A hard hunt yesterday, much more so than late season hunts usually are. It was partially because bird numbers are down this year and we needed to limit because we wanted birds to smoke for Christmas gifts for dear friends and partially because if you hunt the nasty grunch often enough it will extract a toll from you.

I stepped in to a beaver trace and when in to my hips. That makes for a cold remainder of the day. I re- broke a big toe that has been weeks in healing when I kick a log hidden by the cats and pushing through that stuff for five hours, about 6 miles or so, yesterday has me so stiff today that I can hardly walk.

But no one was seriously hurt, nor were any of the dogs, so it was a great hunt under endless Montana skies.

There won't be many of them left this year, as we are now down to the last two weeks of yet another season.




bc