Got One, Lost One

Put 72 km. on the Rhino today, looking for Grouse.... We saw four Ruffed Grouse, and I got two solid hits, but only recovered one bird, a beautiful large male Ruffie.... The other one, I saw the feathers fly (aiming for the head at about 25 yards), and the bird took off, flying along the road around the corner, with us in hot pursuit.... My eagle-eyed wife spotted the bird in a conifer about 20 feet up, but before I could take a second shot, the bird fell out of the tree, flapping madly, hitting the ground beside it, behind a bush.... I sent in Molly, she made a couple of zig-zags and then zeroed in on the base of the tree.... Nothing!.... She started searching, nose to the ground, and my wife and I joined in, but in spite of about 10 minutes of scouring the area, we all came up dry....

I sooooooooo hate it when I know a bird is down for the count but I don't recover it.... I know it's part of hunting, but it still saddens me.... I figure the least I can do is honour the bird by chalking it up as one of the five I'm allowed for the day, even though I have nothing to show for it....

Bob