Post by mjflores on Oct 13, 2011 1:13:10 GMT
I headed up Nawth today to some of my favorite upland grounds. It was just cool enough to allow a dog to hunt a while, which was a welcomed temperature compared to what we've suffered lately. As I walked the ole tote road in with Roux pulling harshly on her lead, I could smell the new leaves that had fallen...the October breeze,...the dew on the dying grasses all signal autumn and remind us why this is our favorite time of year. I bent over and unsnapped Roux from her lead and watched her go immediately to hunting for birds. I just love walking along listening to her hunting bell jingle and watching her hunt as countless generations of English Setters have been bred to do along side man. These are the type of fields we hunted today.
We mostly had the woods and pastures to ourselves which was nice. I really only expected to be hunting woodcock if their migration had brought them here yet. I know there are pheasant but they're sought after intensely and didn't expect any. Roux pointed one bird that I knew would be a pheasant because of where it was and how it held. As I walked in to her point, a gorgeous Rooster erupted from the foot tall grass. A quick snap of the 20 brought it to the ground. Roux's second pointed bird was in a large field of milkweed. As I walked to her she broke from her point and re-pointed 20 feet ahead of where she originally was. I demand a dog to be steady on point but this was something different...Roux was telling me we had a runner. I looked ahead for the tell tail sign and saw it...milkweed was moving up in front, something was snaking through the undergrowth trying to sneak away. Something that Roux taught me to do is, when she's pointing and has relocated and is looking ahead but back at me and then back ahead...she wants permission to flush the bird. A verbal "OK" and she's off to close the gap and flush a bird that otherwise would wander off, refusing to sit tight. Again, this is something she tough me and only comes from time spent afield working as a team. Hunting dogs are so smart and aware, and really do teach us almost as much as we teach them...if we'll only listen and learn. Up came the rooster and back down it went after a load of 6's met it in flight.
As you can tell by her tongue, we walked plenty and worked hard for these birds!
What a great day, in a great state, hunting over a great dog! I hope everyone gets out to enjoy a nice day afield hunting upland birds during October...it's a wonderful time to be out walking the woods and fields of New Hampshire.
We mostly had the woods and pastures to ourselves which was nice. I really only expected to be hunting woodcock if their migration had brought them here yet. I know there are pheasant but they're sought after intensely and didn't expect any. Roux pointed one bird that I knew would be a pheasant because of where it was and how it held. As I walked in to her point, a gorgeous Rooster erupted from the foot tall grass. A quick snap of the 20 brought it to the ground. Roux's second pointed bird was in a large field of milkweed. As I walked to her she broke from her point and re-pointed 20 feet ahead of where she originally was. I demand a dog to be steady on point but this was something different...Roux was telling me we had a runner. I looked ahead for the tell tail sign and saw it...milkweed was moving up in front, something was snaking through the undergrowth trying to sneak away. Something that Roux taught me to do is, when she's pointing and has relocated and is looking ahead but back at me and then back ahead...she wants permission to flush the bird. A verbal "OK" and she's off to close the gap and flush a bird that otherwise would wander off, refusing to sit tight. Again, this is something she tough me and only comes from time spent afield working as a team. Hunting dogs are so smart and aware, and really do teach us almost as much as we teach them...if we'll only listen and learn. Up came the rooster and back down it went after a load of 6's met it in flight.
As you can tell by her tongue, we walked plenty and worked hard for these birds!
What a great day, in a great state, hunting over a great dog! I hope everyone gets out to enjoy a nice day afield hunting upland birds during October...it's a wonderful time to be out walking the woods and fields of New Hampshire.
