Soaring the Wind

Sunday I took Katana to two fields. She had some close attempts in the first field but no luck. She did take the first rabbit up in the second field though. It was a long flight and she nailed it atop a rock pile across the field. She is definitely flying much stronger now, I am glad that I am able to hunt her 6 days a week. I would take her out all 7, but it is nice to have a day off for both of us.
Today I took Katana out hunting, despite the 25-30 mph winds. The first field I came to yielded a few slips. When I hunt this field and get lucky, she will perch atop the bill board at one end. Today was such a day, and the billboard was upwind from where I was flushing - perfect. She had a beautiful flight from the top of the billboard, but all it yielded was a broken tail feather :(. I took her to another field that has fewer perches, and something amazing happened. She began to soar. Instinctively I reached for the lure, that is until I realized that she was circling above me. I began running around like a crazy person, desperately trying to flush a rabbit. She must have been 300 foot up when the rabbit broke. She folded her wings and dropped straight down. I could only sit and watch in awe. Even though she missed the rabbit, probably due to the wind, it was one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen her do. And that was not all, she did it twice. We left the field empty handed, but I consider this a very successful hunt. Her flight styles are evolving, all she needs to do is fine tune them.

21 rabbits, 3 snakes, 2 grasshoppers, 1 frog, 1 mouse, 2 rats

Still going :)

I gave Katana Tuesday off and took her back out on Wednesday. It was VERY hot, but I still flew her for almost 2 hours. She had some strong flights, but I did not get her the best slips. We left the field empty handed. On Thursday, Krys and I took her out and she was flying like she was tired. We cut the hunt short and gave her a days rest. I guess the long hunt and the wind from the day before wore her out. On Friday we hit a different field and after a long hunt and a lot of slips she nailed another rabbit. It almost seemed like she waited for the longest slip in the deepest brush but it worked. She was still flying like she was a little bit tired, but it all worked out. Today, we went to another field and she nailed the first rabbit that we slipped for her. I transferred her off and we kept on going. We had a few more slips, but they all made cover a split second before she made contact. She did have a few incredible brush crashes though, and was definitely flying strong again.
I have also added 2 new hunting dogs to my team: Sadie and Cooper. We picked up a pair of English Pointers and I plann on working with them and hope to fly Katana with their help next season.
20 rabbits, 3 snakes, 2 grasshoppers, 1 frog, 1 mouse, 2 rats

First Double of the Season!!

Took Katana out today to a field across the street from one we usually fly. She started out very strong and followed closely. Second bunny up, and she scored! Yea! I transferred her of and decided to keep hunting. The transfer was beautiful. I held her on the fist for a few minutes until she roused, and then kept on going. We had some more hard chases, but no success. After an hour and a half, we decided to make our way back to the car.We worked the outer edge of the field on the way back, but no flushes! I was starting to give up hope when I saw a rabbit sneak into a pile of wood. Katana followed to a tree nearby the pile, and Brandi and I began to flush. After pulling the pile apart, the rabbit finally broke free and Katana was in hot pursuit. It was a LONG flight, several hundred yard, and then I heard the familiar screams of a rabbit. Running as fast as I could, I made in. About halfway there the screams stopped but I kept running. Katana had the rabbit tightly by the head, and there was no escaping. I transferred her off and cropped her up for her efforts. She won't fly tomorrow, but will be ready to go again Wed! 2 in the bag - first double of the season! YAAHHHOOO!
18 rabbits, 3 snakes, 2 grasshoppers, 1 frog, 1 mouse, 2 rats

Yeah!

Took Katana out both Sat and Sun, but Sat was a bust. As soon as we got into the field it started pouring rain, so I had to put her up prior to any flushes. Sun was great. She had a couple of REALLY hard and long flights, and finally I flushed a rabbit right under her. Stooping out of a tree, she nailed it! I mad it, and another beautiful transfer. It just does not get much better than this. I think that she has decided to play ball again, and I will start trying for multiples soon - especially if she gets a rabbit early in the hunt. :)

16 rabbits, 3 snakes, 2 grasshoppers, 1 frog, 1 mouse, 2 rats

So much better :)

Katana got Monday and Tuesday off while turning her crop. Wednesday though, she was good to go! I took her out, again at 945 grams, and she nailed the second rabbit up. My first instinct was to keep flying her, but Krys was right when he told me to feed her up to reinforce her need to hang on to her rabbits. So I did. Her transfer was beautiful. As soon as I puled the lure she was on it. I took her out again today, and BAM! First rabbit was in the bag. Again, I went and fed her up and the transfer was perfect. I am so excited! I am hoping to keep her going. Soon I will try for multiples if she keeps nailing rabbits early in the hunt. It is really important for me to get her plenty of exercise.
15 rabbits, 3 snakes, 2 grasshoppers, 1 frog, 1 mouse, 2 rats

Interesting Week

I took Katana out hunting everyday this week. The beginning of the week was super windy, and as hard as she tried to stay up, she kept flying away. She has grabbed several rabbits, all of which have gotten away. She had started to make me scared that something was wrong with her. She has been missing the easy flights and letting go of rabbits she catches. These were the symptoms that Krys' bird Goose had when she had Malaria. He took her in and ran a fecal and blood work that came up clean though. On Wed, she finally connected. I ran in to transfer her off, and just as I did - the rabbit ran away. All this time that she has been unable to hold on - and this one was my fault! Ahhhh! No luck Thurs, Fri or Sat, but today we scored. First flight, first rabbit up and she nailed it. Perhaps the pedicure we gave her last night helped. Perhaps it was the 20 grams I took off her weight. Whatever it was, she had a good day. I let her feed up on the rabbit, the first time I have ever let her eat on a kill. I am hoping that will reinforce her to hold on. Needless to say, she won't fly for a day or two as she turns her crop, but I hope that she will keep up the good work that I know she is capable of.

13 rabbits, 3 snakes, 2 grasshoppers, 1 frog, 1 mouse, 2 rats