Oh for a camera! Perfect retrieve!

[Elric]

Went out to the farm early today. Loaded up the UTV and went out to the site. We let Belle out as usual while we set up. Then she didn't come back... Looking at the magic collar, she was about 305 yards out, but not closing or heading out... Puzzled, I followed the magic arrow over the heavy clay of the chopped corn field and when I got to the end, I had to laugh. She had checked out the house on top of the ridge, walked up the ramp at the front side, walked down the steps to the dog house in the fenced in side yard, and then she couldn't come to me through the wood fence... So I went up the ramp to the top of the steps and called her over.

Anyways, the morning started a bit slow, a dove sat down next to a Mojo, and Belle went out with me to pick it up. Things were quiet, so I went out with Belle to the south, while we were coming back the old retrobate got a pigeon. Belle was a bit puzzled, but she eventually brought it back to him.

Two doves came in, the retrobate hit one twice, and it did a long glide, loosing altitude. Belle saw it coming down and zipped out to get it. The dove finally crashed into the weeds at the edge of the chopped corn, and shortly afterwards, here comes Belle, the very image of a Brittany in a field trial magazine. Dove is secure in her mouth, but no munching. Head erect, all blocky looking. She went up to the old retrobate, and he had to blow in her nose to get her to release it.

I managed to fatally surprise the other dove about ten feet out. I haven't cleaned the birds yet, so there might not be much left... I lost track of it while Belle was doing her classic retrieve, I went out too far and Belle wasn't picking up scent. The OR staggers out some and sees it up close, we got Belle over there, she picked it up, and dropped it by my folding chair...

Then a group of three pigeons swing by, and I took a venture at one. To my surprise, it began to loose altitude and the rocket Brittany was there to bring it in. I went out to meet her, she seems to deal with the bigger birds better. She has difficulty with small birds... or is it they are mouth sized? Dunno. Don't look a gift Brittany in the mouth...

I replaced the on-off push button switch in the old Mojo yesterday, and I placed it farther North, seems to be helping quite a bit. It rained last night, no fog, but it was a low overcast. I think the atmospheric pressure is low, so the birds are moving less.

 

[RBHarter]

My 1st retriever on her 1st field retrieve had us all about to fall over .
We went out to jump duck on a canal after a miserable bluebird see for a hundred miles not a breath of wind morning. I shot a cinnamon teal ,we have blue and green wings here too, she took the fetch command with feathers still floating down into the water . I was a little surprised to see the water only belly deep . She gave it a long neck as it drifted out of her reach ,at about .25 mph . She took 2 steps and pinched the breast feathers in her front teeth ,as if to just pinch it a little . Well all spread out that little teal didn't pick up to well . The next thing I see is my sort of springer shaped rottweiler colored mutt with sort of a marigold shaped gob of feathers sticking out of her face . Naturally as she tried to spit them out they stuck to and almost as if by choreograph that 1 tiny bit of down went in her nose . The teal is drifting again the dog is doing the peanut butter tongue head shake get it off of me with an impeding sneeze . I'm sure she forgot about the water in that moment because when the sneeze came out her head went down about eyes causing an explosion of water all around her . I then got "the look" ,you know ,I'd bite you if I weren't all ready so humiliated so I'm going to pout instead . I managed to get fetch it up out again . This time she got it by the body but of course had the head and bill flopping on her cheek and eye and 1 wing laying over her nose and across her eyebrow while the other scrubbed at her chin whiskers . As a final act of seriousness she sat perfectly and waited for my hand ........... That was about the last time that happened with a dead dead bird ,she would only hold them if they were still moving . I sure miss her . Purdy was one or a kind .