I decided that I should sneak out this morning to see if I could rouse a few roosters. Things started slow, just a few woodcock around but I decided not mangle them with #4. After a half-hour or so we had to cut through some nasty alders and I thought to myself "Here I am all tangled in the alders - Murphy's law says we'll get onto a bird right NOW"... Sure as hell, Ruby started casting back and forth on hot scent and before I could break free of the alders she put up a big rooster. I smashed my way out and nearly sent a Hail Mary shot after him, but managed to control myself - barely! I watched him head for the river and start to drop - maybe he crossed but maybe not, so I circled downstream of a little patch of apple trees where I thought me might have landed. I kept Ruby working in the apples and alders one one side of me while I walked the high riverbank, figuring if he hadn't crossed yet and Ruby put him up he'd flush across the river to safety. Up ahead the alders came right up to the bank and I figured if he was in there he'd run to the end before flushing to the safety of the far side of the river. It was textbook - I heard Ruby breaking off some thick alders and she started to go ballistic in there so I got in position - sure as heck out he comes, cackling across the river. He didn't get far - dropped him in the water 15 feet from shore. Ruby heard the shot and the splash and came crashing out of the alders. I'm not sure if she knew that the riverbank was 6 feet high when she launched after him, but she had a slightly panicked look on her face as she flew past, landing pretty much right on the bird with a huge splash! I was laughing my ass off because she came up sputtering and coughing - looking like a drowned rat! lol! Nice way to start the season! Fair sized mature rooster with 18" tail feathers and good-sized spurs. First bird of the season and first rooster for my new OU that I got late last year (only got to use it on rabbits).
-Croc
-Croc
