Every year, my family travels to western Kansas for the opening day of pheasant season. For the last few years, my father has asked me to go with him. It's a chance to spend quality time with him and take part in a tradition that my father has been practicing for over 40 years. It's also a chance to let time slow down, just for a few days, in a part of the country where the sky and the ground seem to blend together. The experience is worthwhile, so this year I photographed it.
Click images to enlarge.
A group of pheasant hunters wait in line for an annual hunters' breakfast that was hosted by the local Lions Club in Hugoton, Kansas before daybreak.
Titan, a German Shorthaired Pointer, prowls through a cornfield near Hugoton, Kansas, in search of pheasants.
Bob Hook and Meegan Dunham keep watchful eyes on the field in the early morning of opening day of pheasant season near Hugoton, Kansas.
Bob Hook points out the field that the hunting party will go to next to David Munday, Monte Dunham, and Jerry Welch on opening day of pheasant season near Hugoton, Kansas.
Conagher Welch stops and poses for a photo for his dad on opening day of pheasant season near Hugoton, Kansas.
Monte Dunham cleans a pheasant at the end of opening day of pheasant season near Hugoton, Kansas.
Another side of the gun conversation: Inside Kansas hunting season
An intimate journey through a family tradition
Published March 18, 2018 5:30PM (EDT)
This feature is part of Salon's Young Americans initiative, showcasing emerging journalists reporting from America's red states. Read more Young Americans stories.
By LaRissa Lawrie
LaRissa Lawrie is a photojournalist and writer for Salon’s Young Americans. She decided to pursue this fellowship to showcase Kansas as a community rooted in connection and empathy. LaRissa graduated from Wichita State in May of 2017 with a B.A. in Strategic Communication and will return to pursue a Master of Arts in Communication this fall. LaRissa is a lifestyle photographer and co-owner of Modberry Market. She is also a University Innovation Fellow with the Stanford Design School.
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