How tough can it get?

I've been busy with appointments and commitments and had to pass up one or two days before I could get the time to go Hawking. I still have a lot to do, but I decided that I could take a short break to take Hope out to try to contribute to her winter food supply, via her prowess as a huntress.

Things are changing a bit due to the approaching winter. The rabbits change their habits as well, and the last time Connie and I went to Arock it appeared that the Jack's were a bit more plentiful. I can't say for sure, but we found four down in what I would call the grassy part of the area that I like to hunt. To find four of them close to the beginning of the field was a bonus for us and it didn't take all that long for Hope to pick one of them off to add to our bag. I was gratified that we didn't have to spend all day trying to catch one. I decided to go back to Arock as I had not been there for at least a week.

I am leaving the dogs at home now. Josie on her last trip out, came up with a sore shoulder and was limping quite a bit. I ordered her some glucosamine and she is now doing better, but their foray's in to the wilds are over. She is getting up there in age, and I am on a bit more limited time. I really think that the only ones who benefit from going with me is them. The Jacks jump further out when they are there. That of course adds to Hope's challenges and difficulties. It was fun to see them work together, but she is more efficient without them. I actually prefer the more "stealthy" approach.

Upon arriving at Arock, I decided to try a field that I haven't hunted for several weeks. I parked and let her out of the box, and she flew to a Sage Bush at the base of a Lava mound just inside the fence. I walked over, climbed the fence and took two steps towards her when she jumped into the air and crashed into the grass about 10 feet from her. Immediately a Jack began screaming, and my hunt was over. She had apparent'y landed just a few feet from the Jack, who had squatted when I drove up. He never realized that her species is one of the few that can see prey that is sitting still.

At the beginning of August I added an app that is supposed to measure how much I walk. I actually wanted to check the distances of the Hikes that Connie and I were taking at Glacier Park. I decided to leave it on my phone when I began hunting Hope after I returned home. Some, perhaps too many were in the 4 mile range on some of those hunts. So I was actually putting in a lot more walking than I had originally thought. For instance since Aug 1st I have walked 211 miles taking 84 hours to do it. Today's hunt was 40 steps- round trip.