Friday, April 10, 2009

Hey, Honey! Only 6 months to bird season....

That's the way the conversation started and it ended the way it usually does, with her saying something to the effect that "you are a sick man" or some such! I have to say, however, in my defense, that I do think about the days and dogs and weather and shots- a lot. When that stuff isn't going through my head, I'm pondering new places and stuff.

I just got a GPS tracker. I waited for the reports and stuff from the initial models to come in before I made the plunge. I think this item will revolutionize bird hunting. Already, I foresee no more beepers, bells, or anxious minutes waiting for the mutt to reappear out of the Wisconsin brush, Montana coulee, or New Mexico Sand Dune. I read a book recently called "A Comfortable Range" or something similar. It was hard to read because I've had similar feelings for my dogs- where are they? This tracker system is wonderful and totally alleviates the anxiety! The newer version seems more rugged and reliable than the first version. The capabilities are very practical and you can watch as many dogs as you have (up to 10) on the ground. I don't hunt with 10 dogs, but I do know a guy that hunts with 4 at once. It alerts when a dog goes on point, etc., too. I will get an extra collar before bird season, so I can run two dogs at once on Opening Day in Montana. This thing will really open up Grouse hunting too! The grouse woods are notorious for sucking up dogs and spitting them out a few days later. This collar will stop that nonsense. With all that said, I hope the thing works in the field like it works around the farm- and we all know that it won't! There will be limitations that we'll all have to discover.

More later. And, by the way......did you know there are only 6 months to bird season?