# A good season



## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

Another shooting season draws to a close for us. We managed 38 days out with young Elvis working 37 of them, he only missed opening day then I decided I felt bad leaving him at home staring at Ruby and me heading off without him. He had a great season, hunting, pointing and retrieving over the 5 month season, all that and he's not evev 13 months old yet  ,,,,,Ruby was just typical Ruby, didn't put a paw wrong on the hunt and point, but still crap at retrieving clean shot birds, but will always retrieve the pricked runners,,,,roll on 1st september


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Are your boys getting big enough to go one some of the hunts with you?
Most of my fondest hunting memories include my kids, or ones I shared with my dad.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

TexasRed said:


> Are your boys getting big enough to go one some of the hunts with you?
> Most of my fondest hunting memories include my kids, or ones I shared with my dad.


I take them when we go to Reagill, if they want to come and are up early enough, Gabriel came3 times out of 8, Harrison came twice, I don't take them to Barbon on partridge days just because it really is so steep to get where the gamekeeper wants us with the rangey pointers ie wirehaired vizslas, that they'd be discouraged after 2 drives up one mountain to then returnitonthe opposite side of the valley,,,,,,,the boys much prefer the woodland pheasant shoot days


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

The mention of my boys has made my reflect on my own youth TR , 2nd youngest of 7 kids, 5 girls 2 boys,!,,!,,,,fishing through spring, summer, autumn, ferreting for rabbits through winter. No X Box, internet or digital gadgetry for us. My dad wsas a long distance lorry (truck) driver, not on a great wage but enough to ake wure 2e were well provided for as long as we did our jobs (chores), strangely enough, dad, would never entertain shooting, as a kidvI asked my mother "why"...the reason became more apparent to me in later years when I realised that my dsd was in Commando Regt during WW2,, guns were consigned to his history when he he de_mobbed,,, but what a man for poaching salmon with a gaff, the beck watcher (river warden) knew this but could never get a prosecution so decided to cut my dad a deal, ,,,,for one day only they would share the bag (monetary gain) , my dad agreed on thr principle that the beck watcher had to carry the salmon to the fishmongers, deal was struck, hands shaken,...dad gaffed 27 salmon that morning, 2 hours, ranging from 8lbs to 22lbs......sat back and drew on his pipe whilst pòor beckie transported them all to his car haha...Taught me a lot though did my dad, in my teens me and my black lab were just as active on the riverbank, always evaded the law and sometimes it really was by the skin of our teeth.....Halcyon days 
My maternal grandfather though, showed me a better way, not as productive, but better, showed how to tie flys, one ganded, on a river bank, how to spot "good lay ups",,,,and basically loads of good hunting stuff and stay on the right side of the law. His dog of choice for his activities was a GSP,!,,,always promised myself I'd have one,,......then I met Ruby, I'm sure my grandad would approve of my choice,,,,,,,,,,,,,,especially as I work both Ruby and Elvis on the estate where he was head gamekeeper 80 yewrs ago...it's all in the genes


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

Sorry for all the typos, laptop still in drydock, tablet keys still far too small for my fat fingers!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Don't worry about the typos, I enjoyed the the story. 
My dad was a deer hunter, and bass fishermen. My grandfather was a bird hunter, and loved to run trout lines for catfish. Getting to go with them was always an adventure.


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