Opening Day of Phez.
 

Well yesterday was the Pa. Pheasant opener ,it was a very nice ,cool and overcast start of the day ! My Buddy for the day was Rich and his GSP Sam ! Old Chip and Sam make a good team and I guess Rich and I do as well ! We had a great day out ,not too many Birds moved but Rich managed one Rooster and got his first Woodcock yesterday ! I ended up with a pair of Woodcock at the end of my barrels and when it was my turn to take a Rooster both Dogs pointed him " A beautiful sight " and while we were trying to flush him ,he flushed on his own about 50 yards down over the hill ! Must have run like a Gazelle !:rotf: Fun was had by all but the Phez. and the Woodcock , about three hours into it ,old Chip wore out ,I kenneled him and we used my buddies GSP .to finish out the day ,I guess we hunted for about five hours or so , it is sad to see Chip getting so old so quick !

i tire out in about 3 hrs too..me chip would make a good team...looks like yall had a good hunt....keep them 410 barrels hot but rest it a spell with the 28 ga.... charlie

I guess to be honest ,I tire out a little too after about 3 hours ! My Buddy Rich ,in the picture is about eight years or so younger than me ,I try to tell him but he doesn't believe it ! He Will ! Russ

For a minuete ther I thought Gunner, Daisy and I went to Pa for Pheasants and I was suffering from a blackout:rotf:

Gunner is 14 and Crazy Daisy is already 6 it's hard to see them age. I came home from the weekend Grouse hunt and had everything put away, made several trips in and out of the house, brought Daisy in and Gunner was sound asleep on the bed the whole time. He is about deaf as a post:crying: I hope to get him out to the haymarsh for some released Pheasants where I can keep a close eye on him.

Rich,
It's good to hear that Gunner at 14 can still get out in the field. My Lab will turn 10 at the end of this month and has the heart to go all day but after about three hours needs to be put up for her own good. Last week we only managed two birds but that was more poor shooting than anything. This week Deb and I did our part and Miss Brooke was home early.

Nice picture Larry ,looks like a good day out ! I sure would have really enjoyed it had my wife taken up hunting ,she just had no interest at all ,but I will say this in the 37 years we have been married ,she has never complained about the time I have spent afield or any of the guns and equipment I have gathered along the way ! Sounds like your Lab and my Britt would work well together ,about three hours into it and I can see he has had enough !

Russ,
Like all of us I dread the day I will have to say goodbye to this dog. She has been the absolute best dog/companion I have ever had. I have always thought that because we are not getting any younger that my next dog would be a pointing breed. I recently returned from a trip to New Brunswick were we hunted for grouse and woodcock. I had the opportunity to hunt behind a Brittany that the camp owner had and he was a wonderful dog. He is a three year old with a good personality, lots of drive and a great nose. I plan to do some research on the various breeds of pointers but right now for me the Brittany is in first place.

its a plus for sure if a fellows mate takes up hunting and the love of the outdoors...russ my wife never had any interest in hunting or fishing either..as you stated russ she never complained what i bought or collected either...i guess it was a good thing she did not have interest in my needed things we would not be able to get in the house for the colectables...very good pictures and hope the older dogs have several seasons left.... charlie

As with everything we all have our favorites. But for me you can't beat a Britt but I am developing an interest in the French Brittney line also.

Larry ,the mother of my current dog Chip ,was the absolute best dog I have ever hunted over ,and the best family pet we ever had ! We had to put her down last Thanksgiving from Breast Cancer ,one of the toughest days ever in our home ! I had my heart set on an English Setter and we were at our local " Ligonier Days " a venue in Oct. for towns folk to sell and buy home made crafts , any way the Pa. Game commission had a booth and one of the Game Land Managers had a couple of Pups there out of his litter to sell. We were walking toward the Booth and this little Tri Colored Britt came tearing out of the little make shift kennel it was in and with people everywhere by passed everyone and jumped up on my little 5 year old Daughter and began licking her face and running circles around her ! Finally the owner caught the pup and after we laughed about what had happened ,he said it was for sale ,I balked at first but when those Little Girls Eyes started to tear up ,WELL........:)You know , I gave in and we had a new Brittany ! The best thing that could have happened , when Maggie adopted us for her Family ! Great to live with ,smart ,very affectionate ,and even I can train one to a respectable degree!

From my point of view, Brittanies have trained me, at least as much as they can. Good ones love to hunt, have a great heart, and want to make their master happy. There are plenty of good dogs of all breeds, but in our mountains a good one is hard to not like/love.

Little did I know when I wrote the quote above that today might be that day. As I was coming out of the woods tonight from an uneventful bow hunt my cell phone rang. It was my wife noticeably upset saying the dog was run over by a car and she was on route to a 24 hour veterinary hospital. I was in my truck and cruising and almost beat her to the vets. Between the tire marks across her mid section, the lacerations to her head and back legs, and the dried blood she was not looking good at all. After about an hour the doctor showed us the xrays and even he was surprised that she suffered no broken bones or any visible internal injuries. I will pick her up in the morning and take her to our regular vet as she will need some miner surgery before coming home. I just thank god that today was not our day to say good bye.

Larry, Glad to hear this prognosis. I sure hope it holds up.
Mike

Larry, I am so glad to hear that Brooke will be okay. My heart was pounding reading your post.

Larry I sure hope you hunting partner makes a full and speedy recovery. We live on a busy road and the first thing we did when we bought the house was to fence in the back yard. When the dogs go out to get in the truck they are always on a leash. A car/dog encounter isn't something I want to deal with.

In regards to breeds I have been fortunate to have been adopted by four very good GSP. I currently have two hunters with Gunner at 14 still haveing the heart but the hearing is about gone and Crazy Daisy who I'd put up against any dog. At the end of the day your not combing burrs out of them like you would a long haired dog. This may all change in a year or so as I have a friend with wonderfull English Setters and he is bound and determined that I'm getting a dog. It will be started and have a idea of whats going on is the only way I'd even consider it. We have four GSP now and three are over 11 and one is insulin dependent diabetic. The crowd will need to be reduced in number befor any new additions move in.

Rich - There is a man near Grayling who has developed a line of grouse hunting GSP's. Mild, easy-going. Perfect for the foot hunter. PM me if you'd like to get his contact information. Doesn't always have pups, but has litters occasionally.

Larry ,I am just getting back on line since yesterday ,and just read your post ,I am sure glad that all looks well with Brooke ,when we all start our days ,we just never know which direction they will go ! Please keep us all updated ! Russ

I just heard back from the vet and everything is looking good and I may be able to bring her home tonight. She is going to be one very sore dog for a while but with a little TLC she will be back in the field before long. Obviously measures will be taken so this dose not happen again. One night without a dog in the house is one night to many.

Mr. Frey,

Your dog, wife, and your self are in my thoughts. I am glad things were not too bad. Hope all stays well and she recovers fully.

Larry, I don't envy you that call from Deb... it would certainly make my heart skip a beat.

Brooke is a wonderful Lab and I know what it would do to your family to lose her.

Luck was on your (her) side this time and that's a very good thing.

Best to you and Deb,
Dean