Fox Collectors

I went hunting ten days ago with my now 12 year old Golden (Abby) at a local preserve. With me was my 20 gauge Ejector Sterlingworth with a beavertail that has been my go to gun this entire hunting season. We did well. Every bird I shot at came home in the game bag, and more importantly my Abby (with bad hips and worse right rear leg) was able to strutt her stuff in what could possibly be her last time in the field (hopefully not ).

Course I brought the 3 year old Golden along as back-up. Hunted a full 2.5 hours in total at the preserve. Would hunt Abby for 30 minutes and then Hunt Gracie for about 30 minutes, along with stops back at the truck to unload birds and drink some water. Only had them both on the ground one time and of course Abby flushed a bird and Gracie made the retrieve. No comparison between the speed of a young dog and and old dog.

Anyway a few pictures are attached. Take care and Happy Easter.

Thanks for the story. I had a small yellow female lab named Hannah. She was one of the best pheasant dogs I have owned. Hannah suffered from diabetes in her later years and lost most of her sight. I took her out one afternoon to "hunt" some fairly sparse cover. After about ten minutes she scented a bird and ran up a nice rooster. I made a lucky long right left crossing shot and killed the bird. We walked over and picked up the bird. Hannah and I walked back to the truck, cased the gun and went home. It was her last hunt and one that I will always remember.

Thanks for the great pictures and stories.I enjoyed them! Bobby

Thank you for posting the great photos. I love Golden Retrievers.

Tom, Linda and I were visiting her brother in Georgia a few years ago, walked out the driveway, past his pond with our 14 year old Springer who had not hunted for a few years. He rooted a mallard out of the brush and made a wonderful attempt at an open water retrieve of a couple of hundred yards. This was Doser's last retrieve, and, luckily we had the camera along. With our old dogs, the camera is as important as the shotgun. Bill Murphy