Distressingly often, I am this way about my falconry.
I can leave to hunt in a sour mood and sometimes sink deeper if the day goes badly. I’m not violent, but I’ll blame and fume and curse and carry on. I wonder what that’s all about.
In moments of clarity I know: Falconry is not a hobby. It is everything you are (or need or have to offer as a person), but in a hayfield. You will do it angry or sad, or tired and resigned, as you might eat a cold supper in an empty kitchen. No one eats only when he’s happy.
Yet there is happiness in hawking, tremendous heights of it—Laugh-out-loud moments and many little opportunities to smile. These, and not the lowest ebbs, are what make you wonder why your hobby is not more consistently fun.
This year I’ve started hawking with a partner. Not the hawk—Smash is mercenary, more an ally of convenience. I mean my green new dog, Rina, who is much closer to a daughter. I surprise myself to write that, but true: Taking Rina to the field raises many of the same concerns as taking my daughters hunting. I worry more about the heat, the bugs, and snakebite; moreover, I wonder… Is she having fun? Does she understand what we’re here for? Will she resent it someday?
Silly. She’s a dog. She loves to hunt! Closer still, she lives to hunt. She was, in fact, born to hunt. But when she holds back before leaping a ditch or hesitates in a patch of briars I hear myself encouraging her; speaking softly and smiling in my voice.
“That’s a girl. You can do it. Come here, sweetheart.”
And so she does, and we continue. She high-steps around the next briar, and though I clearly need her to go through it, I’m smiling at her choice. When she spots a bird and runs around to flush it from behind, I am exultant. I am, at all times in the field with Rina, a little softer in my manner, and more patient. Strangely, I do not find this at all an intrusion. I find it makes me happy.
12 comments:
As always very good writing. I look forward to seeing Rina in the field at some point when I can make it to Baton Rouge.
Thank you very much! But how will I know you without a name? :-)
Hehehe sorry that was me (Matt Reidy) in the first post. I was busy doing too many things at once to sign it.
Matt Reidy
That's one smiling happy dog!
Is Rina still hanging out with her skunk friend?
Hi Matt: c'mon over any time.
Reid: No recent skunk encounters, thank goodness.
"Oh sure---- sighthound in high cover. RUB IT IN, why don't you??"
Who said that??
:-)
Gregg Barrow
Gregg: Did I mention that she is also trailing, treeing, pointing, retrieving, coursing wolves, attacking my enemies on command, doing a little search-and-rescue work and now has her bomb sniffing certification?
She'll be doing a tour in Iraq next summer with the 82nd Airborne. They're going to parachute her in.
y'know Matt, I'm glad I stopped by here today. I'm taking a break from my Equine Business Management Course because it's driving me nuts. I'm good with horses and words, not numbers. I'm like, okay, a horse eats a bale of hay a day, a bale of hay costs $3. any questions????
so yes, it's supposed to be fun, but a lot of things can conspire to suck the fun out of it.
I can't wait to get out to the farm on Sunday and give the mares a hug!
Thanks Heidi
Don't you know it's not healthy to mix business and pleasure? :-)
Nice piece, Matt. I can relate, in a couple of ways. I'm also prone to moodiness if the hunt doesn't go well, as if somehow it reflects on my character rather than simply how the day went. You'd think that flying a bird like a passage sharpie, I'd know better...
Soon, the sharpie will be released and I will be flying a passage redtail over my (I should say our) mini-dachshund. She's been with us for about 11 months now, so I've grown quite attached -- and yes, maybe a bit parental -- and despite her obvious interest in rabbits and squirrels, I still worry about her performance in the field. After all, she's never been part of a team like this, and her bunny-chasing has been an idle pastime up 'til now. Will she recognize or understand that we are not simply going for a walk? That she, the hawk, and myself are supposed to be working toward a common goal? That we are now hunting? And will it matter if she "gets it" or not? I don't know, but I'm looking forward to finding out...
Hi Mark,
I had all the same questions up until about two weeks ago, but things seem to be falling into place now. I'll bet your doxie will be a great help and a lot of fun. You ought to blog about her! :-)
Hey Matt,
I'm encouraged by information from various sources (written and otherwise) which suggests that almost all dachshunds retain a strong hunting drive, regardless of whether or not they come from active hunting lines. Apparently the divergence between hunting and show/pet stock that has so afflicted other breeds (notably the Irish setter, which became so popular with non-hunters, and so degenerated as a result, that the hunting breeders who "saved" or re-enlivened the hunting stock had to change the name to "red setter" lest their dogs be denigrated as mere "Irish") has not been much of an issue for the Teckel.
To blog about Maxine, I'd have to invest time I don't really have in learning how, and then following through. I might just piggyback on here occasionally, when I can make it seem relevant. ;)
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