October 23, 2021: Kansas Youth Waterfowl Opener

I only got to hunt with Puck twice—early teal, and youth waterfowl weekend. A slow morning lit up by a single ringneck and that wired, joyful energy only a young dog can bring. We trained so hard leading up to the season; hours afield, drills in the yard, me learning as much as he was. Then life changed. I moved, and Puck stayed behind. That hunt ended up being his second, and his last… but he didn’t know that. He just knew it was time to work, and he did it beautifully. Clean retrieve. Locked eyes. I still think about that morning more than most hunts that followed. Short career, sure—but a damn good one.