One Fine Afternoon!!

[IronNoggin]

As I prepared to wander back from the snowy middle of the Province (Merritt) upon completing my final shift of the season, I called a Buddy down in Vancouver.





He informed me that the weather was fine down that way, and invited me to wander out for a pheasant hunt with his new pup if I had the time to spare.
Time to spare??
Absolutely!

One of the finest things in life for me has been working with a good dog for upland game.
It is something that I VERY MUCH MISS, and I certainly wasn't going to pass this opportunity up!

Made the dash down the Coq - horrible driving conditions!
That shot rock they use as "sand" literally destroyed my windshield to the point a new one is going in on Monday.

Got to Ken's pl;ace and enjoyed a very fine chicken dinner off the BarBee.

The next day was one of those rare "Bluebird" fall days.
Nary a breath of wind, warm and sunny.
Perfect for our intended foray!

We loaded up the boat, and soon we were running up the mighty Fraser to our destination.

Ken's male Spring pup "Gauge" is but 5.5 months old, but certainly knew what was up as we worked towards the hunting fields:








Continued...

[IronNoggin]

All the way Gauge was literally trembling with excitement, and scanning for any sign of birds along the way.
Obviously not his first rodeo even at such an early age!

We had a few anxious moments as the tide wasn't up very high, and the passage through the side channels was tricky as a consequence.
But we made it, tied up and set off along the dikes.

It became readily apparent the Gauge knew the area, and exactly what was expected of him.
In fact, he hunted like a seasoned vet, that incredible nose vacuum cleaning HARD as he searched for our prey.
That was so heartwarming to me it is difficult to describe.
Watching a good dog work has always been a passion of mine, and Gauge was putting on an excellent display of his talents.
Took me right back to the field days in Alberta, and certainly got my MOJO running!!

Unfortunately for us, the tractor mounted mower had arrived a short spell before us. Made the task at hand a little tricky, but we soldiered on.
It was ready apparent when Gauge went HOT!
That tail of his was running like an airplane propeller, and you could just feel the JOY running through him as he did what nature intended for him:







The hours ran by so fast I was downright amazed when Ken called the day.
I did feel so damned great doing this again, that I very much savored each passing second!

All too soon we were running the boat back to the launch.
But the smile on my mug will take days to go away!!

Brought a couple birds home and was right pleased with that.
They were simply icing on the cake for me, as the experience of working with a good partner, and an excellent hunting dog were well worth the price of admission!

Ken has offered to house my old English 16 gauge double for the season next fall.
Methinks I will be exploring the possibility of somewhat shorter shifts to accommodate as much time as I possibly can to take him up on that!

One hell of a fine day, and one hell of a fine cap to my working season!!
So much looking forward to the next time I can get out!

Accolades indeed for Gauge.
He really worked like a well seasoned vet.
Certainly well indicates the signs of his obvious & deadly potential!

Man I wish it was the start of the season already!!

Cheers,
Nog

[N¡ck]

Looks like it was a fun time. I'm seeing that hunting with a dog is what I enjoy the most. Big game is starting to take a back seat for me. Thanks for sharing.

[IronNoggin]

I'm seeing that hunting with a dog is what I enjoy the most. Big game is starting to take a back seat for me.

Almost an addiction, and one that I have been missing much more than I realized!

I'll never give up the Big Game pursuit.

But the hunting upland over this dog will escalate.
In fact we are already planning a serious week long hunt with my Brother in North Dakota just to do that!
Turkeys, Pheasants, Huns and Sharpies on the menu...

Cheers,
Nog

[srupp]

beautiful day....well done Matt
steven

[FishandSticks]

Looks like it was a good day!