Thursday, April 13, 2006

A Quick First One




This little fellow was a quick find and a shallow dig on state land. We had just started down the path along this field edge, when I realized Sailor was no longer with us -- she had stopped to sniff a hole the other dog had given a pass to, and I never paid it a mind.

The old girl had found, of course, and by the time we backtracked 40 yards down the path, she was baying up a storm. Though we are in the middle of long drought, the ground was pretty soft from a decent rain the night before, and this fellow made a valiant effort to dig away.

For his troubles we let him go completely unharmed (he is very much alive in the picture above). Perhaps we will dig on him later in the season, when he is a few pounds heavier.

There is nothing easier than killing something at the end of a dig, but it is not always needed. Anyone who thinks they cannot bleed a farm white by killing off everything they encounter, is not hunting too often or successfully. In my experience, if you let a few things go, and try to repair holes as well as you can, you are only the better for it in the long run.

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