Bald Eagle

We took the dogs for a walk out at Bald Eagle reservoir yesterday - its a beautiful spot tucked in against the steep bald eagle ridge. Paul and I used to hunt pheasant there a lot during my first few years here. It was at bald eagle that I got to see Whiskey in action and at his prime; he would go full tilt through just about anything, lock on the most solid points, and most impressively, would track (catch if needed) and retrieve most any bird we hit. He was beautiful and inspired me to take the plunge into dog ownership. It was nice to walk those fields again and remember one of the best hunting spots, and dogs, I may ever know.
They don't stock pheasant at Bald Eagle anymore - this was my first time back there in years. The fields once left long for habitat are cut short, the paths are crowded with multi-flora rose. It looked like the rabbit population is doing well, but the deer tracks were few and far between. Whiskey had to be put down a couple weeks ago - his old age had caught up with him and the health issues were too many. I don't envy having to make such a decision; I'm not looking forward to parting with my dogs. But the memories make me want to live in and enjoy each moment. We're headed down to Idiehl this afternoon - our last birds for the year. A different ridge, different fields, and now, Whiskey's sons working hard.