Opening Day Ringnecks

Saturday was the opening day of pheasant season and the hills of northern Wyoming County provided an eventful hunt. Above is John Lawrence with a ringneck and Jake, one half of his Vizsla tandem.  

John pays attention to the body language of both dogs. Here he gives a heads-up -- the dogs are beginning to "act birdy," both are tensing up with shoulders low to the ground as they work the brush.

Jake and Caille are hidden by the brush, but John sees the tops of the goldenrod moving and listens to the bells on the dogs' collars. When those bells stop, chances are the dogs have "locked up" on a bird.

The dogs work well in tandem, and their efforts weren't limited to hillside meadows.

Caille working the headwater of a beaver swamp -- not your normal pheasant habitat -- yet Jake pounced a ringneck as it tried to flee through the swampy confines.

Jake's swamp rooster -- note the wet feathers.   

Here we've followed dogs into cover more suitable for grouse and woodcock, but Jake and Caille flushed two roosters in this location.

Jake and Caille working the edge of the beaver swamp

Even after John gave me a heads-up I was a little slow on the draw here. Couldn't get the camera out of my vest pocket in time to catch Caille doing a "stop, drop and roll" in that puddle.

Jake and Caille worked the cover well, flushing seven roosters in the process. Time to get a little loving for a job well done. 

A fitting end to a great outing!