One last time, with gusto!

Well here we are on the next to last day of the year. It has been interesting to say the least. However since  I live "just East of Hell" as one prospective lady friend told me, ( Hey Carole) the impact on me has been a lot less traumatic than it has the rest of the "civilized" world. Social distancing is just another "shitty day in Paradise", for the residents of my corner of Oregon. Still even at my age, with my days numbering less and less, it is good to see it gone. Hopefully the impact on all of you has been bearable, and that it will get better- soon!

Hope is getting used to her new living quarters and is slowly becoming more willing to come to me to go hawking. I had to get her down to 1020 grams before she came to me with the intention to stay on the fist. Today I have to do a bit of mucking out of the house, as Connie is coming to spend a bit of time with me, so I wanted to get our hunting out of the way.  It is also my intention to go to my neighbor's house to get a live trap so that I can possibly catch the Bobcat that has been killing Jack Rabbits in the yard at night. Its a 50 mile round trip. Of course I could have avoided the last minute clean up if I had been keeping up with things but I, as with most men, find logic to be optional. 

This is the longest that I have hawked since coming here. While most all of you have been told how terrible "climate change" is to the world, I have reveled in the fact that this is the warmest December that I can remember in this country. There is nothing to stop the wind with the exception of the poor souls that have to go outside for a living here, and it can get downright nasty with out any problem. Now its not really what I would call climate change, I still have to wear some of the advanced type of "long johns" that have come on the market, but at least I can avoid frost bite and still go hawking with a tropical type of raptor. If any of you have any say in what is going on, I could really use a couple more degrees in the mornings.

It was quite balmy this morning at 22 degrees, so I went out to see if Hope wanted to play one last time this year. She came to me with only one attempt to fake me out, but I pretended indifference, so she decided that she better take me up on my offer to take her hunting,  while I was still willing to let her. I know that sounded pretty glib, but you have to remember these creatures read body language like nothing else in the world. They are better than my dear ole Mother could ever be about reading weakness and guilt.

I put her on the scales and she was up to 1054 grams. That is the highest she has ever willingly came to me since I moved her. 

When I got up this morning at just before daybreak I saw a Jack and a Bunny in the front yard. After the Bobcat comes through and sends terror through the entire rabbit population there is not sign that Rabbits even live in this part of the country. It takes them about a week to forget what happened the last time they ate off my lawn. So I knew that I needed to get that live trap, because the night stalker will be back soon.

I decided to hunt here rather than taking the time and gas to go somewhere else. We walked about a mile before we started the first Jack. He was far enough away that I had a hard time in keeping Hope in sight. Thankfully Josie runs with her, so if the dumb assed Coyote who  thinks this is his territory tried something, she would at least distract him from his quest. She of course missed the Jack, for which I was thankful, so I didn't have to run my guts out to get there to protect her. We got a closer shot at a Jack, but she telegraphed her move and he avoided the strike. I walked on up to the top of the little hump, intending to stay at the edge of the heavier cover around the sides. 

A Jack stayed too long in his "form", ( a dug out area under the Sage) and she burned him down in a burst of hair flying in the air like a halo around them. I have seen clumps of fur pulled out of their butts when they pull away from her, but the light was just right I guess, and it looked like an explosion.

Its been funny to watch Hope on her kills. Jessie, My best falcon ever, would almost attack me if she thought that I might want her Duck, but Hope, as soon as I break the Jack's neck and it quits struggling, immediately starts looking to me for her cup of tidbits. If I am a bit slow she starts dragging the Jack off to a bush knowing that will cause me to produce her cup of pleasure. She will let go of the rabbit to get it and then today, step up on the fist for the front leg that I had intended her to eat somewhere else so that I could gut the Jack. This one only took 1.3 miles to complete our year.

One can only hope that this year is better, but being who I am, I will bet otherwise. I do wish all of you that wades through this blog, all of the happiness that you each deserve. 

Happy New year!