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The Guns Journal
Philip Lowe M.D.
Leaving ones comfort zone can be challenging and difficult. Getting into another comfort zone can be rewarding and exhilarating. Phillip Lowe was a successful pediatric urologist in Pasadena, California for years. With an equally successful wife who was a pediatric anesthesiologist and three lovely children, one would wonder why anyone would want to leave such an established life. But something happened when they left this place and traveled on vacation to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The thought about leaving the congestion of California for the wide-open spaces of Wyoming began to intrude upon their present comfort zone. With kids on their way to higher education, they decided to leave the beaches and head to the mountains – not for another vacation but for another life. That was over a decade ago and they never looked back.
Well, if you can leave such an established comfort zone and find rewards in another, why not continue your journey? Many shooters and hunters have a long history of participation in their passion with their formative years being influenced by family and friends. Some have an interest in shooting and hunting but without some influence never act upon the urge. Phil couldn’t have picked a more ideal place to act on his shooting and hunting urge than in Jackson Hole. Like many who have come to shooting and hunting later in life, it took a friend’s invitation and encouragement for Phil to become involved in the shooting sports. He became a partner in Lazy Triple Creek Ranch near Newdale, Idaho. It was there that he met Lars Magnusson. Phil credits Lars with instilling in him the passion he has for the sport.
Visits to Lazy Triple Creek Ranch and Lars started with clay shooting, followed by instruction, gun fitting, and a gun purchase (a Beretta OU from Griffin and Howe). It was easy to get "hooked" with the various clay courses that Lars has laid out at the ranch. While some shooters have had to start their clay shooting in skeet and trap ranges sandwiched next to freeways, Phil got to start his in the beautiful Teton Valley.
When Phil was ready to start wingshooting, it was again under the coaching of Lars and the guides at Lazy Triple Creek (but now with another gun – a Beretta SXS again coming Griffin and Howe.) Phil now does about eight or nine driven days a year at LTC and many more walk up days. Rumor has it that he is so obsessed with shooting that when the snow gets so deep at the ranch he has the crew snow mobile to the clay course, dig out the machines, and let the clays get launched. He readily admits that the gun collection disease has become malignant and incurable.
Phil quickly realized that he needed to dress like a shooting sportsman as well. You don’t go to the best golf courses in the world in denims and you surely don’t come to LTC in camo fatigues. Then he meet Leonard Logdail – his next coach. If Lars had educated him in the finer points of clay shooting and wingshooting, it was Leonard who educated him in the finer points of the traditional dress of the shooting sport gentleman with the Logsdail Classic line of country clothing.
What’s next for Phil? Well, even though the family dog is a golden retriever, due to its advancing age, Phil might be considering that the next dog be a field companion as well as family pet. Here is where Michael Stewart might be Phil’s next coach. With Michael’s Wildrose Way of training hunting dogs, why not?
Phil readily admits that one of the most satisfying features of LTC is the enduring friends that he has meet at the ranch with whom he has explored surrounding areas in the Dakotas. His next comfort zone transition will be to do wingshooting on the international stage. Lars has a plan for Phil also and that is the international syndicate of OnPeg.com. where one can hunt in the US, British Isles, Spain and New Zealand. See what happens when you leave cement pavement for dirt roads and trade smog for starry nights.
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