Two Roos

Two Roos

I hate losing things. Saturday I went out looking for ducks – it was opening day and I wanted to see if by chance I could pick up a couple locals. I parked by the bridge and went around to a small knoll to watch the other end, and waited for daylight. As it got light, it sounded as though there was an army of pheasants between me and town. Good, no other hunters.

As the morning would unfold, no ducks, either. In fact, not hardly any water. Occasional stagnant stretches along the ditch. A couple pheasants here and there, and some more (pheasants) along the road.

I decided to go out to F…’s. On the way out there were a couple groups of bird hunters. Seemed odd – as pheasants started next week – so I thought. I chatted with a group of students who said they were going after pheasants. At first I didn’t believe them, but it was the only explanation for the abundance of hunters now out and about.

I went home, traded 12 gauge for 20, and headed back out – and this time with Sami. Where I had seen multitudes of quail earlier, there was nothing. On up the main road draw there was also nothing. Over into some other stuff, once again there was nothing. There were also some ditches but with nothing. But I did see those three nice bucks again, along with does and other bucks, and then later three more deer, and added to the doe and fawn where I was looking for ducks (that I didn’t tell you about).

Back near the main road I jumped a roo that flew straight toward the double-wide - so I let him go, and then another roo at the truck waited until I bent down to tie my boot. Argh. So once again I went home with nothing.

To make matters worse, I had lost a tube of camo paint, and an access bar. Total cost, about $3.00, but it still bugged me. After scouring my office and hunting clothes, I figured I must have lost them where I was watching it get light. So after church on Sunday I went looking. I jumped two roos one at a time from the ditch bank, but out too far ahead. Then a roo broke into flight right in front of me. Crossing shot I hit him hard. I tried to get Sami to see him on the ground, but it was no good. I took her over – she was shy with it at first, then took a healthy bite of the trail. I tried to get her to "retrieve".

Another hundred yards down the ditch bank a hen got up, but then a roo. I clobbered the roo. Sami didn’t see it fall, but with some help, she zeroed in, grabbed it, and brought it to me. Perfect. Oh for a picture of a mouthful of her first pheasant.

We jumped some more hens over on some other property, and a couple deer spotted while …

Then we went home for pictures and celebrating.

Two roos … sweet.