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Joined: 26 Apr 2016 Posts: 369 Location: Vermont

With the nice weather we have been having it was time to get the dogs out before the next storm hits this weekend. My son and I took my Granddog Riley the Chessy and Cooper my overly energetic GSP on a preserve hunt. Here are a couple pics. He opted for his Rem Special filed 20. That he has had since he was 12, I used my 16 Citori III beautiful day.
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I've got the fever too, but I have to admit mine is running to the Orvis Madison 5wt rod and Battenkill reel that I picked up late last year and only got to fish a couple of times Very Happy

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Joined: 26 Apr 2016 Posts: 369 Location: Vermont

Yes, looking forward to fishing. Everything is still frozen here where I live in the mountains. supposed to get anywhere from 6 to 12 inches next day or so. Hope not.

Gentlemen,

I have the same itch to get out Fly Fishing, unfortunately we are suppose to get 3 more inches of the white stuff in the next few days. Hunting season is over we do not need any more snow! I want to use my Bamboo rods and catch a few trout in our mountain streams.

Soggy Socks,

Real nice pictures sir!

Pine Creek/Dave
F.E. Thomas Man

Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 989 Location: Las Vegas

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2012 Posts: 1113

I had a mishap in Alabama in February on our quail hunt where a ditch bank collapsed on me and torqued my right knee. I took a few weeks off from hunting to recuperate and now I'm going flat out trying to use up my package of bird hunts at the local preserve. Since getting back in the field, I've been doing two hunts a week and get my final two hunts in next week just as the preserve season ends. The following weekend is a big NUCS (Upland Classic) field trial I intend to run my dogs in just for grins. Those trials are extremely competitive and I enjoy running my big meat dogs just to see how they stack up against the big field trial dogs. Then the trap league season starts up and that rolls into skeet league that ends in September just in time to put my dogs on a few quail and head west for my annual western bird hunt. I hope to get in a bit of trout fishing this summer, but between caring for my dog, three acres of yard work and honey-do's around the house, it gets harder and harder to get out to exercise those rainbows. Oh yeah, I've got 5 rifles to build for customers this summer. Sometimes I wonder if this is really the way a 78 year old is supposed to live life.

Rifelmeister,

Man we both need to slow down, at our age it actually becomes dangerous to participate in everything we would like to. We are both pushing the envelope for our age. I know it's hard to slow down be careful sir. You have a few years on me.

I am tryin to cut back on all the dog training and almost all the line shooting, gave up my Corp Membership to the Nemacolin Shooting Academy and that alone helped slow me down considerably.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Joined: 22 Jan 2015 Posts: 345

You guys are killing me! Just when I think I might get a short reprieve from hearing about all the birds you guys have been getting to hunt, NOW you bring up fly fishing, my other new luv!!! Only I've been stuck with major back logs of honey-dos and home stead chores for the past 2 years, and can't seem to find time to head for the mountains in good conscience, to stalk some wild hybrids and stocked brookies. Instead, I'm still looking at the unfinished jobs I had designated for this winter, like finish clearing the downed trees around our place from Florence and start splitting wood for next winter, and re-grade the driveway, and start the garden, and spray/fertilize the fruit trees, and get the flat tires on the lawn mowers fixed, and repair the chicken pen, and cut out the briars mixed with poison ivy out of the shrubs, and build the two box stands for next season, and rebuild the carburetor on my old cub, and run the outboard engine on fishen boat that's been setting up for last two years, and ……..well you get the picture. At least I can enjoy it a little, living through seeing what you guys get to do. Smile

Joined: 26 Apr 2016 Posts: 369 Location: Vermont

Go fishing... the chores can wait. Seeing a brookie inhale your fly will make you forget those flat tires.

Whoo,

If you are having trouble with big honey due lists. Long ago my Father taught me how to end the honey do list, for the most part. Every time your better half gives you a honey due list, you give her one that you want her to due also. Each time you do a job on your list she must due one on her list. Your honey due list will shrink to almost nothing in the future.

Now this not to say that there will not be mandatory things that need to be done around the home, however after 40 year of marriage I will tell you this, if the ladies could have us giving birth, the ladies would have the men doing that also.

Make the honey due list work both ways and you will eliminate 1/2 of the honey due lists, and have more time for what you want to due personally, like Fly Fishing or bird hunting.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Joined: 16 Jul 2015 Posts: 2125 Location: Hudson,Wy

I understand the "itch". I know fishing is just getting better and better, but I drove through part of Nebraska and most of Kansas a few days ago. Waterfowl everywhere! Pheasants along the road didn't help either. Rusty noticed them too. If hunting were like football...there would be a LOT of penalties racked up for taunting.

Right now is a great time to get the dog's some work on North bound woodcock.

poodle pointer,

Len you are absolutely right, it's one of the things I am planning on doing with my new Gordon pup as soon as I can. Right now I am waiting on a VA doctors appointment retesting my Heart due to my Agent Orange heart attack a few years back.

I want to get the new Gordon pup on some wild birds both Woodcock and Grouse this next week. It will actually be her 1st time out in the big woods.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Joined: 26 Apr 2016 Posts: 369 Location: Vermont

Saw my first woodcock of the spring yesterday on our walk. Cooper was as surprised as I was with the snow we still have. Parched as baring up nicely hopefully gone soon. Hope all goes well with your doctors appointment Dave, had a heart attack while duck hunting in 2010. Thx for the kind comments on the pics. Joe