Well I made it out to the Sandilands on Sunday, near but not at a place I used to hunt with lots of success.
Arrived a tad later than I wanted to but parked at the head of a trail I decided to walk. While getting my chit together, I heard a shot not too far distant so I figured somebody has at least seen one. Before I set loose the hound and get moving down the trail another shot rang out nearby and looking back there was a car and a truck on the road at the same spot fifty yards or so away but facing different directions.
Figgered I better get a move on before they shot the only other bird out here !
So I turn around and take a few steps downtrail and is that a grouse I see under the pine just ahead? Sporting or not, I haven't had a ruff to eat for a couple years, I ground sluiced him with the Browning.
Of course knowing that where there is one there is often another, I forget this and the other hits the afterburners into cover before I get over first bird fever. Voodoo, my Brittany whom woefully I have not trained on birds does not want to pick it up after a mouth full of feathers but had no qualms about rolling in the guts after I later cleaned them.
Yup, "them" as in another. About 40 yard walk down the trail (it ran parallel to the road only about 25 yards in ) I hear the car on the road slowly creeping by and I'm thinking....Surely the fellow knows I an in the immediate area as I have just fired a few minutes ago and my truck is highly visible, if he were to see one would he fire in my direction ?
Answer, YES, TWICE
Thankfully no pellets made it to me or Voo, but I thought hmmm. if he missed there may be a ruffie on it's way to me. Sure enough, it presents a nice level crossing shot and the other fellows missed bird was now my bird in the hand.
From my first shot to the second bird was no more than about 15 minutes. Never saw another bird until I had packed it in after more than a few miles of walking trails and busting brush when one crossed the road in from of me while heading for home.
Like usual, I carried a camera with me but forgot to take a damn picture of my hard gotten game and was too slow to get a good one of the black bear either when I was in the truck headed for other trails.
Tim.
