A Western Upland Icon | The Work of Ben O. Williams

This week on Breaking Cover, Andy and Matt take a look at the life and work of Ben O. Williams and everything modern upland hunters owe him. A bird hunter. A naturalist. A dog man. A photographer. A teacher. A writer. A lifelong student of birds and the landscapes they inhabit. We talk about his role in popularizing western upland hunting, his advocacy for Brittanys and pointing dogs, his extraordinary knowledge of grey partridge and other western game birds, his writing and photography, and the generations of hunters who learned to better understand birds, dogs, habitat and country through his work. Most of all, we talk about Ben’s greatest contribution: teaching upland hunters how to pay attention. The birds, the dogs, the country, the weather, the people, and all the small details that make a day afield worth remembering. Ben O. Williams has an enormous body of work and we’re still hunting in the world he helped us learn how to see. Hosted by Andy Wayment and Matt Millbauer Andy’s latest book, *Idaho Grouse Fever*, is available for sale here. Read more of Andy’s work on Upland Ways. Matt’s new project, *The Upland Literary Review*, is expecting its inaugural issue to be released in November. Check out theuplandliteraryreview.com for more information and how to submit your own work for consideration.  Check out Matt’s art project, Bird Dog Portraits at birddogportraits.org.  Like what you hear? Breaking Cover is listener supported and wouldn’t exist without supporters like you. Help support Breaking Cover with a monthly or one-time donation. As a monthly donor, you can submit books, authors, and topics that can help us curate a future conversation on the show. Another way to support the show and rep it: our limited run hats. A new *Breaking Cover* hat releases quarterly — made once, never restocked. The first design, the First Edition, is available now through September 30, 2026. Every hat sold goes straight back into keeping us on the air. Order it here.  Want more? Follow us on Instagram.