Farmland Fun

Other than my recent duck hunt post, I haven't written much lately about my adventures here in the wild and rugged farmland of Nebraska. I miss the Rocky Mountains and the public-land-deer they provide, but I had my share of fun up until the seasons closed.


Rudy and I have been chasing birds all fall. He flushed his first pheasant in late October and my twelve gauge brought it to the ground. Rudy was on it like a hawk with his propeller-like tail swinging frantically behind. I commanded him to retrieve, not knowing quite what he would do with a bird half his size. He stuck his nose to it and then looked up at me with a confused look on his face as if to say, "Ya wahme da wha!?" (He's from the ghetto so he talks like that). Again I told him to fetch it, to which he incredulously replied, "Dis sucka ain' no dove, man. You gotta be ou yo freakin mind!" He then moseyed off to go find a tree to pee on.

I left my camera home that trip so this is the only picture I have of the bird.


A few weeks later we were out looking for a new place to hunt deer, (because the whole rifle-hunting world moved into my little honey hole once the corn harvest was over). Rudy flushed a flock of quail out from this little patch of cover.

As startled as I was, I'm surprised I had time to get my gun up and drop the last bird through that opening in the trees. Rudy got it, left it at my feet and ran off looking for more. I had to call him back to take this picture.

I marked where the covey landed, flushed them again and shot one more. These were the first Bobwhites I'd ever seen. They fly incredibly fast. I wish we had 'em back home in Utah.


The last week of deer season (last week of the year) I spent many cold mornings and evenings trying to find a deer on public land. I saw three small bucks and a few does, like these...

...but none came within range of my traditional black powder muzzleloader. Why don't I use a better gun, you ask? I tell you in a post or two from this one.

With or without venison this year I had fun. Hopefully I can find some private land to hunt deer on next year, but at least the dog and I have access to birds.