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So yesterday after basketball practice Joyce asked if she could go hunting with me today. After breaking her elbow a couple months ago in a bicycle wreck she has been dying to get out with us. I was glad to get her back in the woods.
We got up early and walked out to an empty kennel where Sis is supposed to reside. After listening for a minute I heard her running down over the hill... Oh well... Her loss. I loaded Kash up and we headed out.
We met up with Stoney and a couple other buddies and dropped our 5 dogs off in a thicket with a heavy frost blanketing the ground. They all hit the cover and started working, it didn't take long for the music to start.
The rabbit popped out of the cover and run the edge of a cattle pasture for about 100 yards then darted back in. The frost made them work for it but the dogs dug down and kept it moving. We fanned out and waited for him to circle back, I had Joyce cover the clump of trees were the race had started. Sure enough a few minutes later here he came.
I never had a shot as he darted towards Joyce, she raised up and got ready. Then that old rabbit pulled one of his best tricks. He ran straight up to her and STOPPED! I think the move threw her off, about the time she drew down on him he hit the gas and tore out of there.
After that we chased that dude from one side of the farm to the other and back again. 2 different times he went over a quarter mile from the jump. My buddy got off another shot that sent the rabbit back home. His last ditch effort was to take the dogs across 2 open cattle pastures before squatting under a tractor. On his way back down the hill he went around a barn and straight to our left flank. Stoney and Rodney opened up as he crossed the pasture. All five shots kicking up dust.
He took off behind us to were our buddy Jeff was waiting. Boom. Boom. Boom... Finally the rabbit we had been chasing all morning went down! As we watched the dogs work up to the big buck rabbit laying there I noticed the frost had melted under the morning sun. It was one of those runs you almost hate to see come to an end.
We ended up having to hunt hard to get another one up but the team did end up going 5 for 6 and Joyce got in on the action slowing one down for old dad here to finish off... I'll let her tell the rest of that one sometime lol.
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We got up early and walked out to an empty kennel where Sis is supposed to reside. After listening for a minute I heard her running down over the hill... Oh well... Her loss. I loaded Kash up and we headed out.
We met up with Stoney and a couple other buddies and dropped our 5 dogs off in a thicket with a heavy frost blanketing the ground. They all hit the cover and started working, it didn't take long for the music to start.
The rabbit popped out of the cover and run the edge of a cattle pasture for about 100 yards then darted back in. The frost made them work for it but the dogs dug down and kept it moving. We fanned out and waited for him to circle back, I had Joyce cover the clump of trees were the race had started. Sure enough a few minutes later here he came.
I never had a shot as he darted towards Joyce, she raised up and got ready. Then that old rabbit pulled one of his best tricks. He ran straight up to her and STOPPED! I think the move threw her off, about the time she drew down on him he hit the gas and tore out of there.
After that we chased that dude from one side of the farm to the other and back again. 2 different times he went over a quarter mile from the jump. My buddy got off another shot that sent the rabbit back home. His last ditch effort was to take the dogs across 2 open cattle pastures before squatting under a tractor. On his way back down the hill he went around a barn and straight to our left flank. Stoney and Rodney opened up as he crossed the pasture. All five shots kicking up dust.
He took off behind us to were our buddy Jeff was waiting. Boom. Boom. Boom... Finally the rabbit we had been chasing all morning went down! As we watched the dogs work up to the big buck rabbit laying there I noticed the frost had melted under the morning sun. It was one of those runs you almost hate to see come to an end.
We ended up having to hunt hard to get another one up but the team did end up going 5 for 6 and Joyce got in on the action slowing one down for old dad here to finish off... I'll let her tell the rest of that one sometime lol.
