All this talk ... 'bout a dog catching a bird.

[BRITTMAN]

My older Brittany and I were hunting a nice shelter belt. I picked up one rooster on a nice point midway down the belt. A few more roosters (and hens) flushed just on the edge of being in range (missed one shot) - then another big group at the end. Apparently our blockers were a pair of coyotes standing out the plowed field and the end of the belt.

Most of the birds flushed onto posted land, but enough made it down to a creek where we could go looking. Not much cover along this part of the creek and snow has filled in most of the grass.

Dog goes on point on the other side of the creek. She is locked solid and I am not going through all that to get to her. I release her ... go get 'em. She jumps in and a hen flushes.

She immediately points again. I release her, but this time she time she buries her head in the snow and comes out of the snow with a live rooster. I relax thinking wounded rooster - she will get it. It gets away, she catches it for a split second (mostly tail feathers), but is also fighting her footing in the deeper snow. The bird flies away out of her mouth. By the time I realize what is happening ... this the bird out 35 yards and moving fast. Miss one shot through some brush and trees. That was a first for both me and the dog.

 

[Deweybagger]

It's a cool experience! Here's one from today

 

[Hub]

My buddies and I were pushing a cattail lined creek bed in SD during some miserable -15 degree weather a few weeks back. I volunteered to walk across a half section of cut corn field with 6 inches of snow on it to get to the end of the creek bed so we could pinch into each other in the cattails. By the time I reached the cattails my hands were so frozen that I had to put the gun in the game pouch and walk with my hands down the front of my pants in order to get some feeling back in my fingers. I walked another half mile before we met up and when we got within 400 yards of each other the birds all blew out wild from the middle of us without anyone ever firing a shot. My buddies basically gave up pushing the heavy creek bed out and b-lined for the truck across the open field. After walking across the god forsaken moonscape to get there I figured I would push the creek bed out despite the fact my buddies had just walked up it with their 2 dogs. I ended up picking up 2 roosters off point, one of which had a healed over stump instead of a foot. I think some of the birds circled back in after blowing out wild in the pinch. When I got to the very end of the creek bed my dog climbed to the top of a 15 foot high snow drift and went on a point. There was nothing but snow for 40 yards in any direction, but he was convinced and he was staunch. I walked all around him to no avail and finally after not being able to get him to break I started digging in front of him. I got down about 2 feet before I got a hold a very lively rooster by the feet.

I was just about to ring it's neck when my buddies pulled up in the truck. They heckled me and said that digging that bird out of the snow was just as bad as poaching. They implored me to throw it up and give it a fighting chance if I had any 'sportsman' in me. I hadn't missed a bird in three days at this point, but after throwing the bird up and giving it some room I whiffed completely on the first barrel and only tickled the bugger on the second. My buddies cackled wildly from the heated confines of the truck cab. I couldn't hardly leave a crippled up bird in good conscience so back across the frozen creek I tromped. I ended up picking up the cripple 400 yards later and when I turned around to walk back on the frozen snow drift I broke through and quickly fell up to my armpits ramming my gun up into my chin and splitting it open. The dog was concerned what with all the screaming and profanity and figured piling he better pile into the hole on top of me to see what all the fuss was about. My buddies were still streaming tears of mirth by the time I made it back to the truck battered and bleeding. Isn't Pheasant Hunting Great!

 

[Oscarsdad]

that's a great story haha!