Only a couple days to bird hunt prior to turning the woods over to the firearm deer season. I had run into a good friend who asked multiple times if I would take him bird hunting. Those of you that know me, know I hunt alone for the most part, its my time, its my dogs time. I feel when I introduce another human to the equation, pride enters the picture, my thoughts change from reading my dogs and the cover I am hunting, to trying to impress. It never fails, I don't like to admit it. Suddenly Its about the presentation, House, kennel, dog obedience, being a good shot, purely prideful things. Is it a woman thing? Heck I don't know. At field trials I am just as bad, put a judge walking next to me, suddenly I have a 50 dollar Stetson on a 5 cent head. I quit reading my dog, wind direction, cover, its ridiculous. I have noticed when I quit reading my dog, he quits reading me! I am happiest just my dogs and I. I hope some day to be better about sharing why my gritty Epagneuls' light a primal passion deep down inside of me.
My friend and I head out into the grouse woods, I choose my good dogs, Roky, and River, both have had pheasants shot over them, neither have had a grouse shot over them. I also chose Rivers mother Linda, who is quite experienced in the grouse woods. We hunted a good 3 to 4 hours , put up lots of birds , my friend got a shot at one, amazed at how fast they blast off. River really worked a few birds, just no good shot to be had. Roky and Linda busted a few, Roky was a day late and a dollar short on more than one elusive crown. No birds were harvested. At the end of the day, I felt like my days hunting partner most likely did not go home to his family and exclaim, " Man I need to get me one of those dogs!" I did not feel we delivered an impressive performance, again what does that really have to do with why I hunt? Absolutely not a thing, however I repeat , add another human, I am all hat and no cattle.
November 14th, the day before deer season, I go back out in the woods after the King, this time I chose my good dogs Jyncks and Olive. We hike up and down valleys, cross a few streams when I see Olive getting birdy, she locks up on point, then acts like.. "naw guess not". Jyncks comes up behind her in an honor, then pretty much does the same thing, roughly 5 minutes of sniffin around Jyncks starts quartering off into the wind. Olive circles back around me as if to say ," you know, I really do think there is a bird here". Myself? I am creeping around, the 20ga at the ready, till like Jyncks, I am thinking, " if there was a bird here, its in the next county by now." Olive again locks up on point, flashes me a look with her brown eyes, I know in my heart with our unspoken language we have a bird invisible, perfectly camouflaged before us. The realization no sooner registers within me , when the King himself explodes out of the bush, Olive never moved , I instinctively shot, dropping his highness in flight. I mean it was just an incredible wow moment.
Jyncks hearing the shot, not having been on point, sprouts wings on his hind end, makes it to the bird before the now released Olive does. Jyncks proudly picks up Olives' bird, trots to me and places the fine treasure in my hand. Olive takes the bird from me, only to have Jyncks, the bird hog of the United States of America , take it from her yet again and present it to me again as if it was the first time, then sit proudly at my left side. Jyncks is all about presentation. Olive lifts her head starts tasting the air with her nose , and resumes quartering westerly back into the wind. I admire my beautiful prize with tears. I thank the bird for his gift to me and receive him with honor. I promise not to waste any part of this rare gem.
I imagine and relive the sequence as if it was a dance recital we all performed. I found myself wishing my friend could have witnessed the dance, so that he might understand the magic , the mystique, and the rush of it all. I realized that had another person been with me, I too would have missed it.
My dogs , the King of the Upland birds, myself, performing the most beautiful art without an audience.
