# Start of the 2012 Pheasant hunt season



## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2012/09/start-of-first-pheasant-hunt-2012.html

Today I took a "Mental Health Morning" to get out into the fields for the first time this year.

Posted the beginning of a series of posts on RBD where I'll try and "paint" the day with words.

Inspired by the writing of Thomas Mann in his book *"Bashan and I*" written in the south of Germany in 1919, I will try my hand. 

In the forward of this little book the writer of the forward wrote:

"In every land there still exists the same friendly and primitive relation between man and the dog, brought to its fullest expression of strength and beauty in the environment of the green world, rural and suburban.
Simple and unpretentious as a statement by Francis d'Assisi, yet full of a gentle modern sophistication and humor, this little work will bring delight and refreshment to all who seek flight from the heavy-laden hour. It is, moreover, one of the most subtle and penetrating studies of the psychology of the dog that has ever been written -- tender yet unsentimental, realistic and full of the detail of masterly observation and description, yet in its final form and precipitation a work of exquisite literary art." H.G.S.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

The amazing 'V' - 23 days of the commands Mark & dead bird with DoVes to the commands Birds in here Hunt em Up & Steady to Point in a quail field - PIKE never missed a beat - the Very essenace of a Vizsla is to HUNT - VVe show them how & they never forget! RBD as you have learned in such a short time - it's the fluid motion - desire - heart - single minded purpose in the field that makes us SMILE - dead birds in the bag is a bonus! hunt well & hunt offten - it is one of the few times in life when you and your pup are truly FREE


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2012/09/into-field.html

Into the Field​Hastings Island is a working farm island. Islands in the San Joaquin Valley Delta area were created in the late 1800's by building hundreds of miles of levees and draining the swamps. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs00500/pdf/fs00500.pdf

This has made the soil exceedingly rich for farming. Water is abundant from the channels that flow sometimes ten feet higher than the islands that are created behind the levees. The crops are fed water through shallow ditches that criss-cross Hastings. The fields that grow food crops get watered, but the farrow fields are left dry and just receive the rains that come in the late fall. All this area hasn't seen any rain since April. That is six months of dry.

On Thursday morning with Bailey out front, we entered our first hunting field. The dew had developed on the grass and my boots and lower legs of my Levis became soaked. The ground cover ranged from four inches to almost thirty inches high but under the cover the clay soil was cracked and very uneven. The fissures in the soil was a couple inches wide and many inches deep. How a hunting dog is able to run these fields without breaking a leg amazes me. It is hard to even walk. My ankles were twisting constantly making the going tough. Thought about how my knees were going to hurt that evening.

The closest hunter was maybe a half mile away. Bailey was in heaven again. He ran hard staying about fifty yards ahead of me as he worked left, center front, right, then back to the center using his nose in the air. He knew the objectives smell. Pheasant. He was on a mission. My Acme 211 whistle was used to keep him working with me when he went off on a mission that did not include me. We were hunting together. Just had to remind him every once in awhile.

This is our second season hunting these fields. Bailey, at 4 years old, is fully mature and trained. He has been through all the skills training done professionally. He knows how to find, point, be steady to wing, be steady to shot, retrieve to hand. When just the two of us are hunting I find myself "judging" my dog on his skills. Is that what I need? A Master Hunter? Bailey is not that and never will with me as his rookie hunting partner. 

Within half an hour the dew was gone and the temperatures were raising quickly. The air off the delta waters felt good as we walked into the wind. Bailey working the scents on the breeze coming from the hidden prey.

Next: Part III The Point.


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## Mischa (Feb 17, 2010)

That's well written so far Rod.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the story.


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## BlueandMac (Apr 21, 2011)

Rod - I can visualize the scene and feel the air and anticipation...sign of a good story teller in my eyes!


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