Peter:

Thanks yet again for posting these photos.....as you can see Bosco is getting bigger and is losing that "puppy look".
these photos were taken this week while we were out checking the tree stands and bait as deer season opens here on October 1st.

Bosco is about 50 lbs now and has a nose that just wont quit! as soon as he sees my cammo hunting pants come out of the cabinet he knows whats up and starts to whimper with excitement when I get my boots out of the garage its all he can do to hold his water. As I bend over to do up my laces he's all over me lcking me and play growling and prompting me to get my butt in gear and get that back door of the truck open so we can get to the bush.

On this particular day, he was "birdie" from the time we were 50 yds onto the trail..... hugging the left side of the trail like he was on rails. After waklking in about a qtr mile or so I stopped at a small draw that flows into the river from an adjacent cornfield, I was taking my camera out while Bosco was now looking directly left (North) of the trail and I heard a huge crash in the bush about 30 or 40 yds off directly where he was looking. I looked to where the noise came from and saw the familiar white flag just cresting the steep river bank and disappearing into the thick bush....A good sign indeed!
Up to that point the trail was dry so I didnt see any tracks but Bosco didnt need to see track his nose was telling him all along that we were onto something. It was quite a treat to see him work that scent I should mention that I have him on a 25' lead but more and more I dont hold it but rather let him drag it behind him.... it seems that if he feels it attached to his collar he wont bolt off and I still have a fighting chance of stepping on the lead if he decides to.

He is listening to commands better and better by the day and although he dosent heel great he will slow at the command of "easy" and stay within 10 or 15'. He is also now crossing the bridges that we have built on the trails,,, he still checks them out carefully before crossing but I no longer have to carry him across them as I did previously.

As you can see from the photo the tree stands are still up and the one neighbor to the South/East knows where they are and if you can believe it...is planting hay and clover on 40 acres that is adjacent to the bush....he is not a hunter but has no problem with me being there and has told me that if I see a deer on his land its fair game his only request was that if its hit and not downed that it be found....I explained that that is a cardinal rule and I would never think of breaking it! Directly behind the tree stand (which is East) you see in the photo is a 60 acre cornfield and to the North or left of the stand is a bean field.

The other stand is atop a ridge on a small flood plain that is used like a highway for deer and turkey and is flanked by yet anther 60 or so acres of corn and the tracks in the area are fresh as hell and there is a few big bodied deer in there!

A fellow who was riding his ATV on the trails a few weeks ago said he saw a 12 point buck while on his trek....not sure how good a look he got but I am not that good at counting points unless they are in my hands but hell even if it's an 8 pt I'd be more than happy to put an arrow/bolt in it!

Well after our exciting adventure Bosco and I share a couple of bottles of water and I talk to him( as though he understands) and tell him what a good job he did and that it's time to go home and rest up so we can come back another day and do it all over again....
Good DAAAAAWG Bosco!

DT