The Falling Leaves Drift By The Windows…

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162 – November/December, 2023

By Chris Robinson

In 1950, the late, great American songwriter, Johnny Mercer, wrote the English lyrics for a hit titled “Autumn Leaves.” While the song lyrics mourn a lost love, the first few words of the song are also a siren call to all hunting dog owners that the seasons for which they have trained all spring and summer has arrived. When the autumn leaves of red and gold start to fall, it’s time to start doing what the dogs were meant to do–go hunting.

The dogs, if they have hunted previously, also know that it’s time to do what they love most. They can tell by the feel and the scent of the changing seasons. The wind, which for five months always had a warm, soft feel to it even during thunderstorms, now has a sharp edge on the mildest of fall days–a reminder that dogs and humans alike will soon hear “old winter’s song.” The smell of damp leaves on the ground tells the dogs that their time is, once again, finally here. No more fetching dummies, no more following scent trails–interested though they might be but disappointed because at the end of the trail there was no bird or critter. All of that is in the past for at least the next month or more depending upon how long the season lasts or in the northern tier states, the blizzards stay away.

There is a lot of joy to be had hunting almost anything with a dog but the best moments come when the combined years of dog and hunter experience channel the efforts of both into a finely tuned team. Certainly you can hunt without a dog but it’s like Samuel Clemens’ definition of golf–“a good walk spoiled.” It’s especially satisfying to hunt with a dog when–without being given any sort of command–they know exactly what you want him or her to do. To watch dogs in the field flawlessly perform the actions for which they’ve been both bred and trained is the ultimate reward for a hunter. The dogs’ glory, when they’re successful, is so great that some of it spills over to shine on to their human hunting partners. A well-trained and talented dog is like an extension of a hunter’s identity since the dog’s actions allow a hunter to hunt well and hunt responsibly. The bond between a hunter and his or her dog is virtually unlike any other, built on years of trust and mutual respect. Together, they navigate through fields, forests and wetlands relying on each other’s skills and instincts to succeed.

Click here to read the complete article
162 – November/December, 2023

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Posted by AnthonyA on Nov 25 2023. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.