by jlw034 » Thu Dec 06, 2018 12:28 am
Well, the hunting in SD was too good to stay away. I ran over for a quick 4 day hunt.
I knew going in that we had transitioned to late season birds. I had the opportunity to hunt both private and public land, and boy was there a difference. We always got into birds in public, but they were crafty. Nothing wrong with earning birds though...and it makes a guy appreciate those unpressured pheasants.
Lena made some retrieves that impressed the hell out of a couple old timers, birds that were winged and ran off. I'm learning to just let my dog work, and she'll bring it back 9/10 times.
Unfortunately, the snow was crusty enough that it really did a number on her paws. I was a dummy, and didn't bring her booties. Her face really took a beating too, as we hunted almost exclusively cattails.
The trip ended on a short hunt, but it was one of the most memorable birds to date. Lena was hurting, sore and tender. I was only going to hunt for an hour or two, and were having tough luck in our field. Plenty of birds, but it was just me and her and we couldn't get around them. As we worked back to the truck, Lena cut a track. We had already hit this area, so I wasn't too enthusiastic about it. But Lena had other ideas. She lost the track a few times, when the bird double backed, but she never quit on it. 300 yards later, across mostly snowed in grass. Lena slammed on point. It was without a doubt the most impressive bird work I've seen from her. I stepped in, a giant longtail flushed, and she delivered to hand. It was such a proud moment for me. This bird had been around the block, big ole spurs, and Lena beat him.
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Last edited by
jlw034 on Thu Dec 06, 2018 12:37 am, edited 1 time in total.