Hunting Articles

Article

Lt. Colonel Robert Milner, Jr., Rest in Peace

On July 14, 2024, the retriever world lost a titan with the passing of Lt. Col. Robert Milner, Jr., USAF, Ret.. Milner’s final battle was fighting amyloidosis, a rare liver disease. He was 79 years old.
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By: gundogcentral
Posted: August 18, 2024

Article

Twice Bitten

For a fourteen-year-old, truth can be illusive. In many cases it’s hard to sort out and in other instances it’s just as plain as the nose on your face. I do know one thing that was true; it was well into November, and it hadn’t raine.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: August 11, 2024

Article

Spring Shuffle Delayed

Oliver Bain sold his AI (artificial intelligence) Unicorn (billion-dollar start-up ) to Microsoft instead of taking it public. He was 58, and unknown to any around him, had a secret ambition he would now satisfy. As a boy growing up on a fa.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: August 4, 2024

Article

Properly Command Your Sporting Dog

Chatter and over-commanding are two common issues between some handlers and their dogs. For some reason, nonstop talking gives some handlers a sense that they’re in control of the dog. They believe the constant communication improves the .. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: July 21, 2024

Article

The Handoff

The year was 1955. Buck Reed had returned home to South Georgia from the war in Europe ten years before and embarked on his career as an all-age handler of pointing dogs as successor to his father, Sam, who had then retired from the same tr.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: July 9, 2024

Article

4 Ways to Stimulate Your Puppy’s Mind

A puppy’s brain and nervous system develops rapidly, much faster than their bodies. Sporting breed puppies have a lot to learn, so here are 4 ways to help stimulate their active minds.
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By: gundogcentral
Posted: June 10, 2024

Article

Preparing for a New Hunting Companion

So you had a great duck season that wasn’t so great? You have decided it is time for a new retriever to assist in your duck hunting expeditions. There are many factors to consider when making this choice. First, you need to think about h.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: June 1, 2024

Article

The Hunt Goes On

In the early 70s bird hunting was at its peak in Eastern North Carolina. I was a youngster still and loved to tag along on hunts with family and longed to have my own dogs. It was about this time that I attended my first bird dog field tria.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: April 21, 2024

Article

The Master

One of my earliest memories is the smell of the Hoppes gun oil my dad would use on his Sweet 16 Browning after a bird hunt. He and my uncles would tell stories of 30 coveys a day, of the “ditch bank birds”, those bobs that would provid.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: April 18, 2024

Article

The Long Journey Home

Belle’s favorite pastime time lately, was to become perfectly still, and at the most opportune time snap and catch one of the deer flies that tormented her. That’s what her life had become. She hadn’t known freedom for a year now and.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: April 14, 2024

Article

How to Help Your Dog Learn

When I started training retrievers professionally in 1972, I believed that dogs needed to be worked six days a week, for at least a half hour each day. If you have a big kennel, you know that’s a lot of work. After a few years and trainin.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: April 6, 2024

Article

What expenses can kennel owners write off?

Maybe you accidentally started a dog-related business pursuing a hobby, or maybe owning a kennel has been your lifelong dream, either way, you can be sure Uncle Sam wants his fair share of your hard work. My blood always starts to boil this.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: April 2, 2024

Article

THE LONG JOURNEY HOME

‘Why’, is a man question, not a dog question. Whether hate, or malice, or greed, or power, was someone’s motive for her circumstances mattered not to Belle. ‘What’ mattered to Belle. What could she do for her pup? ‘Who’ mat.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: March 24, 2024

Article

Harmony in the Field: A Symphony of Bird Dogs and Wild Birds

In the timeless pursuit of the perfectly honed bird dog, the age-old adage rings true: "It takes birds to make a bird dog." Yet, how often have we pondered the profound layers concealed within this saying? The interplay between a bird dog a.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: March 3, 2024

Article

The Long Journey Home

It would have been different had Belle been at home. She would have found a safe warm spot near the hay loft. Randall would have looked in on her throughout the day, more than likely bringing her bits of leftover bacon and biscuits and m.. more ..

By: gundogcentral
Posted: February 25, 2024