Sept 22nd- Hope

I went out to get Hope this morning and although she seemed to want to come to me, she would not move. That is when I discovered that although I have a heavy braided  leash, a swivel with a single short leather  strap between that swivel and the swivel that connects the Jesses, she was twisted and tangled so badly that she could not move her feet. I went to this arrangement because in the early mornings she jumps, foots and twists and turns so much playing that she was getting tangled up. I thought that I had solved the problem. :-/ It took Karen and I both to get her free of all the twists.

When she flew last, she weighed 920 grams. This morning she was 954. OOPS! Oh well, she needs exercise any way, and truth to be known, so do I. No better way to do that than to do it in the rabbit field.

At an extra ounce of weight, she was just that little bit slower that allowed each and every Rabbit that we jumped to get away. Her manners and response has not suffered at all with the extra weight, just her agility. The combination of flabby muscles and the lack of desperation that comes from being sharp set, cost her the satisfaction of killing again. I saw at least two Jacks that jumped close to us that actually outran her. The interesting part to me is that she really wanted desperately to grab one of those varmints, to the point of serious frustration.

https://vimeo.com/235077243  password    owyheeflyer

She went spelunking twice in an attempt to find something to kill. Most Raptors that are "too Fat" only make a show of trying to catch quarry. It appeared to me that her inability to close the deal was really frustrating to her.

She got a lot of exercise, and the next trip will likely turn out a bit different. I am not displeased with today's effort. We will both be stronger then next time.

The ranch that I was hunting on is one of the early ranches established when this area was first settled. Here are some pictures.

The building as you can see was made utilizing the materials at hand. Lava slabs and Willow stems.