| It was a Saturday morning in the fall. | | | | club during duck hunting season. I used |
| It wasn't raining, but it wasn't real | | | | Jeff's dads 20 gauge and Jeff was nice |
| warm either. After all, summer was over, | | | | enough to use the 12 gauge even though |
| the days were getting shorter and the | | | | he knew it would really kick. I really |
| leaves were starting to fall. It wasn't | | | | liked the 20 gauge. It had very little |
| cold enough to go skiing. In other | | | | kick and was light, so it was easy to |
| words, I had no idea what I was going to | | | | carry. |
| do that day. Just when I feared that my | | | | We walked around the field and shot |
| mom was going to ask me to rake the | | | | pigeons whenever they flew by. Most |
| leaves, the phone rang. It was my friend | | | | people that shoot at birds make the |
| Jeff. He wanted to know if I wanted to | | | | mistake of shooting right at the bird, |
| go hunting that day, naturally I said | | | | but I had some experience at shooting |
| yes. | | | | skeet, so I was familiar with principles |
| Jeff's dad was an avid hunter who had | | | | of lead. After we took a few shots, I |
| plenty of guns and two hunting dogs. | | | | was really glad that I didn't have the |
| Both dogs were German Shorthairs, which | | | | 12 gauge. Jeff was an experienced |
| is a good breed for hunting. Sally was | | | | shooter, but his shoulder was turning |
| the older dog; she could barely walk, so | | | | red, even though he was wearing a coat. |
| Jeff and his dad didn't usually take her | | | | As we walked around the field, we had to |
| out hunting anymore. Betsy was young and | | | | go around a large batch of blackberry |
| hadn't been on very many hunts, so she | | | | vines. As we walked around the vines, a |
| still had a lot to learn. | | | | flock of quail surprised us by taking |
| I went over to Jeff's early on that | | | | flight right in front of us. They were |
| Saturday morning not knowing what to | | | | way too quick for me, so my shot missed. |
| expect. As soon as I arrived, Jeff got | | | | Jeff's shot, however, got one, so I got |
| out two shotguns. One was a 12 gauge and | | | | to see where experience helps. |
| the other was a 20 gauge. Sally, the | | | | One time we spotted a pigeon sitting in |
| oldest dog, absolutely went nuts as soon | | | | an oak tree. We both threw rocks at it |
| as she saw the guns. I couldn't believe | | | | because we figured it wouldn't be very |
| it, Sally was running all over the house | | | | sporting to shoot a pigeon that was just |
| like a puppy. There was no way that we | | | | sitting there. Rocks didn't work and |
| could leave her behind as we originally | | | | yelling didn't work, so I shot it. |
| intended. We loaded the guns and the | | | | Neither one of us wanted to take it home |
| dogs into Jeff's car and only had to | | | | though because we were afraid that maybe |
| drive about three miles to the field | | | | it wouldn't fly because it was sick. The |
| where we were going to hunt. It was a | | | | dogs performed about like we expected. |
| field then, but 40 years later the only | | | | Sally was good at fetching downed birds, |
| crops in that field are office buildings | | | | but Betsy didn't know what to do. She |
| and parking lots. | | | | would pick up the birds and run around. |
| After we got to the field I noticed | | | | We ended up retrieving a lot of the |
| three or four duck blinds around the | | | | birds ourselves. At the end of the day, |
| field's perimeter. I figured that the | | | | we had 15 pigeons and Jeff had gotten a |
| farmer must rent the field to a hunt | | | | couple of quail. |