Our First Hunt

Saturday Benjamin made arrangements to take some friends to a pheasant farm and invited me to come along.  Nathaniel and Ethan came along and I enjoyed wandering the fields chatting with them.
It was the first pheasant hunt for me and my dog, Zoey.  The poor thing has been neglected too much lately due to the unbearable cold temperatures that our state has been enduring.  But she still was amazing. She was very obedient and even pointed her first pheasant.  She and Benjamin never have gotten along very well but she even listened to him and hunted for him.  Of course, I have no interest in carrying a gun, but I love to watch the dogs work. 

Zoey on point, can you see her bird?

How about now?

Can you see it now?

 It was a really foggy day and the scenery was beautiful.  There were ice crystals on everything.  I had fun trying to capture it on film.  Here are few attempts.

 

The most amazing part of the day happened after we found a pheasant sitting on the lake (we were hunting next to Utah Lake).  The boys were deciding if they dared try to go after it.  The ice on the lake looked pretty thin.  A couple of them worked their way closer and took a few shots at it, which made it jump.  It was then that Ally caught sight of it and being the bird dog that she is, she heads out into the lake after it.  We all watched with baited breath as she fell through the ice over and over as she half swam, half jumped through ice to get to the pheasant.  Soon she had it in her mouth and she struggled until she got it all the way back to Benjamin.  It was so amazing!  She is a bird dog through and through!

Trying to get closer

Ally chasing after the bird

Here she comes with the pheasant

 We had a really good time.  The boys found 3 of the 5 pheasants and shot all 3.  I am really proud of Zoey and happy that she did so well.  Maybe she and Benjamin can learn to get along after all.