Kassie wasn't buying it.....
IMG_0007 by riverbottomstaxidermy, on FlickrCash wasn't either but he's always happy to be on the couch.......
IMG_0015 by riverbottomstaxidermy, on FlickrMy daughter just bought herself a new DSLR that she's learning with. She's had one high school photography class that taught her some basics, but I believe that she's hoping to improve on that some. Regardless, I asked here to go with me and used "you can practice with your camera" to get her to agree to travel and walk with me. It limited the amount of hunting I'd do, but I was happy to have here with me.
We lost the coolest first hour and a half of the morning trying to figure out some Block Management closures that weren't on the list, so didn't get started until almost 8:30. The sights still weren't half bad from the truck.
IMG_0072 by riverbottomstaxidermy, on Flickr 
IMG_0046 by riverbottomstaxidermy, on Flickr
IMG_0047 by riverbottomstaxidermy, on Flickr
IMG_0052 by riverbottomstaxidermy, on FlickrWe finally got going after a call to FWP to understand what we could or couldn't hunt. We immediately flushed a small covey of huns while signing in to hunt and watched them sail out of sight around a bend. I thought we'd be able to find them, but Finn never did pick them up. I also assumed that on the first stop we'd find a few sharpies even if they flushed wild or Finn blew through them, but that never occurred either. I've attributed both to the hot and dry conditions, but it's probably more inexperience on all our parts.
It took Finn a few minutes to realize there were no planted birds here that he'd find within the first 100 yards.
IMG_0097 by riverbottomstaxidermy, on Flickr
IMG_0107 by riverbottomstaxidermy, on FlickrHe did give me one point that I thought would be the huns but it was clear that if they had been there they weren't any longer and he never picked them up again. I'm sure we just missed them because they didn't fly over the ridge or I'd have seen them.
IMG_0122 by riverbottomstaxidermy, on FlickrWater breaks were often.......
IMG_0128 by riverbottomstaxidermy, on FlickrI did end up shooting one hun on a covey rise just after leaving the truck at our second stop that should have resulted in two huns, but that's enough about my shooting. I had planned to only shoot at pointed birds, but these birds had flushed to my right when Finn was hunting well to my left and never had an opportunity to smell the birds. He hadn't busted them and I wanted him to at least get to find a dead bird. He hunted dead well and found the hun quickly. He wasn't sure he wanted me to have the bird, but gave it up without too much fuss. I didn't try to find the covey again because Olivia was about walked out after circling around through a stretch of native grass looking for sharpies, Finn had all the heat he needed, and they were a small covey of 7 or 8 that will probably receive more than enough pressure anyway. I'd also had all the heat that I wanted.
Olivia was happy to be back at the truck......
IMG_0150 by riverbottomstaxidermy, on Flickr
good read
