Working dogs I
December 8th, 2010
Once the hunting trials were completed in the autumn I have been eagerly waiting for the drive hunting with dogs to begin. Here in Slovakia they don’t start until in November. So most of my hunting colleagues begin a month earlier. So in October I was told one hunting story after another about how the dogs worked. You could actually hear in their detailed descriptions that the time of the dog handlers was here. Their joy could not be mistaken, it is simply Prime time. Sure, I was thrilled by all the stories but it was slightly frustrating at the same time, I wanted to be a part of the stories as well!
Now it seems to be a bit the opposite. I hear reports that in some places there it is so much snow in various parts in Sweden that driven hunt with dogs has been temporary canceled. Not at all fun when you’ve been waiting for this so long it is obvious that we also should be think about the game. Down here we still have good conditions. So this weekend my had dogs their “15 minutes of fame” for two days.
Saturday’s hunt offered a soundfull drives, barking at bay and and a lot of adrenaline.
Pax Mariae Gemma ie Molly, who is my most talented game finder had several drives with both red deer and wild boar. Nelly vom Wolfsbau, who has her first real hunting season, also got to work and live up to the expectations that’s been put on her. The first ”hot” situation was when I heard then two barking at bay after a number of shots. It was just to go there. Once there, it was a wounded boar that needed to been put to death. Now several dogs held the wild boar so everything went quick.
Further along in the drive I got the chance. Two pairs of “stray wild boars”, that were not directly driven by any dog came trotting out of the bushes and I got a double.
Fifteen minutes later it was time for the dogs to show that they were for real. Once again I got a chance and it was a larger boar that came over the road and past me diagonally. The shot went and there were no reaction of the boar who went on running. But not long after I hear Nelly barking in the thick bushes about 75 meters away. I hurry down the road that gives me the advantage to catch them up. Now Molly found the boar as well and they work together. I approach the sound of the dogs barking while I can hear my own pulse. I know that the boar is of the larger type so I have to be careful. I come in at 20 meters and and I see now the boar who suspects something and gets restless. Fortunately shot goes off before anything else and boar falls to the ground. The dogs gets to bit and pull the hair as a reward I see now that the boar actually is shot five meters from where I got the first two wild boars a half hour earlier. How convenient! The hunt continues and little bit longer and Molly has time to find a wild boar that the hunting leader gets to shoot for her. Always appreciated! Now the hunt is over and traditional Slovak ceremony is waiting. We thank you for an excellent hunt.
Home to eat, sleep and recharge for tomorrow.
To be continued …