, Wanye van Zwoll, Larry Weishuhn and Ludo Wurfbain. We also appreciate the efforts of this year’s Nominating Committee, all of whom are contributors to our DSC publications. This year’s committee members include Jim Brata, Gary Christensen, Greg Duncan, Ken Heard, and Hillary Kigar.
[box] This award is dedicated to Dave Baxter, a longtime contributor and engaging writer, a DSC Life member, and a friend to many in the club. We lost Dave in 2016, two days after he turned in his last story for Game Trails. In his last article, Dave said about the hunting life, “It is, I believe, a life well lived.”[/box]
