Well, at the beginning of the season I was not sure that my old girl would hunt anymore, but thanks to good vet care and the help of my friend Dr. Tracy Griffin of Cederbrae Labs my Grand Old Lady was able to give me one more season, #11 for us as a team. Today was quite likely our last hunt together, right now she is still going full out but a year can do lots to an 11 yr. old dog but here's hoping. Today was a special day so I kicked it old school and broke out Dads old 1947 Model 12 Trap. As is the case with late season Greenheads the birds were decoy shy, Robo shy and Call shy. It was a long wet windy day but we managed to scratch out a limit. Keela made all 8 retrieves a couple stupidly long, and someplace Dad was smiling. Great end to a special season and likely a long special career so my emotions were very mixed, the pic may not be the best taken through rain fogged lens but it's very special to me

That's great.....

My 11yo Sophie Dog did the best she could to fill old Pete's shoes (who died at 14 last spring) this year but I'm not sure how long that's going to last either......

Go Girls......

Well done girl. I'm sure she will have a warm spot to rest the remainder of the day.

Was going to take 10year old Toby out for a last season day of Grouse, but the Birds are down in this area and the snow is piling up in the North country. No since in breaking him down for a small chance of success. It's hard to watch him struggle up and around after a half day of running. He used to love to go out in the snow. Now it is pretty much go out, get it done, look around and walk back inside.

Will arrange a preserve hunt here shortly and let him flush many. I doubt if he knows the difference.

Hunted my 14 yo setter grace......here's hoping you 2 can do the same.

Felt guilty not taking them out today, so visited a local wood and let them sniff around for almost three hours. Knew there wouldn't be any Birds so didn't take a shotgun. But they pushed out a couple Rabbits, rooted under the blowdowns and tangles and had what looked to be a good time.

Worked on whistle training with Merlow the new guy. I had a good time also.

Yeah, I remember my Sam's last season. He was a black lab. His last hunting season was his 11th year too. I remember a late season pheasant hunt with one of my hunting buddies as we both knew it was Sam's last year hunting. We were hunting a private club's preserve which had a 2 bird limit. I had my 2 birds and my buddy had just shot his second bird and as Sam went out for his last retrieve, I just sat down and watched. My buddy wanted to know what I was doing. I said, "I just want to take this all in so I can remember it." It was a hen pheasant, and was just a 30 yard retrieve. He retrieved it to my buddies hand. A pat on the head, a treat from my buddy's pocket and off we headed to the Subaru. The following year was his last. His retrieving drive was extraordinary.

One of my favorite stories: That same hunting buddy had shot at a hen pheasant and looked like he hit it but she sailed down this overgrown field quite a ways. A fellow hunting with his GSP at that part of the field waved and yelled that his dog will get. His dog didn't come up with it and he yelled back that it must have run off. My buddy shrugged and said, let's go over to there as he pointed in another direction. I said, "No I'm going to send Sam." I lined him up to where I had seen the bird go down and gave him a "Back" command. Off he went. When he got to the area where I saw the hen land, he picked up a scent. We watched as he stuck his nose to the ground, followed a scent trail to an old farm stone fence. He jumped up on the rocks, stuck his face into the pile of rocks and pulled out the wounded hen that was hiding there and brought it to hand. My buddy stood there, mouth agape, as I said, "There's your bird."

My Cur dog loves chasing Rabbits.....I don't shoot em but I enjoy watching her tenacity when she detects one in a brier patch or brush pile almost as much as she likes chasing em.....they say you shouldn't let a trail dog run trash but life's to short to be all business all the time.....

Saw the word "subaru" above. Thinking about getting rid of my 10 MPG pickup and using one for a truck. Any thoughts to help me make up my mind? Wife is on second outback so have some experience.

Abby on the left. He kidneys were almost done, calcium was leaching out of her bones, yet she would dance to get in the truck. She went until she had nothing left to give.

They won't replace a truck but my Subaru Outback has carried most things I've needed carried: dog, hunting equipment (guns & decoys), rimfire benchrest rifles and equipment, bags of sand, birdseed, bags of soil/compost, even boxes of pheasant when I did some stocking at a pvt club. They are great in snow and comfortable to drive and gets 30 mpg on the highway. This is my second one and has 125K on it.

My first one was rear-ended at 110K and totaled. When I got rear-ended by a Civic while turning into a skeet club, my car was propelled thru the road-side club sign, (snapping a 4x4 post) into a bunch of small cedars. Every surface was dented, mirrors and muffler ripped off etc. When the trooper arrived he said a tow truck wouldn't be able to get to me to tow me out. Wondered if I could back it out. We had to cut down some of the small cedars I went over/thru and I backed it out onto the road. I went and shot skeet with my Dad and sister, then drove to my folks house. The next day I took it to a Subaru dealer to see if it was safe to drive the 4 hour drive to my home. They repaired the muffler, pulled out cedar branches from the undercarriage and said I was good to go. Even the alignment was good. I was hoping the insurance company wouldn't total it as I really liked that car, but they did. I went out and bought my second Subaru. They are tough!! The Civic was destroyed and had to put on a flat-bed.

Sorry for the thread drift.

Thanks. Will start shopping as I am 73 and it will outlast me. I may even bolt a small gun safe to the floor.