Thanksgiving

Peg is still pretty heavy, but Jessie is down to weight and ready to fly. The ponds at Arock are closing up fast, and I didn't want to go there, so I decided that if the weather cooperated I would roll out Dart (the plane) and check the Lake next door and Appendix point if that was empty.

At 12 noon the wind had abated and the temps were up to 39, so I got dressed and rolled out Dart. There were lots of Ducks in the ditches, and glory be, a bunch on the Lake. So I went back home with only a little flying around for fun.

At 1:45 PM I started getting ready to go. I got out Jessie's portion to feed her if she killed, got the dogs and started the truck. I went in, picked up Jessie and found that her weight was 850 grams. I put her in the truck and went back in the house to get my billfold. I had laid the pigeon breast and wing on the counter when I put my vest on. I forgot to pick it up then. Karen had picked up the meat and placed it in a different spot. We headed out for the bumpy drive to the access point for the Lake. We had climbed the fence and I was unsnapping Jessie when I realized that I hadn't picked up the meat. :-/  I was not about to turn her loose and take the chance that in the hour and a half since I had been there that the ducks might have moved. So we reluctantly loaded back up and went to the house to get her food.

We went back to the Lake to start over again. I unsnapped her and she was off after a short period to look around to see where we were. She was flying strongly and taking a good pitch as she always does here at the Lake. I was just about ready to make the flush when she faltered in flight. Something was definitely wrong, her left wing was in a different attitude than the other one. She wobbled, then straightened and then began a long glide to the ground. For a minute I thought she was going to crash, but she landed in the sage with no problem. Apparently something was wrong with her transmitter harness on her back, although I cannot fathom what. I went down there to see if I needed to pick her up. She got off the ground and flew to a fence post. I walked over to her, but she was not about to let me pick her up. She flew off again, and I walked back up towards the top of the hill. She appeared to have solved the problem and was still interested in hunting.

She picked up her pitch again as though nothing had happened, and took a place over the lake. I walked up to the edge where I could see and there was nothing to be seen. All at once she began a steep dive at some flushing ducks in the ditch that comes out of the Lake. She smacked one a terrific blow that threw a spout of water high enough that we could see it beyond the trees. She looked back, but continued on flying, knowing that with it in the water it was lost to her. I looked back to the Lake and there were two Ringneck Ducks and a Swan on the Lake. I kept moving toward them, and they lost their nerve and flushed out the other end. Jessie smacked one of the ducks with a blow that could be heard 100 yards away, made a quick turn around and flew down behind the reeds. Betsy ran down to check on her and stay with her until I could get there. She stayed with us while Curly spent the time rooting around in the swamp and the reeds looking for more ducks.

 

I picked her up after she had fed for a while, gathered Curly and headed back to the truck. Karen was really pleased with his appearance, threatening to make him ride in the back on the way home.

When we got home I gave Jess a chance at a bath as she was blood from one end to the other. Curly got "water boarded" until he was reasonably clean. Karen turned him loose and he promptly rolled in the gravel of the Ranch yard. That earned him another hosing down and being drug to the grass of the lawn, where he could roll to his hearts content.

Jess took her bath, and by that time our Turkey dinner was done. We had a lot to be thankful for, and I hope that your day was as good as ours.