The date was actually December 14, 2025. At the time, I didn't realize that it was likely Arnold's last hunt. Arnold was part and parcel of this team for a decade. He started out being a pain, where I had to carry him across rivulets, but progressed to being super mobile. Early on, he'd wander off, get lost, etc. Sometimes he chased feral hogs, hence the radio collar and electric shock collar....But he got better and better, and probably made the difference in a half dozen squirrels each season, plus he was our buddy. Right through last season he was good, but since the summer he's slowed down a lot. I don't remember too much about this particular hunt, except he was with us. Arnold and Cisco keyed off each other sometimes, and Arnold would always bark frantically when Cisco grabbed a squirrel up in a tree. More to come.......
A successful season is ending it with the buzzards healthy and having caught some game. 25/26 was a successful season..... Unfortunately, I had to retire Arnold as he's just getting old. He's slow, limping some, but generally ok. The heat has beaten me this year. Each year it seems to gets a bit warmer, which corresponds to worldwide measurements. It's been an odd season. There were no field birds, with Farrah catching only one. I took her to the woods after considering releasing her. Her modest number of catches, eleven, resulted in her best squirrel season ever. She contributed to the season total, which would have been respectable for a single buzzard. I hunted a lot, nearly daily, and often twice. Cisco was deadly in late December, then struggled big time after January 1. Farrah picked up some of slack, and was often a lot of fun. Their styles on squirrels are so different. There was a lot of ground cover, a significant change from last season, and getting good ambush...