Yes, Margo, I love the blogs; and, of course, I'd be flattered should you want to include some of the old Boggs & Ben stories. Their puppy year was a busy, curious & romping time. Feel free to chop & dice, or edit - just go for it! It was a special & inspirational time.
The picture we sent you was taken this week, southwest of Eureka at "our lake." The last couple weeks I have been leaving the gun home & simply going for long excursions in bird country on x-country skis. We go down onto the ice . . . up over the hills . . . and into those trees in the background, before returning to the truck. Once and a while we get to follow coyote tracks (three) over the snow covered ice.
Pheasant season was/is good. Once again, the "boys" flourished. Last spring, I cleaned out a savings account and ordered a 28 Ga AyA Round Action Sidelock - from Spain. It was either hearing aids or a shotgun. I could not do both! It was one of the easiest decisions I ever made.
Opening day I took the "elegant toothpick" to the field. I had seven shots at pheasant. Two of the seven were made while walking up to the pups on point. I was able to walk up and wait for the flush. That day; I went O for 7. But - I love the gun. If anyone was razzing me about it . . . I didn't hear it.
A couple days later in a different place, I dropped two birds. The first bird flushed out of a marsh on my right and flew left. I led it and squeezed. The bird flinched and went down on a hillside on the other side of a slew . . . eighty yards away. It hit the ground running and went over the hill. Out of the corner of my right eye, I saw the "boys" blow out of the marsh . . . and run toward the downed bird like a politician's security detail; going after a wack job! They got to the hill, picked up the scent, and disappeared over the horizon. I simply stood my ground and waited. If I had a Marlboro . . . I would have had time to light up and relax over a few drags . . . confident of what would happen next.
After a few minutes, maybe more, the "boys" reappeared on the horizon; with the rooster in 'hand', doing the "team retrieve." Each had a mouth on the bird and they were running at me shoulder to shoulder - in a celebratory frolic! The bird did not have a tooth mark on it. Good boys!
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