Davis and MayBelle hunted together for nearly eight years . Sadly , she developed a form of lymphatic cancer , but it didn ' t stop them from enjoying one last river hunt , where she retrieved three banded geese .
“ These dogs give us everything that they are for whatever we can afford to give them ,” Wettish said . “ Whatever time we can give them , they give us all that they are . It ’ s just such an uneven trade , and we ’ re the ones getting the good side of it .”
Mick and MayBelle
Mick Davis is a duck diehard of diehards , but his greatest enjoyment from decades of waterfowling was his time with MayBelle . She passed in 2016 at almost 8 years of age .
You see , MayBelle showed promise at a very early age . On one hunt , when she was younger , she went back and retrieved a lost duck she ’ d been pulled off . It was double banded with a $ 100 reward . She knew that duck was there , and the moment she wasn ’ t tasked with something , she went back for the lost bird .
“ She was a trooper ,” Davis said . “ Always out there doing the things she needed to do . She was everyone ’ s favorite and always sat in the front seat . Other people who just hunt on the weekends would start to open the door , and I ’ d say no , get in the back . She sits in the front . She hunts every day . You hunt Saturday and Sunday .”
The older MayBelle got , the better dog she became . Davis travels to duck hunt a lot , and she got plenty of practice all around North America . Throughout her life , MayBelle retrieved 37 species of birds .
“ She was with me when I completed hunting the last state ,” Davis said . “ I ’ ve hunted all 49 [ Hawaii doesn ’ t permit duck hunting ], and she went with me to 26 states . She went to Canada probably 20 times and hunted every province and territory . I lost count of how many birds she retrieved . And I don ’ t know how many bands she picked up . It was unbelievable . She was a vacuum . She did her thing .”
One day , Davis noticed MayBelle ’ s eyes were glassy . He took her to the vet , who is a duck hunter as well . The vet gave her some steroids to see if it would clear up . Initially , that seemed to help , but the problem persisted . The vet diagnosed her with a form of lymphatic cancer . Davis was crushed .
With the vet ’ s approval , Davis took her on one final hunt . Mick and MayBelle climbed into the truck and took the twohour drive to the New River in Virginia . “ It was just me and her ,” he said . “ It was our last hunt together , and I knew it was .”
Hunting the river , they got into a mess of geese , and Mick made good on his shots so MayBelle could do what she loved . “ She almost couldn ’ t see them , but she could hear them ,” he said . “ She had a hard time finding me . I had to holler at her . But dogs don ’ t complain . They just deal with life and go on .”
MICK DAVIS
38 SPORTSMENSALLIANCE . ORG