Everything I like to do outdoors is available this time of year. I'm no photographer, but I thought I'd share pictures from the last 10 days:

1) Hikes in the woods. The 6" diameter spur of maple was easily chopped with a re-profiled CS Machette. The work on the main trunk will be done soon after DFLE arrival (I promise pictures)! My poodle wonders why we're standing around.



2) Fishing. Lake fishing can be hot this time of year as we await winter-run steelhead to arrive (recent flooding rains make arrival imminent!). This nice 18" rainbow was fooled by an olive bead-head seal leech.



3) Birds on the wing. Thought the big northern ducks would be in by last weekend, but they're taking their sweet time getting here. No problem. A limit of wily rooster pheasants in the new snow is a good time. Before you ask... Yes, poodles hunt. She has a great nose, flushes, retrieves, and even points if the birds hold real tight.

Great pics. I don't think I've ever seen a poodle in the woods before. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Poodles were bread as smart general purpose hunting dogs. They can point, flush, and retrieve. There are medieval tapestries showing falconers with poodles or proto-poodles. The name comes from the German Pudel, short for Pudelhund, from pudeln to splash + Hund dog.

people forget that poodles were hunting dogs. even the poodle cut is meant to protect their vitals.

sweet I love them pics and I too never saw poodles as a hunting dog, so it must me the owner that can train well.

Actually standard poodles are hunting dogs albeit a strange choice nowadays.

Poodles are the ones most likely to bite.

I should have known that this group would be well educated on the origin and historic purpose of poodles. As for "why", the fact that they don't shed or have dander make them ideal for a family with allergies who can't imagine living without dogs. In my case, I got lucky with the hunting ability of this one; the next one will be purpose bred. On the other hand, as the saying goes in my group for any of our dogs, "average breeding, superior training", but what hunter doesn't stretch the truth?