A good friend of mine asked to join him on a 2 day hunt out in Ontario, OR. Leaving Portland Friday afternoon and returning Sunday night made for a long trip but considering his success from a trip in Dec I thought it would be worth it. And getting away with a buddy is always a good idea.
He has a friend that lives in Boise who was serving as our guide. He knows the areas well and runs top notch dogs. The hunt itself was pretty tough. The 2 hour limits they had earlier in the season were not the case anymore. We were into birds early and often but the big groups didn’t want to hold point with the heavy winds and all of the hunting pressure they have seen. But the singles and doubles were a ton of fun, I love watching those dogs work. The other tough part was my body. Not that I’m that out of shape or anything but when hunting with a guy who gets out hunting 2-3 times a week tested the limits of my legs and back. The effort out in the field made dinner and drinks taste all that much better Saturday night.
Our Sunday was cut short due to injury. About an hour into it we were walking down the side of a creek over some large rocks. I was stepping down on a smaller one when my left foot slipped out from under me. My right ankle cracked off the side of a rock and landed on my backside with my feet in front of me. I could tell right away something was not right with my right foot but I could move my toes. The pain was intense, I felt like I was going to be sick. I sat for a second to get my breath, popped a few Advil, tied my boot as tight as I could and started the hike back to the truck. Turns out we were about 3 miles away and slowly worked our way back. When we were about ½ mile away a dog goes on point. One bird, one shot and all of a sudden my ankle doesn’t really hunt anymore. So we hunt on picking up a few here any there. But it was the side hill 2 mile walk back that made me wish I had just went back to the rig when I had a chance.
I kept it on ice for the ride home and worked the next 2 days and finely went in on Wednesday when I couldn’t take it anymore. Turns out I broke my right ankle and 98% of the time when you have a break like this it requires surgery. But some how mine lined up the way it should and I only have to spend 6 weeks in a walking boot.
What a trip! Here is Tom and I with a few dogs and some birds…
5 for Fighting
First Chucker Hunt (pic)
Replica of a Hagg Monster 8.1 pounds!
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