Those fortunate enough to live in one of the western great plains states have access to the massive tracts of public BLM land (managed by the Bureau of Land Management). Last weekend we took bird dog Tex there to try out his new knees. During the past year, he blew out his two back knees and had TPLO surgery on both to put him back together. This nasty, invasive surgery is a big deal and I was anxious to see if he could hold up to a full day of heavy duty hunting.
The magnitude of this vast land is hard to grasp. It is a bad place to loose your keys.
Tex had a terrific time! He hunted hard and showed zero signs of pain or lameness during or after the hunt. After missing last hunting season and a summer of rehab, I think he is 100%.
Oak was out of his mind! This place is bird dog nirvana.
We had wet weather over the weekend. This provided the soft light you see in these pictures but made the roads pretty sloppy. You always worry about getting stuck in a place like this.
Plenty of these goats around. Pretty animals.
Large caliber vandalism.
Sweet Oak, all booted up and getting some loving.
The late day stormy weather, with the sun breaking through, gave us this cool look.
A sea of creamy Cheatgrass.
Happy Tex.
Tex track! I am very thankful that we had the resources to get him taken care of and that he is once again leaving tracks in the hunting fields.
There is nothing like hunting with your pal!
The birds are here somewhere.
Oak flies over the grass.
Look close. This is a hill side of sheep!
Our favorite after hunt refreshment.
Birdhunter 
Your beautiful pictures make me long for my teen years when I used to roam the fields of eastern Washington with my own German Shorthair, Nicky. In particular, your pictures remind me of a favourite Chukar hunting spot called “Black Canyon”, which was just east of the Manashtash Ridge, not far from the towns of Selah and Naches. Thanks for the reminder.
We never forget our dogs, do we! I am glad you enjoyed the post and that it brought back some great memories for you. Thank you for visiting the Birdhunter.
Wow! Looks like a great hunt!
It was a great hunt!! Great camaraderie, great dog work, beautiful country, wonderful rural accommodations and cuisine, interesting weather with great light (for photos), endless land and a lot of exercise for all! The only downside to this bird hunt . . . . no birds. A bad spring and tough summer diminished the bird count to near nothing. I am afraid this is going to be the theme this year in the northern great plains states.