The last thing I expected to run into this afternoon were geese, but that’s just what we did. I took Elettra back to McTucker ponds and springs to hopefully follow up with more retrieves, and while we didn’t get a chance on ducks, I did get a shot at some geese; if I’d been loaded for geese instead of ducks, we would have brought home a couple.
Elettra patiently waits to go hunting.
I heard some geese downstream from us and as we began in their direction, four more were coming in with their wings set to land. We were caught out in the open and hunkered down behind a handful of weeds, hoping that they wouldn’t notice us but they did and continued on with honks of warning. I considered shooting and had I been loaded for goose would have been able to drop a couple, but as it was I held my shot.
The others were alarmed but stayed where they were in the riffles, so we sneaked through to brush to where I had a clear shot. The problem was that my duck load was too light at that range but I took a shot anyway, hoping that I could hit one hard enough to slow it down enough for a second shot. No such luck. They lifted up over the opposite bank and I held my second shot; had I brought one down, it would have dropped in the brush most likely wounded, and Elettra isn’t yet ready to take on a wounded goose. I wasn’t in the mood to wade across the stream after it, either.
No ducks to retrieve so Elettra goes wading.
We returned to the truck and drove upstream, but didn’t hunt. There were some ice fishermen on one of the ponds and I figured that any ducks in the nearby stream would be long gone.
Earlier this afternoon, we took Doc to CAL Ranch for a new collar. We got him a new stuffie as well, which he carried throughout the store as he tried to meet everyone in sight.
Doc makes new friends at CAL Ranch
Tags: socializing dogs, spinone, spinoni
January 5, 2013 at 11:41 pm |
That’s my Elettra and my grand puppy Doc..if not a dead bird always a STUFFIE!
January 6, 2013 at 5:23 am |
He’s always carrying something – if not a stuffie then he takes hold of our fingers and leads us around the house. He has the strong retrieving instincts that Mia had at that age.
January 6, 2013 at 1:46 am |
I like the photo of Elettra patiently waiting – her stance (is that the right word?) is so like that of Kizzy – ready to leap up at a second’s notice!
Happy New Year.
January 6, 2013 at 5:20 am |
Thanks, and Happy New Year to you.
Elettra is the calm Spinone, she gets excited and jumps around but then lays down to patiently wait. Out other Spins can’t sit still for a moment when I’m getting ready to take them hunting or training.
January 9, 2013 at 7:44 pm |
Too bad about not getting a goose. I would have loved to see that retrieve. Looks like a fun day anyway.
January 10, 2013 at 7:12 pm |
We had fun, and it would have been great to see her bring in a goose.
January 10, 2013 at 8:01 am |
I wish I could have been there to give Doc some love! What a sweet baby.
January 13, 2013 at 8:14 am |
I love your Blog Robert, and of course I am partial to seeing how Doc is doing.. He looks great and looks like he is very interested in what you are telling him.. Like the Whoa training..
January 16, 2013 at 8:49 pm |
Doc never ceases to impress me. He is everything I could ask for in a pup, and he’s got a great attention span for a 5 month old, he simply enjoys learning. I’d like to see Fonzie and what traits Doc inherited from him.