Can't Wear Her Out!!!

I try to take Katana out marathon hawking at least once a week, and today was that day. We started at one of her old time favorite fields. Right out of the car she perched on the building, which is rare for her. Usually I can't get her up there even if I try! Awesome! She then soared overhead about 50 feet up, circling Krys and I waiting for a slip. Unfortunately, none came up. She then landed on a telephone pole above the marshy reeds. There are always a lot of rabbits in that area, but getting them to flush is a different story. Krys and I worked under her, and still nothing. We tried to move on to a different part of the field and Katana held her perch. I tried to call her to the lure...nothing. Krys said she was acting like she didn't want to play ball, but I told him she must be fixated on something. Turns out, I know my girl. While we were standing there arguing Katana dove of the pole to snag a rabbit. Got the Easter Bunny! This was the first rabbit that we had seen, and obviously Katana was not going to give up until it flushed. We started walking back to the car, working the field as we went. We kicked up several rabbits across the railroad tracks but they ran into the wind and she didn't get them. As we paused for a train, Katana took off over the train and to the far side of the field and went down. We had to wait for the train to pass, and then we started making our way to where she went down. She had not come up yet, so this meant that she probably had something. I figured by the time that we found her she would have a nice crop, but I was wrong. We found her clear on the other side of the field waiting patiently on top of rabbit #2 for the day - the Easter Bunny's Brother :). The transfer off of this one did not go smoothly, as she had been hanging on to it for a while and did not want to let it go. She did though, and we went back to the car kicking up one more quick miss on the way. I then took Katana to 2 more fields, thick with heavy brush. I know how much she likes to crash, and crash she did...and crash....and crash..... She did not get any more bunnies, but each flight was more spectacular than the last. The more she missed, the harder she crashed. I can usually tell when she is getting tired, as her perch selection gets lower. Not today. I flew her for around 4 hours, and her perch selection never faltered. She always picked the highest branch in the highest tree. I finally gave up on wearing her out, as I had only succeeded in wearing myself out. What a great day of hawking. Why does she have to peak at the top of her performance at the END of the season?? Hopefully it will be a foreshadow of things to come for next year. :)
38 rabbits, 5 snakes, 2 grasshoppers, 2 frogs, 3 mice, 4 rats, 1 crawfish