I could learn to like this!

 The weather has been a bit interesting, especially the wind part. That is of course one of my problems with Hope, is that she isn't made for chasing Rabbits into a head wind. It was windy enough that several bulky but heavy objects were blown across the parking lot and into the yard. One of them an aluminum, truck tool box, big enough to span the width of my truck.

It was supposed to be windier later in the day, so I got out a bit earlier than normal, or comfortable. The wind was only about 10 mph. She can handle that, but at 15 or more she is at a disadvantage, because the Jacks run right into the wind.

Since the wind was due to rise later in the day, I decided to hunt here at the house. It's been about a week since I hassled this group, so it wouldn't hurt to hunt them again and I wouldn't have all that far to walk when we got blown out. 

I once hunted a group of fields intersected by canals, so there was a physical separation of the fields. I only hunted each section once a week. When I began I found that there averaged three rabbits for each chunk of ground. I had a Goshawk that was really really good. The first Jacks that I took out of those fields weighed in the 6 pound range. I found that as I took one of the dominant Jacks out of the field, a new smaller (less able to hold the territory ) Jack would move in. I hunted them all season and when I finished there were still three Jacks per field, but they now averaged 2.5 pounds. That experience has been repeated many times over the years, so I know that it is not just coincidence. That is also why I try not to hunt a field more than once a week.

 Hope weighed 992 again today.

 In the field by the house, I know from observation, where each Jack calls home, but between Pat and I, we have caught the ones that hang in easily noted landmarks, and nothing had taken up those particular spots yet, so I cut through the middle of the field. There is a path made by my quad, and it seems to hold a couple of jacks as a boundary. They typically use either their paths or natural ones, and I jumped today's rabbit by that path. Hope caught him instantly, about 20 feet away, and they rolled in a ball on the open ground. The Jack broke free and as he ran I could see his ribs showing, where the skin had ripped away. It was only a superficial wound in that, she had only grabbed hair and skin, not actual meat, and the skin had torn. Hope righted herself and again caught him before he had gone 20 feet. This time she had a substantial chunk of flesh that wouldn't tear away. I tried to get in front of him to grab him, and he broke out of the bush and dragging Hope behind him, ran into another Sage bush. This time she changed her grip to his neck, and held him long enough for me to help.

You can see where she first grabbed him.

 Today's flight 1200 steps total. I may have to go on a diet, or at least for a walk.