Well, I ended up cutting the trip a bit short and am back home now. I worked the dog a bit too hard and now he's paying the price. Feel like an ass for not paying better attention. They will go and go and go and never want to stop. By the time I noticed he was limping a little bit, it was too late. On the way home yesterday he stiffened up and was so sore that I had to carry him to the house from the truck. Throw in the fact that he went and found a porcupine on our last hunt and it was definitely time to go. That's my biggest learning lesson from this one. Hunt less and give the dog more rest.
As for the good parts, it was a blast. Bird populations seemed really good. I had talked to the bio for the region and he indicated that the further east you go in the state the better the populations, and that seemed to be true. I didn't see too many hunters when I was out and about but there were a bunch staying at the motel. Seemed that just about everyone planned for a longer trip and ended up cutting it short because the dogs were worn out.
Those wild birds sure can be challenging. And that country is TOUGH on a dog and a person. Ended up having to alter the hunting style a bit to adapt to the conditions. Points were few and far between in that thick stuff. The best one was by some trees and fallen branches along a dam. When the first two came out I didn't have a shot at either, then he went right back on point and the third came out from under the branch I was standing on and presented the easiest shot I had the whole trip.......and I missed....twice. Oh well. Those cagy old roosters usually just don't let the dog get that close before they flush. Or they wait for you to step on them before getting out of there. Definitely have to be on your game because they can pop up anywhere.
There is so much public land and so many BMA's and UGBEP properties that you have no danger of running out of places to hunt. And you can always knock on doors too. The only tricky part is finding the owners, because they own land all over the place. I have a bit of an advantage because I still know a couple folks and my dad's name would open up even more private for me if I chose to go that route. I spent the last day on some private that hadn't been hunted yet this year and it was pretty awesome. Right up until the storm blew in. I forgot how fast those things come and go up there. The wind sure got the critters up and moving. I was about a foot away from getting T-boned by an antelope while I was driving along minding my own business.
All in all it was a great time. I never really thought to take many pictures when we got back to the truck. Always focused on getting the dog squared away and whatnot.
