Well now you know.
Decades ago I was hunting geese on a sod farm with a couple of big irrigation lakes on it. We worked a group of big honkers in, dropped several and sailed a big honker over the hill, eventually it glided down on the next lake over.
My first GWP Hank and I went after it. I swung Hank with me below the dam, left him at the bottom as I crept up over. Tried to swat the big honker dead on the water with my BPS 10 gauge but it was too far out to kill. Hank came running over the dam at the shot, crashed the water and was in hot pursuit.
The pursuit went on a very long time. The water was cold.
I had given up trying to call Hank off and stood and watched, wondering if he would have sense enough to stop before he drowned. Every time he got close the goose dove, he tread water and then began his pursuit all over when he spotted the goose swimming low in the water.
Both goose and dog were exhausted.
The goose was now swimming with it's mouth gaping open gasping for air, Hank was breathing hard and swimming harder still in pursuit. The goose made it's final error when it dove in water that was sufficiently shallow it could not get fully under as easily. Hank dove with it and came up with a mouthful of honker, never loosen his grip as he swam for shore and ran to me with the goose.
I started walking back to the lake we were setup on as Hank swung down below the dam to hunt a hedge row on the way back. Dang if he did not run a big crippled goose out, nailed it on the ground as it ran and retrieved it to hand.
Met my Brother coming over the hill to meet us as he had gotten worried we had been gone so long.
Was hunting a slough duck lake off the Grand River at the head waters of the Truman Lake with the same dog. The river had flooded and our duck lake had a hole in the dike. My Brother sailed a greenhead out into the middle of the slough and Hank took off swimming after it. I went along behind him trying to catch up so I could swat the greenhead dead. Normally I could wade all the way across but the river had flooded into the slough and I got to the top of my chest waders and had to turn around.
It was in that moment as I turned around that I realized what a grave mistake I had made.
The current created by the water gushing through the hole in the dike was so strong it was all I could do to keep from being swept off my feet. A panic swept over me immediately. I considered turning loose of my shotgun and using my hands to paddle to keep on my feet but really did not want to loose it. I turned my head to see Hank following the greenhead through the gushing hole in the dike into the swollen flooded timber of the Grand River. I fought back tears as I thought it was the last I would ever see him again.
My Brother was fighting frantically to uncover our small 14 jon boat and pull it into the water to attempt my rescue. I struggled my way forward managing to keep from being swept away, inching my way to less deep water. Finally I was in shallow enough water to turn around and search for Hank.
Just as we had loaded up into the jon boat to go search for him, Hank popped up on the dike from the flooded river on the back side carrying that greenhead. Jumped in the slough and swam across back to us as though it was just another day at the office.
Dogs and hunting waterfowl will give us some tense moments along the way.
Glad you and your pup made it safely home.
by Firedad » Tue Jul 12, 2022 9:26 am 
