We had a few unproductive points and a few that were a little light on staunchness telling me maybe it wasn't a bird point.
In this case it was the enemy and it gave me a chance to do some avoidance training. I gave him the okay and when he got about 10 yards away from the skunk it shocked him and Jake quickly retreated to my side.
Outside of the normal deer and elk sightings we had our first baby encounter of the year. Another lazy point was really a stare down between this coyote and Jake.
The coyote stood there and let me take some pictures of it so I assumed it was a bitch coyote with some pups in the proximity.
I was right and it wasn't long before Jake was showing me the den with his curiosity point.
I'm guessing the pups were between a week or two because there eyesight was poor. I snapped some pictures before they backed into the den. 6 puppies are mighty cute even though they turn into 6 coyotes.
I waited a while knowing curiosity would make the pups come back out to figure out what this creature was sitting outside the den. They did and I picked one up so I could get a close up.
They are every bit as cute as our canine buddies and it would be cool to raise one but it's best not to fool with Mother Nature so I let Jake take a whif and put the pup back with his brothers and sisters and headed off ready for our next encounter with nature.
Hopefully in about three weeks there will be a bunch of little chicks of the upland variety and they will be filling there crops with grasshoppers and other insects. I'm still looking at the positive side and excited for the opener.
3 comments:
its nice to see a fellow bird hunter that appreciates the balance of nature and doesn't feel the need to kill every predator he comes across
kudos
Larry love the photo's spring is great. I have a few questions how old was Conner when you started taking him hunting with you and when did he start shooting a shotgun and last but not lest when did he get his license and actually hunt himself? My grandson is 5yrs old and I was think of starting his shooting at about 8yrs what is your experience and thoughts. I turned 67 this year and am anxious I would love to have the experiences with my grandson you do with yours I am still pounding the hills and in good shape. Thanks JIM
bob man, I feel the same way.
Jim, I'm a year behind you and like you I love pounding the hills. We bought Conner a youth 20 gauge at 8 years old that had adjustable length butt plates and he graduated to a Remington 870 when he started hunting at 10 for birds. He couldn't hunt big game until he was 12 then but he could shoot the .243 very well at 10. I took him on several outings at the age of 5 and up but he was more interested in picking up sticks and bringing them home than seeing deer, turkeys, etc. At 8 he really started showing a love for the outdoors and accompanied me on many chukar, deer, and turkey hunts and never seemed to get bored. The one thing I learned was to pack plenty of snacks and drinks. He seemed to need them more than I did. At thirteen years of age I didn't have to slow my pace for him anymore and last year at 14 I think he had to slow down for me a few times.
His first couple of years bird hunting with me I left my shotgun at home and just concentrated on him and safety. I made sure he was very aware of where the dog was and the rest of his surroundings and although I still let him flush the birds in front of Jake we both carry shotguns and he has become a very good shot with and over and under twelve gauge. I hope you enjoy your experiences with your grandson as much as I do. Conner has given me an extra ten years on the mountain.
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