daleh

I went out today hunting wild birds with a Friend and a couple of companions.
The Weather has turned from dropping 3" of rain on Christmas to dropping temps. and wind @20mph from the NW to NE. It was a weird day and hard hunting in the slush of it all. However, the birds were on the move.
We quickly got into a covey after break-away with a brace of an English Setter and a German Shorthaired. The dogs went on point and we quicken our pace to find our quarry scattering out of the way. With shots of doubles blazing, all the birds dipping and diving, but the pointers were at perfect manners. A bird fell and they were on their way; the race to who could retrieve the quickest.
The second covey was not as compliant as the first. Running all over the place into the briars and thickets. We relocated the pointers and cornered our birds in a heavy honeysuckle and briar thicket next to the scattered pines. As the dogs pointed and quivered. We thrashed the brush with our wet boots holding our doubles up in anticipation of our covey busting from underneath. A furry of feathers flew into the pines darting around. The 16 and 410 were making themselves know ringing out warnings and salutes to all. At the end of the skirmish not one quail would fall. The look on the pointers faces told the tail of it all. Two hunters with long faces, empty guns and the scoundrels have fled not leaving none.
Story to be continued

porknbeans

Dale, you may not have come home with a bag full of birds, but I bet the next time you get together with your friends you'll have plenty of stories to tell. I bet it was a great day to be out with friends and dogs. Weather and empty bag aside. Good luck for the next time.