Hunter Boy

Farmer Boy did a lot of hunting before he met me. According to Farmer Boy lore, the pheasants were thick in his neck of the woods when he was a lad, and he hunted them every Fall.

He hasn't hunted pheasant for years. Their population has thinned out and Farmer Boy hasn't taken any initiative to hunt since the kids have been born. I think if you asked him, he would say his weekends were better spent at home. Maybe that's what I told him to say. I'm not sure anymore. It simply hasn't come up in years.

Last weekend everything changed. A co-worker of Farmer Boy's mentioned he had some ground available to hunt. Farmer Boy thought it would be an excellent learning opportunity for Will, as well as for Holly, as she is a bird dog.

Saturday dawned crisp and clear, but Farmer Boy was skeptical to start out. The weather was too warm  for hunting, and Holly is, well, Holly is not very bright. Farmer Boy thought the whole thing might be a complete disaster.

After a breakfast of bacon and french toast, he decided to take his chances. He called up a friend and off they went. The hearty hunters returned shortly after lunch. During their brief time away Farmer Boy disappeared. Hunter Boy came back in his place.

Hunter Boy was overjoyed at how well Holly performed. Her instinct trumped her silliness. She sniffed, she didn't run off, and she actually brought up a pheasant. The men and the dogs worked the whole field and when they got to the last corner, the pheasant rose up and Hunter Boy took his shot. Apparently, pheasant don't like to fly. They will run, so to hunt them effectively, you have to walk a field, pushing them out of their cover.

The above is a picture of Hunter Boy, Will and Effie. Effie belongs to the friend that went along.

Effie is wearing an orange vest that makes her easy to see and also protects her belly from the perils of the field as she works it.

Farmer Boy, excuse me, Hunter Boy, decided it was the coolest thing since flying pheasants.

Guess who has her very own orange vest?

Yesterday Hunter Boy decided Holly needed some additional hunter training. She does after all have her very own vest, so we took her out on some local hiking trails.

Anticipation was high. Would she bring up a pheasant?

Work it Holly. Hunt 'em up. Birds in there. Hunt 'em up.

This is the only bird she hunted up. I'm not sure of the species. He's pretty darn cute though. We've decided to keep him.