Temp/Wind/Weather: Varied.
I was able to get out for the first three Saturday's of bird season. Grouse and woodcock opened up and I was only able to get out for 2 hours at a local gamelands. Rocko flushed one woodcock, a low flyer, where a spring seep meets a swamp meets early successional habitat meets an old farmstead.....I guess I should have been ready.
The next weekend was the opening of pheasant season...so time to hit the grouse woods. I was back home where you're more likely to stumble upon grouse. Plus opening day of pheasant season is similar looking to Walmart's parking lot with people everywhere. Lin accompanied me and we went out for two hours. It was windy. One bird flushed wildly 25 yards in a different direction than expected. No shot. We were walking through a blackberry patch and just about stepped on a bedded down buck. A small buck -- maybe a 4 point. I tracked a bear through this same area 3 years ago and was thinking about it when it jumped up from the brush about 10 yards away. Needless to say it put me on edge for the millisecond before I saw what it was.
Finally, today, we put up another bird. A pheasant wildly flushed from some good thick habitat. I took a shot at about 25 yards. Rocko ran to the bird. It was a female pheasant. My first bird with my new 20 GA over/under. I'm 1/1 with hit; shooting 100%. Maybe I oughta quit while I'm ahead. Maybe not.
Some pictures from today.
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| Rocko rubbing ticks onto me. Maybe vice-versa |
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| Victory shot |
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| Wish it was a grouse, but pheasants are fun too! |
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| Rocko after the hunt/bath/tick removal. A tired Brit is a good Brit. |
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| Name that poop. Actually serious, not sure what it is. Berries in it and quite large. |
