RANTINGS AND RAVINGS OF AN OLD MAN TRULY RUINED BY SPORT

Showing posts with label Drahthaar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drahthaar. Show all posts

Friday, January 29, 2010

Pointer Sisters, Annie & Katie



Not to brag but we're talking here two pretty good bird dogs (OK, most of the time anyway). Year and a half old Annie is the rookie, very much still a puppy, she can be a bit erratic at times but when she's on she's really on. Meanwhile ten year old Katie is the steady veteran of the crew. She doesn't go at it anymore quite like she did awhile back but then neither do we. Slowing down aside Katie has pointed everything there is to point in Montana, chukar and valley quail in Idaho, all three Arizona desert quail--Gambel's, Mearn's and Scaled--and even retrieved a few ducks. Annie, despite her tender age, is off to a good start having now pointed most of the upland stuff in Montana and two of the three AZ desert quail--no scalies, mostly because we didn't hunt them last time down there.

Talent aside both are about the best dogs one could hope for around the house and as companions; as road warriors they have few equals. Annie mostly sleeps as long as the truck is moving while Katie perched atop the truck consul alternates between cat naps and intensely watching the road ahead. On the road, from the beginning the sisters have never been a hassle, taken to living in our small camp trailer almost as if they were born to it. Last winter we four spent 35 nights in the trailer and not once can I recall even a slight chaos. Actually Gale and me were surprised as hell how smooth the operation unfolded. Our only complaint is we didn't get to do it again this winter...damn!

Katie is a German Wirehaired Pointer while technically speaking Annie is a Deutzche Drahthaar, in other words a hoidy-toidy GWP is all. But hey, you gotta admit DD does have a certain ring to it...Right? Right.

Monday, January 25, 2010

How-To Photograph Flying Upland Gamebirds in Winter



Recipe: To (2) bird-crazed German Wirehaired Pointer(aka Deutzche Drahthaar aka GWP) Sisters, Add (1)snowy sagebrush sea. Stir in one to several sage hens. Allow Sisters to Cover as much of the sagebrush sea as necessary in order to uncover the sage hen(s)and establish staunch points and/or a single staunch point with classy back. With SLR camera in hand, armed with 200mm lens and ready to fire, stride quickly into position and upon flushing bird(s) fire away...naturally at will since the more you shoot the better your odds of getting at least one passable shot. It should go without saying but should you fail at first by all means send the Sisters, try and try again. Good luck!!!

And yes the winter is indeed already starting to get a little old...not a crisis mind you just a bit irksome.