SATURDAY, SUNDAY AND MONDAY

Saturday I needed to cut some firewood so I went looking for a dead oak. I called the dogs,turned Keavy loose and headed for the back woods.Keavy followed along really good. Halfway down the path I found my tree. Keavy went after a squirrel that made it to a hole. I decided to move out to the edge and find a rabbit. Keavy was following well and then quit. I called her but she stayed looking down into a brier patch that I and the dogs had been through. I walked back and could see she had her eye on something.
I stepped in - out the other side went the rabbit.Keavy made a dive and a quick left and I heard the squeal.That evening I went to Taylor's deer hunting and got this nice doe. Sunday I went back behind dad's house. Keavy was behind me, back about 75 yards, when I jumped one. The rabbit ran towards her. She dove down and missed, made a sharp turn and got him. Monday on lunch break we hunted the ditch by the wetlands. I jumped one really quick - Keavy made a dive for it but pulled up and went to a tree. The dogs hunted for it and Keavy flew out into the field, hovering for a while and dove.She missed and went back to a tree.
Within a few minutes she flew across the field and dove, getting the rabbit.

GOOD WEEKEND

Had Rick and his son Ricky for brush beaters on Saturday. Rick has hunted twice (when she missed rabbits) and Ricky hadn't hunted with Keavy yet. We hunted over on Bill's farm where I jumped a rabbit in the first few minutes. Keavy dived for it but the rabbit made it to a big brush pile. We hunted for a couple of hours and didn't jump another rabbit. We did see a couple of bucks - one had a nice rack. We left there and went to the cemetery on my back lane. There Ricky jumped a rabbit but it made it to the cover in the field before Keavy could get to it. I got one out of the brush pile down the back lane and saw it run across the lane. She went for it but it made it to cover. Keavy then flew across to the woods and watched the big brier patch that has had a lot of rabbits in it. Rick gave up and went back to the house. Ricky and I kept hunting, we only went a few yards and I jumped one. Keavy made a dive and short chase and #12 was in the bag.
Sunday I took Keavy to Peters T's house. His land has good cover and he sees rabbits. His neighbors, the Vooris family, were interested to see Keavy hunt. I gave them all sticks and turned Keavy loose. Within a few minutes she was high in a pine tree hanging by her wings with a squirrel in her talons. I could see the squirrel tail moving, looked like she had it by the head. She hung there for several minutes before gliding to the ground. #13 turned out to be our first squirrel. Once I got the squirrel in the bag, Keavy went back to hunting. We went through some good cover and she went after something but we didn't see what it was. I called Keavy back and headed home.
It was only 3 o-clock and I had to try one more spot. I headed to the thicket at the end of my back lane. There are more briers there then I wanted to get into and hadn't hunted yet. It wasn't as bad as I thought and I was able to chase a rabbit out. I didn't see the rabbit but Keavy flew by me and out into the field about a 100 yards and dove in.This made a first for Keavy and me: two critters in the game bag/on same day.

10&11

Saturday Don, his son and grandson came over to see Keavy hunt.
We hunted our way around the field behind the cabin.I jumped one in big brier patch where Keavy had missed one a couple times.I only saw the rabbit for a second and Keavy came flying down the edge - she had #10.Keavy wasn't really into leaving that spot - I called her down to the glove.We tried one more spot and jumped a rabbit out in the field but she didn't see it.She may have been watching something in the woods. The rabbit was only out in the open for a second.I called her back with the lure and we called it a day.Home from the hunt - photo op and rabbit cleaning.
Monday Garry's grandson, Landen, got to see #11 rabbit go down. It was really windy so we went to Taylor's farm. The field around his clover has woods on three sides with good cover.We hadn't hunted long when I jumped a rabbit. Keavy hadn't moved from her first spot. I blew the whistle calling her to follow.It always amazes me how she can see the rabbit so fast.She came flying by Landen and me, went into the woods, made a sharp right turn and I heard the squeal. We put the rabbit in the bag and went back hunting but couldn't find another one.Hunt finished: Landen, Bob, Keavy, Janey & Dakota.

#9 almost 10

Thursdays lunch time hunt started off at Uncle Buddy's.He has a really nice cover and in 15 minutes we had #9. Keavy was in a good position right over a large brush pile with briers all around it.I knew by the way she was staring down that she had one spotted and was waiting for it to move from the cover. I came in from the back side and the rabbit made his move - it was a bad mistake. I heard the squeal and made my way in through the briers.Keavy went through some thick briers and still had a good hold on the bunny.I think Uncle Buddy's squawking back at Keavy.I checked my watch and headed for the cemetery. Keavy got high in the first cedar tree. First I got the dogs to hunt the field around the cemetery.Then we moved in and I could tell Janey smelled one.I hit the cover, out came the rabbit.Keavy went for it but no squeal. I went over and found Keavy with a lot of fur but no rabbit./

#8

Saturday Mike and Becky finally got back to bobworld and we all got to go hawking.
Judy even came along and was beating the briers. We hunted all around the edge of the farm. Keavy followed us really well - Mike took some pictures.We didn't find a rabbit until we got back close to the house. Dakota got one moving. Keavy made a dive for it.We heard her hit the ground hard but no squeal.It was a long ways out and behind some tall sumac and she missed. She took flight right away and circled the field and made another dive.I didn't here a squeal and when I got out to her she had that the disappointed look on her face.We had hunted for over two hours and then it was pizza time.All the grandchildren came for Mass and the Christmas Eve party. They all have their own look.We tried a real short hunt after pizza behind dads.But no rabbits found. The dogs did tree a big cat and Keavy flew over and checked it out.I called her down to the glove and called it a day.
It seems she's smart enough not go for bigger stuff. Last week I made the mistake of hunting too close to a home with chickens. She flew up in a big tree in their yard and checked out the chickens for a few minutes before I got her to come to me with the lure.I thought for sure I'd be paying for a chicken.No hunting Christmas Day - we went to Lori's house for the day. Played with the grandkids and went to the movies to see the Muppet movie with them.Monday we had off and Keavy got #8 rabbit with the help of Janey.The dogs found the rabbit under a stump - I flushed it out. Keavy made her dive and I heard the squeal and went running to it only to meet the rabbit running with Janey in pursuit. I could see the rabbit was hurt badly. Keavy came flying back in just as Janey grabbed the rabbit - they both had hold of it till Janey gave it up.

#7 RABBIT

It was raining a little so we hunted close to the house at lunch time today. Monday and Tuesday we hunted along the edge of the woods of the back field behind the cabin.Both days Keavy had made dives into this big brier bed after this one rabbit that was smart enough not to come out in the open. I'd only hear a big thud when she'd hit the ground. She'd work her way up out of the briers and fly back into a tree where she would wait for the dogs get the rabbit moving again. She missed him three times Monday and twice Tuesday. The dogs pointed the biggest covey of quail I'd seen in a long time. Last Saturday we hunted the woods across the road. We never jumped a rabbit but Keavy tried for two squirrels. Sunday we hunted down the back lane. Keavy made one dive into the cemetery but missed. Today our luck changed. I released her in front of the cook house and she followed me and dogs out the lane. Within 15 minutes I jumped a rabbit and Keavy was on him so fast I missed the flight.I put #7 in my bag and we went back to hunting. I was hoping for two but we ran out of lunch hour. This lunch time rabbit is going to be dinner rabbit.

TUESDAY LUNCH TIME HUNT

Keavy is taking this lunch time hunting thing very seriously. She's flying along with the bush beaters and positioning herself perfectly. George and Cindy came along and we had a great hunt.Cindy jumped the only bunny just in time for me to get back to work on time. This big old bunny made a big mistake when he ran from the briers.Keavy had him before Cindy could yell there goes a bunny.