Well, the morning started off at 03:00, I picked up Daniel around 03:45 but he couldn't seem to get motivated so it was just after 04:00 when we left his house. Four and a half hours later, we met up with Swing and continued on up to the first stop at our "Top Secret" locations. We walked the 1/4 mile in to the first spot and the dogs struck in almost immediately. Swing and I sent Daniel down to the spot where we figured that the rabbit would cross. After a little bit of a wait, Daniel made a good shot (that Fred Bear, Ted Nugent and G.I. Joe would have been proud of) and the first bunny was in the bag and we hadn't been out of the vehicles for more than 15 minutes. I was happy because I had taken Daniel out a couple of other times around home and he never got a shot at a rabbit, so I was really hoping this would be a good day for him.
It didnt' take long for the dogs to get another rabbit up and running. It went down towards the bottom of the hill and we waited for our ambush, but the rabbit had other things in mind and he turned and went back to where he was started. We repositioned and I told Daniel that I would give him first crack at it as it would come across the opening. Well, he shot low as I could see the dirt kick up about 5 yards below the rabbit. I took a shot at it as I was loosing sight of it on the edge of the opening. Swing was videotaping this section and I asked him if I hit it. Swing said that it looked like it tumbled end over end in his view finder. I ran up there and got to the rabbit about the same time the dogs did. The dogs got their reward and found their dead rabbit and then continued on to find another.
This rabbit was jumped up and over the crest of the hill over by the beaver pond. We never did see this one, it didn't cooperate very well and the dogs really had a tough time running it and eventually had a loss. We called them down and crossed the creek, which wasn't really a creek this year, and started them up the other side by the fields. I jumped one from right out from under my feet (man the rabbits were sitting tight) and called the dogs over. Another tough time running this rabbit too. Daniel managed a shot or two at this one, but he got away.
We moved up the fence row between the fields and the dogs struck open again. This rabbit wanted to get out of dodge in a hurry. The dogs were in hot pursuit. This crazy rabbit decided to run out into the field which didn't provide much cover as was farmed last year and maybe left to grow up this year, anyway... you could have seen a rat cross this field. The dogs had a check out in the middle of the field and Swing was walking up towards them when one of the dogs figured out the check and the race was on. I was in the other field to the east (Swing in the one to the west) when I saw the rabbit hauling bootie out in front of Swing and circling down to get back to the cover of the woods/brush/fence row. By the time Swing saw it (after I yelled to him), he was a pretty good distance away. Ol' eagle eye Swing let him have it and slowed him down. I positioned Daniel up along the edge of another field at the opening where I figured it might cross and I stayed back to cover the fence line opening between the fields that Swing and I were in. It didn't take long and the dogs were bringing the rabbit back towards us when I see Daniel pull up and shoot. Rabbit number three was in the bag.
OK Swing, my fingers are tired. You take it from here for a while!
Be ye kind one unto another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32
