UGH!!!!! I just kinda wanna shout for a while... I wont just at the moment though.
We (myself, Ally, and Ivy) were out this mornin at a state game preserve. Ok, I get its Thanksgiving day, but there were like a hundred people hunting this 1800 acres!
We hiked well over a mile and a half and found a nice piece of ground with tall heavy grasses. We saw another group not far behind us. So we walk in and I set Ivy in a direction and told her to go get em for me!
After just a few minutes, I couldnt hear Ivy's bell, I figured she went too far so I started callin her back with the whistle. We didnt hear anything! We started back towards where we last saw her go. Well, my bad, apparantly she had been pointing a bird and we took to long getting to her. The most beautiful ringneck pheasant flushed in front us! Dang! When she points, she gives us plenty of time to get ready, I havent been able to make her break a point recently. But like I said, we took too long...
I wasnt ready, so I brought my gun up and flipped off the safety. Ally wasnt in position to back me up and her muzzle would have been only a foot from my head. I drew a hasty bead on the bird and pulled the trigger... and missed. Chambered another shell and followed the bird BUT! I could see the blaze orange of the other group coming into my firing line! I put my gun down and pulled the safety back. I let it go.
The other group however saw it coming and had time to get a good shot on it as it passed them. They brought it down and collected the bird.
Man! That was my bird that my dog found! They had their own dog and their dog didnt find it! If they let it come down on its own, Ivy would have found it again!!!
I'm wearing my angry face right now. I like coming back home with stories of how Ally and Ivy are doin, and this one didnt go our way. I'm lookin for a trophy to mount, a memory and tribute to my hunters here at home...
Darnit. Oh well, we still had a good time this mornin! Happy Thanksgiving folks!!!