I was invited by a long-time Montana resident to join him for a sharp-tailed grouse hunt in late September near the city of Malta. We had gotten to know each other through our joint appreciation of late 19th century German game guns and Boykin spaniels. He is an avid hunter and conservationist in the tradition of President Theodore Roosevelt. He has hunted this area for more than 25 years and has been a generous benefactor to wildlife and habitat conservation. He told me that his personal goal for the hunt was to teach me what I needed to know to be successful if I wanted to return on my own.