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I’m sorry...I don’t have any pictures of my pheasant hunt yesterday. I am still bummed for being without my phone.

My iPhone6, vintage 2012, decided to shît the bed and die on me before we started hunting, killing any chance at pictures...I did get a new iPhone12 this morning...Winning!

We started the morning with a mixture of light rain and wind. 3 hours later we finished up a couple birds shy of a limit, stopping because of a soaker down pour that wasn’t going to let up.

This hunt was one of the best I’d done in a few years. Not because of the amount of birds shot or exceptional shotgunning done by us, but, because of a couple of GSP that were working out in front of us.

Wendy and Georgi, unrelated GSP’s, cleared brush, thickets, briars, and fields. They both posted up tight on strong points, honored each other and teamed up when directed by their owner.

Aside from this sounding like normalcy for some of you that have incredible Pointers. I have never seen a Pointer make a blind retrieve across a deep, swollen, and swift moving river that was at least 60 yards wide.

Georgi, the younger of the two Pointers by 5 years wasn’t interested in navigating down the steep dike that we were standing on and then swimming in the rapid water...Nope...No way...Not gonna do it!

Wendy, on the other hand, healed up, took a hand direction from Kendel her owner, and busted straight down the dike and into the water.

Wendy kept her head fixed on the spot she was directed for the bird as she swam. The current was fast, taking her down river quickly, but Wendy just kept paddling hard while her head swiveled back to the spot she was told to go, then quickly forward to check her progress being made to land.

I’ve had my Labs do some long and multiple retrieves in my coastal bay inlets where the water would be called rough seas. But, this fast moving river made me a smidge worried for the safety of this older Pointer.

No problem! Wendy hit the other side and climbed up the steep bank that was thick with brush. Jumped her way back to the area she was sent by her owner and had bird in mouth in under a minute.

Now, here is what I thought was unreal. Wendy looked across at us, and instead of driving down the bank and into the water to swim and fight the current. She ran up river and then hit the water using the current to help her land almost exactly where we standing on the dike.

From what I could see from having the high ground vantage point. Wendy, holding the pheasant in her mouth couldn’t see much, if anything. The pheasant covered her head completely. She looked like a dog swimming with a head made of feathers and a wing.

It was as impressive of a retrieve as I’ve ever witnessed. That alone made the hunt for me. Just an incredible hunting dog.

Damn that iPhone6 ! ! !

🦫