Its early morning.  The dog slams on point.  Your feet and ankles are still sore from the day before.   Its hunting season.  Pre-sunrise radio shows (the best are on A.M.), coffee from a thermos, and maybe a doughnut from that small town convenience store thats near your "honey hole".  Autumn.  

Harvest is over.  The best time for a bird hunter.

I sit in my truck waiting for the sun to rise.  Fiddling with the dog`s E collar or some such accessory.  This is so much better than filling the mower with gas on a hot summers morning, preparing to mow around our home.  There are birds here.  Otherwise we would`nt be doing this.  Back in the late 90`s there were many many birds.  People could just hop out of their trucks, walk a ditch and limit out, respectively.  

Its different now.  Less birds, for some ;)  and much adventure for the daring.  Its sorted out the serious bird hunters from the weekend road hunters.  Its kind of nice being the latter.  I`ve seen some spectacular points from my German Shorthair and my uncles Viszlas.  Amazing shots after some pursuits, that in some cases have lasted 30 minutes or so, roughly.

  

Satisfying: Dog gets the scent.  We follow as it makes a primeval snort into the thick prarie floor.  We follow and follow and pick up our pace.  A point or two from the dogs insures this pursuit.  Finally, a point or even a wild flush, (this gets the heart pumping), Bang!  Well, you know.  If you don`t, then you are in the wrong place.

Coming home.  There is nothing like a vest full of roosters and tired bird dogs that just want to plop down and rest.  I sometimes wonder about the dogs perspective on the hunt.  Really, they know more about the whole pursuit than we will ever know. We walk 5 miles but the dogs run 10 miles, following EVERY twist and turn the bird makes.  Sometimes I hit a rooster on the flush.

Dont get caught up on that funky shit going down in the city.  This is the place to be right now.

AP