Elijah Barbour owns and operates Folded Wing Kennels, which is based in Alaska and focuses on producing versatile and well-rounded hunting dogs through quality and effective training.
But during the fall he travels to Texas to guide upland bird hunts at Greystone Castle & Sporting Club in Mingus. This hunting season marks his third in the Lone Star state, as he has truly become captivated with the history, rich tradition, and diverse hunting opportunities that Texas has to offer.
Barbour grew up hunting and training Labrador retrievers in Montana with his father. Upon graduating from college, he initially began a career in the medical field, and ended up moving to Alaska with his wife, Bri. From there, he started training dogs on the side and fell in love with a breed of hunting dog called Deutsch Drathaars, similar to a German Wirehaired Pointer.
“We were going hunting in Alaska every chance we got, and I really wanted to find a breed of dog I could take along on just about any type of hunt,” Barbour said. “I wanted a companion that could always go with me and one I could rely on, and I discovered a Drathaar would be the perfect fit. This breed of hunting dog is extremely versatile, and can effectively be used for blood trailing, tracking fur, hunting, and pointing upland game birds, retrieving waterfowl and a variety of game birds.”
Taking ownership of his first Drathaar motivated Barbour to focus his dog training business on developing versatile hunting dogs that could thrive in a variety of scenarios and hunting applications, regardless of their breed. After working in the medical field for about 7 years, and training dogs on the side for the final two of those, he decided to end his medical career and become a full-time dog trainer. That was the beginning of Folded Wing Kennels, and he hasn’t looked back ever since.
Barbour enjoys pursuing big game, but his passion is hunting upland birds. This passion was instilled in him at a young age by his father, and it’s that same passion that brings him to Texas each year. Starting in August, he begins hunting ptarmigan in Alaska and works his way down to Texas to guide upland hunts at Greystone Castle.
“I start training dogs around mid-April to the beginning of May in Alaska, and that lasts until about the first or second week of August,” Barbour said. “I accept and train all versatile breeds of hunting dogs, including retrievers; however, I prefer to train Drathaars.”
From about August 10th through the end of October, Barbour chases wild upland game birds from Alaska to Montana with his personal dogs. He then begins guiding at Greystone at the end of October to the beginning of November, and guides upland bird hunts there through mid-March, before making his way back to Alaska.
It’s also a family affair. Barbour’s wife travels alongside him, and is passionate about hunting and hunting dogs as well. She does contract work in the medical field while they travel back and forth between Texas and Alaska. While they both love Drahthaars, they also appreciate all breeds of hunting dogs, such as retrievers, pointers, and jagdterriers.
“Texas is definitely a different animal than what I’m used to because of how privatized it is in terms of land,” Barbour said. “My favorite thing about hunting on private land in Texas is the history that has been preserved in the soil, because it hasn’t been bombarded by the public. For example, you can be on a hunt somewhere and stumble across an arrowhead or an artifact. To me, that is something that’s really special about land in the Lone Star state.”
Barbour said he also loves the diverse hunting opportunities that Texas offers.
“I feel like so many Texans get caught up in jumping in their buggy or ATV, sitting in a blind, and hunting over a feeder during fall hunting seasons,” Barbour said. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but there are legitimate year-round hunting opportunities here if you just put boots on the ground and take advantage of them. From quail and other birds, to varmints, hogs, predators, and small game, there’s always something to pursue and different strategies to try.”
Anytime Barbour has free time between guiding hunts at Greystone Castle while he is here in Texas, he enjoys calling and hunting predators and varmints, hunting waterfowl, hunting small game, and pursuing wild upland game birds on public land.
