[mobirdhunter]

After missing 12 days to dog injuries and bad weather, we headed south about 2.5 hours for our last days of the season. The drive was worth it. The ice-crusted snow that we had at home was bad news for dog feet, not to mention the challenge it presented for a couple of aging humans.

With the dogs' injuries protected by either tape or boots, we spent the last 3 days of the season in great cover on farms that, if given half a chance, would revert to the prairie that once covered them. And we found birds. Alder, who had balked at wearing boots in the past, accepted them with enthusiasm, and she was hard going for the three days we hunted. At 8 years she is still going too fast and too far, but finds birds and gives her all. At the end of each day she was burned completely out, but happy to come inside after she had her dinner. Aspen's leg injury is finally healing, but he needed a tape job to protect the still tender skin. Although it was frustrating when we had to pause and reapply his wrap, he was excellent, and continued to show promise.

I used my 30" DHE 20 for the first two days, but switched to the little 28" CHE 20 on the last day. Both guns served me well when I did not become overanxious and rush my shots. I note from my shooting journal that towards the end of every season my reflexes are perhaps a bit too quick for a good gun mount. I think it's a sign of the excitement and anticipation I have for the flush. I always want to shoot better, but I never want to lose that excitement of anticipation.

We hunted some new ground and some old, familiar spots. We always enjoy learning new cover, especially when it shows something of its history in the remnants of old homesteads and fencerows.

The weather turned sour for the last two days of our season -- snow blown by 45 mph winds, so we will have to be satisfied with our memories of three great weather days in good cover with two good bird dogs and the blessing of two Parker shotguns. We still have the Iowa season to finish, but it's sad to see another Missouri season end. Certainly it was a year to remember for many things.

Key to photos:
1. All of the coveys we found still had very good numbers of birds. Although there are only two birds evident in the photo, this picture is from a large covey flush over a moving point my Aspen. I only shoot at one bird on flushes in the thick serecea lespedeza of this farm. It's easy to lose a downed bird in this cover.
2. One of the new covers we hunted had fencerows of some of the largest Osage Orange trees I have ever seen in Missouri. Their distinctive bark and thorny cover make them easy to recognize. Having dulled a chain saw on them, and been impaled on their thorns, I have great respect for the Osage. There are lots of Osage fence posts in Missouri, and they last longer than any of the treated posts commercially produced.
3. Alder pointed a single on the other side of a woven wire fence. It took me some time to find a place to climb over, with Elaine holding my gun while I balanced on the fence. The bird and Alder held through all of this. The shot I had was almost from my knees under the branches of the trees, and I almost always miss these "trick shots." I lucked out this time. Elaine passed Alder over the fence to me and then found a spot she could climb over. We searched and searched for the downed bird, and just when I'd decided to leave, Elaine noticed the bird quiver in the grass. Elaine retrieved the bird, but said she'd pass on my scratching her behind the ears, a reward the dogs seem to enjoy. Go figure.
4. The last bird of the season. Always a somber moment when you realize you will have to weather another year to have the privilege of chasing wild Bobs again. I always plan for next year, but never take it for granted.
5. We had our end of day break before the long drive home at this old homestead. The late winter sun always colors everything with its warmth, and we took our time to enjoy the setting, thinking about who lived here and what their lives were like. I'll bet they enjoyed hearing the summer call of bobwhites in their fields.
6. Alder always makes a production of her points. If you look closely you can see the orange duck tape that is holding her boots on. She seemed to like the boots, quite a change from our past efforts to boot her. The single here provided no shot. There were lots of points without shots in these old fence rows.
7. Shooting in a stand of sumac requires concentration, and I usually don't do well trying to shoot around the stems. You can see the bird if you follow down the gun barrel. The near-cylinder choke of the CHE did its job on this bird.
8. Aspen, with his leg taped, never missed a beat, and Elaine and I both noted how much progress he made this year. He has such a nice disposition, and is a pleasure to hunt over. I hope that within the next two years, he has a new bracemate to run with. I always think its a sign of optimism when an aging hunter thinks about getting a puppy.