I had two litters of Swiss Hounds and one litter of Pointers in the spring of 2005. I did not keep any Pointer pups, but I kept 2 hound pups from Chloé: a male (Badger) and a female (Spy). I also ended up having to keep a female (Daisy) from Pastelle. These pups were born in April and they were just over 4 months old at the start of the training season on the first of September. I did not keep Dago, the Swiss Hound I had imported as a pup at great expense from Switzerland. He was a nice dog, but strangely enough he was completely infertile: Not a single sperm could be detected in the several semen samples that were collected. It was a great loss, both financially and emotionally.

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September 3, 2005 Sunny, dew, 23C

Today was the first time I was able to take the pups out in the woods. I took Badger out first. He was confident and in good spirits. He is very calm and very attached. He seemed very interested in sniffing about. He did not venture far and kept an eye on me. He raced a short distance away a few times and came racing back to me immediately. I tried him on the leash, and it took only 5 minutes for him to understand and do a decent job at it.

Next I took Spy. She seemed excited to be out but a little apprehensive also. She was in good spirits and sniffed about quite a bit. She ventured a bit farther than Badger on the path, perhaps 50 feet away, but followed very closely in the trash. She raced ahead and back on the path quite frequently on the way back. I tried her on the leash also and she did well after 5 minutes while we were still on the path. She fought the leash every step of the way on the road . She will take a little more time. I was very gentle with both pups, applying just enough tension on the rope to restrain them or to pull them gently.

Next, I took Daisy. Her style is a little different: she spends a lot of time sniffing, nose to the ground and lags behind frequently. She is not as attached as Chloé's pups. She followed mostly behind on the way up and in the trash, but was often ahead of me on the way back. She seemed a little anxious at first but gradually grew more confident. I tried her on the leash, but she fought it continuously. I was very gentle, but she was determined to lie down every time I pulled on it. She did better on the path after 5 minutes. Once on the road, however, she reverted again to fighting it.

I am quite happy so far with those three pups. They were a little disobedient a month ago, but after 2 or 3 gentle but firm corrections, they soon came very easily when I called, learnt quickly no to go passed the boundaries of my field, and returned easily to their pen when it was time to go back.

These hounds are unique. They are not at all aggressive, and yet, at first, when they are young puppies, their reaction to being corrected physically is one of self-defense. It is probably the consequence of having been bred for living in a pack: you cannot be aggressive, and yet, you cannot allow another hound to pick on you. When they are very young, they are likely to snap back at you, to scream very loudly and to struggle madly if corrected, even very gently. Firmness and kindness are required. They are stubborn, but they are extremely intelligent.

September 4, 2005 Sunny, 23C

I took all 3 pups out separately again for about 1 hour each. Badger remained close to me but was interested in sniffing about. Spy was enthusiastic. She remained close but sprinted ahead 50 feet or so occasionally on the way back. Daisy followed behind me, nose to the ground and lagged behind quite often, unconcerned that I was out of sight. I have not seen a single hare yet on our walks. I put the lead on each of the pups about 200 yards before reaching the road.. Badger at first was lunging ahead, but then he heeled almost perfectly and followed at my side without pulling the rest of the way. Spy and Daisy did not heel quite as well: they needed a few pulls to direct them in the right direction. Another session of 5 minutes and I expect that they will all heel correctly. This is a total of 15 minutes for each pup to have them heel decently enough for their age, without pulling.

September 5, 2005 Sunny, 18C

I took Voodoo and Uma out today at my usual place. I let the dogs loose at the top of the second hill at 10:00 am. They startled something in the trash and I heard Uma yell twice before continuing her search. They searched both sides of the path without results until we reached the new pond that the beavers had dammed last month. On the way back up, they ventured in the big woods to the South, nearby, and I heard them give voice at long intervals. A deer, near the path, walked carefully towards me and listened to the dogs in the distance. They were not making any headway, and soon abandoned to come back to me. They did not seem to have any interest in the deer, but to make sure, and to warn them, I stung them just a little with the shock collar anyway. It took us one whole hour to find a hare! We scoured both the middle road and the north road to try to find one. Could predators have taken such a toll on the hare population that so few are now left in the area? There have been large numbers of coyotes in the area for years, and yet, because of my dog's presence in the area, the hare have remained plentiful! I could almost guarantee that the dogs would find a track within 5 minutes on any given day last year and the hare were still plentiful in April. Something got them this spring or summer. When I reached the east end of the north road, I was quite discouraged at our lack of success. I cut through the woods towards the middle road and stopped at a spot where I had filmed a chase a year or two earlier. I sat there and waited for the dogs to track me down. Uma arrived first and came to me. We waited for her sister to arrive. She did so within 2 minutes and Uma went to meet her. On the way, a few feet to my side, she detected hare scent and cried out. Voodoo came to help her and acknowledged the track with a yelp. They searched around frantically for a few minutes and Uma finally picked up the line on the other side of the blowdown. They followed the hare to the middle road, down at the back of E---'s house and back. I saw the hare briefly near the blowdown. He made a very tight loop near me and returned to the back of E---'s house. His dogs started barking at mine and soon the chase ended abruptly. I recalled the dogs when I heard Uma utter a few barks at them. They took a while, but they came back. The chase had only lasted 20 minutes, but it had been very steady.

September 8, 2005 sunny,26C

I took Chloé, Voodoo and Uma to ---- road this morning. I released them at 9:45. On the first cast, Chloé bayed a few times and so did Uma and Voodoo, but they soon were back. Shortly afterwards, Chloé found an old track, but it was Uma who started it a little distance ahead. They were in full chase at 10:05 and the chase went passed the first clearing on the west side of the road, almost all the way to the fork. The hare crossed before the small brook just behind a knoll. Once on the east side, he looped back. I ran and managed to catch a glimpse of him as he crossed the east road. The dogs were not far behind. Uma led the way, followed by Chloé. Voodoo had been left behind from the start, as she was some distance from the others when the chase had started. I ran to the main road, but got there just in time to see the dogs cross, far in the distance, at the first clearing. The hare then made another circle. As he headed north my way again, I decided to wait and see if I could film him where he had previously crossed the main road. As the dogs approached, they encountered a check nearby. I waited, and soon saw a hare cross the road. It must have been a different hare, as Uma soon opened again a little farther. The hare looped back in the woods, and this time he went passed the first clearing going south. I got there in time, but I did not go far enough, passed the knoll on the west road, to see him cross. This chase had been very steady, but at 10:44, on a check nearby, the dogs all came to the side of the west road to find a puddle of water from which to drink. The woods were very dry. They returned to the check after a few minutes and Chloé soon let out a bay. Uma again claimed ahead and the dogs entered the clearing north of the west road going north. They had difficulty following the track on the piles of rotting branches, dry sawdust and tree bark. This time Voodoo recovered the line and the chase headed west towards the swamp. The hare eventually circled back towards the main road, and finally towards me. The dogs lost him at 11:06. They came to me looking a little tired, especially Voodoo. It was enough for now, especially in that heat. The dogs had done a good job. Uma had done very well. She continues to improve every year. I spent some time afterwards scouting for new hunting locations.

September 9, 2005 Rain last night, sunny/cloudy,10-18C

Since there are almost no hares left on my training grounds, I decided that it would be more productive to take the pups out together instead of singly on their training sessions. This way, each would spend 2 hours or more at a time in the woods, instead of the single hour that I could devote to each one otherwise. This would double our chances of encountering a hare. In over 2 hours in the woods, I did not see a single hare again today. The pups did quite well today again on the leash. I managed the 3 pups at once without much trouble. In the woods, they still do not venture very far from me, but they are starting to become more confident. They search a bit here and there and mostly look for smelly bits that they can ingest. This includes some toxic mushrooms. No harm has come of it in the past and I expect their interests will switch once they encounter fresh animal scents. Daisy is the boldest and the one that ventures farther. She was sometimes out of sight and did not seem troubled by it in any way. She is happy, powerful, fast and agile. She weighs much more than the other two. She spends the most time sniffing and at this point, seems to have more hunt. She is intimidated by loud sounds. Spy is happy, exuberant, light and fast. She is affectionate. Badger is very calm and the most affectionate. He is not agile, nor does he have the energy level of his siblings. I wanted a calm and steady dog in my second pack of 3 dogs. It will be interesting to see how he turns out. Spy and Badger in particular have already shown good abilities to track and find me by scent when I run away and hide on them in my field.

September 10, 2005 15C

I took all 3 pups together to my usual place again today. The walk to the woods did not go as smoothly as before and I had to yank on Daisy's collar a bit. She got a little perturbed. On the way back however, she had settled and the 3 pups did this almost perfectly. I took them up the hill, and through the trash, and to the north road, and to the pond, and we still had not seen a hare. There were no droppings to be found either. Finally, close to where Uma and Voodoo had found their hare, I saw Daisy run ahead excitedly. I thought it strange, and I combed the woods in that direction. I saw the hare twice, unperturbed, just sitting there, twenty-five feet away. The dogs were too busy to look up and never saw the hare, nevertheless, they finally found some scent. After that, I continued taking them through the brush and followed the north road as far north as the old barn used to be. It burnt this spring. When I came back, I tried to no avail to find that hare again. I came back home after 2 hours with the pups. They are sniffing about quite a bit now. They venture a little farther and stay a little longer, especially Daisy. They still spend most of their time finding wild mushrooms and other such things to eat.

September 13, 2005 Sunny, 21C

I took my 3 older hounds to B--- today and released them around 9:00 am. I parked by the small brook. Chloé soon had a strike on the left, near the first crossroad. The hare went far up the road and I ran to keep up. After a while, he looped back and I hurried back towards the main road just in time to see the dogs cross the path, but too late to see the hare. The chase was fast, steady and straight. They headed southwest towards the bridge and kept going until I could barely hear them. I decided to take the truck and follow them. By the time I reached the bridge, they were on their way back, but there was a sudden loss soon after. I returned to the path and headed passed the brook again and met the dogs who, by then, were looking for me. I recast them, and soon after Chloé had a strike on the left side at approximately the same location. The hare headed east and kept going straight. The other two dogs did not join in the chase, and soon Chloé came back. I recast them once again, and this time they had a strike nearby and the hare made small loops and kept them going steadily from one side to the next in hot pursuit. I captured several scenes on film. As we approached the end of the second hour, Chloé took some advance on the other two hounds and continued alone to pursue the hare. I could hear her in the distance, baying at long intervals. I decided that it was enough for the day and recalled the hounds. Voodoo and Uma came willingly enough, but Chloé did not really want to give up. I blew my horn and yelled at her and she finally came back soon after the hare had headed back our way. I hunted the hounds today from 9 to 11am. They could still have hunted for some time. They are all a little fat and out of shape, especially Chloé, as she had her first litter this spring. They all did a good job. I have noticed that Uma is often in the lead this year and that Voodoo lags a little behind at this stage. They will soon be in good shape.

September 14, 2005 Overcast, very humid, 18C

I took the pups out to my usual training grounds and spent almost 2½ hrs with them in the woods. They were not quite as obsessed with eating mushrooms today. I can see them gaining confidence every day, getting more relaxed, playing and racing about, perhaps venturing a little farther, and waiting a bit longer to catch-up with me. I hid on them once today and Badger became quite perturbed and vocal. He found me rather quickly, although he criss-crossed the line widely a couple of times. The other dogs were not quite as concerned, but were, nevertheless, intent on finding me. I did not see a single hare again today. Daisy, however, became quite active, nose to the ground and tail wagging on at least two occasions. She seems more advanced than the other two in this respect. I predict that she will be the first to declare herself on a hare. By that, I mean that she will be the first to recognize their scent, give chase and give voice on their track or at their sight. It is a bold statement. We will see if I was right.

September 15, 2005 Overcast, light intermittent rain, high humidity, 20C

I took my dogs to S-- road again today and released them at 9:33. I parked at the intersection nearest to the first beaver dam. The first stretch of road did not yield anything, and it was not until 10:11 that Voodoo had a strike on the west side going south. They went far to the west, but then they were on their way back after a few minutes. The hare came by me, looped back and crossed the road for the first time at 10:20 with Voodoo in the lead, Uma close behind and Chloé, about 10 yards back. The hare crossed back at 10:24 with the 3 dogs on the line together at 10:25 in hot pursuit. There was a check at 10:33 and the dogs came back at 10:39. They had a drink and Chloé returned to the check area alone, while the others stayed a little longer. They were coming towards me when they heard Chloé back on the line at 10:42. They rushed towards her and the chase continued. The hare went far to the south, and changed course near the road. The dogs stopped baying for a minute at 10:44. They checked both sides of the road silently. Uma and Chloé picked up the line at 10:45, but the hare was now near me. They went silent for a little while, as they tried to unravel the trail. Meanwhile, the hare had suddenly appeared in front of me at 10:46, quite surprised. He froze for a few seconds and then raced back into the woods. Uma showed-up 30 seconds later, giving voice. She appeared at the exact location where the hare had come towards me and she continued to the other side, crying out all the while. Chloé, hearing her cries joined her to the other side. I steered them in the correct direction and soon Uma picked-up the line again. The chase continued until 11:14, when there was a check. Uma and Voodoo came back to me at 11:21 and they were lucky to have done so. The hare had given them the slip and had sneaked away quietly. I saw him cross the road at my side at 11:19. Meanwhile, Chloé was still back there, working on the check. Uma picked up the fresh track almost immediately, at 11:23, followed by Voodoo. Chloé came by some time afterwards, trying to catch-up. They chased that hare very steadily back and forth and from one side to the other several times and I managed to be in the right place for a shot at least some of the time. There is nothing more unpredictable than a hare! I filmed a nice sequence at 12:06, when the hare, apparently not worried, jumped gingerly across the road, followed by my pack, looking very tired. The hare crossed one last time at 12:23, still looking very fresh and the dogs were on the line at 12:25, looking exhausted, moving at a pace little faster than a walk. A loss occurred soon after, at 12:33. I decided to gather the dogs and head back. They had enough energy left to hunt all the way back to the truck, but they found nothing. This had been a good chase. They had pursued that hare steadily from 10:11 to 12:33. Considering that they have only been out a few times and are not yet conditioned, I think they did well.

September 16, 2005 wet from a little rain last night, sunny/cloudy, 19C

I took the pups out on another mushroom hunting expedition this morning. They played and chased each other much of the time they were not actually eating mushrooms. In the thirty years or so that I have been training pups, I have seen a few pups eat an occasional mushroom or two and then leave it at that, but this is ridiculous. It is almost exasperating to see them spending so much time at it. They are quite obsessed. It is not their fault though, as there is nothing more interesting for them to find in the woods on my training grounds. It would help if there were more hare scents to distract them, but there are not. In the meantime, they are maturing a little, using their noses, becoming accustomed to the woods and learning to find me. When they first connect with fresh hare scent and have the maturity to handle it, they will learn quickly, I am sure. This time in the woods is not wasted.

P.S. As usual, towards the end of the afternoon, I let the pups out of the kennel and spent about ½ hour playing with them. Badger attracted my attention. He was unusually vocal at first, baying at me out of excitement. He followed so closely going down the field that I could hardly walk. He would walk beside me steadily enough, but every time he would look-up at me, he would swerve into my path. I thought nothing of it at first. Then I sat down at the edge of the pond. All the pups of course came to sit with me. Then I noticed Badger standing by me on the slightly sloping ground. He was standing still, when suddenly his back end started shifting slowly towards the bottom of the pond, now completely dry, and he tumbled five feet down the slope. He got up, climbed carefully to the edge and managed to walk about well enough, as long as the ground was even. I then noticed the foam in his mouth as well as in the other pups' mouths. The females did not seem otherwise affected, but Badger was definitely intoxicated. He appeared to be completely drunk. I saw him once stop to sniff something on the ground and fall flat on his face. I started to worry about him, but by the next morning, he was fine. Out of the hundred or so mushrooms that he ate, he must have ingested some that were hallucinogenic or otherwise toxic. As there is no way to stop the pups from doing so, I will just have to be patient and hope that this fascination with mushrooms will be short lived.

September 18, 2005 light rain, very wet, tree leaves laden with water, 16C

I took the pups out this afternoon for 1½ hour and combed the woods without encountering a single hare again. The pups have good quality dry food in front of them at all times, but I decided today to feed them each a large can of dog food, ½ hour before going out. I wanted to see if it would alleviate their fascination with mushrooms. It worked very well. At first, they would still go to the mushrooms, but all they would do is give them a quick sniff and move on. They were full of energy today. They ran about, chased each other, and searched and sniffed quite a bit. It was a pleasure to see. Daisy seems to be physically and mentally more advanced than the others. Her new canine teeth are already a good size, while those of Spy and Badger are not yet apparent. They have their new incisors, but their canines are still the small and fragile baby teeth they had as young pups. Daisy's mental stage is also different. She seems to have more hunt: a certain attitude, denoting intent to find and pursue, that dogs demonstrate when they encounter animal scent. The others will catch-up soon enough, but it is nice to see in a young pup, as it is a promise of things to come.

September 19, 2005 Sunny, 24C

I took Chloé, Voodoo and Uma to S--road today and released them at the second fork on the main road. It was 9:26. Chloé had a strike almost immediately near the truck. The hare crossed to the south side of the left road immediately, with all three dogs in hot pursuit. He went as far as the clearings to the south and the side road to the west. He took the dogs back and forth at least ten times in this area, which was roughly 500 feet wide by one thousand feet long. The pace was furious. At 9:51, he decided to try to shake them off his track. He crossed the road swiftly some distance from me and headed for a swampy area to the north. Unfortunately, I was too busy looking through the viewfinder on my still camera and did not see him. The hounds could not be shaken off and the chase continued at a mad pace until 10:15, when there was a small check. It did not last long, and soon, they were back at it. The hare chose to stay near the edge of a clearing, about ¼ mile to the north and took the dogs back and forth along its length. I reached the clearing around 10:30, just in time to see the dogs, very briefly, searching at the edge of a wet area nearby. Chloé recovered the track, which had been lost for less than a minute and Voodoo continued ahead with it. Something was wrong however, as the other hounds did not follow. They had a check at 10:33. At this point, I saw Uma heading back to find me. Voodoo soon followed, and later Chloé came to the road. I called them to me and they had a much-needed drink. Chloé went back in the swamp, near the area where she had lasted bayed and she found the line at 10:43. The track was now very cold and she bayed at long intervals, but she managed to find the hare again and the chase continued. As often happens when a hare is restarted, he decided to head out of there very rapidly. He went to the area where he was jumped in the morning and crossed at the fork as he had done earlier. I knew he would not stay there for long and ran all the way to try to catch a glimpse of him and perhaps take a photograph. I was a few seconds too late, but I managed to see the hounds on the track. They were headed back for the swamp. The chase continued until 11:00, when there was another check. Uma came to me at 11:05, and soon Voodoo appeared. Chloé had stayed at the check and she started baying again at 11:06. The other hounds, now at my side, rushed to the rescue. I heard them all on the track soon after. From that point on, the chase was not as smooth. There were long intervals of silence, followed by short spurts of activity. Uma came to me again at the next check. This time Voodoo had stayed to help Chloé, and she had found the line. Uma returned to participate in the chase. The dogs quit at the next check and they were all back together at my side at 11:40. It is probable that the scenting conditions had deteriorated, as it was now 24°C. Mostly, the hare had been very crafty, and they were now very tired. It had been a very good and long chase. I was happy, even if I never saw the hare. I ended the outing and headed for home.

September 26, 2005 Rain all day, often heavy, 16C

I took Chloé, Voodoo and Uma to S---road this morning. I parked at the usual place, near the gravel pit and released the hounds at 9:50. Chloé bayed within a few minutes but at long intervals. Nothing came of it. The other hounds soon came by on the road and Chloé appeared some time later. Eventually, they returned to the same location, and this time Voodoo and Chloé struck at almost the same time near the east road. The chase was on at 10:10. The hare headed north to the spruce grove and stayed there for a few minutes. Then, he came back and crossed the east road. I did not have the opportunity to take a good photograph, as my camera could not handle a fast shot under cloudy conditions with the thick foliage overhead. He returned some time later, going the other way, and all I managed to get was a blurry shot of one of the dogs crossing the narrow path in hot pursuit. The hare came back again and this time he crossed near the main road going south. He crossed the main road at 10:45, far away, near the first clearing to the west. I managed to be at the right place and took a photograph of him from afar. I had not brought my telephoto lens with me because of the rain and cloud cover. The hounds were following the line with ease and celerity and I surmised that scenting conditions must have been ideal, in spite of the rain. The chase continued at a furious pace until 11:10 when the hare took some advance on the dogs and started thinking. I saw him come unto the main road from the east side. He followed the edge of the road, on the short grass near the tire tracks, for some distance towards the south. He stopped when he saw me and crossed to the west side.

The hounds appeared within a couple of minutes, but they wasted valuable time checking both sides of the road where the hare had come unto it. I tried in vain to help them out, as they insisted on trying to find scent in the woods on both sides. Chloé, meanwhile, had come from behind and I managed to convince her to spend a little time on the road. She followed the track silently and entered the cover at the correct location. By that time, Uma had found the track in the woods. The chase resumed, but it was sketchy from that point onward and the hare was lost soon after. I recalled the hounds at 11:30 and they were soon at my side. We headed north and continued beyond the fork. At 11:50, before I reached the clearing, I heard Chloé bay hesitantly. She bayed again a few minutes later and again after a long interval. This time Voodoo squealed once with her. There was another bay at 12:05 and again at 12:10, when the chase really started. That hare stayed in the spruce grove to the east for a long time; running back and forth in small elliptical circles. He then expanded his range to the east road and back. I grew tired of waiting on the main road and headed for the grove through the wet woods. The dogs came by a couple of times, still in hot pursuit, but I did not see the hare. Finally, he decided to move farther to the south. I followed the chase to the first clearing, and stayed there for a while, close to the action, without seeing the hare. He again decided to go farther to the south and settled in an impenetrable thicket near the old beaver dam. I crossed the clearing at 12:44, and made my way through the woods to the middle of the west road and followed the action for a long time. The hare would not leave the protection of this cover. Finally, at 2:00, with the chase still going well, Uma abandoned the line and came looking for me. She stayed at my side for a little while. As the hounds approached, we saw the hare cross the path at 2:02 and head for the clearing. Excited at the sight of the hare so close to us, she rushed to the site and claimed forcefully. The other hounds were not far behind. First came Voodoo, still running, followed by Chloé, now walking across the path. I decided that I would stop the chase at the next check, whenever it occurred. Fortunately, it did not take very long. I recalled the hounds at 2:10 and they were back at 2:20. It had been a good day. They had chased the first hare at a mad pace for 1hr 20 minutes and the second hare at a vigorous pace for 2hrs. Chloé had done some amazing cold tracking and Voodoo a very good job. I noticed that Chloé was often still lagging a little behind the others. Her injured paw was bothering her at the end of the outing and she may not be well conditioned yet, but she did not quit. She never does. We will see if she can keep up with the mad pace of the two younger hounds later in the season. Of course, she is naturally more precise than the other two and she may not want to, or be built to follow the line that fast.

September 27, 2005 sunny/cloudy, 16C

I have noticed, over the years, that the development of a pup's hunting instinct coincides more or less with the development of his canine teeth. Daisy's canines are now fully developed, while Spy's are still small and Badger's are just breaking through. While Spy and Badger do not yet have a clue about what they are doing in the woods, Daisy is beginning to show a lot of "hunt" when she encounters scent. It is surprising, considering how little wildlife she has seen. She now darts after little birds and grasshoppers. Today, she became quite excited by the scent left behind by a grouse that had just flushed some distance from us in the woods. She used her nose to track excitedly on a few occasions and disappeared ahead for a minute or so. I was out with them for over 2 hours today and did not encounter any wildlife, except for the grouse I had heard flushing. I took the pups far to the west into new territory, hoping that we would find a hare farther in the woods. It was not so. I am spending a lot of time with the pups. It is much more than necessary, but I like doing so and I have the time to do it. The pups learn a lot, but it is overkill. Two hours every weekend would be sufficient. The limiting factor here is their maturity level. There would be little difference in development at this stage, were I to compare a pup taken in the woods every day and one taken out only once a week. Chloé was never in the woods until she was a year old. At first, she did not know what she was doing; but on her third time out, she suddenly started baying and trailing hares. She even resolved checks that the other hounds, although more experienced, had not been able to figure out. The pups started eating mushrooms again during the second hour of our outing. It is exasperating, but it will pass as soon as they find something to chase.

September 28, 2005 Sunny, 21C

I took my older hounds to the usual place this morning, but I went far passed the fork to the left and mostly hunted near the end of the road at the three corners, far to the west. I released the dogs at 10:10, but it was not until 10:43 that I heard Chloé bay tentatively. Then silence! Uma and Voodoo came back to check with me, but Chloé was not with them. Just at that moment, at 10:50 she started baying steadily. She had cold tracked silently for 7 minutes and struck. Uma and Voodoo rushed to her, and the chase was on. They had a good chase from north to south and parallel to the end road for quite some time. The hare finally crossed the road. Then, they encountered a serious check. I arrived just in time to see Chloé abandon the check area and cross the path to return to the other side. Voodoo and Uma were milling about and Voodoo was claiming occasionally. Chloé must have thought that the hare had slipped away. Nothing materialized for Voodoo, but soon Chloé started baying tentatively some distance away on the other side of the road. Uma decided to go and join her. She passed me on the path and I watched her run until she had almost reached Chloé's location. As she stopped to listen, the hare came unto the path behind her and a mad sight chase ensued. They were coming towards me so fast that the camera could not focus, but I managed this shot of a very small hare at close range at 11:19.

It almost ran under my feet with Uma close behind. By that time, Chloé had rushed to Uma's cries and was soon on the scene. Voodoo arrived at the same time, and the chase continued for a little while. Small hares are notoriously hard to hunt. They rarely run in straight lines and they dart and dodge here and there and everywhere, making the line almost impossible to unravel. Females also do this very willingly and they like to stay in a small area where they can confuse the hounds with an abundance of fresh tracks. Males rely on speed and endurance. They are far easier to hunt, as they go far and straight and finesse the dogs only when they need to do so. One year, I had shot a few hares in front of my hounds but I had decided that I would not shoot unless the hounds had done a good job and had chased the hare steadily for more than an hour. All the hares I had shot that year were males! At any rate, that small hare soon escaped and I recalled the hounds. I released them again and Chloé soon found another hare to chase. This one would not leave the protection of the thick cover and he often went so far to the north that the hounds were out of hearing range. I went in the woods after them and I took many photos of the hare as he came by. Hares often choose the same pathways, and one can often predict where they will appear on their next pass. Unfortunately, the photos were too blurry to keep. They chased that hare very steadily for 2 hours. Uma came back to find me at a loss and I recalled the other hounds. They still looked quite fresh and were eager to go. I headed east towards the truck on the main road and they started searching immediately. Chloé had another strike after slow tracking for a few minutes and they chased another hare for one hour. The hare did not venture far and he adopted a circuit that went parallel to the road, going east to west. The chase was extremely steady and the hare almost came to the road on two occasions. I tried to go in, but the woods were very thick. It was going very well until 3:00, when something strange happened. I had been hearing some hollow sounding and sharp "caw" sounds halfway towards the dogs and directly in front of me. I could not figure out what was producing these sounds, but I thought that perhaps we had upset a moose or two. It is rutting season. I had watched a moose chase after my Beagle years ago and I know they can be aggressive. At any rate, the chase was going well, with the three dogs going strong when I heard a strange cry from one of the dogs in the woods. Suddenly, at 3:00, Voodoo appeared on the road 200 yards to the east. She came running towards me, looking stressed and glancing frequently over her shoulder. She was not looking tired and was not even breathing heavily. She stood beside me for a while looking anxious and facing the direction from which she had just come. She did not seem to be injured in any way. Uma and Chloé were still going strong. At 3:10, Chloé suddenly went silent and soon Uma did the same. I recalled them and headed for home. I would have liked to know what had happened to Voodoo. Again, we had a beautiful hunt. The dogs appear to be in fair running condition. They are now able to run easily for 5 hours straight, in spite of the heat.

September 29, 2005 Sunny/cloudy, windy, 17C

I took the pups down the road from my place this morning. I introduced them to travel in the truck, at the back of my ½ ton, in a solid metal cage. It went well. In the woods, I found nothing but steep slopes and large deciduous trees. The few evergreens I encountered did not afford sufficient protection for hares. I stayed only an hour, but Daisy seemed to follow tracks on a few occasions and Spy showed some interest in tracking today. She followed a track speedily down a hill and, about 50 feet away, she sniffed the bark of a tree and placed her two front feet high on the trunk. I did not see anything in the tree. Badger is not at that stage yet.

September 30, 2005 Sunny/cloudy, windy, 6-15C

I took Chloé, Voodoo and Uma to B--- today. I parked at the usual place, but instead of hunting on the side road passed the small brook, I headed south and hunted on the main road all the way to, and beyond the bridge over the large brook. I released the hounds at 9:10 and they hunted both sides of the road without success until we almost reached the bridge. There used to be a couple of big evergreens there, surrounded by alders. This spot always held a few woodcock and I could count on a point every time I went there. Then, they harvested the two large trees and the woodcock abandoned the spot, as they needed the protection they provided. Uma found a hare at that location at 9:26. I was near the bridge at the time, and the hare came out of the tick cover and ran on the road not far from where I was. It was 9:32. Uma was soon on the site, and I tried to steer her onto the line, as the hare had run on the wheel tracks for a short distance before entering the cover. It is a strategy they often use, as the gravel holds little scent and it vanishes very rapidly. She would not listen and she darted to the side, in the vegetation, looking for stronger scent. Then Chloé came to the road, unsure about where to search. I ceased the opportunity and pointed to the gravel with words of encouragement. To my surprise, she complied easily and followed the line meticulously to where the hare had jumped in the grass. She was about to go in when Uma claimed in the woods, 20 yards away.

The chase started, and all three dogs were soon on the line. That hare had probably never seen a hound before, and he was worried. He headed north east in a straight line and the hounds were soon out of hearing range. I went back to the truck and I still could not hear them. Then I took the side road at the small brook and headed east. I finally heard them in the distance and they were coming back. Voodoo was minutes ahead of the other hounds and she kept the pressure on the hare, while Chloé and Uma were left behind running a cooler track. The hare returned to the location where he had first been found and the three dogs were soon hunting together again. That hare had decided try to outrun the hounds in hope that his scent would dissipate. It had not worked, so now he would try something different. He crossed the bridge! I arrived as the hounds had started hunting on the other side of the raging stream. I would have liked to know which dog had followed the track across the planks of the old wooden bridge. It had undoubtedly been a beautiful piece of work. At any rate the chase continued there at a furious pace for a while, until the hare was lost. The chase had lasted just under an hour.

They soon started another hare near the bridge. This hare did not go very far and the hounds followed his track steadily back and forth, from one side of the main road to the other. The chase was uneventful and almost became monotonous. Just at this point, the hare broke the pattern he had established. He was hoping that the dogs would be almost hypnotized by now and would be set on following the same trajectory as before. He sneaked away and crossed the bridge going north at 10:40. He did not fool the dogs. When I reached the bridge, they were already on the other side. I arrived just in time to see Chloé at her very best. She had learnt something new. Something I had been trying to teach her for a long time, as it was the reason for most of the losses that had occurred in the past. She was tracking on the gravel of the wheel tracks! What a glorious sight that was! I watched her swing her head from one side to the other over the gravel, like a vacuum cleaner. She gleaned from it what little scent she could, and followed the faint track about 125 yards passed the bridge, baying at intervals at 10:49.

Unfortunately, the track went dead at this point. I stayed exactly at that spot while the dogs were milling about in the woods nearby. I was quite sure that the hare had made a huge leap into very thick cover at this point and was staying still, hiding nearby. I waited for several minutes, and then I saw the hare at 10:59, just in front of me under some impenetrable piles of brush, poking his head out to see what was happening. The dogs had now extended their search and were hundreds of yards away. I called them excitedly and pointed to the spot. Uma was the first to go in and claim. Chloé was soon on her heels. The hare, meanwhile, had made a small circle to the side and was crossing the road behind me just as Voodoo was arriving. Knowing nothing of this at the time, I saw Voodoo come squealing madly behind me, and enter the woods on the other side of the road. I screamed at her, thinking that she was too excited and was going in the wrong direction. I even called her names! She was right, of course, and I soon understood what had just happened as the other dogs joined her. The chase continued steadily. The hare again crossed the bridge after a while and the dogs followed him across without problems at 11:19. I saw him several times. Here he is, at 11:59, still full of energy.

The chase continued very steadily, as the hare went back and forth from one side to the other, as he had done previously. I knew though that he would eventually try something devious. I stayed near the bridge for quite a while, but as I headed south to get closer to the action, the hare made his move. He crossed the bridge again, but this time, instead of continuing on the gravel, he veered abruptly to the right at the other end of the bridge and followed the edge of the stream going east. The dogs again were not fooled and they never missed a beat. Soon however, they were on the other side. As I stood on the bridge at 12:13, I realized that the hare would have had to swim across the fast flowing stream to reach the other side. The dogs were unstoppable. The chase continued until 12:37, when a split chase occurred. Chloé kept going after the old hare while Voodoo and Uma had started chasing a fresh one. I know this because the new hare adopted a completely different circuit. He soon raced far and fast to the west and the hounds were soon out of hearing range. Meanwhile, Chloé continued the chase alone for a while but soon became concerned about the absence of her partners. She is very much a team player now. She returned to me at a check and I decided to leash her and go looking for the other two at 12:45. They had gone very far and I heard them in the distance only occasionally. Uma returned at 1:17, but Voodoo continued to chase the hare steadily alone. She came close on one occasion, and I shouted for her to stop. She did not listen. She figured that if she did not actually see me, then I could not see her and she was not obligated to listen. I waited there with the other dogs on a leash for some time when the hare suddenly came by in the big woods and crossed the path not far from us. Voodoo was on the line at 1:32, about 2 minutes behind the hare. I called her to me; pretending to be angry, and I gave her a mild swap for having disobeyed earlier. I then put the bells back on the other two dogs and let them all continue the chase together. The hare came by again at 1:51 and I stopped the chase when the dogs appeared at 1:52. It had been a very good day, and I was very proud of my dogs. They had done amazing work. Chloé had learnt to track on gravel and Voodoo was now extremely fast, very persistent and very precise on the line. Uma was pulling her own weight and doing her part well. While the other dogs appeared to be in good shape, Voodoo appeared to be extremely thin. Although it did not seem to affect her, she was nothing but skin and bones, in spite of having food in front of her all day at home. I will have to entice her to eat more. I know she is all right, but I feel sorry for her.

October 1, 2005 Sunny, light breeze, 19C

What a glorious day it was again. I think that the hare may be coming back slowly to my training grounds, after having been decimated this spring. I saw a stray crossing the path today. Probably a young from a surrounding area looking for a new territory. I took the pups out at 2:15 today and I took them through the trash, where Daisy made scent and became quite excited. I did not see anything, and it did not last long. I then headed for the north road and walked towards the main road. A grouse flushed nearby and I made a big fuss over it, acting very excited. Spy and Badger looked at me dumfounded, thinking I must have lost my mind, but Daisy knew something had been there and she started searching with conviction. Later, I entered the woods at a location where she often becomes quite excited. This was the place where I had seen a hare some time ago. She made scent, and nose to the ground, followed a track through the woods, weaving widely from one side to the other. I tried unsuccessfully to keep up with her. She managed to follow the trail to the other side of the road and started grunting and then barking on the line. I followed and encouraged her profusely. She lost the line after 100 yards. This is excellent for a first time and denotes that she has some talent. The other pups did not have a clue about what was going on. They are maturing more slowly. We headed for the middle road trough the woods, and as I arrived, I saw the stray hare crossing the path some distance ahead. I rushed to the spot and tried to get the pups interested. Badger and Spy seemed confused, but when Daisy arrived, she started following the line and barked repeatedly. This time, she managed 200 yards on difficult terrain. Excellent! I was very pleased; she is only 5½ months old and has not had much exposure to hare scent. I am very pleased with her and the other pups. I think that she will be excellent. Unfortunately, I think that she will bark, rather than bay on the line. As far as nose is concerned, all of the pups have, so far, demonstrated excellent scenting abilities.

October 2, 2005 Sunny, 22C

I took the pups out again today. I started at 3:00 and we were back at 4:30. It was a good outing. I headed right away for the trash, as I knew we could probably find the stray hare in the area. I was right. Daisy soon started to get excited on a track. I filmed her while she was trying to unravel the line. She followed it to the other side of the middle road going south but soon lost it in the big woods. She barked on the trail a few times as she was getting closer to the hare. From that point on, she was all business for quite some time. She had "hunt" and was searching with intent. The other pups had no idea of what was happening and mostly stood by, looking at me as if to ask" What is happening? Why is she barking? Should we hide?" They are younger than Daisy by a couple of weeks and are not maturing quite as quickly. It is not indicative of how good they will be when mature. Spy should catch on very soon now. As for Badger, it should be a little while yet, as males generally develop more slowly. We made our way to the north road afterwards and I saw Badger and Daisy scent a grouse at 40'. It flushed after they went to investigate and came too close. I acted excited, trying to impart some of my enthusiasm to Badger and Spy. They sniffed the ground with interest for a little while. The pups played quite a bit, but today they spared me from having to watch them hunt for mushrooms. On the way back, Daisy found another hare near the top of the first hill. She trailed it, barking intermittently for about 4 minutes, going several hundred yards away before losing it. It was a beautiful thing to hear. I captured some of her chases on tape. Unfortunately, the hare was not seen and the video quality was not very good, as I could only get sound from afar. At first, the other pups were nervous and concerned with her barking, but they soon raced towards her and back a few times. Soon, they will want to know what is happening and will want to participate. It is very exciting to see a young pup developing so well. I am very impressed!

October 3, 2005 Sunny, light breeze, 9 - 25C

I took Emmy and Willow, my two female Pointers to B--- today. I hunted each separately for 1½ hour. I took Emmy first while it was still cool, and we hunted the apple orchard where the road curves at 90°. She hunted well and with determination, but we found nothing. Her quartering was not absolutely perfect, but she stayed within bell range and crossed in front of me regularly. I continued to hunt her on a side road going by a marsh. They had thinned the woods! This is a now widespread forestry practice, which consists in cutting saplings that are too close together and leaving them to rot on the spot. It takes years and years for the cut trees to decompose. This may be good for foresters and wood companies, but it is an ecological nightmare, as no man or beast can walk in these woods for at least a decade. Hare, grouse and deer avoid these areas and they become barren of any wildlife. Emmy was courageous, she hunted in that mess as much as she could on the way up, jumping with difficulty over piles of dead trees, but finding nothing of course. I did not ask her to hunt this area on the way back, but she tried, looking for places where it was clear enough to run. She started hunting in earnest again when we reached the big woods. She had a point there, near the road, but I could not find anything. She did well, considering that it was her first time out this year. Next I took Willow and I started at the gravel pit. This area was almost barren of birds last year. With the cool and wet spring conditions that did not favour the survival of broods this year, it was unlikely to have changed. A decade ago, the same area held high numbers of grouse and woodcock. Today, Willow found only one grouse. It flushed some distance ahead of her as she was freezing into a point. She had several unproductive points. The relocations did not produce any birds. Willow is a natural athlete. She hunted extremely well the whole time she was out and she could have gone longer. It is amazing, considering that the temperature was 25C when we returned, and it was her first time out this year.

October 4, 2005 foggy until 10, sunny, humid, very windy, 23C

I took Chloé, Voodoo and Uma to S-- road today. I started late. I parked at the gravel pit and released the hounds at 9:46 heading north. Chloé had a strike at 9:47. The hare crossed close-by before I could get my camera set-up. The next time, he crossed far to the north from where I was. He had been on, or close to the west road by the clearing, and was going east. I chose to place my tripod and camera at that location. He came back at 10:04,and crossed towards the clearing at the road intersection, almost exactly where I was. He was unexpectedly close, and I fumbled with the camera on the tripod, trying to reduce the zoom and frame the critter. He went around me, not particularly troubled by my presence, and he took the west road for a hundred yards before entering the cover going south.

If there ever was a test for the dogs, this was it. The hounds arrived on the scene at 10:05, and they fumbled for a little while. They were a little rough coming out of the woods. Chloé saved the chase at 10:06 by partly tracking on gravel, her newfound talent. She finally figured it out! Last year, this strategy would have baffled them all, and the hare would have been lost. The hare crossed again at 10:24, and this time he headed for the first road to the west, adjacent to the beaver dam. This is an impenetrable cover. After a while the dogs managed to push him out. He sped across the path almost under my feet again at 11:12. The hounds were close behind at 11:13. Then I saw them from afar, on the main road, following the wheel tracks at 11:16. The chase went well for a while, but at 11:19, there were some sketchy episodes. The dogs finally lost the hare. Uma was back at 11:28 and Voodoo was soon at my side. I had to call Chloé a few times, but she was back at 11:31. We returned to the main road and headed north. They soon found a hare, and I saw him cross to the west side at 11:45, and back to the east side at 11:46, followed by the hounds. The hare appeared again at 11:54. I saw him from afar come onto the road and use the wheel tracks. He went only a short distance before looping back to the same side. The loop was not wide enough and the dogs were not fooled. Voodoo quickly found the track in the woods, and the chase continued. Later, the hare jumped the road towards the west quite gingerly at 11:59, followed by Voodoo. The other two were a few seconds behind. This hare did not go far. Rather than run, he tried to fool the dogs. He crossed nonchalantly to the east side again at 12:01. Uma crossed his path on the road 20 seconds later without acknowledging, probably because of the strong wind. Voodoo, however, put her nose to the ground and continued the chase at 12:02, followed by Chloé. Well done! The hare was lost soon after, and Voodoo and Uma were back at 12:18. Chloé appeared at 12:20. I took the dogs to the east road after that, but we found nothing there. We continued northward. I found a hare by accident at the fork while directing the dogs to go in. They were waiting to see which direction I would take. I cried out and the dogs paid attention: They must be starting to trust me. They picked-up the track immediately and another chase started. At one point, the hare crossed to the west side, near the clearcut. I did not see him or the dogs, but I prepared for his return. Unfortunately, I was again too close. He almost collided with the tripod. The dogs came storming by on his tail at 1:19. The hare then spent all of his time on the east side. I went into the open groves hoping to capture some of the action. Although he came close a few times, I did not see the hare again. At 2:00, the dogs seemed to be getting tired in the heat, and the pace slowed somewhat. A loss occurred around 2:15 and Uma and then Voodoo tracked me down. I called Chloé, and she later met us on the road ahead. It was time to head for home. It had been another good day and the dogs had all done a good job. Chloé is now as fast as the two younger hounds. She had taken a little longer to get in shape. Voodoo is doing excellent work. She is now very precise and very fast. It has allowed Chloé to sometimes take a back seat, to run down from the line at times and to concentrate on the checks. Uma is just a good dog. She does her share, and is excellent at times. She is especially valuable on snow in the winter. Together, they make a hell of a team!

October 5, 2005 hazy, very humid, 22C

I took the pups out for almost 2 hours this morning. Daisy easily found the 2 hares that are still on my usual training grounds. It is not difficult, as they stay more or less in their respective favorite areas. She started the first one up from the trash. I first saw her getting excited on the scent and moving quickly ahead. The other pups were left behind. She zigzagged on the line and soon she was barking energetically on the track. She is very fast. She followed the hare successfully across the middle road and some distance into the big woods. She is getting better every day. The chase today lasted about 3-4 minutes. Afterwards, we continued through the woods towards the north road. As we were approaching the road, I thought that I had seen a flash of white ahead. I trust these impressions of movement, as they are real 90% of the time. Daisy found some scent, and she followed the line for a very short distance. She uttered only a few barks. From that point on though, she really started hunting and searching. I could see the change in her. She was constantly in the woods and ventured regularly at least 50 yards away. She took a few minutes to play, of course, but that was all. As for the other two pups, they still do not know what is happening. In fact, because Daisy is so advanced, she may be chasing the hare away too quickly. In the process, she may be usurping them of opportunities to approach a hare and to see him run away. This is important for their development. I am not sure about what I should do. I do not want to leave Daisy alone at home at this stage.

October 6, 2005 hazy, very humid, overcast, 16C

I took Emmy and Willow to B--- this morning. I hunted with Emmy first, and parked at the first curb. Emmy hunted well in spite of the oppressive humidity. She had a spectacular point in a grove of mature spruce trees. Her style was breathtaking: slightly lowered front, stretched neck, and tail rigid at 11 o'clock. As she slammed into a point, a grouse took off farther ahead. As I made my way towards her, another grouse flushed between us. I was not prepared and did not even lift my gun. Then another grouse flushed and joined the first, not too far away, in a big maple tree. They took flight as I approached and I ventured a shot as the second one was disappearing in a small opening between trees. I missed, and I knew exactly what I had done wrong. To shoot well here in the thick cover, you must lift your gun towards the sound and shoot at the sight of the bird. It is always too late if you hear the sound and try to see the grouse in flight before lifting the gun. It is a matter of practice to do it well. 90% of shooters make that mistake, even those who shoot skeet regularly and are good at it. This is why they are often humiliated in the grouse woods. We hunted for an hour and a quarter without another contact. Emmy hunted well and quartered well. She extended her range a bit at one point, but I called her and reprimanded her verbally on two occasions. It did the trick: she remained within range after that. She still tries to avoid the brambles as much as possible.

Next I took Willow to the small brook and hunted with her for an hour and a half. We did not find anything for the first 50 minutes, but then we came back towards the truck and she froze into a beautiful point on a woodcock. The foliage was so thick that I did not have a chance for a decent a shot. I fired a shot as she was about to disappear and I missed. We continued towards the truck, and a few minutes later Willow's bell went silent near the brook. I had much difficulty moving about in the tangled mess of tree branches and vines everywhere. When I finally found her, she was still very rigid. The woodcock must have moved passed her as I was approaching, as I found her with her head twisted sharply to the side. It was only a few feet away, but I had to pound on the branches to force her to take flight. I shot twice and missed both times! I have to have a serious talk with myself about mental discipline! It was nice being out with my Pointers, but the penury of birds is a little discouraging. A decade ago, almost anywhere I hunted with my Pointers, I could count on a productive point, on average, every 10 minutes. My customers used to complain jokingly that we could not even have a decent conversation while walking on the road. There were too many points. Things have changed! The scenery sure is beautiful though, with the rich and vivid colours of autumn everywhere. What a feeling of inner peace it gives one to be walking in the woods at this time of the year.

In the afternoon, I decided to take the pups out at the usual place. I was out from 1:30 to 3:30. It was very rewarding today, as the hare are now dispersing to new territories and I found hares where there had been none earlier in September. I first walked westward on the middle road towards the pond. We found nothing there. Daisy was searching well, but Badger and Spy were not doing much: just playing and looking for mushrooms. I was getting a little miffed at them, as Spy now has almost full size canines and Badger's are at least half-grown. I was not expecting those two to have "hunt" quite yet, but I would have liked a little more inquisitiveness, and yes, maturity. At the pond, we headed towards the north road through the trash. Up the hill from there, Daisy found scent and trailed a hare for several minutes while barking profusely. The other pups became anxious, and I purposefully remained where I was to encourage them to go by themselves towards Daisy, now at least 200 yards away, and find out for themselves what this was all about. They would not leave my side for long. They darted several times in her direction, but always came back running to me after a short while. They need to be a little more independent. After a while, I went to find Daisy where she had lost the hare. She was still searching. I had hoped that the other pups would put their noses to the ground and find some fresh hare scent in her vicinity. I guess it is hard to get interested in something you do not even know exists. They first have to see a hare and make the connection. I have no doubt that Daisy saw one quite a while ago, and it must have sparked her interest and fueled her enthusiasm. The pups did not show much interest in what she was doing. We went back up the hill, and at the upper end of the trash, I saw Daisy get excited and start searching with conviction, running in wide zigzags with nose to the ground. At the same time, I saw a grouse flush a short distance away, and I knew what she was after. Spy also saw the grouse. She rushed to the spot and started sniffing the ground with interest. Badger just stood about, clueless. Soon Daisy arrived, and she started barking on the trail of the grouse. I do not mind this, it does not last long and they soon learn to mostly ignore birds. I welcomed this behaviour in this instance, as it got the other pups interested and excited. At least Spy now knew that when Daisy barked, there was something of interest to track. We continued to the north road and walked almost its whole length without finding anything. At the turn, I saw Daisy investigate an old hare path. These are narrow passages that hare use to make travel in the woods easier. I could tell by looking at it, that it had not been used regularly for some time. Daisy disappeared from view and as usual, after a minute or two, she started barking on the line. She had found another hare in the pine plantation. The hare went in the big woods from there, and I decided to move to the intersection to see if I could film the chase. The pups, this time, had rushed to the plantation and appeared in the big woods, about 50 yards away. Daisy was still on the trail. I could hear her barking steadily in the distance. The pups stopped there in the open woods, listening to her intently. She was soon coming back and getting closer. It was fortuitous that the hare chose to return at that moment, and at that location. He appeared in front of the pups in the big woods. They started chasing it madly. The hare was lost after a few minutes, and Badger realized that he did not know where I was. He started to bawl and I tooted my horn several times to give him a direction to follow. The three pups were soon running back to me from some distance away on the north road, and were happy to find me so easily. It was a good thing. They need to be confident that they can find me easily anytime they want, in order to feel free to chase a hare wherever he may decide to go. I was quite pleased with the pups and headed for the middle road through the big woods. It happened that Daisy found another hare and soon the three pups were on the line together. They chased that hare steadily to the middle road and looped to the back of E---'s house, where I heard his dogs bark at mine. I think that Daisy was still chasing the hare, but there were occasional bawls and barks from Badger, I think, and so much commotion too close to the house that I decided to recall the pups. They again, found me easily. It had been a very good session. It was exactly what the pups needed at this stage.

October 7, 2005 very humid, 21C

I took Chloé, Voodoo, and Uma to B--- this morning and decided to hunt them beyond the bridge, on the first road to the right, in new territory. I released them at 9:54. At 9:55, Chloé had a strike. The hare took off in a straight line to far away places, and the chase was so fast that the other dogs were not able to catch-up with her for quite some time. For the longest time, it sounded like Chloé was alone in the chase. Very occasionally, at the start of the chase, I would hear a cry from Voodoo. Finally, they were so far away that I could only hear Chloé bay in the distance, whenever she headed towards me, and I wondered if the other dogs were even participating in the chase. My Tracker, however, told me that they were still together, but that they were far away. The terrain there was uneven. I walked towards them and waited at the side of a mountain for a while, but finally, I decided to go looking for them. I took a woods road and had to walk until 10:20 to get close to the action. I was soaked, as it was warm and the humidity was unbearable. They came very close to me, but as I rushed to see the hare, he heard me and turned back. Chloé and Voodoo were on the line, but I did not hear Uma at all. The terrain was difficult: the woods were very open, and almost entirely populated with large deciduous trees, although the undergrowth was sometimes thick. The forest floor was covered with a thick carpet of dried leaves. Chloé was always in the lead. As I waited there, to see where to go next, I saw Uma, completely exhausted, coming towards me on the woods' road. She was not tracking me, as I had come from the opposite direction. She seemed ready to collapse, and she lay on the ground near me for 10 minutes while the other dogs were steadily chasing the hare. When they returned, she had mustered enough energy to get up and join them. They crossed the road out of sight and pursued the hare on the other side for quite a while. When the hare returned, he came to the side of the road but stayed in the grass. All I saw of him was a flash of white (the underbelly) in the distance at 11:00. The hounds were soon on the line and the chase continued. Up to this point, it had been very fast and steady. The hare eventually crossed back, but I did not arrive there in time to see him. He went around and behind me to an area covered with piles of dead branches and tree roots. There were also several large piles of logs nearby. The dogs tried very hard, but in this area, they failed to recover the line, and the hare was lost at 11:13. I chose to leash the dogs and cut through the woods on another road. When I reached the road I had taken earlier, I realized that the dogs had not been that far after all. They were simply on the other side of the mountain and it made it very difficult to hear them. We were back at the stream at 11:48 and I let the dogs have a drink. They needed it. Chloé was still fresh and enthusiastic about starting another search. She started searching with Uma. Voodoo, however, seemed unmotivated. I encouraged her to go in, but she was clearly not interested. This had never happened before, and I knew that something was wrong. When a good dog does not want to hunt, leave him alone, he is sick. As I waited for the other dogs to strike or check-in, I heard Voodoo vomiting nearby. I decided to end the outing. She vomited water and foam profusely in her cage on the way back. She may have become overheated and dehydrated during the chase. She recovered at home, and by the end of the afternoon, she seemed all right.

October 9, 2005 heavy rain yesterday and last night, overcast, wind, light rain today, 7C

I took Fay and Chris, my daughter and her husband, out with Chloé today, as I wanted to show them what a hound was about. We went to my usual training grounds and I released Chloé around 9:50. It was wet and as could be expected, the hares did not move all night. It took Chloé a while to find one, but she finally had a strike at the bottom of the trash, near the beaver pond. The hare stayed in the area for some time, but when he could not shake her off, he decided to head south. He crossed the middle road, unseen, near the beaver pond and made a wide circle in the big woods. He stayed at the top of the second hill near the south road for quite some time, trying to confuse her. When this did not work, he returned down the hill, went around the field to the evergreen thickets, and came back up on the other side to finally settle in B--- covert, a thick plantation of young pines. He surely thought that he could get rid of her there, on the wet carpet of dead pine needles, where scenting is more difficult. We decided to follow the chase and stopped on the road adjacent to the plantation to see some of the action. We saw the hare three times, unhurried, making small circles everywhere. The chase had been very steady up to this point, but in the plantation, the pace slowed, and there were several small checks. Chloé handled them quite easily. The hare then decided to beat it out of there and he ran towards the west at a fast pace. He went around the field and returned to the trash on the other side of the middle road. There must have been very little scent left, as we would only hear Chloé bay occasionally in the distance. We followed her back to the trash and I called her back to me, as Fay and Chris had to return home by 11:30. Chloé soon returned, soaking wet, and we headed for home. The chase had lasted about an hour. We had not seen much of the hare, but it had been a good outing.

October 10, 2005 overcast and light rain all day, 11C

I took the pups out in the afternoon for about 2 hours. It was raining again, and we all came back soaked. There is not much new to report. They played and chased each other a lot. They are now very fond of wild apples. I flushed a grouse from a spruce tree near the north road and the pups heard it fly away. They immediately started searching for scent on the ground. When Daisy found some scent farther on and barked a couple of times, the other pups dashed immediately in her direction, but nothing was found. After the first hour, Daisy found some hare scent, I presume, and she barked a couple of times on the track. The other pups joined her immediately and started sniffing. When they could not connect, they became disinterested, but from that moment, Daisy continued to crisscross the woods in front of me searching for scent until an hour later, when we returned to the middle road. In spite of her determination and persistence, she was not fortunate enough to find another track. I had not expected her to be able to do so in the rain, but it was beautiful to watch.

October 11, 2005 no rain today, but the woods were very wet, windy, 10C

I took the pups out this morning for about 3 hours. We went up the middle road to the pond first, and then back up the second hill through the trash. The other pups were happy playing, but Daisy was searching, and she finally found a track near the top of the hill. She started barking on the line soon after. At first, the other two pups looked surprised, but they rushed towards her after a few moments. There was silence for a while, but then at 9:28, the chase started in earnest and the dogs barked steadily on the line. The hare took them east towards the main road, and as far back as the top of the first hill. He then headed north and circled back to the middle road at the top of the second hill. At 9:34, I could not hear Daisy anymore, but I could hear Badger barking regularly. Spy returned a few moments later. I wondered if perhaps Badger was lost and barking because he could not find me. I sounded my horn and recalled them. Daisy did not take long to come back, but Badger continued barking some distance away in the woods. I decided to go and find him. It was not difficult, as the other pups were soon at his side. He came to greet me when he saw me, and we continued our search in the woods towards the north road. We did not find anything for a long time. I finally took them north of the north road to the pine and spruce plantation. The pups seemed content to play and search for apples. I let them play for a while, but eventually called them off to follow me. I thought that the plantation would be an ideal place today for a hare that did not want to get wet. There is considerable space for a hare between trees; there is no wet vegetation to go through, and the wind is not an issue. On the other hand, I got soaked going through it, as the boughs were heavy with water droplets. I had just ventured in, when I saw a flash of white directly under a tree, just in front of me. I called the pups excitedly. Daisy found the track and started barking and Badger rushed to the rescue. Soon, they were both on the line. I lost track of Spy. I returned to the path and saw the pups cross it not far away. They continued the chase on the other side, where the plantation is bordered by rows of huge maple trees. I took the path bordering the maples, and headed towards the main road. The pups chased that hare for about 5 minutes. After that, Spy returned and stayed at my side. Within a couple of minutes, Daisy was also back, but Badger was not coming. I could hear him barking frequently not too far away. I went to find him in the woods. When I saw him, he was not lost; he had his nose to the ground and was wagging his tail, trying desperately to recover the line. I decided to return to the first plantation and followed the path bordering it to the north. Meanwhile, the pups continued their search nearby, under the trees. Daisy soon started barking again, and so did Badger, each going in a different direction, probably after different hares. Badger, especially, had a long chase. Meanwhile, I headed out of there. It was too thick to see anything. Spy followed me and just stood there, looking anxious. She would sometimes run towards the other pups, but would return quickly to be at my side. Obviously, she has not yet understood the connection between the scent and the hare. I had assumed that she had done so the other day. Perhaps she did not see the hare and was simply barking at the other dogs, as she often does in my field, when they chase each other. It will have to wait a little longer. Daisy returned after a while, while Badger was still barking, not too far way. Eventually, his hare was also lost. Satisfied with this chase, I headed back through the big woods. We had almost reached the middle road when Daisy started barking. Badger and Spy were at her side almost immediately. It was 11:21. They chased that hare on the north side for a while as I stood on the path. I saw the hare cross the road at 11:25 and disappear in the big woods across. I wished I had brought my video camera, but obviously, it would have been too wet to do so safely. The pups were on the line, not far behind the hare. At one point, I watched Badger recover the line and Daisy rush towards him. Spy followed the chase, barking on occasion. The hare was lost soon after, and I recalled the pups and headed for home. It had, again, been a good session. Badger had declared himself on a hare and was following the line quite well. Unfortunately, he has a chop voice, as does Daisy. There is nothing wrong with it, as he has a powerful bark, even at this young age; I just prefer a bay. Daisy is excellent at this stage and is steadily getting more experience. Spy, however, has yet to put it all together.

October 12, 2005 sunny, breezy, 13C

I took my Pointers to B--- today. I started with Emmy and hunted her for an hour ½. I first went north towards the house, then I returned to the truck and hunted across the small brook. She did quite well. She went a little too far twice, when the woods were open. I pulled her ear a little and patted her afterwards and that was all it took. She patterned quite well on her own. She had a spectacular point on a woodcock on the left, at the first hill. I found her under some evergreens on the side slope. I went to her, and as I approached, I heard a woodcock flush 20 feet farther to the side. I thought that this was probably the woodcock she was pointing. I was not prepared for a shot when one flushed close-by, in front of her. It flew over me, and by the time I managed to turn my gun around to aim and shoot between alder branches, it was quite far and I missed. We hunted the side hill for a while and came back to the path. On the other side of the path, just a few yards from where the woodcock had flushed, she had a beautiful point on a grouse. It was in a tree, and I heard it make the usual clucking sounds before I arrived. It could not find it though, as the foliage was too thick. Next, I took Willow and we followed the main road towards the south. We went as far as the last intersection and back. I hunted her for 2 hours. She did not pattern quite as well as usual, extending her search on either side a little too frequently before crossing over. It was not a problem: I am too much of a perfectionist when it comes to this. Her search was still fabulous, and her pattern will improve as she gets into shape. She found several woodcock and grouse. I recall one find not too far from the truck: She had a solid point a few yards in, at the side of the road. I could not find anything and asked her to relocate. She advanced slowly, and established point again a few yards ahead. As I approached, a woodcock flew away at least 20 yards from there, behind a clump of evergreens. A second woodcock was pointed later as Willow was about to jump over a mound. She froze into a point, in a rather awkward position, at the very top of the mound, head pointed sideways. The woodcock flushed in front of me as I approached, but it disappeared before I could aim. I did not have a chance to shoot at any woodcock with her today, but I got 2 grouse. She was still very eager to go when I reached the truck and she headed towards the woods, hoping that I would follow.

October 13, 2005 sunny/cloudy, windy, 15C

I took my hounds to S--- road this morning and released them at 9:29. I had parked the truck at the first fork, and we proceeded north on the main road. The hounds searched both sides of the road with diligence. At 9:33, Voodoo stopped beside me to check some scent at the side of the road. She would follow the track for a few yards in each direction and come back. She kept checking, and rechecking more carefully each time. As Chloé and Uma had just appeared on the road ahead, I called them in, but they did not pay much attention to my suggestions. Meanwhile, Voodoo was still on the road, working carefully and trying to figure it out. The others were searching in the woods nearby without success. Finally, at 9:44, Voodoo went in the woods a little farther down the road and she had a strike. The others were there almost immediately, and they chased the hare at a mad pace and in a straight line towards the west. They were out of hearing range in 3 minutes. For the next 10 minutes, I heard them only occasionally. The hare came back and crossed to the east side at 9:55. He had two unusual white spots on his right flank. The hair on those spots was white instead of brown. The dogs were on his tail, but they were a little rough on the line. They lost a few seconds before Uma reconnected, and the chase continued. I expected the hare to go back and forth from one side of the road to the other, but he had other ideas. He went in the woods and remained on the same side for the duration of the chase, which lasted almost 2½ hours. In the swampy area below, he adopted a circuit that went almost parallel to the road. There, he slowed his pace and made innumerable small circles in three separate areas, trying to confuse the dogs. I became quite anxious to see some action, and after some time, I went in the woods and tried to find areas where I could use my video camera. They were difficult to find; the woods are so thick and so dark. Nevertheless, I managed to capture several scenes on film. The hare came by me several times. Twice he slipped behind me. I saw how close he had been when I saw the dogs on the line. Once, he came towards me in an open area and circled passed me some distance away. The hounds were not far behind. After they went by me, the hare made another circle exactly where he had been before, and I filmed him again at 11:18. Voodoo was on the line soon after, but the other dogs were, at that particular time, struggling to catch-up.

I also caught a scene in the swamp at 11:50. After a long steady chase with only two checks that only lasted a couple of minutes, the hare was lost suddenly at 12:03, and Uma first, then the others, came back to find me. Uma found me before I had come out of the woods, and the others appeared on the road later. They all seemed full of energy and eager to go. We continued northward on the main road and the hounds started a new search. This search was different from any I had ever seen before. Voodoo and Chloé started slow tracking after trying for some time to find a fresher track. I heard Chloé bay tentatively at 12:29 and she continued baying intermittently in the distance. The other dogs, although they could not have been far from her, remained completely silent. At 12:33, Voodoo crossed the road in the distance, at a passage that is frequently used by hares. She was trotting silently, nose to the ground, obviously following a track. Chloé was still baying occasionally on the other side. She and Uma crossed the road at 12:34, at the same location. Chloé continued to bay alone on the line for some time, but at 12:47, I heard a few squeals from Voodoo beside her. Then, I heard nothing more from Voodoo. At 12:58, the hare surprised me and crossed the road very close to where I was. I could not turn the camera on and focus quickly enough. Chloé was not far behind, now baying enthusiastically. She followed him across the road and beyond, in a straight line towards the west until she was out of hearing range. Uma arrived on the scene at 1:00 and Voodoo at 1:01, too late to catch-up with Chloé. Nevertheless, they disappeared in the general direction. It was unfortunate that, on the way, Voodoo found another hare. This one remained in the area and the two sisters had a steady chase for a while. Chloé was now very far, mostly beyond hearing range, and her hare would not return. After some time, I decided to go back towards the truck and tried to get closer to her. She was still quite far away. I went back to the truck, drove towards the main highway, and took the difficult road to the middle of the first clearing. I tracked her location, and she was perhaps only half a mile from me, as well as half a mile from the other dogs. (I checked her location later on a satellite image. She was between ¾ of a mile and one mile from the main road). The hare had settled in the area, and he would not be dislodged. Since there was no road leading towards her, I drove back to where I had left Voodoo and Uma and I met them on the road, running towards me. I honked the horn on the truck to teach them respect for motor vehicles. It was time to head for home, and I took their collars off and put them in their cages. I was prepared to have to wait for Chloé, but at that moment, she came running towards me, far away on the road, at 1:56. I think that she had heard the horn of my truck and had interpreted it to be a recall. Good dog! I put her in her cage and I headed for home. It had been another great day!

October 15, 2005 overcast, light mist, 10C

I took the pups out this morning for almost 2 hours. Daisy and Badger started searching immediately for hare, not for mushrooms! They found one in the trash and they all chased it there for a while. Finally, only Badger continued the chase. Spy had come back to find me at the first check and Daisy did the same soon after. They stood by me while Badger was still barking on the line, not too far away. Spy has obviously not understood yet. She seems a little concerned and anxious at the barking at times. For some reason, Daisy did not join Badger in the chase after she came back. I had seen Voodoo do the same with Uma when they first started hunting together. Eventually, she learnt to run to her as soon as she started to bark on the line. I will just have to wait and see what develops. I think that Spy joins in the chase without really knowing what she is doing. Perhaps she is still chasing the other pups while they are chasing the hare. It is a matter of opportunity. She must first see a hare to understand. As far as voice is concerned, Daisy has a short bark. It is adequate, but not quite as loud as I would like it to be. She appears at this stage to very vocal when the scent is strong. Badger also has a bark, but his is deep, raspy and very loud. He is very open (he is very vocal on the trail) and seems to bark easily when he encounters scent. I am happy about this, as it always makes the chase more interesting, especially on snow, when the scent is weak. Spy has the best voice of all. I have not yet been able to judge how she will use it. Although it is still a bark, it is very loud, somewhat elongated at times, and much clearer in tone. It is still a bit early to make definitive pronouncements about their use of nose and use of voice. I will know more precisely once they acquire more experience and I see them in action more often. The pups had at least 4 chases, all in the trash. The plantations were barren on this day. I was very impressed with Badger. He kept searching at the checks and recovered the line several times. At least one of his chases lasted 8-10 minutes, although he had help from Daisy at the start. I am quite sure that he will be excellent. I was surprised at how fast they were on the line. For young pups, they have no problem tracking and are very talented. They will just have to learn how to handle sharp changes of direction. Badger and Spy are still much attached to me and still fear losing me. Badger will bark madly and complain while tracking me, if he cannot immediately find me after a loss. He always finds me, but he is sometimes quite far. Spy remains silent when lost, but she always returns quickly. Daisy also remains silent. She is not as concerned about finding me quickly. She seems to be more confident. The other two are still acting like pups. The females' canines are full-grown now. Badgers' are almost full-grown. When they search, the pups now venture about 100 yards away in the woods. They go much farther of course when chasing a hare. I am very pleased with them so far; at this stage, they all appear to have outstanding noses. I am not concerned about Spy; her time will come soon enough.

October 17, 2005 It had rained heavily during the past 2 days, overcast, high wind, very wet, 9C

I took the pups out this morning at the usual place. When we reached the top of the first hill, I saw Badger put his nose to the ground and start following a track on the north side of the road. The two other pups were just entering the cover to follow him when I saw the hare, 10 yards ahead, run across the road towards the south. I wished that Spy had seen him. That hare was in a hurry. I called the pups excitedly to the track, although I should have kept quiet and let them figure it out. They were soon on the scene and Badger and Daisy started searching frantically while Spy stood by me wondering what was going on. Daisy started barking, but it was Badger who picked-up the line. Soon the 3 pups were barking and giving chase in the big woods. Unfortunately, the hare was lost rather quickly, and the pups came back. Some time later, there was another chase at the top of the trash, where Badger found scent and started a chase. The same thing happened: after a moment of surprise, Spy joined the other pups in the chase, but this one as well was of short duration. We went to the plantation afterwards, but nothing was found. On the way back, however, up the hill from the north road, Daisy and Badger found a track and the 3 pups had a mad chase towards the east in the big woods. Because of the wind, they were soon out of hearing range. I recorded the sounds of all the chases with my digital still camera, but the quality was only average, and the files were too big to post. A 26 second clip used 12.3 Mb. The pups were back after 6 minutes. I had gone back to the intersection and they swiftly tracked me down. They are quite amazing! They are now becoming quite accustomed to finding me and I noticed today that Badger was gaining confidence and was not as distressed as he had been previously. He and Daisy were inclined to search farther for longer periods today. After that chase, they seemed to be searching with more dedication than they had before. The conditions did not seem favourable for scenting today. Everything was so wet. I headed for home after 2 hours in the woods.

October 18, 2005 overcast, few sunny periods, windy, 11C

I took my older hounds to S--- rd this morning and parked at the fork. I released them at 9:40. I took the left fork. Chloé had a strike on the left side at 9:50, some distance in the woods, in very thick stands of young evergreens. For a while, the chase went back and forth parallel to the road in the thickets. I tried to get closer to the action, but it was too hard to go through, especially with a large camera. The pace of the chase was furious. The hare went from thicket to thicket the whole length of the road. Then he turned right, and went the whole length of the road to the right at the four corners. I tried to keep up, but they were going too fast. Soon, all I could hear was Chloé, baying in the distance. I followed them and eventually made my way to an old clearcut area at the very end of the road. It was now 10:35 and about a mile and a half from where the chase had started. I had walked some distance on an ATV trail and through much water to get close enough to them. The chase had settled in this area and after a while, there was a loss or at least some serious checks. I sounded my horn, but the dogs were intent on staying with it. They did not listen. After some time, I decided that it was time for a correction. I stung them a little once with the shock collar and waited. Then I heard Chloé bay again. She was going to cross the trail some distance ahead. I ran on the trail to see the chase, but I was not fast enough. It was fortunate that she then made a loop towards the north in a very open forest of deciduous trees. As I was waiting for her to cross the trail ahead, I saw Uma run towards her. Voodoo also arrived. She had listened to my last call and had tracked me to this location. Soon, they started searching in the thick vegetation at the side of the path. Chloé appeared a little later doing the same. It was time to show some anger and I gave them each a slap or two to remind them that they had done wrong and should always return at the sound of the horn. I made them walk at heel at my side, without a leash, for a long distance on the way back. I released them again at 11:43, after we had reached a suitable area on the left fork. They searched well, but we did not find another hare. I then started walking along the right fork. A short distance from the truck, Chloé started baying tentatively in the open woods near the road at 12:38. As Voodoo was coming to the rescue, she encountered some fresher tracks and had a strike at 12:39. Chloé and Uma were soon at her side. The chase was on. They stayed close for a while, and I decided to try to ambush the hare in the evergreen grove nearby. I just missed him by a few seconds and he headed south, passed the fork and beyond the clearing. I now had to walk all the way there. I had done much walking already. I was almost there when I stopped for a moment to listen. They were headed back. The chase went by me in the woods and I saw the hare crossing 300 yards behind me at 1:08. The hounds were on the line at 1:09. I turned back, walked for a while and finally waited for them to return. The hare came back and attempted to cross again at 1:23. I was directly in front of him, blocking the way. Although I did not see him, I heard him stop abruptly, turn back and run away to return to the grove. There was a check at 1:33. It was resolved temporarily by Voodoo, but a loss occurred within a minute. The dogs came back to the road looking for me at 1:48 and we returned to the truck. It was time to head for home. Frankly, I was quite tired.

October 19, 2005 sunny/cloudy, windy, 11C

I took my Pointers hunting today. I went to Watson settlement and passed by my old place. I became quite nostalgic thinking about my good old Pointers and about how everything has changed so much. I stopped near the end of the Sweet road and started hunting with Emmy. We encountered a bear bating station about 10 minutes into our walk and I decided to come back and go somewhere else. It was not easy to find another suitable road. I was surprised to find so many new houses everywhere. Many roads had signs warning passers-by that this was private property or that hunting was not allowed. Others had gates or chains to prevent entry. The good old days are gone! Twenty years ago, there was nothing of the sort. You could stop and hunt just about anywhere you pleased, provided you stayed a safe distance away from schoolyards and such. You were allowed, if not welcomed, almost everywhere. People were kind and tolerant! Nowadays, people are paranoiac about guns and many are against hunting, even in rural communities. So many love animals but hate people, people not like them! They would prefer the animals to die of starvation or disease, as most of them do, than be harvested by a hunter. Animal rights yes! The hell with people's rights! In fact, I have read that audiences, viewing video footage, now react more strongly to the sight of a rabbit being shot than at the sight of a human being killed. We are the new lepers. Smokers have been banished from just about everywhere. Fellow hunters, we are next! But enough of this!

After I had been driving for a while, I decided that it would be more productive to go to my usual hunting places. They are far from houses and mostly on Crown Land. I went to B--- and parked at the usual place. I took Emmy first, and we went on the small circuit. She hunted very well. She had a point on a grouse that unfortunately took off as she was stooping to point. I heard it flush far ahead. To my surprise, we did not find a single woodcock there. This used to be a woodcock paradise. The cover was not responsible for the lack of birds, it was still prime. I suspect that the wet and cold springs that have been the norm for the past few years are mostly to blame.

Next, I took Willow passed the small brook. She had an uninspired point on a grouse that flushed before I could enter the cover. I saw it swerve over the road some distance ahead and I ventured two shots. I think the first took some feathers, but the grouse kept going. We were not able to find it again. I hate to lose an animal this way! During the search for the grouse, Willow had a point in very thick cover. A woodcock flushed about 15 feet away and to her side. I had to swerve around and try to aim my gun towards the bird between alder branches. It flew, of course, behind and towards the top of some evergreens, which were preventing me from seeing it. However, I could guess, by the sound of its' wings, that it was about to appear in a very small opening between branches. My stance was unbalanced, but I managed to throw a single shot in that direction. It connected, and the bird fell, dead on the spot. It was a beautiful shot! I had not seen the bird fall, but Willow found it dead and retrieved it to me. We returned to the truck having found nothing else and I headed towards the bridge. Along the way, Willow had a point in a swampy area. As I was about to enter the cover, I heard some rustling noises at the edge of the road. It was a grouse running away in the weedy undergrowth. I tried to hurry ahead and flush it, but it had already run ahead of the place where I entered the cover. As I was doing so, it flushed towards the road and I threw a shot at it. The cover was very dense, but my shot connected once again. It was another beautiful shot. Willow was far behind, holding steady at the sound of the gun. I called her in and asked her to retrieve. She had not seen the bird fall and it was not where I had presumed it had fallen. It was a difficult retrieve, but she finally found it some distance away and brought it back to me. The third bird was a grouse that she pointed on the way back. It perched in a tree far away and was an easy shot.

October 20, 2005 rain last night, sunny/cloudy, strong wind, 9C

I took the pups to my usual place today, but they seemed a little less motivated than usual. Scenting conditions were clearly very poor. At the top of the first hill, I saw them head towards an area where they had found a hare previously. I pointed my camera towards the path ahead, hoping that they would find that hare again, and that he would cross at the same location. He did just that at that exact moment, a split-second before the tape mechanism engaged. Spy returned to me a moment later and I tried without success to incite her to put her nose to the ground. Daisy and Badger, meanwhile, were in the woods a few yards away, trying to find the line. They started barking on the hot scent before they had actually found the line. They crossed the path soon after, looking quite disorganized. Within a minute, however, they were chasing the hare in the big woods on the other side. I saw the hare come back after a small loop and cross the path towards the north. Spy soon came back to me, but I saw Daisy cross not too far from the line. She reconnected a few yards away in the trash and Spy followed her in. They were both vocal for a minute. Meanwhile, Badger had lost the line in the big woods and he had just arrived at my side. He ran towards the others and joined in the chase. By that time, Spy was coming back. Soon, they were all back. Badger went at it again and reconnected for a short while. After this hare was lost, they had another chase a short time after we reached the top of the second hill. The three pups were barking on the trail for 3 minutes before they all came back. Badger showed much more persistence than the others had. He returned to the trash and chased that hare again for 3 more minutes by himself while the others hung around, disinterested it would seem. The woods between the middle and the south road were being harvested, and the noise of the chain saws was very loud. I do not know if it intimidated the females, but it certainly did not bother Badger. He even showed a certain degree of tenacity. Later, we went to the end of the north road and Badger had a strike in the plantation. He ran that hare alone intermittently for 6 minutes, while the others again remained at my side. We had a visit from E---'s terrier who had come to protest. Some time later, Badger and Daisy had another chase. They headed west, but because of the wind, I soon lost track of them. I caught up with them on the north road. They had lost the line, but were actively trying to find it again. On the way back, the pups had another chase in the big woods. After a little while, Badger was again running it alone with much difficulty, while the others seemed to lack the incentive to join the chase. It was a little discouraging. Although there were several chases, I had expected that, by now, after having pursued a few hares, the pups would show more passion and determination. Perhaps I am expecting too much of them at this stage. I am trying not to enter the woods with them in order to teach them to cast on their own. Badgers' search was a little soft at times today. Daisy is motivated to search, but she seems to quit so easily. I am a little annoyed at her for not joining Badger when he is enthusiastically chasing a hare nearby. She appears to be looking for new scent on her own. As for Spy, nothing has changed.

October 21, 2005 Overcast, windy, 7C

I took the pups out this morning at 11:00 and we stayed out until 2:00. It was a very good day. The pups had their first chase at the top of the first hill. I did not see the hare, as he crossed the path a little farther than usual, but the pups found scent at the usual place and eventually followed the line across. They had a good chase in the big woods, with all three pups involved. I filmed a sequence showing Daisy assiduously following the track, nose glued to the ground, before claiming and running the line.

After the first chase, we continued westward. Badger disappeared in the trash at the top of the second hill and he soon had a strike. He followed the hare up and down the hill and crossways for a long time. It was not a smooth run of course, but he showed a great amount of tenacity. Even when he became worried about my whereabouts, he just came back briefly, just to say hi! and returned immediately. He would find the hare again and continue the chase. Daisy joined him in the chase, but ignored him at times. Spy, as usual, would join the chase only to return promptly to my side. The longest time she stays with it is usually about 3 minutes. They all chased this hare intermittently from 11:22 to 11:43. The pups totally ignored the deafening noise of skidders and chain saws nearby, just across the path. After that, we made our way to the north road across the big woods. I walked its' whole length without finding anything. We went to the two plantations and the pups took some time off to eat apples and chase each other a bit. We then started walking back. I was walking very slowly today. Instead of going in the woods with the pups, I just stopped and stared intently in the direction I wanted them to take to enter the woods and search. My intent was to encourage them to show some initiative and hunt by themselves. It worked better today than it had yesterday. By the end of the session, Daisy and Badger were going much farther then the sound of their full-size bell would carry. As I would stay until they returned, they felt confident that they would find me wherever they had left me. I noticed a great improvement in their search today. Spy still does not have a clue! Since she has participated in many chases, I would have expected her to understand by now. It is starting to worry me a little. She is still only interested in scents that emanate from things that she can eat or play with. I have yet to see her follow a track. She is amazing at finding old aluminum cans in the woods though. Not a can is safe. If it is there, she will find it, crunch it, and come and prance with it in front of the other pups. She is still very immature. Later, at 12:47 Badger had another strike on the north road. I think that this time he jumped the hare and sight chased it for a few moments, as I did not see him track just prior to hearing him roar after the hare. The hare ran swiftly in the woods in a direction that was parallel to the road. He then turned around and I saw him coming back at full speed. Badger was following the line at an incredible pace, losing it occasionally, and recovering it quickly. I was very impressed. I captured part of this chase on film as well. Daisy did well also: she is steady on the line, searches well, and applies herself. I saw her harking to Badger on that and a later chase. Perhaps she just did not understand previously. Badger, by comparison, now listens for her intently when he comes back and darts immediately in her direction if she is barking in the distance. Spy does the same after a few moments of hesitation. Surprisingly, the longer I was out and the better the pups searched. Daisy also started to show more tenacity as the afternoon progressed and she stayed with Badger to help him run the line and recover the checks. I was quite encouraged today and I banished the pessimistic thoughts and notions that I had entertained yesterday.

October 22, 2005 mostly overcast, 7C

I took the pups out this afternoon with my daughter Sarah and her husband Billy. They had brought Coquette, one of Chloé's daughters along with them. She is a beauty and she looks and acts much like Chloé. She is confident and serious. I have no doubt that she will be excellent, given a chance. It was complete mayhem at first, as my pups were curious about her, and intent on playing. Badger had a strike in the trash as soon as we passed the second hill. Coquettes' reaction to hearing him bark loudly was to go a short distance towards him and bark angrily. This behaviour disquieted Daisy and Spy who now thought that there was a danger lurking nearby. They ran back to me repeatedly. They were still more intent on playing than on hunting at that time. The sound of their bells near us, and all the commotion alerted the hare to our presence. He never came near. This went on for a while. I then decided to cross over to the north road. Things improved there and we had some good chases. Badger was all business today and he ran hare after hare with an incredible amount of determination for a young pup. He is not yet 6 months old, but some of his chases were relatively steady and prolonged. He is very fast. He was also very persistent and tenacious in the checks, which he solved mostly by himself. Today, he almost never stopped searching. Daisy became more serious after we reached the north road and she started hunting with more determination. At one point, Badger and her were running two different hares. Spy was the same as usual: still very immature. Badger was impressive. I am now certain that he will be excellent. His hunting skills are such, even at this stage, that I could already harvest several hares each day over him if I wished to do so. As for Coquette, she relaxed after the first hour and she ignored the barking. She became quite interested in following my pups, but she did not dare to venture too far from her owners. Progress with hounds is gradual: count only on a little improvement every day.

October 23, 2005 rain last night, heavy rain while we were out, strong wind, 5C

We should not have gone out today, but Sarah and Billy were keen on seeing Chloé hunt. It was raining heavily and the wind was very strong. Truthfully, I did not expect her to be able to find a hare to run. With the rain and wind last night, I was sure that all the hares had not moved from their shelters and I was equally sure that she would not find a track. She proved me wrong. I think that she was extremely lucky, as it did not take her 5 minutes to have a strike, hundreds of yards in the woods, at the top of the first hill. She ran that hare very steadily north of the middle road and after a while, it crossed to the big woods across. It made a loop towards the west and came out of the woods less than 10 yards away from where we were standing. It was quite thrilling. That hare was already starting to grow the long white hairs of his winter coat. The chase went well for about 20 minutes, and we went in the woods to get closer to the action. Billy saw the hare a second time, in the distance. Chloé was not far behind. He saw it again a third time, from a little closer, but this time, he was unsure if it was the same hare as before. It was still raining hard. The hare took some advance on the hound and she began to have much difficulty trailing him. She would bay on occasion, but she was often progressing silently and with some difficulty. There were short periods of smooth running now and then, but overall, she was having trouble following the line. After 20 minutes of this, she finally had a loss. We went to the top of the second hill, and I cast her again. She searched the trash and the big woods across for ½ hour, but did not find anything. Similarly, she did not find anything on the way back. It was all right, Sarah and Billy had seen her hunt, and they had seen a hare from very close. That was good enough for a day like this.

October 24, 2005 rain last night, rain all the time I was out, 6C

The forecast said: "overcast today, rain starting in the evening, heavy rain tomorrow". I took my older hounds out and brought my video camera. It was going to be a good day for filming. I had been on the road for just 10 minutes when it started raining. It rained steadily until after 3:00. Of course, I coould not use my camera. I should have been better prepared and brought my gun. It has been a long time since we have had hare stew and we really enjoy it. We have this fabulous recipe with wine and tapioca that is fat free and cholesterol free, yet it tastes so rich. The hare is cooked slowly at low temperature until the meat is mild and tender, and falls of the bones: a truly healthy meal that would please even a gourmet. Nancy gets her fancy glasses and fancy dishes out, together with her silver-plated cutlery. She sets them on her best tablecloth, with the cloth napkins and all, and we celebrate this very special harvest. I parked at the first fork on S-- road. I was preparing to head out, when a fellow hunter stopped to chat for a minute. I was probably not what he expected to encounter in the woods: coarse beard, funny hat, old worn out clothes. I am sure that I looked like I belonged in an alley in a big city rather than here in the woods. He wanted to take my picture. He was not the first. I released the hounds at 10:00 and we headed north on the road. It was wet and I expected that the hares had not moved all night. It took 25 minutes, but Voodoo finally had a strike. It happened some time after I called her in to investigate a well-worn path in the grass, at the side of the road. She followed it in the woods after checking it in both directions for a while. Then she tracked slowly and silently until the strike. Well done! The pace of the chase, as usual, was furious for the first 20 minutes. The hare followed a short circuit parallel to the road on the east side. He went back and forth many times about a hundred yards into the woods. At 10:45, he crossed the road besides me, and less than a second later, another hare crossed about 4 yards farther, going in the same direction. [What are the chances of that happening? In a chase, 2 hares would have been separated quickly. If they were still together after 20 minutes, it is because they intended on staying together. It is not unusual; I have seen it happen often. In one instance, I repeatedly saw 3 hares running and staying together, interlacing their trails and zigzagging everywhere. It was absolute hell for the hounds.]. The hounds were right behind them when they crossed and they were going so fast that they were soon almost out of hearing range. After a while, the hares became separated and so did the dogs. Voodoo and Uma followed one, while Chloé followed the other or was left behind. The pace of the chase slowed considerably. The first hare returned, followed by Voodoo and Uma. Chloé was now silent. She appeared on the road 7 minutes later, rushing towards them. They chased the hare for a while on the same circuit as before, but the hare was now going more slowly and playing tricks on them. The tracking was now slow and tedious. I went in the woods and saw the hare go by several times, making small circles and going up and down small hills and around obstacles. After doing this a few times, he dashed in the direction of the road, but instead of crossing, he remained on the same side. Surprisingly, the dogs were not fooled. They kept after him, and the chase continued. At one point though, they seemed to have a loss. I went in the woods again to see what was happening. While I was doing so, the hare must have crossed to the other side. The dogs could not find the track, so I led them out towards the road. Uma started searching on the other side and she found the track again nearby. The chase continued. It was definitely the same hare, as he maintained the same pace and used the same circuit. He crossed the road at least 2 more times before he was finally lost at 1:00. It had been a very hard chase, as everything was so wet and the trail had been so difficult to follow. The hounds even seemed discouraged and appeared much less enthusiastic than usual. We headed back towards the truck, but they did not find another hare to run. We left the woods at 2:00. The main road out was rough and I must have splashed some water under the hood while going through puddles. The truck suddenly stopped (the coil shorted) on me in the middle of the road and I could not get it started again. I started walking and after a while I hitched a ride to the nearest house and called a wrecker. We got to the garage at 5:00. It had not been a great day, but still, every day is a good day when I can be with my dogs in the woods.

October 27, 2005 frost last night, sunny, wind in the afternoon 0-6C

I took Uma and Voodoo to B--- today. The weatherman said "snow flurries and showers today" so I left my video camera at home and I took my gun. It was a gorgeous day, nice blue skies with fluffy white clouds for most of the morning and the air was crisp. There were no rain showers or snow flurries at all on this day. It would have been a beautiful day for filming. I should have learnt by now! Seriously though, I was pleased to have brought my gun. I had been thinking a lot about hare stew lately. I had left Chloé home today to see what Uma and Voodoo would do on their own. They did quite well. Voodoo had all the strikes, but Uma helped with the checks and sometimes recovered the line. The scenting conditions were not that good today, as the hounds were sometimes trailing very slowly and the running was not smooth at times. I released the hounds by the small brook at 9:10, and Voodoo found a track at 9:25. She claimed once and worked things out. At 9:27, they struck and were both in full chase. The hare was on the north side of the road. He crossed to the south side and made a loop near the intersection, where I was positioned. I got him with my first shot at 9:35 as he was rushing to cross the path to return to the north side. It was a nice shot! After that, Voodoo and Uma started searching immediately and Voodoo had another strike nearby at 9:38. I wondered if these two hares had again been traveling together. The hare ran back and forth on the same side for a while, but he also decided to cross the road to the north side and I was waiting for him. He surprised me at first, and I missed with my first shot, (this shot was from left to right and I find those shots a little more challenging) but my second shot connected through the brush. It was 9:50. I thought that I had missed. The dogs came along, and as so often happens after a shot, they lost their concentration, or the scent changed, and it took them a few seconds to reorganize. Uma was first on the track. She followed it in the woods for 10 yards without claiming and then came back. Voodoo was still searching nearby. I went in and by watching them follow the trail, I found the hare quite dead, about 10 yards away. Its fur was disturbed slightly, so I knew that Uma had found it and mouthed it a bit before coming back to me. Voodoo soon found it also. They started searching for another right away. Some distance away on