2006 2007 Page 2

I took my son Weston with me hunting the evening of the 28th. Visited a very close to home and very public Corps Lake hunting spot. First dove did not fly past until 7:00 pm so only had 15 minutes for a chance at one. One shot one kill, but one bird more than I expected. We could have shot a dozen if you could shoot after sunset. Blaze did good for her one retrieve as it was in a quagmire of head high weeds. Sent her in and she came out with a bird. Funny thing, my son Weston complained about the mile walk most of the way out. But then a hunting buddy "Steve" came out to meet us. I guess a little pride kicked in as my son Weston did not say a bad word about the walk on the way back. I handed Steve the camera for this picture. Turned out great! This one may get framed.

I was able to get this great picture with the sunlight from the setting sun.

Picture taken following a little walking Rabbit tracking hunt on the Graham Texas hunting lease.

Day 1 starts with arrival at my Graham Texas Hunting lease to pick up some hunting gear, do a little last minute training with the dog and to get a good nights sleep. Then the next thirteen days are from a hunting road trip I did in November of 2006. A mix of planned hunting days and others that were just where I happened to light that day. A very low budget road trip with most of the hunts on public land. This was a self test to see if doing something like this every year would be feasible. It proved to be quite an adventure. It would not have been possible without my versatile Gun Dog Blaze. I do hope to do something similar to this trip each and every year. Only travel to different areas or States, different times of season, and a different mix of game each year.

Started in Texas on the 10th hunting wood ducks and squirrels on a creek. About 2 miles from the Brazos, the Ducks fly in down the creek bed in groups of 5 to 10 making every turn of the creek. Was a fun combo hunt with the bonus squirrels. Mesquite grilled squirrel was on the lunch menu.

I had watched the Wood Ducks while deer hunting over the last few years, but this was the first time I actually set out to hunt them with decoys. I had 6 decoys out in one of the water holes and a blind with a pop up lid in the bed of the creek. It was neat as each group flew straight into me just a few feet off the creek bed and split around the blind. One group hit the breaks for the decoys and that was the end of that. One squirrel was shot from the blind, but the others Blaze treed while walking the creek. I used Blaze to push them around to my side of the tree for the shots.

Then went on to hunt quail, but found none. Not much area I could hunt due to deer season, but I found three covies last year in the same small areas. Did pick up a snipe on a stock tank.

Then headed for Oklahoma to one of the North Eastern most units of Black Kettle Grasslands. Slept in the truck on a hilltop overlooking a large valley.

Had a nice sunrise to wake up to from my hilltop view on Black Kettle. Made the long winding drive into no-where Oklahoma to Four Canyon Nature Conservatory Preserve. This was an Oklahoma State Controlled or lottery hunt. A State Biologist was waiting to let me in the gate. He gave me a map and marked on it for me areas where he had seen quail. He did say it was a bad year and that I would be lucky to find two covies. Only me, the dog, and 4000 acres. The gate was locked behind me. No other hunters were on the Preserve. Blaze found exactly two covies on the Canyon rims. I was happy for Blaze to have found them considering the high winds that day. First time I ever shot DOWN at quail flying through TREETOPS. They would come off a canyon rim from under cedar trees and fly straight down.

Saw other game, but due to the State agreement with the NC I could only take quail. For the migratory forum guys, here is a picture of Blaze chasing a Ringneck Duck off one of the tanks.

Overall a great time even though it was windy and a poor quail year for the area. Still I was excited to get to hunt the area even if just to hike the canyons. I had been part of a team of Firefighters sent to the wildland fires along the Caprock above the Canadian River earlier in the year to assist the local Volunteer Firefighters protecting the town of Canadian Texas. This was just over the border from where I was now hunting. I had wanted an opportunity to go back to just hike and hunt this part of the county and felt fortunate to have lucked into the opportunity.

From there I headed back south to meet Jim Christy, Refuge forum member "That Old Guy", at a restaurant to discuss the next days goose hunting plans at Washita NWR, then made my way to a motel room in Elk City Oklahoma.