I've been hearing the late, great Johnny Cash's lyrics for the last two weeks, as that's the last time I recall us hunting under bright sun. But as Percy Blogg said it best, "There are no dull, dark days."
Here are some photo recollections from our recent hunts. I hope you enjoy Elaine's camera work.
1.& 2. My journal tells me the last time we saw the sun was on December 16. Note in the second photo that not only did the sun shine, but we hunted under a bright moon also.
3. & 4. A spate of warm, damp and foggy days has been the norm of late. My painter's eye appreciates what cloud cover and damp conditions does to richen the colors of winter.
5., 6. & 7. There were times when you could not see more than a hundred yards, and it made shooting those buzzing rockets difficult, especially when they flushed against a dark background.
8. & 9. We managed to find some coveys, but this time of year the birds have Ph.D.'s in escapology. Rill and I always have to sort out our kills. She thinks they are hers...she's always right. I love all dogs who will find birds for a hunter, but I must admit a bias for those that help me find them with their tail.
10. This covey flushed far ahead and, against a dark sky, headed for the distant tree line. We scoured the heavy, wet cover for over an hour, only to find that the covey had gathered, run a tangent, and had sneaked up behind us. We only found them because Rill would not give up (and her boy was pretty determined, too). I've hunted wild Bobs for 40-plus years, and I still cannot figure 'em out.
11. Aspen is a quirky dog to say the least. He's my boy until we drop a bird. Then he becomes a prankster. Here he found my dead bird in an immense tangle, brought it out to show me, and then ceremoniously dropped it in the stream for me to "retrieve." I swear he was laughing the whole time.
12. Yesterday we explored some walk-in areas about 2 hours away. On this property we found 3 large coveys. The last one, pointed by Rill, occurred just before she was caught in a cable restraint trap on land where trapping is prohibited. We had cable cutters -- we always carry them -- and were able to cut Rill out in time. We called the Conservation Agent, and left the set in small pieces for the illegal trapper.
“I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when”
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