A black tailed rabbit hunt in the desert

So we had a great time Sunday on our first successful rabbit hunt. Joe shot one and Gracie loved it. She played with the carcass like it was a toy. I'm not sure how far we walked but we went up and down the dessert hills for 2 1/2 hours. I saw three rabbits and the first time I was so excited I forgot to even get my gun ready. The second one ran across the road, in front of the truck and down a raven. I was able to cock my gun but not shoot because Gracie was hot on its trail and I was afraid I would shoot her. The third one jumped out from under a bush and I was again got my gun ready but did not have a good shot before it took off in a direction we were not able to ascertain. I shot my gun at a beer can to get rid of the bullet only to find that the bullet I loaded at the beginning of our walk had fallen out. Even if I got a shot at the rabbit there was no bullet. We had fun laughing about that one. We left the dead rabbit for food in the dessert. They are apparently not good eating. We typically shoot only what we plan to eat but I'm not interested in a parasitic disease ridden animal. Gracie was having so much fun she completely ignored an injured paw that was leaving blood in the snow at every step. Buddy was a real trooper and kept up with me which was not hard. It's certainly not power walking, especially with a gun.

Once I got nervous when Joe went over a rise and I couldn't see him. I kept thinking about the mountain lion and figured I wasn't a good enough shot if the damn thing came charging at me. I felt anxiety only once when I was at the highest part of our walk and looked out across the valley to the snow covered mountain range. It was so breathtaking, literally. I got a bit weak in the knees especially when I tried to take a picture because it threw my balance off. Anyway, Joe reminded me that I can't fall any further then the ground beneath me. I have to say the ranges here are much easier to walk and feel safer. Well, since the days are short we will have to wait until next weekend to go out again cuz I will not go out alone. Not yet anyway.