Daisy's First Game

Saturday, January 7, 2006

I parked the truck at the beginning of Gibbs road this morning at 8:55. It was about 35 degrees, clear with little wind. I had both Daisy and Koko with me. The goal today was to shoot the rabbit I kicked up a few weeks ago when deer hunting.

Daisy is growing up fast and I need to get her turned on to tracking rabbits. The field I have in mind is about 1 mile down Gibbs road. It is a TWRA foodplot. The rabbit was in the overgrowth and briars on the field edge. As I made my way to the field, I hunted along the road in every patch of briars and weeds that resembled the location of the rabbit I am after.

After countless hours of hiking and hunting in 2005, I am convinced the rabbit population in the Cheatham Wildlife Management Area is far from abundant. However, it's a good morning to give rabbit hunting a 100% shot. I was carrying the Remington 870 with an improved choke and 2 3/4 shells with #6 shot.

Daisy is doing very well in the field. She comes when called, is fairly eager to keep her nose to the ground and hunt. Although at times, she seems to small overcome some of the terrain. Koko was a good influence on Daisy in terms of training Daisy to come when called from long distances.

No rabbits, no deer, no turkey, no squirrels, no humans, until I get to the very spot were I expect the rabbit to be. Just 3 feet in front of me, scratching it's way out of the thick and tangled weeds the rabbit is making a run for it. He made it 10 feet. You have to love improved chokes! I was a little nervous the shot would scatter too much for a quick kill especially considering the brush and bramble between me and the rabbit. The rabbit was stopped with one shot, but still using it's front feet to drag itself into a brush pile. I tried several times to get a second shot off and must of looked pretty funny to the wind...I couldn't get the damn gun to fire a second shot. Too many years and too much training on a semi-automatic. I forgot to pump in a new shell! Well I did, finally get it done.

I let Daisy get a nose full of the rabbit. I encouraged her to sniff, let her chew on the entrails, eat the heart and overall get excited. Koko didn't care, she was off hunting. Koko is a natural born hunter. She never stops hunting. She doesn't know what for, but her nose, eyes and ears are always working. She's a great dog. Daisy and I field dressed the rabbit. I put it in my game bag.

I hunted the remaining perimeter of the food plot, stood motionless and stared at miles and miles of wilderness visible from the spot on one end of the field, checked my watch...9:55, felt hot...must have been getting to 40 degrees, decided to head back. I hunted all the way back but saw nothing else. I got home by 11.

This the first game taken in 2006.

Also, the first game killed with the 870.

The first game killed with Daisy.

Tim Baumgartner