Normally I would not write if a hunt was unsuccessful. There are no dead bodies in this post, and I will try to keep the bitching down as well.
I put in four miles and a bit more yesterday in a futile effort to catch an elusive Jack. Today I put in another 4 or more miles. I am already bemoaning the fact that Pat doesn't live closer so that we could collaborate. The Harris have a lot of try, but it is so much easier to have two of them working the Jacks.
I followed a whim yesterday simply because I didn't want to hunt the same old fields again, and went out "Skull Creek" road at Rome to an area that I remembered having lots of game the last time I hunted it many years ago, 2007 actually. Its all dirt road and the back way to Three Forks on the Owyhee River. I stopped at several different sites hoping to find enough Jacks to make a hunt feasible. I was surprised to keep running into Hungarian Partridge. All total I saw 5 different coveys of them. Only about 6 per group, but that is a pretty good deal, If you have a long wing. To my surprise and a little bit of shame, the dogs didn't seem to recognize them as anything unusual. A sad testimony to my lack of bloodlust for a shotgun hunting trip. Just don't have enough energy to do both.
I climbed up on top of a little pointed hill to see if elevation would be of help to Hope in her pursuit of the wily Jack Rabbit. Josie (my female brit) was with me and Brick was working the sage a bit down the hill. A Jack got nervous and broke cover about 125 yards away. Hope took off after him and Josie took off after Hope. Hope of course missed and got back up off the ground to a Sage. Josie in the mean time had caught up to the chase and ran a circle bumping the Jack again and took off yipping her excitement. Hope hearing her, took off and joined Josie trying to catch up to the Jack again. Of course that didn't pan out either. I was standing there watching all this unfold, and laughing my butt off.
So today we hunted again. Hope was a bit below 1000 grams, so hunting was viable. I went to my normal spot at Arock to see if we could catch something there. Brick my male Brit had some training by a genuine hard core Brit hunter and courses nice and close rarely going out much further than 50 yards. That close work is exactly what I need the dogs to do. Josie who can't remember if she ever had any training from anyone other than myself is off like a shot to the far reaches of the field, firing blanks and scaring every thing out of the country far enough a head that Hope doesn't stand a chance. At least she would like to. I called her back twice and she was still stretching it, so I called her back, picked her front feet off the ground and explained that I didn't want her to do that. It actually was just that. She is a very soft dog, so the correction was no more than that. She understood what I wanted and stayed in close, allowing Brick to work back and forth in close.
Actually I would most likely, I believed until today, be better off without the Dogs along. I feel sorry for them so I bring them along. Today I changed my mind.
I had noticed that Josie ran with Hope on her chases earlier, but today with the elevation of the terrain I could see better what was going on. I have always encouraged my Dogs to go to the Falcon when she was on the ground for some protection from Coyotes and especially Eagles. My Pointer used to do that, but she has since passed on, and now Josie is taking up the slack. To what extent I did not realize until today.
The way that it always goes is that when the Jack realizes that we are in the field, they take off about 100 to 200 yards ahead. Hope (springs eternal, couldn't resist) and gives chase. There is plenty of time for the Jack to make a plan and they will usually make a feint that suckers her in, sidestep and take off leaving her sitting on the ground. Today I could see that Josie would arrive shortly after Hope made her shot, run a circle around her, generally jump the rabbit again. Hope also noticed that, and began to take advantage of it and was getting more shots in at the rabbit. Then I noticed that when Josie would jump the rabbit again she would take off after it yipping at every jump. Hope also understood that Josie had eyes on the Jack and there they would go over the horizon, Josie yipping and Hope pumping for all she was worth trying to catch up. When the chase was over, Josie would come back to heel, almost, until the next chase. I kept saying to myself that I needed to record their cooperative behavior but found my self with my mouth open grinning like a fool, not taking any pictures. The serious Bird hunters will be proud of me. Brick has also learned to point Jacks. So far its only where they have been, now if I can get him to expand and point where they actually are, I will be far ahead of the game. So to sum it up I have taught two of the best bird dogs to chase Rabbits and to point them as well. At least, I think its a good idea!
On my way back Hope did a wingover behind a large Lava "lump", and when I got there, was no where to be seen. I looked all over since there were many cracks and holes under it. I could see not a sign of her nor hear her. I told the dogs to find her, and Brick went over to a hole, stuck his head down and whined. I could see nothing, but I whistled and here came Hope out of the hole like a tunnel rat, and came to the fist. "Good Boy" Brick!
As we drug our butts back to the car, both Dogs left me as soon as the car was in sight and laid down in the shade waiting for water. Hope flew to the gate and sat on the post, while I brought up the rear. When I got to the car I raised the back door, and Hope started to me. I wasn't ready so she landed on Josie's back while I fumbled with my glove. We all had a drink and went home to rest up for another day.
