Kate the Wirehair, Montana Legislature and Other Drivel..

Kate the Wirehair (click photo to enlarge)...

...was already terrorizing the upland bird world when I shot this photo 10 years or so ago. She's an old dog now but in the interim she's managed to compile quite the thick resume. Over the many seasons she's pointed countless birds all across and up and down Montana and Arizona, in Idaho, North Dakota and Alberta. Ringnecks, five grouse, two partridges, four quail species and once, about the time I shot this photo, a hen mallard's bill protruding from a flooded cattail marsh...which she put nose to water and obviously scent trailed up current for about a hundred yards before going stiff. I recall thinking perhaps she'd lost it but when she would not move so much as an eye lash I thought it best to investigate further and...I'll be damned that there girl really is pointin' a duck's bill...With several mallards already in the bag I didn't really want another so I waded in and tapped her on the head (release signal) whereupon she rushed forward plunged head under and came up sputtering with one very surprised (I imagine) hen mallard in her jaws.

Another magic moment in a long line of magical performances one cold November day up above Clyde Park she trailed up and pointed a large covey Huns. As sometimes happens at the flush my single shot dropped two more besides the one I had in mind. Two lay DOA in plain view, the third dropped just as hard but in taller grass...Kate ran to the nearest, stopped, picked it up. Then, instead of bringing it, took off in the opposite direction. Ignoring the whistle and my loud mouth she kept on going eventually disappearing over the hill. PO'd I picked up the remaining Hun and took off in hot pursuit...

Clearing the hill I spied her, standing with what can only be described as a confused look. Way out there, way beyond where any "goddam crippled Hun I know" might run. Ignoring more loud whistling, ranting and raving as in "get your sorry ass the hell here or..." When I got there, still fuming of course, well, you guessed it, still holding the original, front paw planted firmly on the runoff Hun...Well hell, soonere or later I guess we all learn tis best to trust the dog; obviously I'm just one those laters.

Kate's had some health problems that have of late been slowing her down. Although she never quits lately her back legs just haven't been working up to par. Suspecting the worst we took her to the Vet. And yesterday while our worst fear was some sort of tumor/cancer we found out she has diabetes, not at all good but... 

The hope is with perhaps rigid diet restrictions and twice a day insulin injections we can get her at least back to recovering enough muscle mass and able to get around better. For her sake hopefully she has a bunch more hunts left, if only for an hour or so...No doubt not what she has in mind but no doubt either no hunting is gonna make for one very unhappy dog...stay tuned.

Montana Legislature Adjourns...

To my way of thinkin, Hooray and Good Riddance to the worst bunch a wingnuts maybe ever. A couple last minute deals you might be interested: HB 171 which would have legalized "silencers/suppressors whatever" for "hunting" failed to garner the required super majority vote and ended in the trash can. Why any ethical law abiding hunter would want one is way beyond this ol' boy's mental capacity, but since I can't come up with any reasons other than making it more better/easier to be sneaky, sleezy, downright slobbish, like the legislature in general I say good riddance...

On another track, the "permitless carry" bill did get sent to the Gov whereupon most in the know expect his royal highness to sign it into law...since just about every male I know already carries wherever, whenever this one seems to me more a formality than anything...so be it. 

Poaching Goes High Tech

By Mark Freeman


Mail Tribune

A ring of Springfield poachers faces racketeering and other charges for allegedly stealing the identity of Oregonians to buy hunting licenses and tags and then illegally killing as many as 300 black-tailed deer in eastern Lane County over the past five years...also poached were elk, antelope and black bear. To read the rest of the pathetic details click the link below.


http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110429/NEWS/104290329/-1/NEWSMAP

Montana Upland Bird Hunting: Naughty Girl

(click to enlarge)

Annie baby...Obviously still hasn't quite got the point! not chase thing down pat yet...shown here running a sage hen out of the country...How's come our bird dogs are oh so wonderful one moment and oh such naughty girls the next? I know, I know one of life with bird dogs many imponderables that we hope might someday go away but often don't...

Montana: Upland Bird Hunting

Obviously Annie gets right into it...more often than not a little too much into it.




We just returned from a two-week swing through eastern Montana. Our mission to search out and destroy as many wild birds--roosters, sharpies, Huns--as possible. Bearing in mind however our gang is aging fast and not nearly as lethal as a few seasons ago--two geezers, Kate (12th season) and of course the indefatigable Annie--Reigning Queen of Terror on the High Plains--"as possible" holds severe limitations. The trip came off without a hitch except for way too many too hot afternoons to say nothing of severely depressed bird numbers in most places and though it pains me to admit sometimes downright pathetic shooting...nothing like the deep slump of last mid-season but still not so hot...Anyway, we camped the first night at Issac Homestead WMA hunted a little in the morning to no avail (birds seemed to be around but mostly in the still standing corn which was everywhere...

Camp 2 was at Intake on the Yellowstone River. A nifty camp and even better just one other rig. The highlight though was dear sweet Annie ferreting out and rolling on a really dead catfish head. I'm here to tell you in case you never been "really dead catfish" STINKS to HIGH HEAVEN. Even after a thorough scrubbing in the Yellowstone we smelt the little bitch for at least a week after...enough about that. Next morning we found a few birds but none even close to Hail Mary range so...we decided to give it another go next day...end result deja vue all over again.

Camp 3: Medicine Lake where we rendezvoued with our pals Barb and Gig and their CA buddy Sam (our age, a really nice guy and one I wouldn't have any problem sharing a camp with again). We hung out there for about a week, hunted many different spots up and down the road, all the way to Whitetail even. Most afternoons were way too hot, I found myself in the throes of what would become a really painful knee problem and while we went hard most days the birds were scarce, wild as hell and the shots few and far between...oh well twas a good hunt despite all and a fine time had by all...what more could you want.

Camp 4: Our plan was to eventually kick Med Lk and haul ass for Malta but G&B reported "sucks, worst ever" so...instead we headed to Fort Peck. Turns out a good move as is a really nifty place. First night we had but a single neighbor in a huge campground...with electric to boot...and all for 8 bucks per...thanks to our golden ages...I know, a sick joke, but...Actually the hunting there was as good as up at Med Lk, the killing was about on par also but where else can you tour a nifty interpretive center...dinosaurs even...gaze upon an awesome inland sea, delve into one of more interesting sites in all of Big Sky, enjoy a fine camp and gourmet camp food with your best buddies, celebrate yet another gd birthday and like I said all for a measely 8 bucks per...hell can't beat it.

Camp 5: Deadman's Basin near Harlotown where dear sweet Annie found not only a much dead antelope head to roll upon but pointed a small covey huns to boot. Had an interesting though much strained conversation with our only neighbor a rancher/sugar beet grower from Joliet...strained only because nearly deaf, I doubt he heard much of what we said...we all laughed a lot though so what the hell...

As a sort of added bonus the drive to Dillon did not feature off the charts wind for a change, although we did lose the spare tire off the Bird Huntin' Haus...proving once again beyond a shadow of doubt you really can't have it all...

...which of course means a lengthy and tedious comb-out job...which of course in not high on her list of favorites..thus one would think she would learn to avoid the sticky bastards, but as Gale points out "no way, I think the little bitch really loves the attention...sounds about right to me...

 




 
 
 



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.

Pointer Sisters in Action

That's Kate backing little sister Annie. However, yesterday on our near daily afternoon trek to the sagebrush north of town it was Annie who stole the entire show. First she nailed a single sage hen, then she bounced a whitetail jackrabbit, which she did not chase... good girl Annie. But sometime later must have had second thoughts because when a second whitetail jack jumped she did not even hesitate and took off in hot pursuit...To her everlasting credit however it only took a half dozen or so raging NOs!!!! on my part to end the chase. Whereupon she came in tongue hanging, chest heaving and sporting that inimitable wide grin of hers...obviously quite proud and no I don't think for a moment the delight had anything to do with obeying master's rants...