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Girls, Guns, and Gun Dogs!
Growing up in the south one gains an appreciation for late fall/early springtime bobwhite quail hunting behind a brace of pointers about as much as anything can be appreciated. The landscape here is dotted with private plantations, public shooting preserves, and small family farms that hold the elusive Gentleman-Bob…opportunities abound. In fact, I cut my gun dog teeth, as it were, training pointing breeds and stumbling around bottom lands I could access hunting quail. It would be some years before I switched my focus over to retrieving breeds entering the world of professional training and trial competition.
A Conspiracy With a Happy Ending
They had been rivals since 1916, the year of the first Yankee Field Trial, that trial held every Presidents Day by the Georgia-Florida Field Trial Club and called by its members (all quail plantation owners) the Owner’s Trial. They were three adjoining quail plantations, owned by cousins now, once by siblings, children of the same Cleveland Robber Baron, a coal and iron ore man, fabulously wealthy, who owned them all and called it Heavenfield. Before that assembly, the ground had been owned by a dozen turpentiners and small-patch cotton farmers. They sold for $6 an acre in 1885 to a straw man for the coal and iron ore man.
Puppy Introductions: Water, Game and Gunfire
Puppyhood plays an integral role in the future of your hunting dog. Introducing her to critical aspects of the hunt, including game, cover, water and especially gunfire, at critical ages and in a controlled manner to ensure a positive experience is important. It doesn’t matter if you’re training a pointer for the uplands, a retriever for the wetlands or hounds for small- or big-game, by keeping new experiences positive and slowly increasing the scope of that experience will guarantee your gundog loves all the aspects of her future job.
Field Trials Matter
Most scouts yawn when linemen run 40’s, but not at the 2020 combine. Mekhi Becton, a 6-foot-7-inch, 364 pound offensive lineman out of Louisville ran a blistering 5.1. Heads didn’t turn so much as they spun off of heads, for what current lineman of Beckton’s size runs what used to be speed of yesteryear’s fullback? My, my have times changed.
Late Season Care for Gun Dogs
As opening weekend and memories of early fall rambles through our favorite covers begin to fade, winter settles in across the northern reaches, signaling the last call for many bird hunters. For many of us, hunting the last days of the late season are an anticipated tradition, as we take extra time off around the holidays to spend time with family or travel to western or southern destinations to extend our season. Much like us, who will hunt as long as we are warm, dry and comfortable, our dogs are tough and ready for these winter wingshooting wanderings. Hunting in the cold and snow can be enjoyable and rewarding but following a few simple considerations will help to keep your dog safe and end the season on a high note.
The Code by M.R. Thompson
We’d been walking for several hours, neither of us speaking a word. Even the dogs at heel sensed the tension in the air. Frank looked hangdog while he occasionally checked his cell phone for service. My feet were sore and only getting worse in anticipation of the ten miles back to civilization when all of a sudden we heard the gravel crunch and diesel roar of a truck coming toward us on the logging road. We looked at each other, grabbed our dogs by the collars and jumped off the road and into the underbrush. The truck roared by and I tried to puzzle out the day’s events that brought us to this sorry state of affairs.
Midseason corrections
Next year's quail opener was set before the season ended. This year’s was good, check that, it was really good, the best in recent history. There seemed to be birds everywhere we went, all of the dogs worked great, and that combination caused us to set the bar for next year very high. Ours was a reasonable goal, mostly because we had several months in which to prepare. And so we did.
Stocking Stuffers for Gun Dog Owners
If you generally dread holiday shopping and have a hard time picking out gifts for the gun dog guy or gal in your family who has everything, then you’re going to absolutely love this list. And if you’re at the receiving end of this holiday exchange, you’re going to find great value from these items, because just as you can never have too many gun dogs, you can never have enough gear and supplies for your gun dogs. The holidays are stressful enough so we hope this gift-giving guide will help you finish your shopping early and allow for more quality time with your family and four-legged friends this holiday season.
How to take better photos of your Gun Dogs
There is nothing we love more in our lives than our gun dogs; sorry to our spouses and significant others, but when was the last time they ran a blind retrieve, stopped on a whistle, or delivered a bird to hand? We have an ever-present desire to photograph our dogs and show them off to our friends and family, showcase our puppies and banter with our buddies. We have worked so hard to refine and polish our pup’s skills and we want to make sure we’re capturing and presenting them at their best.
The Great Debate: Pointing or Flushing Dogs for Quail
My wife said I winced when we pulled up to the only game in town. It was an old motel of a vintage that reminded me of the Golden Era of travel by car. Over the years families probably over-nighted here while on their way to any one of a number of the nearby wild quail Valhallas. No visible capital improvements had been done for a long time, at least I couldn't see any renovation. The 30-some-odd rooms looked sad while the adjoining restaurant and tavern was booming.
Its a Dogs Life which isnt so bad
It doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone that we bird doggers are different. Most folks remember beginnings and endings. They remember their first day in a new job when they couldn’t find the coffee or the bathroom. They remember packing up a box with their belongings on their last day and walking out the door. Everything in between usually just blends in, but not for bird doggers. We remember the beginnings, the middle and all the way up to the end.
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Buck and Booty by Tom Word
Buck was handling and Booty scouting for Bootjack in the opening prairie championship of the season. The dog’s owner Fred Gray was riding in the gallery
Hunting and training hacks by Scott Linden
Life is complicated. Hunting life is complicated times two.
My Rule Number One: Don’t Bird Hunt For Business by Tom Word
Soon after I became a bird hunter I adopted a rule: Don’t take anyone bird hunting in search of law business. I had figured out you only wanted to bird hunt with a few folk who shared your love of the dogs and the sport, folks who were safe and not game hogs. .
