In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Last night's midnight adventure
susie
Member Posts: 7,694 ✭✭✭✭
So, Shiggles still has four siblings residing at my brother's house. He got home yesterday to find that two of the puppers had followed mama into the woods and didn't return. He called me and gave me a head's up to listen for howl outs. I live on the southside of the 70 acre farm, he lives on the north side. He said he was going to canvas the farm and surrounding area on his side to see if he could find them.
I was on the alert and would listen every time I went outside. 2130 hours he calls and still no pups. He went home to grab a bite and go back out.
I suited up in my insulated coveralls, jacket and gloves and fired up the 4-wheeler. I drove the gravel road on my side of the road for about four miles, whistling and calling. I would stop every 100 yards or so and listen. It was an adventure.
I heard dogs barking, coyotes howling, owls hooting and critters scuttling through the brush. When I would turn out the lights and sit in the dark it was a little spookish to see the glowing eyes of the spiders in the road, fields and forested areas. I stopped on the concrete bridge that crossed the creek and listened to the water flow through the culverts.
I didn't see any critters on my travels away from the house. On my return trip I had the pleasure to watch a few deer meander down the road until my presence spooked them. I came upon a black lump in the road that hadn't been there on my way out. I stopped to check it out and it was a dead possum. And even in the glow of the flashlight it was black. Most of them in this area are gray. I sat and wondered if this was a portent of the type of winter we will be having.
As I rounded the corner near home my heeler, Chief, met me near the mailbox and hopped up to join me in my travels. I stand a good five feet tall so my LOP or LOH (length of haul) isn't much. Lol. Forty five pound dog didn't want to ride on the front or back, no, he wanted to sit in my lap. So, here I am cradling Chief and driving around whistling and calling "puppies" at 2300 hrs.
Nothing on the public roadways so back onto the farm and driving through fields and woods still cradling the heeler. No luck. Met brother on the west side of the farm at the fence line on his return from his drive though adjacent farmland and down to the lake and back. We sat in the field and shot the bull for over an hour by an overcast moonlit night.
Got home about 0100 hrs and called it a night. Got up this morning at dawn to start the search. Brother called before I left the house. He had found the puppers on the farm just to the north of us. I took chicken wire over to him for him to line the dog pen to keep them inside. Hopefully they stay home. I thoroughly enjoyed the quiet midnight ride.
I was on the alert and would listen every time I went outside. 2130 hours he calls and still no pups. He went home to grab a bite and go back out.
I suited up in my insulated coveralls, jacket and gloves and fired up the 4-wheeler. I drove the gravel road on my side of the road for about four miles, whistling and calling. I would stop every 100 yards or so and listen. It was an adventure.
I heard dogs barking, coyotes howling, owls hooting and critters scuttling through the brush. When I would turn out the lights and sit in the dark it was a little spookish to see the glowing eyes of the spiders in the road, fields and forested areas. I stopped on the concrete bridge that crossed the creek and listened to the water flow through the culverts.
I didn't see any critters on my travels away from the house. On my return trip I had the pleasure to watch a few deer meander down the road until my presence spooked them. I came upon a black lump in the road that hadn't been there on my way out. I stopped to check it out and it was a dead possum. And even in the glow of the flashlight it was black. Most of them in this area are gray. I sat and wondered if this was a portent of the type of winter we will be having.
As I rounded the corner near home my heeler, Chief, met me near the mailbox and hopped up to join me in my travels. I stand a good five feet tall so my LOP or LOH (length of haul) isn't much. Lol. Forty five pound dog didn't want to ride on the front or back, no, he wanted to sit in my lap. So, here I am cradling Chief and driving around whistling and calling "puppies" at 2300 hrs.
Nothing on the public roadways so back onto the farm and driving through fields and woods still cradling the heeler. No luck. Met brother on the west side of the farm at the fence line on his return from his drive though adjacent farmland and down to the lake and back. We sat in the field and shot the bull for over an hour by an overcast moonlit night.
Got home about 0100 hrs and called it a night. Got up this morning at dawn to start the search. Brother called before I left the house. He had found the puppers on the farm just to the north of us. I took chicken wire over to him for him to line the dog pen to keep them inside. Hopefully they stay home. I thoroughly enjoyed the quiet midnight ride.
Comments
Take a siesta or eat some dinner and return an hour or two later and the dog has been there the two times this has happened to me. I know lost from home and just a pup, my story would not be much help.
Coyotes were our main concern as well. Smart little pups had not howled out the entire time we searched.
When Brotherbfound them he said he was glad he had on gloves. The male pup tore into him and he would have been a bloody mess.
Said they would not have been able to take on a 'yote, but a large squirrel would have been toast. Mom and dad beagle are hunting hounds so we aren't sure how far out the pups had traveled before they turned around and came home. They were within about 400 yards of home and worn out.
Brother said when he put them in the pen they went straight into doghouse and went to sleep.