Cameron the Weimaraner makes a public apology for scratching his owner’s prized over/under shotgun, but not without offering a valid excuse.
Hunting can be an exciting time. Birds are flying, shotshells exploding, lots of loud bangs and birds falling. OK, I hunt with Mike so most of the time so that birds falling part does not always follow a bang. When it does, however, I get cranked! I can find downed birds in brush and briars on par with the best retrievers.
OK, I must disclaim I did find a dead dove and then a live bird when Mike shot a double at a dove field. Go, Mike, go! I retrieved the first bird and pointed the second live bird. Don’t fault me… Mike has never been clear on instructions of what to do. I’ve moved on. Let’s keep hunting.
OK, often when the birds pile up because Mike is on his game, he drags out the camera. I’m busy running around and he wants to stop the action. As I said, I’m cranked. As he is snapping photos, he likes to include shotshells, shotguns and other gear. I thought hunting is all about me, but OK, whatever.
It was not my fault that the flashy double-barreled over/under shotgun got scratched. He placed it on the ground and was trying to stage a photo when I saw a bird flying. I took off and one of my toenails slid across what I thought was a stone. Oops, turns out that was the shotgun and now it has a reminder that hard dog toenails (alias claws) and soft shotgun wood stocks are NOT compatible. I’m sorry for the very noticeable scratch. I’ve moved on. Mike has not.
Every time he does manage to blast numerous birds from the sky, he wants to shoot photos and inevitably a shotgun goes on the ground as a prop to make me look better. I am kinda tired of Mike always commenting “don’t scratch my shotgun.” Good grief, it happened more than five years ago and was an accident. He needs to get over it. I’m going hunting!
– Cameron the Weim
This collection, first published in 1998, turns to Archibald Rutledge’s writings on two subjects near and dear to his heart that he understood with an intimacy growing out of a lifetime of experience―upland bird hunting and hunting dogs. Its contents range from delightful tales of quail and grouse hunts to pieces on special dogs and some of their traits. Bird Dog Days, Wingshooting Ways also includes a long fictional piece, “The Odyssey of Bolio,” which shows that Rutledge’s literary mastery extended beyond simple tales for outdoorsmen. Shop Now
