A Week Away for Mom and the Doggies to Play!

So sorry that it has been so long in posting. It certainly has not been due to lack of hunting! Just the opposite, in fact! I know, we just barely recovered from hunting in the UP for two weeks and here I go, going away again! I have spent the past week “farm sitting” for a friend. I figured I would get a ton of work done –and some work with a few dogs–while she went to England. She has a lovely farm and 4 English Springer Spaniels as well as birds and the right to hunt them every single day! I was able to bring two dogs with me, as she had one kennel empty. I brought Boone and Midge along and we have had a fantastic week of getting to know so new dogs, some new places, new kinds of birds and hunting.

One of the highlights of this week was spending a lot of time with my dear friends, Keith and Tessa Smith. We shared dinners and stories, caught up, and relived old memories. We played with puppies, did some website work, and Keith and I hunted on his property one afternoon, running Midge, Boone and Django on some chukars. What great fun and excellent dog work. I have included some photos of Django and Keith hunting, as well as Midge and Boone and this great place I got to stay at this week.

Which brings me to my next subject, the one of photography. I find it so difficult to get good shots of the dogs working. Many times the cover is just too thick and I can barely see the dog, let alone get a good photo. And of course, some hunts are action-packed and there is just no time for such nonsense! And of course the dreaded rain like we encountered this week kept my camera in my vest pocket most of the time. Then, I think I have all these great shots on the camera just to get to the computer and find out that they are all blurry! DRATS!

While visiting Lynnhill this week, I had the opportunity to meet a Wildlife Photographer that took some excellent photos for Lynnhill. He was able to capture puppies in action and we all know how very, very difficult that can be! Check out some of those great shots here. Mr. Luikart not only has a keen eye for great shots, the knowledge of aperatures, f-stops, and the like, but he also has a fantastic camera with blazing fast shutter speeds. So, that will go back on my “Christmas, Birthday, Anniversary” list, a great, professional digital camera…ahhh…. I wish!

It has been a mixed bag weather-wise this week with everything from rain to snow to ice. Yuck. Although, that didn’t stop us from having a grand time hunting. Honestly you don’t really even notice the weather when you are upland bird hunting with excellent dogs and lots of action. It isn’t until you are back at the truck cleaning birds in the pouring down rain that you really notice your miserable.

Midge and Boone are doing just awesome! They are both bird-finding machines. They both have had some great work this week. They had many new experiences to different kennels, more traveling, and exposure to new birds. They got to hunt quail, pheasant and chukar! Boone is doing great at hunting “dead”. Midge isn’t doing too shabby herself as far as that goes, Boone just seems to be more interested in finding the bird dead or alive. Midge is more interested in getting on to finding the next live bird! They are both amazing bird dogs at just 10 months old. They have been able to sleep with me every night, here, and I don’t know that I will be able to part with either of these dogs. I am sooo attached!

It has been an excellent week of great dog work, great times with old friends as well as making new friends. I will be sad to go tomorrow, but am missing my family and the rest of the “pack”. Scott also has many of his own hunting entries that I need to make on the site.

Here’s to great times and great hunting!

Have you hugged your bird dog today?.