chris dawe
10-08-2012, 08:54 AM
Had a wonderful morning with him today ,she's been wanting to go for some time but track meet's and life, and everything else got in the way .
At 7:30 we hit the local coffee shop for a quick,breakfast and by 8:15 we're unloading the car and loading the gun,it's beautiful here this morning ,the leave's are just starting to turn,the air is crisp, the old dog is whining and Dad's girl has more question's than I can answer .....
"Why is Heiko so excited Dad?" ,
"What make's the leave's turn ?",
"Can I come with you this time when you shoot?"
"If we get one,can you show me how to clean it for Mom ?"
"Don't worry if you shoot and we can't find it,the fox's n stuff will get to eat it and that's a good thing "
Yeah, she's 10 going on 40!
Not 50 yard's in Heiko strike's scent, his bell slow's and he's on point ! we both move in to an awful tangle,and the grouse blow's out as he's often apt to do .I loose the right barrel of the 16 with no luck ,the dog hold's steady and I release him only to have him creep another twenty feet to an awkward point where his head is moving ever so slightly side to side...I move in ,and the bugger blow's out of a branch two feet above my head.
My girl giggle's and squeal's at the whir of grouse wing's .
"Fun, is'nt it ?" I say "Sure is Dad. " she reply's
In no more time than it take's us to reach the edge of the trail he's on scent again and the point this time is an abrupt holy #@$% he's right here !!! sort of thing,the young bird blow's out next to a little brook and don't get the chance to clear the tree top's before the load of 7 1/2 's bring's him down in a shower of feather's....We're all pretty excited about this one,and she's seen it all fold out this time .After a mannerly retrieve by the old dog a photo for the album soon follow's.
We hunt this area for a short time more with a couple more start's but no opportunity's .So it's off to a cover I used to hunt year's ago ,a very productive spot but when we arrive it's unfortunately all posted .The conversation now turn's to why we can't hunt on the land ,
she say's "Well ,it's so far away ,and no one else is around so maybe we can"
I reply "Well,maybe the reason why it's posted is probably because some person decided that same thing ,and hunted there in spite of the sign,got caught and was very rude to the owner,so he decided all hunter's were alike and posted his property."
"Well,we're not like that Dad"
"No I say's,so when we get home we'll contact the town and try and find out who own's the property,write a nice letter to tell him who we are ,and what we would like to do and see where it go's "
"Good idea Dad "
The morning round's out with a trip to another cover,this one has seen the worst of our recent hurricane,with windfall's everywhere...but she make nary a whimper,we encounter a solitary bird who offer's three point's and zero shot opportunity.I point to a distant ridge across the valley and tell her it's my favorite to shoot,she want's to go next week she say's ,and tell's me she would like to wear the hunting coat like mine (an old men's size small Duxback I found at a flea market ,year's before I had kid's...y'now ,just in case )
" Sure thing dolly,I cant wait "(Parker PH 16 28 inch twist)
At 7:30 we hit the local coffee shop for a quick,breakfast and by 8:15 we're unloading the car and loading the gun,it's beautiful here this morning ,the leave's are just starting to turn,the air is crisp, the old dog is whining and Dad's girl has more question's than I can answer .....
"Why is Heiko so excited Dad?" ,
"What make's the leave's turn ?",
"Can I come with you this time when you shoot?"
"If we get one,can you show me how to clean it for Mom ?"
"Don't worry if you shoot and we can't find it,the fox's n stuff will get to eat it and that's a good thing "
Yeah, she's 10 going on 40!
Not 50 yard's in Heiko strike's scent, his bell slow's and he's on point ! we both move in to an awful tangle,and the grouse blow's out as he's often apt to do .I loose the right barrel of the 16 with no luck ,the dog hold's steady and I release him only to have him creep another twenty feet to an awkward point where his head is moving ever so slightly side to side...I move in ,and the bugger blow's out of a branch two feet above my head.
My girl giggle's and squeal's at the whir of grouse wing's .
"Fun, is'nt it ?" I say "Sure is Dad. " she reply's
In no more time than it take's us to reach the edge of the trail he's on scent again and the point this time is an abrupt holy #@$% he's right here !!! sort of thing,the young bird blow's out next to a little brook and don't get the chance to clear the tree top's before the load of 7 1/2 's bring's him down in a shower of feather's....We're all pretty excited about this one,and she's seen it all fold out this time .After a mannerly retrieve by the old dog a photo for the album soon follow's.
We hunt this area for a short time more with a couple more start's but no opportunity's .So it's off to a cover I used to hunt year's ago ,a very productive spot but when we arrive it's unfortunately all posted .The conversation now turn's to why we can't hunt on the land ,
she say's "Well ,it's so far away ,and no one else is around so maybe we can"
I reply "Well,maybe the reason why it's posted is probably because some person decided that same thing ,and hunted there in spite of the sign,got caught and was very rude to the owner,so he decided all hunter's were alike and posted his property."
"Well,we're not like that Dad"
"No I say's,so when we get home we'll contact the town and try and find out who own's the property,write a nice letter to tell him who we are ,and what we would like to do and see where it go's "
"Good idea Dad "
The morning round's out with a trip to another cover,this one has seen the worst of our recent hurricane,with windfall's everywhere...but she make nary a whimper,we encounter a solitary bird who offer's three point's and zero shot opportunity.I point to a distant ridge across the valley and tell her it's my favorite to shoot,she want's to go next week she say's ,and tell's me she would like to wear the hunting coat like mine (an old men's size small Duxback I found at a flea market ,year's before I had kid's...y'now ,just in case )
" Sure thing dolly,I cant wait "(Parker PH 16 28 inch twist)