First rooster!!

[Powerstroke]

I finally got on the board today. Me and my pup Riley finally got our first flush and first bird of the year. I found a great little WPA that I hadn't been to before. A small section of it isn't on the map, but it was posted legal so we hopped out and hunted it. On the way back into the wind along the field edge we flushed a rooster about 10yds in front. I say we cause I don't quite remember where the dog was, but I let that bird climb a little and hammered him with some #4's out of my O/U 20ga.

The bird dropped behind a berm so I started walking over to see if I could help my rookie dog. No help was needed. He was already walking back very calmly with a rooster in his mouth. I've never seen my springer so calm. I couldn't have been happier. I spent the next 5 minutes looking at that bird and praising my dog.

We hunted 2 chunks of public land. We saw NOTHIng on the first one, except for two other vehicles of hunters who swung by and drove off. No wonder we couldn't find anything. Second place was good, but I think it gets just as much pressure.

The lesson here for me was that I brought along some steel shot. I didn't know where I would hunt, but if I hadn't brought any steel I wouldn't have been able to hunt on that WPA.

[Chisox]

Nice report. If you can find those little out of the way places they pay dividends. I have an 8yr old lab with the same name--Riley