Water work

First water work for 2014.

Raining today on Sunday, rained heavily overnight.

So went to Nashawtuc Rd area.  Flooded very well, with depths up to the tops of my wellies.  Good running water for Argus.

Did some doubles and blinds.  Argus never got fully in the water - just up to mid chest, so he stayed warm for the 45 minutes we were there.

Did three doubles and three blinds.  On the third blind, I moved so that Argus had to go through a slot of two clumps of trees.  He struggled and ping/ponged a bit.  Got him back finally and he got the bird.  Need to work on that.

We then walked down and I put out three sight blinds about 80 yards away where he had to go through a slot close by.  He stopped at slot on first one.  Stopped him, gave back command, and he did fine.  On the next two, no hesitation.

Very fun to finally get out in the water.  PCA only three weeks away.

The Before Pictures

Argus will be groomed for the PCA on Wednesday.  Thought we'd take a couple of "before" pictures so we can compare with "after" pictures.

Another morning at addieville

Getting ready for PCA Upland test in April - so using exclusively Chukars.  Argus did great in the field, practiced "hunt 'em up", etc.

Doggie Zen

Looking forward to Spring and retriever training.

Shooting at Addieville

Went shooting at Addieville yesterday.
Great day - sunny, in the 40's.
We had 15 birds.  They put out 9 in first stocking in fields 4 and 5.  We pointed 7 of the 9, couldn't find the other two.
Argus did great - three of the birds flushed after he pointed, before I could get in position.

Here are some pictures of him resting between stockings.

We then went out after the second stocking.  They put six in just one field - I think 4 - on the left.

We found them all - got a double on Huns.  With just one bird left, a chukar, we were hunting and Argus was circling over some territory we had covered multiple times.  He kept doing smaller and smaller circles until he eventually focused on one patch of grass.  I couldn't see anything in there.  Well, I just said - hunt 'em up - and he flushed a hen peasant - must have been left over from the first stocking.  Great job Argus.

Walking out, I didn't think we'd find the last chukar. So I let Argus just free range.  Well, he ran back into some corn that we had hunted through multiple times.  Well, this time, he pointed, and I could get in position - the last chukar.  so we got 7 birds out of a 6 bird drop.  Here are some final pictures.

Walk with rubber boots on

Walking through Estabrook in Concord - about a foot of snow, with our rubber booties on - and alot of duct tape and vet wrap.

Hunting on Saturday on Sudbury at 14 degrees fahrenheit.

Two mallards, ice on river, very fun hunt.