We don't get much fog around here, and it usually results in a lousy hunt. So I was not happy this morning when I got to the foggy river, it was not in the forecast. Really wasn't expecting anything until the fog lifted and I was not being particularly vigilant. So it was dumb luck that I happened to be looking downriver right before sunrise, just 10 feet off the water, materializing out of the fog, here comes a flock ~20 Canada geese! Weird thing is they are totally silent, so if I had not seen them they would have krapped all over me. They must have been roosted downriver and just got up.
They lifted a bit just as they got over the decoys, 25 yards, talk about a slam dunk! I shot twice and killed two, should have been a great chance for a triple. But unfortunately, for some stupid reason we have a very limited season and limit (2) in this part of the state, long story.
Maggie got to fetch her first two geese, and did an OK job.
About 9AM the fog finally lifted and a few (very few) birds started flying, got a double on drakes out of a flock of 5 mallards that decoyed fairly well. Maggie made a good retrieve finding one duck that had gotten in the thick brush on the other side of the river. She still has some issues we are working on, but she has a great nose and knows when she is supposed to be using it.
Before leaving, a pair of mallards flew over and I missed, so that spoiled the perfect shooting streak I had going. But it turned out to be a good day after thinking I would get skunked..
They lifted a bit just as they got over the decoys, 25 yards, talk about a slam dunk! I shot twice and killed two, should have been a great chance for a triple. But unfortunately, for some stupid reason we have a very limited season and limit (2) in this part of the state, long story.
Maggie got to fetch her first two geese, and did an OK job.
About 9AM the fog finally lifted and a few (very few) birds started flying, got a double on drakes out of a flock of 5 mallards that decoyed fairly well. Maggie made a good retrieve finding one duck that had gotten in the thick brush on the other side of the river. She still has some issues we are working on, but she has a great nose and knows when she is supposed to be using it.
Before leaving, a pair of mallards flew over and I missed, so that spoiled the perfect shooting streak I had going. But it turned out to be a good day after thinking I would get skunked..
. She loves playing in the shallow water, getting sprayed with the water hose in the back yard, and she is fine swimming, once she is in. It's the "getting in" part where she has issues. If it's a gradual bank, starting off shallow then getting deep, usually no problem. But there are lots of places along the river where there is a steep 1 to 2 foot drop-off, usually into deep water with a strong current, and that's where she hesitates. Some days I end up getting in the river and she will follow me, other days it just takes her a bit of time before she get's in. But in a swift current we don't have all day to think about it. It is just something in her disposition, I've been extremely patient with her and tried to stay positive (except for the one time I picked her up and heaved her in!). I sure hope she outgrows it, she seemed to be making progress with her confidence level mid-season, then the other day she started acting a bit spooky again. I'll take her to the lakes a lot this summer where there is no current and varying types of shoreline, hopefully that will help.
