Friday, December 11, 2009

Day 88


Today was sweet! Woke up around 6:30 AM, and Dee weighed in somewhere in the mid to upper 1060's. Tried to fly the squirrels behind work, but Dee was still asleep (she just sat there with a foot up, and watched them run around....). I had woken her up when I put her on the scale, and she fell back asleep while I was cutting the meat up. Stuck her in the GH, and she had her head tucked back before I could shut the door. I LITERALLY think that she was just still asleep, and had ZERO interest in hunting. Stuck her back in the GH, and I went and met up with Gary. The starlings had been poppin everywhere earlier in the morning, but they where no where to be found, once we started hawkin. Drove around for a cool minute, but we only managed a few slips....he chased hard, but just didn't manage to connect today. Like always though...it was car hawkin, and I had a GREAT time! Dropped Gary's car off to get some work done, and we drove around for a little bit with Dee. We found one pigeon slip, but it was pretty far, and she got burned. It wasn't a very graceful exit from the car, and they saw her as soon as she left the window. That was sorta a bummer, but then I got the call from Kent, and we headed over to "Bum Central." I havn't seen Kent since before NAFA, so it was def good getting to chill for a session. He said his boy was still a little high, so we decided to fly Dee Dee first. She had cast in the GH, so I was pretty confident she would fly well. Started out the normal way, and we hit the little honey suckle bush in the front (well...I do...Kent and Gary are to the side of me kicking around in the woods...). Dee flies up to the cedar above the bush, and then Gary flushes a rabbit. She takes off in that direction, but she wasn't anywhere close, so she just takes a perch further up. We continue through the woods and come to another briar filled clearing. Gary flushs another rabbit, and she pumps in pretty quickly, but pulls up into a short tree. She starts lookin down pretty hard, and so we start kicking around the brush around her. All of a sudden, she drops off her perch, and starts heading for Gary's head. I'm thinkin "oh $hit!", and am about to shout out a warning, when she flips to the side, and slams into the side of a small cedar. Dee...you suck! Stop rattin! I pull her out of the tree, and sorta fumble around about what to do. I have traded her off of a rat before on the lure, but i was thinking i could just pull it down in my glove for a moment....came to my senses quickly, and I tosser her and her prize down to the ground. I then trade her off to the lure, and we continue on hunting. We cross over to the section with the HUGE rose bush, and we kick around in there for a minute. No rabbits are hanging about today, so we head back straight behind it (which, conincidentally, I havn't ever done. Guess what! There are some GREAT spots back there. We break out of the tree line, and find some honey suckle coverd brambles. The road curves around, and cuts through this section, and Kent and Gary head over to the left side of the road. I start heading toward the right side, when Dee takes off burning hard....apparently, Kent and Gary had been walkin toward each other, and a rabbit kicked up inbetween them.....it shoots across the road, and is about to enter the bush, when Dee shows up, and drills it into the ground. Run in and pull them out of the bush, and stick them in the middle of the two track. Had an alright trade of (not the best...but not bad), and I hopped her to the fist for a front and back leg. Jonathan calls at this time, and apparent his bird had disappeared. We head to the expanse, and after a little telemetry work, find her safe and sound. Fly Kent's Harris hawk for a cool minute, and his bird chased pretty darn well. Had a couple REALLY nice ones, and Kent was pleased by the end of the session. Flew Jonathan's bird for a little bit after that, but then we had to head back for Gary's car. Over all....GREAT day! She was in the 1120's when i stuck her on the scale, so she may not be on her "A" game tommorow....we shall see what happens. Maybe Lindz will want to go to Bartlesville tommorow!

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good day. how much do those rats weigh? We don't have them here. (They look like you could fill a freezer with them to last through the summer months)
    doug

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  2. That's a good question...I will thaw out the big one, and stick it on the digi tonight. They are HUGE....the "big" one was about the same size as the smallest rabbit I have caught...if that puts anything into perspective. Will let you know

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