Hunting Articles

Article

The Conflict - By Tom Word

A lawyer fears a conflict of interest like a foot-plowing share cropper fears a kicking mule. And so fear grew in me after on impulse I recommended Sweetie to John Bassett as a grouse dog after his beloved Jill went to her reward. That reco.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: August 4, 2021

Article

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 thr.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: April 1, 2021

Article

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 li.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: March 18, 2021

Article

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.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: January 9, 2021

Article

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 ca.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: December 16, 2020

Article

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 .. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: November 3, 2020

Article

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 .. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: September 28, 2020

Article

Cadillac Farm by Tom Word

My great friend Joe Prince, farmer and every-day-in-season quail hunter of Stony Creek, Virginia, died from a tractor accident I predicted in 1997. His brother, Dr. John S. Prince of Emporia, died of old age at 97 last month, having practic.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: June 15, 2020

Article

You Cant Just Have One

I love the saying 'anything done in moderation shows a lack of interest' because it's true. My gun cabinet, my rod rack, my decoy rack and my kennels are all full. I'm immoderate, just like you.
.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: June 1, 2020

Article

COVID-19 in Our Bird Dogs - By Shawn Wayment DVM

The current status of our world today resonates like a Hollyweird thriller...I remember frighteningly reading the Hot Zone by Richard Preston while in veterinary school and thinking to myself how scary...good things that will never ever hap.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: March 21, 2020

Article

Whatever you do, dont panic if you accidentally shoot the dog

My liver and white pointer Gep stood staunchly on point on a covey of scaled quail on the Colorado prairie. I hadn't seen my 6 month old coverdog-setter Gretchen for almost an hour since I turned her loose on the shortgrass prairie. My la.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: March 4, 2020

Article

Advice on a Dog Sale - By Tom Word

Ben Reach religiously followed a policy, preached to him by his father, not to get involved in law suits involving dogs. But ironically, he was asked for advice on bird dog matters constantly. This was because Ben had many friends in the bi.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: February 4, 2020

Article

Whatever you do, dont shoot the dog - By Tom Keer

I've never seen a bird dog get shot, but I hear of at least one instance per year. When the stories roll in I get sick to my stomach. They unfold in pretty much the same way. A group of folks review the pre-hunt safety talk. All have he.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: January 21, 2020

Article

Shadow Oak Bo Remembered by Tom Word

I treasure many memories of Shadow Oak Bo, the first and clearest (I can watch it like a movie in mind's eye today) at Coney Lake in the Lee County All-Age when Bo was a first year. I was riding with Luke Weaver in his pickup, following in .. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: January 1, 2020

Article

Skin Laceration Repair in the Field by Shawn Wayment DVM

There is nothing finer than being afield in autumn's country with bird dogs. The whir of wings as a covey of scaled quail erupts from the sand sage can stir the cholesterol from the morning's greasy-spoon-country-dinner breakfast. Gun smo.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: December 10, 2019