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| Peaches and the limit- ND |
Sorting through some old dog pictures.... This is Randy's Southern Peach or "Peaches" to those who hunted over the lady. Never flashy, always working, always on game, Peaches was the old, reliable, steady dog that loved her job. She was overshadowed by flashier, faster, and more stylish setters in the kennel, but when push came to shove, Peaches came out of the box and found birds for me. I remember, in Texas, watching her head up a draw in her signature lope. Just before she disappeared around the corner, I noticed just the slightest break in her stride- and then she was gone. After years of watching her work, I knew exactly what I'd find as I stepped around the hill- Peaches had a huge covey of Bob's pinned in a clump of shin oaks. I got a double that time- heck, I was shooting at 30 birds coming up at my feet! Another time, the wind was blowing hard in the panhandle of Texas (really?) and this was pre-Garmin Tracker. She was hunting with a bell and beeper and I could hear neither. I searched the draws and grass and waterholes and, after maybe 10 minutes, I saw the tip of her white tail above the blowing grass. I was filled with respect for this dog as I kicked around for a full minute before the lone, buried up Bobwhite blew out of the tall grass. He dropped and Peaches went after him, located him in the grass and brought him back to hand. She was a good one. There are parts of this country that I have a hard time hunting without a certain dog- all the memories come back as I load the shotgun, check the compass, and leave the truck. "This was Peaches' ditch....", I think to myself......
