First Hunting Trip of the Season

First hunting trip of the season began with a trip to a reclaimed stripmine. Emma bumped a grouse 100 yards from the truck and a little later I almost stepped on a grouse that flushed from some old logs that I was climbing over. Last season I decided not to shoot wild flushes and I continued it this year as I watched the grouse sail away. We made the long climb to the top of the mountain where the stripmine was overgrown with locust, aspen, & alders growing in fields of goldenrod and briers. Emma went on point in some chest high goldenrod and locust trees. As I made my way to her a woodcock flushed off to the right. I threw two shots at it more to honor Emma's point than to hit it and it flew on to live another day. but Emma had held the point nicely and I was pleased with her. We hunted the area thoroughly but didn't find anymore woodcock so started back down the mountain. I had another wild flush while Emma was hunting below me and that was it for the day. Didn't get any nice shots of the cover we hunted so here's one of Olga my first Husky with her new sling.

Some kind of Lichen that I've noticed growing in several of my covers.
Some kind of weird puffball. It had a pretty neat pattern on it.

Back at the truck for a tick comb out. Have most of the next 4 weeks off and hope to get Emma into some birds. Stay tuned.