Christmas Pheasant

The Whip is on a roll. My buddy has been hunting almost every day now that his retirement is settling in and a move to the country has given him the opportunity. Of course life is complicated and Mike has had some ups and downs recently namely having to give up a hunting dog. A dog lover at heart and a hunting dog fanatic it was hard for Mike to let go his next in line birder.

As is common with bird hunting enthusiasts having an older dog and a younger dog gives them a sense of security in the present and the future for chasing game birds. The old one hunts smarter but tires easily then the young one takes over and hopefully has learned something from the older dog to help it find birds. Mike has even had three dogs to help him choose the next best one. This time the duo didn't work out as the younger dog tried to prove dominance and many fights ensued. I even helped out by watching the older dog while the owner was on vacation but the dog prints in the new Fort Street concrete are evidence these dogs are tightly wired.

So on the day he said goodbye to the young project Mike went deer hunting on his property and bagged the biggest doe of this hunting career. It's only fitting after going through a lot of anguish on what to do with the dogs he could enjoy life a little bit. However this is a little overboard. On the first trip out with the old dog and feeling melancholy about not having the other by his side he had some more luck.

Shortly into the hunt the older German Short Hair put up a rooster a little too far away but the bird stayed in the field. After working the rest of the property and putting up some hens the dog locked up near where the bird had landed. Everything worked out and the shot was true. This rooster's tail has 27 bars along it's length. A trophy in anybody's book especially on your own piece of paradise. Merry Christmas Mike.

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