Bird Hunting with Ken & Scott

Well a while back I received an offer from Ken to go hunt Woodcock. I have never went out and specifically targeted these fast and acrobatic birds, so I said I would definitely be in. I looked forward to this day for a change of pace. You know something different.

Well I met up with Ken,his buddy Scott and the star of the show Duke at the gas station. I threw my gear in his truck and off we went. Ken had informed us he was out a tad late the evening before, due to his wife's class reunion. Well you know what comes next. He took a little nap on the way to our destination.

Ken pulls in to our spot and we get our game faces on and prepare for battle. Ken get us lined up and off we go. The terrain was great, hills, thickets of aspen, stumps, holes, ferns, tall grass and other obstacles to make the walking pleasant. After a while you just get used to it.

We flushed over thirty five birds and were able to take five. Those things know just where to go and what tree to get in front of. I even had one come right at me then finally decided to turn about three feet from my face. It was so close I could feel the wind of its wings. It was a rush for sure.

I couldn't shoot today and my buddy Ken let me hear about it every chance he got. What can I say, other than I cut my trigger finger while cleaning my gun the night before. Okay maybe that didn't have much to do with it. It had to be something other than me. Right? I mean my mechanics were perfect!

Ken was a gracious host. He had lunch with all the goodies you could want. I definitely had a great time with him and Scott and hope to get to do it with those guys again. It was kind of special to have hunted with Ken's chocolate lab Duke. Some of you that know me, know that my chocolate lab named Duke passed away a few months ago. So it was kind of wierd to be talking to Duke again if only for a morning. I was glad to have him along. If you have never tried woodcock hunting give it a shot. It is as challenging as anything I have ever hunted.

So until my next blog, be safe, appreciate what you have and get into the great outdoors.