Yogi strikes again.

The girls were back down to hunting weight today, and Tami and Isabel came over to help with the hunting. It is so nice to have them to help. I could not do it without Tami and her lovely girls.

Again it didn't take too long in the field before Puddy grabbed a big Jack by the butt and he also scraped her off in the base of a Sage bush. If it had been just a straight pull, she would have held on, but again there was a low hanging large limb that she couldn't get through. I think she is going to have to approach it like a bareback rider and grab on and lay flat until its over. Yogi was right there, but she didn't even try to interfere, just sat on a bush and watched the whole thing. Not sure whether to mark it up to manners, or revenge. Again it took a bit of an edge off Puddy's aggression. Oh, she still tried, and she had some more close calls with the rabbits escaping by mere inches, but she didn't get her feet on any more. This Jack however left a lot of his coat behind. There was fur still floating in the air when we got there, and a double handful of fur on the ground.

Just as I began to despair, we jumped a close Jack. Puddy tried hard to get him, and succeeded in turning him. Yogi caught him as he turned. He didn't get very far at all, in fact his escape try could be measured in inches.  This all happened within 15 feet of us, and by the time I got there she had him only by the head.

 This girl has some of the biggest hooks this side of an Eagle, and the power to run them through bones.

Surprisingly Puddy did not rush into the fray, but stopped on the ground about 4 feet in front of Yogi and stayed there. I gave Tami a chunk of meat that I had prepared for just such an occasion, and Puddy gladly went to her fist to eat it. Maybe the girl is getting some manners? Nah! too early.

In the short time that it took to give the meat to Tami, Yogi had killed the Jack by herself. That is a blessing that I appreciate very much. Puddy has never done that with any of the Jacks that she has caught. She has killed some of the bunnies, but mostly I have to do it myself.

I pulled off a front leg for Yogi and picked her up with it. Isabel put the Jack in my bag for me. Yogi finished her front leg and left the bare bones and foot on my glove. When Puddy finally finished her chunk she came calling and flying to me, landing on my arm. She saw the bones of the front leg and had to grab that and take it to a bush to make sure there wasn't anything else on it to eat. I guess her manners didn't improve all that much.

We made our way back to the car, and Tami and Isabel took the girls after another Jack that Yogi had seen while I cleaned the dead Jack and prepared the rest of their meal. It still took us three hours on the hunt.

On a separate note, before I left for hunting, I injected Jessie's Duck that she caught yesterday with a mixture of Salt, Sugar, Worcestershire Sauce and water and put it in the refrigerator. When I got back from hunting, I put it in my Bradly Smoker and cooked it to 160 degrees. Karen had Turkey sandwiches for dinner. I tried to get her to taste it, but she refused. I am forced to admit that I ate every bit of it with genuine pleasure. The dogs cleaned up the bones and all that was left was a greasy spot. A big one! I may have to eat more.