Genesee – Day 1
I would like to start this report by giving my sincere thanks to Gary and Betty, your hospitality was gracious and complete. Also I would like to thank Dean for the introduction. Just so the rest of you have an inkling of what I’m talking about…I arrived in Genesee at the home of Gary and Betty (whom I’ve never met) about 5 p.m. on a Sunday to a warm plate of Mexican pancakes, pleasant conversation, and a cold beer. After filling my belly and a few laughs Gary and I walk out to the field behind their house with a pen-raised quail to see what Z was made of. As far as pointing a placed quail she nosed right in and locked up…as far as listening when she is more than 100 yards away she has some things to learn. Just to complete the picture a little more, Gary has been hunting, training, breeding, and enjoying German shorthair pointers for the majority of his adult life. With this understood I set out, blatantly at times, to siphon what knowledge I could while we had time to talk.
Genesee - Day 2
Returned to Genesee to hunt with Gary and a few others. We hunted the same stubble wheat fields as yesterday. I was able to bag 3 Hungarian Partridge and lost a 4th. The image of the day was sitting on the hilltop watching Gary working his dog (Stephie?, he has 5 shorthairs) in the flats. It was pretty cool to watch an experienced dog work back and forth, locking up on point, or creeping in on an older scent. I don’t care if it is a bird dog or a cattle dog, watching an experienced dog do its thing is pretty amazing. Z did ok…she got birdie just before the covey I got 2 of my birds from but they flushed before she locked on point. From this covey rise I knocked down 3 birds with one shot, but only found two. Just as a reminder to all bird hunters, push the cover to the end even if that is only 5 more yards and you have started to unload your gun. The second covey for me was just as I stepped up to the field road and started to walk toward everyone else 100 yards away. I was just about to start to unload my gun when I was quite startled by 8 or so Huns flushing 10 yards from me along the road edge. She did however lock up on a dove in an area where I couldn’t shoot. Z hasn’t moved in hours! Thanks again Gary…and I can’t resist the opportunity for the Arnold imitation, “I’ll be back”.