With my wife at work, the twins and I took the animals out for a spin down at the ranch. It was the first time they've been hawking with me this year but with luck not the last. They enjoyed themselves, by their own report, and were useful members of the team.Here's the field, perfect short grass for short legs. That was my sales pitch, anyway.
Of course, there's nothing to hunt in the short grass, so I had to convince them to dive in. They did with gusto.
The girls took turns carrying Ernie, who franklly doesn't care who carries him so long as the pole stays steady and the holder keeps moving through good cover.
Rina makes like she smells something. We organize a coordinated flush.
A chase, a miss; we regroup and try again. Finally things come together.
Afterwards everyone gets a drink of water. Ernie drinks from the dog's bowl (the kids had their own drink bottles). Then it's back into the family mini-van and homeward bound.
8 comments:
Looks like it was a wonderful day in the field, Matt. I miss times when Travis and I went out when he was little guy
Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that the Tigers were down 31-3 to Troy (Troy!?!). Some comeback
Great to see a modern Dad take his daugters hunting. More!
Teddy, whose Dad took her hunting.
Reid I fell asleep in the third quarter, depressed, then woke up for the post-game show about the most unexpected comeback since leg warmers. Our homecoming rent-a-win nearly beat the pants off us!
Teddy, I'll be taking them hawking as often as they'll go. But you set a pretty high bar for them. :-)
That's awesome. I had my kestrel flying to my 2 year olds hand last night. Can't wait to get him in the field with me! (Well, we're carhawking but you know what I mean! ;-))
Isaac, when they were smaller, I thought I'd be taking them hawking all the time by this age (8 next month). But it hasn't worked out that way.
They've been out with me only a handful of times, although they are both involved in other ways---helping trap birds, or prepare hawk food, or like tonight, putting a layer of nail hardener on Ernie's talons. :-) Naturally, they LOVE that.
Over the holidays, I'm taking my 11yo daughter to go and sight-in the .22 I got as as a kid. It will be hers. She'll work up from there.
In a few years, she'll need a Harris' hawk, too.
Oh, yeah. That whole Troy-thing still has my head spinning.
Steve if TX adopts the federal regs, she can have a CB Haris next year.
Post a Comment