Bird Hunting!!!

Hey Hey--- it's been awhile, so sorry!

Updating the blog today with ptarmigan and duck hunting! 1 grouse in there too!  Enjoy!

Labor Day weekend we went on a ptarmigan hunting trip.  We rode our wheelers and hiked... a lot!  It was a successful weekend-- brought home 17 birds!! :)  The funny thing is that 16 of them were Adam's! I have a very difficult time accepting a missed shot.  1) A missed shot is a poor shot, which could injure the bird. 2)A missed shot is one less bird in the freezer.  3)Tundy gets disappointed when he doesn't get a bird in his mouth!  So both days after I missed a flying bird- I handed the gun over to Adam!  Luckily he is a better shot than I and more confident. Some ptarmigan were flying shots (which are trickier than pheasant) and some of those silly birds just sit on the ground and ask for it!  We had a wonderful weekend!  The weather was beautiful, Adam shot birds, and Tundra got in some retrieving! 

 Snow in the mountains already!  We actually got a few flakes of snow on our way out!

 Dall Sheep!

 Sheriff's association hats from my daddio!  Thanks dad!

 We still haven't identified this animal.  Check it out.....

 Look at those teeth!  Sharp on the end.  What a critter!

 My happy boys! 

 Home for the weekend!

 Warming up by the fire!

 It was a cooooold night, but we kept warm!  Even Tundra had a blankie! His water was frozen in the morning!

 Nice bull moose and cow out munchin

 More ptar!

So Adam was suppose to go on two, 1 week hunting trips.  1 for moose and 1 for goat, with different people.  Turns out he didn't get to go on either of them, I will leave it up to him to explain in more detail if he chooses.  Sooooo he ended up working one week and kept the days off for the 2nd for some duck hunting!  I think it is very important that you know HOW MUCH RESEARCH goes into hunting up here!  It is crazy to keep up with the regulations in each of the 26 game management units, which are then split further into smaller areas with varying  restrictions.  Adam spends a LOT of time researching hunts and planning scouting trips.  So we decided I should take on research of duck hunting in Alaska.  The best resource yet was the Becoming an Outdoors Woman: Duck Hunting class I went to for 8 hours on a Saturday.  I can't wait for more classes and trips!

Last weekend was our first weekend duck hunting.....

 Beautiful morning on the lake.  Trying out some decoys and calling.

 Gorgeous fall day!  We saw ducks that day, but didn't get any shots off!  On the way back to the truck, Adam spotted a grouse in a tree--- so we didn't go home empty-handed!  :)

 The next morning we tried a different spot for some jump shooting, which is basically walking through the habitat and "jumping" the ducks to fly out in front of you.  We got there early to be the first in the marsh for 7:12 shooting time 

 This is the ATV trail!  eeeeek!

 Another beautiful day

 Tundra is a trooper!  We ended up hiking a little over 7 miles through marsh which means sloppy water/mud and weeds!  Again, we saw ducks and got a couple shots off, but returned without ducks.  It was a great learning experience and just a nice day to be out.

So, like I said-- Adam has the week off and went out today at another place that we had scouted a bit.  And TA-DA!!! Came home with 6 ducks!  Tundra had his first experience retrieving in the water and did AMAZING!  I'M SO PROUD!!!  Let's eat!

Proud pup!  I was so sad that I didn't get to see his first duck retrieval, but so happy to hear that HE LOVED IT!!

Got his new camo vest in the mail today!  Handsome pup!

So the rest of the photos are some that have been on my phone since my last post in like...July I think!  Here are some randoms....

 Some dried fruit I made up for a couple of our summer trips.  Apples, peaches, kiwi, and bananas!

 Fishing for reds on the Kenai one weekend.  This was the weekend I took my first dip in the river... tripped over a rock and fell in!  Got soaked and was freezing, luckily it was a sunny day!

 My berry picking buddy..... sometimes he gets to them before I do! :)  Lowbush blueberries

 His way of getting my attention when gardening.... dropping his ball in the bowl of freshly cut veggies!

 Most of the berry harvest this summer--- raspberries, blueberries, nangoon berries, and cranberries!

 When Adam was prepping for his sheep hunt, we would do mountain hikes every other night. (him carrying 70lbs).  On the off nights, Tundy and I would go for a run..... usually a somewhat flat run.  This night turned out to be a mountain run!  Best friend

 My bear rug came back!  Now... where to hang it?!?!

 Wildflowers in Alaska are so perfect!

 Getting Tundy ready for retrieving in the water!

 Charging in!

 Shake shake-- love this pic!

Hopefully it won't be so long before the next post.  Will be some more duck hunting pics and stories.  Remember--- if you missed Adam's sheep hunting post, email him adam.harris@gmx.com and he will send you the story.  ............he should write a book!

Take Care and Be Safe!