#29 AND FRIED BEAVER TAIL

Friday evening I got out the beaver tail.Rick and Ricky were over for dinner. I fried it in olive oil with some seasoning. It was a little fatty for my taste. Ricky enjoyed it.Saturday was too windy for hawking.Rick and Ricky started picking the corn in my flood pond. They picked several bushels and got it all shelled. Sunday I got Keavy out hunting for a few hours.
We started behind Dad's and had a rabbit in the first few minutes.
After I got that one in the bag, we headed to my uncle Buddy's farm where we jumped one more but it made it to a bush pile before Keavy got there.

#28

Randy and a friend came down from New Jersey. They did some squirrel hunting in the morning.Then shot some crows.They got back to the house just in time for Keavys'lunch time hunt. I let her out and she went to a tree. Since there were three of us I decided to try the field. Keavy moved up closer and higher. We made a pass through the field and were headed back when Randy yelled that Keavy went out in to the field.I didn't hear a squeal and was surprised to find her dragging a rabbit to cover. That was another fast hunt! I cleaned the rabbit and got back to work on time.

GOT TWO SATURDAY #26&27

Saturday I hunted the farm my dad was born on - it is Uncle Buddy's farm now. I drove up to the spot I had in mind. It looked perfect. Lots of green briers grown up around old farm junk. It made me think of my grandfather and how many times he must have hunted this spot.My dad tells a story about how Pop Pop blew the barrels up on his shotgun. He always carried some heavy loads for when he saw a hawk or fox while hunting. My Uncle Albert had used his hunting coat and left a 20 gauge shell in the pocket. Pop Pop saw a hawk in a tree, grabbed what he thought was a heavy load and loaded it in to his 12 gauge. The 20 gauge shell slide down the barrel and didn't fire. He opened the gun, saw no shell and dropped in a 12. The 12 went off with the barrel being restricted by the 20 gauge shell. The barrel was destroyed and had to be replaced.I remember big piles of quail getting picked in their front yard. I couldn't guess how many quail he shot in his lifetime.I don't remember a lot of rabbits but I'm sure he shot his share.
I let Keavy out and she went to the perfect tree.The dogs went down the edge and I took one step in to the briers and out came a rabbit.Keavy was on him fast.I got the rabbit in the bag, Keavy went back to a tree & we started hunting for another.It wasn't long and we jumped #2. Keavy had a ways to fly to this one. I saw her dive but I heard no squeal. When I got to her she was on a log looking for the rabbit.The dogs started trailing it.Keavy got back in a tree and within a few minutes she flew out a ways and dove in. I heard the squeal, we had #2 for the day. I got Keavy on my glove and went back to the Kia. I put the rabbits in the Kia. Turned Keavy loose for #3. We all tried hard too. We jumped 3 more, Keavy got fur out of one and just couldn't catch the others.Come on Pop Pop I know you were watching from above. You didn't need to shoot the hawk. You use the hawk to get the game.

#24- 25 AND BEAVER FOR DINNER

Last Tuesday, at lunch, I decided to hunt the thickets on the Sylvester's. We hadn't gotten a rabbit there yet. I loaded the dogs and Keavy in the Kia. I parked between both tickets and let out the dogs and hawk. Keavy got in a tree over a big brier patch.
I walked in and Keavy flew in at the same time. I heard the squeal and #24 was in the bag in record time.I was able to clean that bunny and get back to work on time.
Over the weekend I decided I had to do something about the beavers.They have build a dam in my ditch. The ditch is behind the cabin. It has flooded so bad I can't drive out to the back field. At first I liked the way it flooded the woods - it made for nice wood duck habitat. The water was getting way too high and backing water up on the neighboring farm. I had tried to tear some of the dam out, but they build it back the next night. So, with a party happening this Friday, the time was right to take him out. Every body likes beaver meat!! I had a neighbor help me set traps. This beaver was in one the next morning. He was 30 pounds.I skinned him last night.His pelt was real nice - maybe I could make a hat.I washed up the meat, cut it up, and have it soaking in salt water.At lunch today I hunted around the back field.
In less than an hour we jumped three rabbits. The first two got away with just loosing a little fur. The last one (#25) wasn't so lucky.

#23

Hunted behind dad's on Saturday morning. We hunted the back side of the woods. Keavy and the dogs were all hunting hard. Half way down the edge we jumped the first rabbit. It ran out to the edge and Keavy got some fur but the bunny kept going. Janey trailed it to a hole and wanted to dig it out - no time for that. We went back to hunting, Keavy followed nicely. After about a half an hour Keavy quit following us. She stayed behind to stare down at a brier patch. I went back to check it out. The rabbit made the move that Keavy was waiting for and #23 was in the bag. We headed back to the house to take a small break. After the break, we hunted the hedge row at the wetlands. There's a nice brush pile on the east side near the road - we hit it first. Out came the rabbit and down came Keavy. The rabbit made it to the hedge row. Keavy pulled up and then did a wing over into the cover on the other side. I ran over to find Keavy on the ground with a lot of fur but no rabbit. The dogs chased it into a hole. We hunted the rest of the hedge row and called it a day.