Trending Upward
A better day yesterday in New Hampshire's uplands, as Bella (pictured) and Rocky both made strides in their development. Bella probably had her best day so far of the season, pointing three grouse and three woodcock in a short afternoon run, and Rocky chipped in by pointing three woodcock in the morning.
Rocky points a woodcock in heavy cover. A tough chance for my client, but at least Rocky held point until we could get there.
Bella with a rock solid point on a grouse. It held well for us and she didn't break until the flush. Tough chance for my client - things happen fast out there!
Both pups handled pretty well for me, ranging out to find their birds, and I have also been more willing to give them a "longer leash" this season. A large part of handling dogs for me is in trusting each dog in its ability to find and hold birds, and both Rocky and Bella have been earning my trust.
Of course, it helped that the conditions were nearly perfect for running dogs yesterday - temps in the mid 40's, plenty of moisture from the previous night's rain, and a slight breeze all day made things much easier for them. Any grouse hunter would take those circumstances every day of the season if they could.
The first run went to Rosie early on yesterday, and she helped find six grouse in the first two hours, as we ambled through a huge cut. We didn't come close to hunting the majority of it, but still managed to find those birds. Later on, Rocky got his run and after a sketchy start, he settled down and started pointing woodcock as we sidehilled cover of perfect age.
Unfortunately, it is woodcock cover, so it is incredibly thick in places and these just happened to be the same areas that Rocky established point in. My client had a couple of chances but they were by no means "easy" - usually foliage or tree branches got in the way of the swing of the gun or the shot. Still, he held his points well and even relocated his point on one bird to lock it down - all good things to build on.
Bella ran last through an area I hadn't explored much before and she encountered five grouse and three woodcock in an hour and a half. She began with the woodcock, locking down two - Guy hit one and couldn't get a shot at the other. Then she tracked and busted a small group of grouse. Two flew off, but she went back to the area and pointed again. Sure enough, there was one more left and it ran quite a ways from us before finally flushing out of range.
Then Bella pointed two more single grouse that held surprisingly well. Only one of them offered a fleeting shot - missed by Guy, but it was a tough chance. Shortly after that, Bella had yet another lock down point on a woodcock, and Guy harvested his second timberdoodle under Bella's trusty nose. She was great yesterday, and her star seems to be shooting upward ...
Of course, it helped that the conditions were nearly perfect for running dogs yesterday - temps in the mid 40's, plenty of moisture from the previous night's rain, and a slight breeze all day made things much easier for them. Any grouse hunter would take those circumstances every day of the season if they could.
The first run went to Rosie early on yesterday, and she helped find six grouse in the first two hours, as we ambled through a huge cut. We didn't come close to hunting the majority of it, but still managed to find those birds. Later on, Rocky got his run and after a sketchy start, he settled down and started pointing woodcock as we sidehilled cover of perfect age.
Unfortunately, it is woodcock cover, so it is incredibly thick in places and these just happened to be the same areas that Rocky established point in. My client had a couple of chances but they were by no means "easy" - usually foliage or tree branches got in the way of the swing of the gun or the shot. Still, he held his points well and even relocated his point on one bird to lock it down - all good things to build on.
Bella ran last through an area I hadn't explored much before and she encountered five grouse and three woodcock in an hour and a half. She began with the woodcock, locking down two - Guy hit one and couldn't get a shot at the other. Then she tracked and busted a small group of grouse. Two flew off, but she went back to the area and pointed again. Sure enough, there was one more left and it ran quite a ways from us before finally flushing out of range.
Then Bella pointed two more single grouse that held surprisingly well. Only one of them offered a fleeting shot - missed by Guy, but it was a tough chance. Shortly after that, Bella had yet another lock down point on a woodcock, and Guy harvested his second timberdoodle under Bella's trusty nose. She was great yesterday, and her star seems to be shooting upward ...
