# Bonnie's "Adventure" (Mom's Heart Attack!)



## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

I have a good spot near Long Point to hunt wood ducks when they are moving through, and my friends had got a limit twice earlier in the week when they had gone out, so I took Bonnie out for her first Woodie shoot on Saturday evening. This is a roost spot the birds use when they are heading to the point to make their trip across the lake on their migration, so it is an evening hunt, right at close. In the past I have used Breeze or Winter when I hunt here, but Bonnie is steady and handling now, so it was her turn. I was going on my own, so I figured it would not be as crazy as when we have three people there blasting away!

She was a very good girl as we sat and waited for sunset to get closer. We were sitting in a very ducky pond, full of flooded dogwood and surround by poplars in standing water--just the kind of spot the woodies like! There were not many birds though, compared to what had come in earlier in the week--but they are never around for long once they start moving here. Still, a couple of flights came in, and I got a couple of shots off, and knocked a bird down out of one. 

They are challenging shooting though, as they deke and make sudden direction changes, so the bird was a cripple. I sent Bonnie out after it and she went right to where it landed and started hunting. It was obviously swimming and she trailed it to the poplars at which point the second flight of birds came in, and while I was shooting at them, she disappeared into the poplars.

I called her and whistled, but Ms. Perserverance was bound and determined to get that bird. 

It got dark. 

Legal shooting was done.

Still no Bonnie--I was still calling and could hear her crashing around in the flooded timber but could not see her. Then I could not even hear her any more!!!

Can you say panic!?

I started to make my way back to my truck, calling her the whole way. Still no Bonnie. Mind you, I am doing this in the dark, wearing my heavy waders, carrying my shotgun and ammo bag, with a headlamp that gives me maybe 10 yards of visibility, crashing through flooded timber, and trying to navigate up a creek embankment back to where my truck was parked. I finally got back to my truck and dumped my heavy gear and then started searching for her again. I finally found her at 8:05--a good 30+ minutes after she had gone into the timber after that bird!!!

EDIT--added some pictures. One shows what the spot we were in looks like--when there is light--the poplars in the background are what she disappeared into! Then Ms. Perseverance waiting for the ducks to come in, and an overhead of where we were and my search for her. And no, we did not get that bird. At that point I was just so glad to have found her that we did not go back into the trees in the dark!


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## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

And did she have the bird??? That's what you call a very persistent bird dog.


Pete


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Yeah, so did she get the bird!? LOL This sounds like something my dogs would do hahahaha


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

Wow! That must have been a "First I'm going to hug you then we are going to have a talk young lady" moment. Too bad she didn't get the bird but I bet she had a blast! 
"Mom when are you taking me hunting again?"


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

Yes it was a squeeze-her-so-tight and tell her "You scared the life out of me!" moment all at once!


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I would have been in a total panic. It sounds exactly like something the Monster Boy would do, too.
I ordered him a cow bell, btw, for when we go hunting.


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

hotel4dogs said:


> I would have been in a total panic. It sounds exactly like something the Monster Boy would do, too.
> I ordered him a cow bell, btw, for when we go hunting.


I bet Tito can be a ninja and learn to move without ringing the bell.


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

I'm so glad it turned out well, I can imagine the panic you felt. Poor Bonnie, she was trying to do her job...a little too enthusiastically


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

I'm so glad it turned out okay. I would have been a disaster! I have nerves of glass! I worry when I can't see Riley when he is behind the couch or something. And not because I think he's up to something, because I think I've lost him forever.


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## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

I've sure found that bell to be helpful in tracking your dog especially in tall grass or thick willows...there's nothing worse than not knowing where your dog is!!!

Pete


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

A bell would not have been much use for much of her adventure as she was swimming in flooded timber. I do use one however when we are upland hunting. What I did order in my Tritronics IC rewards this time was was the light that goes on the ecollar--that way I can see the little fart in the dark!!!


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