ohland
09-06-2014, 03:58 PM
Today we left later and got over to the farm about 0700. Had along an old family friend (knew my dad before I was born!) and he brought his small dog. Sort of a floor mop in my opinion. He used to run Vislas before he got too busted up....
Belle got out at the farm and stayed mostly close while we unpacked the Rogue. Then I called her to follow me up the hill to our stand. She came up and I started to setup my chair, ground blind, water dish, and rain jacket top with a thick towel over it. The hell my Brittany will sit on the cold wet ground for hours. Woodcock season is getting near and she will be totally wet, so much so, her nose will loose the black ring. All pink. To those never having a Brittany, they love to snuffle and get dirt on their nose. I have pictures with her nose totally black...
Old man staggered up, set up the decoys on the ground and four up in a small walnut that the doves often perch in... It is close enough that we can shoot the doves out of the tree... I set up the two Mojos and turned them on. Our compadre sat behind us, so we had about 300 degrees of visibility...
Birds came in singles, pairs, and threes. No big flocks and heavy shooting like last year. The cold fronts are due in, which might bring more in. Belle got to watch the Insane Clown Posse miss a few more than we hit. Good thing she can't talk, because it would be damaging to my self-image.
Shooting was not bad, slow but birds in no more than 15-20 minutes apart. Belle saw most of the hit birds fall and she was quick to go when we told her to go. She did not take off until told. After one clown circus performance (missing 4 or 5 birds straight), we finally downed a bird. I had to tell Belle Dead Bird and Get It, then had to get the old retrobate to head out so she would go out. I like where we set up because it is on a hill in a pasture... She can see most of them go down, and about 2/3rds of them fall in the pasture, the rest in a grassy opening with Walnut trees.
She did get a bit hesitant when we went out to pick up a dove from next to that small walnut. More doves came in and I snapped off a shot. She slowed way down and looked like she wanted to go back to our stand. After that, we stopped shooting before she retrieved a bird. No problems after that. Got to listen to your dog.
We removed 14 stupid doves from the gene pool. Probably missed that many. Good day for her, many strong retrieves, no long loops, definitely NOT gunshy. She sits right next to me on the towel until something looks like it is coming down. The old retrobate missed a dove twice, she busted out to get it, then came right back on her own after the dove kept flying off. If she had thumbs, I bet she would have said "give me the gun, go back to the truck, and I'll be back when I'm done"...
Burned through a box with a SxS and spread out bird action. Enough to keep her interested, but not so much she would be rushing about so much that she would be loosing birds or getting so wound up and running wild. Good day, Belle had enough to do to keep busy, most birds were easy finds, and she was able to come back to me with a bird if something didn't work out while she was out at the fence with the old retrobate.
Belle got out at the farm and stayed mostly close while we unpacked the Rogue. Then I called her to follow me up the hill to our stand. She came up and I started to setup my chair, ground blind, water dish, and rain jacket top with a thick towel over it. The hell my Brittany will sit on the cold wet ground for hours. Woodcock season is getting near and she will be totally wet, so much so, her nose will loose the black ring. All pink. To those never having a Brittany, they love to snuffle and get dirt on their nose. I have pictures with her nose totally black...
Old man staggered up, set up the decoys on the ground and four up in a small walnut that the doves often perch in... It is close enough that we can shoot the doves out of the tree... I set up the two Mojos and turned them on. Our compadre sat behind us, so we had about 300 degrees of visibility...
Birds came in singles, pairs, and threes. No big flocks and heavy shooting like last year. The cold fronts are due in, which might bring more in. Belle got to watch the Insane Clown Posse miss a few more than we hit. Good thing she can't talk, because it would be damaging to my self-image.
Shooting was not bad, slow but birds in no more than 15-20 minutes apart. Belle saw most of the hit birds fall and she was quick to go when we told her to go. She did not take off until told. After one clown circus performance (missing 4 or 5 birds straight), we finally downed a bird. I had to tell Belle Dead Bird and Get It, then had to get the old retrobate to head out so she would go out. I like where we set up because it is on a hill in a pasture... She can see most of them go down, and about 2/3rds of them fall in the pasture, the rest in a grassy opening with Walnut trees.
She did get a bit hesitant when we went out to pick up a dove from next to that small walnut. More doves came in and I snapped off a shot. She slowed way down and looked like she wanted to go back to our stand. After that, we stopped shooting before she retrieved a bird. No problems after that. Got to listen to your dog.
We removed 14 stupid doves from the gene pool. Probably missed that many. Good day for her, many strong retrieves, no long loops, definitely NOT gunshy. She sits right next to me on the towel until something looks like it is coming down. The old retrobate missed a dove twice, she busted out to get it, then came right back on her own after the dove kept flying off. If she had thumbs, I bet she would have said "give me the gun, go back to the truck, and I'll be back when I'm done"...
Burned through a box with a SxS and spread out bird action. Enough to keep her interested, but not so much she would be rushing about so much that she would be loosing birds or getting so wound up and running wild. Good day, Belle had enough to do to keep busy, most birds were easy finds, and she was able to come back to me with a bird if something didn't work out while she was out at the fence with the old retrobate.