DECEMBER 2014

A "clay" that got away

In the last post, I wrote about the "new" (to me) shotgun.  It's still feeling "sweet", so I guess there's no "buyer's remorse" from that trade.  The shotgun and I went "over" to Maine and visited with Brad Varney.  Brad is a shotgun shooting instructor in mid-Maine.

Besides being left-eye dominant (I'm right-handed.) He saw that I was trying to aim my shotgun.  Somewhere along the line, I became overly concerned about missing targets and unconsciously started aiming the shotgun like a rifle.

After verifying that the "dot" on the left lens of my shooting glasses  was in the correct position --blocking my left eye's vision and forcing the right eye to take over-- he put electrician's tape over the shotgun bead.  That ended the aiming!  After a few boxes of shells, I was back in business.  I left feeling better and mindful of "drills" that I would be practicing all winter.

Taped bead

After my trip to Maine, the weather turned messy.  Between work,snow, sleet, wind, rain and freezing temps, we didn't get much hunting done.  K-Lee and I finally made it to a couple of pheasant "sites".  We like to go after the "mobs" have gone through.  We usually pick up a "survivor" here and there, but this year the fields were scrubbed pretty clean.  Not far from home, we were able to "get out" before the weather gave us real trouble.  Later, while snow was on the ground, we went to one of our favorite places.  There was only six to eight inches of snow, but the crust on top was tough for both K-Lee and myself.  We checked out some familiar apple trees and alders, but finally threw in the towel.  We were both sore.

An apple tree amongst others

What was that?

The fireplace is ablaze, sending heat into our living room.  The trees (yes, trees) and candles are lit.  "Charlie Brown's Christmas" theme song is playing in the background.  The season is fully upon us. 

With Christmas but a few days away,  I feel to say as did "Tiny Tim":  "God bless us everyone!"  Here's wishing each of you a very merry Christmas and  I hope your Christmas holiday is not as difficult for you as it is for this fellow!

A little help here?

I THINK THE STARS ARE BEGINNING TO ALIGN.

Sometimes you just get lucky.  Last month I walked into a local gun shop  and did my "fly-by" routine.  I checked out all the used shotguns--that's my market.  As I was leaving the store, I saw it.  It  yelled "Grouse Gun!" to me from across the room and my heart heard it.  There, on consignment, was a Model 200E 20 guage Ithaca SKB double-barreled shotgun.  Lust burned within me.  I asked to see it.  The  shotgun was used, but still in very good condition--less a slight blemish on the stock.  I figured that in one season, I'd add a several more.

(My shooting had been off this year, and I knew that buying it wouldn't be the solution--but if I were going to get back on track, this is the gun I would use to do it.)

I "mounted" the gun a few times.  It was sweet.  I found myself thinking about that part in the Bible where a pearl merchant found a 'pearl of great price' and "went and sold all that he had, and bought it."  Using the clerks tape measure, I measured the barrel length, the pull, and checked everything I could. Then I went home and got on the computer.  The measurements indicated that the gun was "stock" and hadn't been altered.  The lust continued to grow. My mouth went dry.  I had it bad.


I once owned a Model 100 Ithaca SKB in 12 guage.  I liked it a lot, but it was too heavy.  After several miles it wore me down. This little shotgun was like a dream date for the junior prom.

I had a 20 guage CZ Ringneck that I wanted very much to trade--it felt like cordwood to me.  I also had an old pistol that would have made a better hammer.  I thought to myself, "I wonder if I can get 'close enough' to trade?"  (You see, my wife and I have an agreement that anything over $100, we discuss before I buy--a seemingly foolish agreement on my part, but I'm "locked in".)

Similar Model with 28" barrels

Bright and early the next morning, I walked into the store.  The Ithaca was still there.  I presented my two objects for scrutiny.  The owner evaluated both of them and--after an eternity of calculating and re-calculating-- said that they would trade and give me $5.  I grabbed the deal.   One man's trash.... Grinning,  I called my wife while on the way home.

Next, I needed to get back in the game.

If I'd been "stimulated" with a "training collar" every time I "missed" this season,  I'd be stuttering now.  It was time to act.  I was making excuses for my poor performance and this had to stop.   (See previous post on September 13:  Busting Clays--Or Not!)

Here's the transcript of the actual email I sent to a shooting instructor in Maine:

Dear Mr. Varney,
I'm finally facing the fact that I've developed some bad habits and probably never learned good ones for wing shooting.  It's gotten so bad that my dog sent me away for shooting "therapy".  I need your help to get my game improved.  Perhaps spring?
Den

Here's the transcript of the actual response:

Dennis, if your dog could talk he would tell you to take a lesson with me so you could hold up your end.  I do lessons by appointment till we get plowable snow.  At that point I wait till the snow melts.
I suggest you call me ... to discuss your needs and my schedule.
Brad
PS:  Please tell your dog that help is just around the corner.



I turned in my chair and  told  K-Lee what Brad had written.  She left me and returned with the phone.
I think the stars are beginning to align.

"DEAD LEAF"

Down

The Pudelpointer people call K-Lee's color "dead leaf".  It's not really liver, and certainly not golden.  It's not red enough to be called red and not brown enough to be called brown.  "Dead leaf" is a good fit.

It took personal "reprogramming"  to learn to look for certain things when hunting with K-Lee.  Solid patches of her color amongst the trees, and  flashes of movement became  two "triggers" for my eye. Even with those clues, I sometimes lose track of her.  Suffering from hearing loss from exposure to loud noises doesn't help either.

Sometimes I need to "ping" her beeper.  Sort of like "The Hunt For Red October"--"Give me a ping Vasili. ... One ping only."  It's usually then that I realize she did the "ninja thing" and had sneaked up on me from behind.  I think she enjoys doing that.

It's right there boss!

October 20 has come and gone.  Per doctor's orders, we held off hunting until then, and have since been slowly building her stamina.  The other day, we jumped two ducks, pointed three snipe and two woodcock.  Needless to say, it was good to have "Team K-Lee" back in the field.

Tomorrow, we head for the Great North Woods for a few days.  We'll close our camp and visit with friends.  Of course, the daylight hours will be spent searching for grouse and woodcock.

Since being taken off the "sick list", we brought home a couple pheasant , but I've taken to not shooting at an upland bird that wasn't pointed--especially since she has discovered that if she runs through the tall grass, she can put up a running bird!  Being cooped up in a cage for 8 weeks and under house arrest for another 8 weeks has left us both re-learning many things.  That said, while she was in her last weeks of recuperation, we had a chance to practice our yard work.

Hunting with K-Lee these past several days I've been grateful for that.  She walked at heel (off lead) as we sneaked on ducks,  She lies down and takes a break when I do.  Her "nose" is better than ever and things are improving overall..  I'm glad that we spent time doing those things when we were under "house arrest".  Now let's see what the Great North Woods will bring.  Perhaps just a little snow will make "dead leaf" be easier to see!

So uh, What's new?

A FAMILY AFFAIR

This morning, I spent a few hours at a local "pheasant site". ( Yep, that's right.  New Hampshire does a stocking for hunters and it's a "put and take" affair--sort of like most of the trout fishing here in the Northeast.) Since K-Lee is still "benched" from her surgery, I took my camera.  We saw a few birds in the air and my friend, who brought his (English) pointer, found some on the ground.  What pleased me the most was seeing boys and girls enjoying the sport with their adults.


My hunting partner and I met a "father and son" team.  If I were to guess, the son was about 9-11, and the Dad near "middle age".   His son was "tagging along"' soaking up information like a sponge.  It was obvious that soon, the lad would gain enough wisdom and understanding to have his own fowling piece.  They were  enjoying themselves and carefully observing safety in their hunt.  I was very impressed with the young man's ability and independence.  We need more young boys like that.

Further down the road, was a dad with his two daughters and two german shorthaired pointers.  The girls were handling the dogs, and dad was just giving 'guidance'.  I loved it!  I  asked the youngest girl, "Are you having fun?"  Her entire face lit up with a huge grin and she said, "Oh YES!!" ...then she wrangled her young shorthair into position.  I said, "Hello old timer" to the other shorthair and the eldest daughter corrected me saying, "Old girl".  I thanked her for the correction.  She was very obviously going to grow up to be a "dog woman".  



Another pleasing site was a group of young men  enjoying the sport.  Hearing the name of a dog that I had met at a NAVHDA event, I went over and said "Hi". A group of young men were working  "Wheland".   Gentlemen every one.

These are just a few of the things that reminded me that there is much, much more to our sport.  True, birds and dogs are at the heart of it, but (for me at least) there is great pleasure in seeing that family members of all ages can participate in such "celebrations" of the fall.

Perhaps its because of where you find ruffed grouse that hunting them tends to deal more with solitude. In contrast to that, the stocked--almost social-- pheasant fields have their purpose too.  They are a place where a daughter or son can be with dad or mom (or some other adult) and share unique experiences.  Here, in these "put and take" locations, families can take a moment--away from jobs, videos, soccer, housework, football and fund-raiser car washes .-- and connect on a very unique and fundamental level.

Seeing these young people and their adults did more for my heart than anything in years.  Let's keep it up America! Let those young folks into the game!

BUSTING CLAYS.....OR NOT!

This is the time of year when--for many of us--familiarity with our shotguns is renewed. Like  golfers who take their clubs out of the closet in the early spring and head for the golf course; in early autumn, many of us take our shotguns and go to the range or a friend's gravel pit and practice our skills...or lack thereof.  Some consider this a fall ritual.    I recently engaged in such a ritual with a couple of my friends--call them "Ed" and "Ian" for privacy's sake.

"Ed" breaking a clay--"If it flies, it dies"

As we traveled to the gravel pit where we had permission to shoot, I thought back to 1968.  Military "jungle training" instructors taught  jungle-bound recruits (i.e. me) how to shoot  weapons instinctively.  Green recruits we were!  We started with BB guns without sights, and shot at tissue boxes, then we moved to discs thrown into the air.  Eventually, we were trying for nickels and dimes.  The premise was that "the center of any object is the same size as the center of any other".  In theory, if you could hit the middle, it didn't matter how large or small the target was.  We got pretty "full of ourselves" and enjoyed shooting without sights using our rifles.

Moment of impact

I was remembering those days as I dropped a couple of shells into the chambers.  However, 45 years later, I seemed to have lost the "knack".  In fact, I was even worse this year than last.  My friends were hitting a good percentage of the clay targets, and I was hitting about half of their numbers--or less. 

After about twelve or fifteen "instant replays" in my mind, I realized two things: 1) I wear glasses now, and I forgot to put on my shooting glasses which set higher on my face. I would pick up the target with my glasses and  as I mounted the gun to shoot, I had to re-acquire the target because I was now looking over the glasses.  I shot low.  2)  I noticed that my mind isn't as 'quick' as it used to be.  By the time I had mentally acquired the target, it was a very healthy distance away.    Now my main "excuse" is that birds get up slower than clay pigeons ...which slow down after launch.  Birds are generally the opposite...unless you're pass shooting some feathered rockets.  That's another story.

"Ian" busting a clay target

The truth is that my mind doesn't engage as quickly as it used to.  When a clay pigeon flew across my field of view, it took me too long to "zero in" on it.  There were no wing-beats of a rising bird to "cue" me.  Stopping my swing didn't help either!

If we could practice "catch and release" hunting, I would be one of the first in line.  For me, the birds are just a means to be with working gun dogs--not the other way around.

Another 'busted' clay pigeon

My mind just doesn't pick things up as quickly as it used to? "Big deal".  At least it's still fun being out there in the sights, the smells, and the exhilaration of autumn.  Am I slowing down?  You bet! Both physically and mentally!  Events seem to keep reminding me that I'm not that much different than one of my friends who often said, "Well, I'm going to bed now.  I'm going to take out my hearing aids so I won't be able to hear you. I'll take off my glasses so I won't be able to see you, and I'm taking out my teeth so I won't be able to chat with you.   I'll put them all on the nightstand  and go to bed -- a mere 'shadow' of the man I used to be."

So I'll practice a few more times and perhaps tune up a little.  And come opening day,  if you see a man with his belly in the "first trimester" that has stopped to take a break part-way up the hill, or one sitting on a log talking to his pudelpointer, it's probably me, just enjoying the moment. Please do stop and chat for a minute or two.  Celebrate the day with the dog and me.  We'll both get as many birds as Providence will allow, and who knows?  We may even become friends.  Just don't ask me about my coverts!

LIBERATION!! .... WELL, SORT OF...

For those who are following K-Lee's progress, her final "TPLO" (see post of June 29)  check-up at the Norway Veterinary Hospital was last Tuesday.  The X-rays showed that she was healing well and  Dr. Gauger was quite pleased with her progress.

Before surgery and after surgery Images

Her surgery on June 26th was "significant".  The angulation of the left leg's tibial plateau was changed by surgery.  A plate and pins were installed. (Images at left).

At last Tuesday's  check-up, K-Lee was given a new set of rules.  She is now "at liberty" to go throughout the house interior--even upstairs. Freedom!

Morning fog on the field

Outside--not counting "potty breaks"--she is only to go on three or four l0-15 minute walks daily.  The leash walking will extend throughout the month of September. Starting in October, she will begin to spend more time on the walks until October 20th.  A  longer rope/leash may be used.   After the 20th, she is free to hunt and run as usual.    

My wife and I spent eight weeks "nursing" K-Lee and keeping her activity VERY restricted, so Doctor Gauger's "release" to full house activity was significant to us.  Now we are "physical therapists".  So, four times a day, K-Lee and I enjoy walks in the backyard.  Strolling with rubber boots through the late summer dew is invigorating for handler and dog.  We have crossed the mid-way point in the process, but it's still too soon to start "counting down" the days.

Waiting for the Great Pumpkin

I plan to begin hunting on relatively flat ground for the first few days to see how she fares.  Once we clear that hurdle, we'll travel to the "Great North Woods" and hunt with friends.

Can't wait!

THE FLUES

Frank Shaw

Hunting buddies are rare--mentors even more so.  The gentleman who introduced me to bird hunting, Frank Shaw, passed away a few years  ago and I still miss him.  He was brilliant and a bit of a 'loose cannon' at times, but the waitresses loved him--especially when he tipped them generously using two dollar bills.  In his second career, he was in charge of a small USPS  post office and people would drive an extra couple of miles just to do business with him.  He was a people person.  It seemed as if everyone knew and loved him.

One fall day, when Frank and I were at a gun shop in Whitefield, NH,  the owner handed me a double barreled shotgun and said, "You're a 'double guy', how would you like this one?  I'll give you a good price."  He handed me a shotgun with about a four inch wooden extension built onto the butt. (He said that it belonged to a very tall gentleman.)  I already owned doubles in 12, 20 and 28 gauge.  I was wrestling with whether or not I really wanted a '16'--"After all," I reasoned, "today's twenty will do basically the same job as the sixteen".  I brought it up towards my shoulder and the butt slammed into my armpit.  I was thinking, "I don't know...."

After a few moments of what must have been extreme patience on his part, Frank said, "Let me see that."  I said something like, "Okay." and handed him the shotgun.  He turned to the store owner and said "I'll take it."   Just like that, my buddy bought the shotgun out from underneath me. 

He made it into a little project.  He cut the wood extension off the butt stock and replaced the Ithaca recoil pad.  Where there was a large chip in the butt stock, he took the dust from his 'surgery' and  made a "resin" paste  and filled in the stock.  In general, he cleaned up the gun and made it usable. Occasionally, he took it out of the cabinet and hunted with it.  He and I had a running "joke" about how he got 'tired of me trying to make up my mind', so he bought it.  I acted like it bothered me.

Time went on.  A few years ago, he came down with cancer.  The VA doctors couldn't do anything to stop it.  After a stay at the VA Hospital in Boston, he made his way home to prepare for his own trip across the  "rainbow bridge".  As I sat by his recliner and we recounted our many little adventures, I had the chance to tell him "Thanks".  It was then that he told me that he was leaving me the Ithaca "Flues".  I said, "Geez Frank, I didn't want it that way, I'd rather go hunting with you and you use it."  "I know" he said, "but that's not in the cards, 'Bud'."

He passed away amongst friends and family. He was cremated, and his ashes were placed in a small locker.  I had to chortle--a US Army veteran and retired postmaster being buried in a VA cemetery in what looked like a post-office box--it seemed somewhat like poetic justice.

So now I possess the 16 gauge Ithaca Flues.  It was manufactured in 1911, and fits me unusually well.  So much in fact, that I wonder if Frank wasn't setting it up for me all those days.  The story and flood of memories are worth more to me than the gun itself--especially as I wonder, "Who will watch over it when 'my time' comes?" 

For now, I'm satisfied to bask in reveries of colorful autumns  and let the feelings wash over me like  warm waves from the South Pacific.

###

PET INSURANCE: IS IT WORTH IT?

Merrimack Valley Chapter NAVHDA member Terry Long mentioned pet insurance in an article of the August 2012 chapter newsletter that inspired me. It started me considering as to whether or not I would purchase pet insurance for my new puppy, K-Lee. 

Let me start out by saying that I'm a one-dog guy.  I've done two, and I know folks who have more than that.  For me, I like the "one companion" which is also a hunting dog.  So this post is written from the perspective of a one-dog guy.  It may not fit your situation. This is simply my experience on the matter.

Standing and feeling a little dopey

I'm kind of a nerd.  I keep all my vet bills chronologically in a file, so it was relatively easy to pull the lifelong veterinary billing history of my (previous) Shorthair and Brittany.  I ran a spreadsheet and soon realized that (for me) under normal situations, having pet insurance  was a break-even proposition.  The histories of cuts, slashes, porcupine encounters, shoulder injuries, and other medical emergencies showed that the overall cost was close to the same for both dogs --and came out the same--whether I had insurance or not.  I wrote an article on that subject for Northeast Outdoors Experience (NEOX) website and took a little flack here and there from readers.  Regardless, I went ahead and purchased VPI major medical pet insurance.  (There are many options out there, but VPI "worked" for me.)

If you've been following this blog, you know that my Pudelpointer, K-Lee, had a torn cruciate ligament (ACL).  My "primary care" veterinarian examined her and thought that she had a soft tissue strain or sprain.  I thought so too--until she quickly became lame again.  Following the advice of Merrymeeting Kennel's Blaine and Patti Carter and the identical advice from Ripsnorter Kennel's Jeff and Lisa Georges, I located an orthopedic veterinarian.    Doctor Gauger of Norway Veterinary Hospital in Maine  came with a strong recommendation from Merrymeeting Kennels.  I asked him for a second opinion and  Dr. Gauger was kind to oblige.  It was during the examination that he found a torn ligament--noting that it was difficult to find and could easily have been missed by my primary veterinarian.

Showing off her stitches

Decision time.  I could wait and let things linger, or act and have K-Lee back onto the road for recovery--perhaps in time for late bird season.
Doctor Gauger had an opening that day in his surgery schedule, and we made the decision to act.
K-Lee required a TPLO (Tibia Plateau Leveling Osteotomy).  I knew the procedure would cost over three thousand dollars, but it was the best solution of all that were presented.  Had I not been "covered" by pet insurance, I may have looked for lesser measures and hoped that they would be enough.  (I had been down a similar road with my Shorthair and wasn't going to travel that route again!)  We dove in.

Here's the results of the bills and the coverage of insurance.
First visit with x-rays to "primary" vet:  $349.29 (less $250 deductible)--VPI paid $99.29
NVH TPLO procedure and follow-up: $3230.30 (no further deductible required) --VPI paid $3,190.71
One "ineligible" expense that I picked up was for $6.94.

My out-of-pocket-expenses-to-date for K-Lee's treatment was $296.23.  Not bad for 28 dollars a month!
A quick calculation revealed that it would take me almost ten years of premiums to come up with the equivalent of the benefits received--without any further claims.  I'll take it!

Perhaps you may want to investigate the subject of "pet insurance".  There are many pet insurance  vendors, and maybe one of them would meet your needs.  I can only speak to my experience and wish you and your pup well.

"Bed-head"

A TIBIAL PLATEAU LEVELING OSTEOTOMY (TPLO)

Typical indicator of torn cruciate ligament

Those of you who follow my posts may remember that not long ago, K-Lee was lame in her left rear leg and we concluded that it was a "soft tissue" injury--a sprain or strain.  A few weeks after the visit to the local vet --and about $300 later, the ailment returned after a moderate work-out.  K-Lee seemed fine when we ''cooled'' her and put her in the kennel for the ride home.  Later while unloading, we noticed that she tucked her left rear leg against her abdominal cavity and even after she worked through that, she had a limp and would rest her leg without pressure.  See picture at right.

I immediately put her on Cosamin DS and an anti-inflammatory drug.  She soon returned to "normal", but I  didn't believe it was "normal" at all. ( I had been down this sort of "road" with my German Shorthair, 'Taylor'.)  My breeder and my trainer both said that it sounded like a torn "ACL" (cruciate ligament). I decided to go to the next level.   I asked trainers at Merrymeeting Kennels in Brunswick Maine if they knew of a good orthopedic veterinarian in New Hampshire--or nearby.  They recommended Norway Veterinary Hospital in Norway,. Maine.  (http://www.norwayvethospital.com/)  

Dr Gauger was kind enough to schedule an exam and give me a second opinion. He took additional radiographs and after examining K-Lee and asking my wife and I questions, he spent quality time explaining what he found.  Both my trainer and breeder had guessed correctly--torn ligament. There were several options available to repair the joint, but the Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) was the best option.  There was no pressure from the "veterinarian side".  I liked Dr. Gauger, the wonderful facility and the staff, so I jumped in.  "Let's do it" I said.  

Quite often cruciate ligament failure is a gradual process and not simply due to a single traumatic injury. As Dr. Gauger said, "Dogs don't play football."  Most dogs have a predisposing factor such as age-related ligament degeneration, or perhaps pre-existing inflammation, anatomical abnormalities, or excessive slope of the top of the tibia bone--which can cause ligament failure. It seemed that K-Lee's problem was excessive slope-- which in my opinion, is a "conformation" defect...perhaps handed down from some distant canine ancestor. 

It turned out that Doctor Gauger had an opening in his surgical schedule, so K-Lee was operated on the very same day, and her recovery began immediately. She will be recuperating for about sixteen weeks, and  is presently on a very restricted regimen.



She is shaved on the left rear leg, along the spine just before the rump and on one foreleg for an IV.  I think she's upset at me for that "look".  She will take treats from my wife, but not from me. 
(Once she get's better, I think we'll need to do a 'summer' haircut.)


There are other orthopedic vets out there, but for me, Norway Veterinary Hospital was definitely the way to go.

If you would like to know about the procedure, here are a few links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGIxCPekppk

http://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk/our-services/surgery/conditions/hind-limb/cranial-cruciate-ligament-injury

http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/tplo.htm



I'm really grateful for "pet insurance", but that's another story.