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Helen S · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 5:01 am Post subject: Liesel's Big Weekend

The NZ gamebird hunting season opens first weekend in May - it is known as Opening Weekend and there is enough open public land that everyone who owns a gun can get out there shooting ducks if they so wish. And by golly they do Very Happy

Our local area is known as "the duck factory" for its' huge area of swamps, lakes and ponds and for a couple of weeks leading up to Opening Weekend, maimais (hides) were tagged, dressed, furnished and generally prepared for the oncoming sport Cool

Many are only accessible by water and some of the heavily laden tin row boats I saw heading out looked decidedly top heavy Shocked

Before daylight on Saturday morning Dickie (my OH), me and Liesel headed off with our neighbouring farmer and a mate to walk the 4 km or so of river which runs through his and his brother's properties. Unlike some previous years there were plenty of ducks getting up from bends in the creek and Liesel was kept busy. I had been a little apprehensive about how willing she would be to pick up freshly shot game after all the cold game practice she has had but I needn't have worried. She was straight into it like an old hand especially collecting birds which were floating downstream having been shot. I was particularly pleased that she was delivering to hand as she had at the Roughshooters Day, unlike last year when she was rather possessive of her retrieves and gave me a bit of a headache trying to get her to bring birds right to me.

As our neighbour said afterward, he dreaded to think how many birds would have been left lost had we not had the dog. Several pricked birds hid out of our sight under the high steep banks of the creek but Liesel's nose told her where they were and this proved her forte, fishing them out of the water and scrambling up the bank to deliver them to me. She also had to hunt out a couple of "runners" which were well hidden. One in particular came as Dickie and I walked home along the river yesterday morning, picking up the ducks we had left in stashes along the way. I allowed Liesel to hunt her way along the riverbank inside the fence in case of any ducks sitting tight still. She showed particular interest in a fallen willow tree in the water which had accumulated quite a pile of wood and rubbish around it. After pointing the heap of wood for a minute or two I sent her in and she scrambled into the tree and water and was in pursuit of something inside. It was a pricked duck, but although unable to fly it was able to give her the runaround for a good five minutes or more as it got into places she could not fit and then moved again and again. Eventually it gave her the slip and we were unsure which direction it had taken but a couple of seconds later Liesel took off swimming strongly downriver. She was so purposeful it was obvious to both of us that it had dived and Liesel was in hot pursuit. Dickie got ahead along the riverbank and sure enough about 40 metres further along it popped up and he was able to shoot it again. Liesel got her reward and brought it proudly up the river bank to me Very Happy

On Saturday evening we sat at a bend in the river in some bushes as the sun went down. After an initially unsettling experience as it became obvious that Liesel and I were sitting on a wasp's nest and Liesel got stung on the nose, we moved further along. I was pleased to find that she seemed to know that we were all sitting quietly and still for a reason. She sat motionless beside me off lead waiting for ducks. One duck came in attracted by our flapping decoy and landed in the water right in front of us and Liesel didn't move. She was rewarded by it's demise as it realised it's mistake and got up again only to be shot as it flew away. This time she earned her keep by finding a pricked duck hiding in the dark down in the river where we could not get and could not see. Very Happy

We finished the weekend with a walk around another farm where we found a couple of ducks to shoot and a Canada Goose which had a badly broken wing where it had been shot earlier. Dickie put it out of it's misery and Liesel got her first experience of a goose Shocked

It was like she couldn't believe her eyes and danced around barking at it Laughing

I later set her up for a very short retrieve and persuaded her to pick it up but she may take a few more before she is confident enough to pick one up freely Laughing

As you can imagine, I am thrilled to bits with my girl Very Happy

Okay it is a bit rough around the edges at times, she still needs reminding to stay at heel every ten metres or so which gets rather wearing Mad

but less so than being dragged on the lead Evil or Very Mad

But she was generally obedient and listened to me if I needed to direct her on a retrieve. When she picks up a runner she faffs around and nips at it before she gets hold of it (she did damage some - but not too badly). The dead ducks were picked up cleanly so I hope this is a confidence thing and she will get over it Confused

We now have a very weary wirehair sleeping the day away. She went twice around the garden and out to the chickens this morning and then supervised us butchering the ducks before retiring to bed again Laughing

Helen S

28 duck, 1 hare, 1 goose, 12 pukeko (big moorhen) and some vermin. 3 shooters and one dog.

Sunday evening - wornout wirehair!

kiwi · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 5:46 am Post subject:

great weekend helen, i really feel sorry for the hunters that don't have the use of a well trained gundog....my own two are a little stiff today as well.........well done liesel

Bareve · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 6:47 am Post subject:

Well done Helen and Liesel - what a fabulous weekend Very Happy

You should be well pleased with how things went Smile

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Helen S · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 6:56 am Post subject:

"well trained gundog" - not sure how well trained, but I think she qualifies as a gundog now! We all know it is well worth putting in those months of effort but it was particularly satisfying for me to have it acknowledged by the neighbour who allows me to use his ground to train her.

Did Sweep earn his colours?

Helen S

kiwi · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 8:07 am Post subject:

yeah he done well on sun to bring in a paradise duck that had dropped into a huge bog pond,almost crawling through the mud like an alligator for 50 meters.....sika done well picking up lost birds from other shooters.
had a morepork sitting in the manuka bush right beside the maimai at first light and that was a highlite....not a huge bag but enough to keep it interesting.

kiwi · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 8:10 am Post subject:

better translate that for the poms.
had a native owl sitting in a tea tree bush beside the duck blind Laughing

windem bang · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 10:04 am Post subject:

You lucky upside down sods !! Wish it was me! Very Happy

Bill T.

sako75 · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 10:33 am Post subject:

Well done Helen and liesel , it makes all the hard work very worthwhile. I am chuffed for you both and look forward to reading about your next big day out Very Happy

Barry.
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countrygirl · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 1:35 pm Post subject:

Glad you had a good w/end Helen it makes good reading

Caz
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Greyghost · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 10:00 pm Post subject:

Wow what a fantastic weekend you all had. Well done Helen, all that training has certainly paid off and not forgetting Liesel what a little star Very Happy

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