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Teaching the Heel Command to Your Cocker Spaniel
If you've ever tried walking a young Cocker Spaniel through a field, down a gravel road, or even across a parking lot, you've probably discovered one thing quickly: Cockers are naturally curious. Every scent, every bird, every rustle in the grass seems worth investigating.
Teaching the Hup Command with a Whistle
If there is one command that separates a pleasant hunting cocker from a chaotic one, it is the hup.
Hup or Sit?
If you've spent any time around working English Cockers, you've probably heard handlers use the word "hup" almost as often as they use a whistle.
Leather Gloves : A Tool for bird hunters
With a profound swoosh of wings, the covey flew down the tree line. Most veered off to the left, disappearing through the foliage. Others settled down, close to or just beyond a tangled mess of brush. The dogs quickly retrieved two quail that had been shot from the initial flush. We found where the birds had crossed over, even scaring up singles while pushing through a lattice framework from a bristly plum thicket. After emerging, we carefully climbed over a rusty barbwire fence, then carefully passed a briar patch of thorns before finding more bobwhite quail. If it were not for our leather hand coverings, navigating the things that tried to cut scratch, tear, and poke us, would’ve been painful and annoying.
BIRD HUNTING IN THE FORLOH HOODED “PUFFY” JACKET
The first modern down jacket was invented and patented in the 1930s. It was born out of necessity after a near-fatal outdoor experience with hypothermia. Commonly referred to as a puffy jacket, or simply puffy, is a quilted jacket, typically insulated with either duck or goose down feathers. Soon after its inception it became a popular garment worn during winter sport activities but slowly began to move away from its original utilitarian purpose. For years, outdoorsmen and those involved in the shooting sports seemed to have moved to using soft-shell jackets while hunting.
Chase Ducks With A Canoe
My waterfowl hunting experience began like that of many other hunters — tagging along
BENCHMADE FLYAWAY KNIFE
Bird hunters need to carry a knife. A good knife. One that is tailored to execute tasks across a myriad of landscapes and environments where gamebirds will be encountered, shot, field dressed, and ultimately cooked and eaten. For wingshooters, knives that are purpose-built for cleaning, skinning, and breaking down wild fowl are crucial for efficient and safe game processing. The knife needs to be capable of handling basic camp and home cutting chores too – be it deboning a bomber sage grouse on a tailgate or slicing bite-sized chunks of a pheasant rooster around a campfire, and or making delicate work of carving up little quail hors d'oeuvres in the kitchen.
Upland Boot round-up
Back in 2022, I published an Upland Vest Round-Up on Gundog Central. Three years later, I’m following it up with a new piece: an Upland Boot Round-Up. Just like hunting vests, there are countless options on the market for upland boots. I’ve put together this list to highlight a wide range of choices across all price points, along with links to each manufacturer’s website for easy reference.
I am not affiliated with any of these companies, and I don’t earn anything from these links. The goal of this round-up isn’t to make specific recommendations, but to present clear, detailed specifications for each boot so you can make an informed decision. While this isn’t a fully comprehensive list, I’ve tried to include many popular models as well as a few budget-friendly alternatives.
Upland boots vary widely in size, weight, and purpose. Some hunters prefer lightweight designs, others need insulation, and those in snake country may opt for snake boots. I’ve tried to cover all of those considerations here.
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A Broken Plate
After a long hiatus I have returned to a sport I loved for many years. As I turn my pups loose now and watch them sail across the south pasture, I reflect on the many turns in the road that placed me here.
KUIU Precision Gloves Gear Review
I was way ahead of the game when KUIU debuted their new Precision Gloves in the early part of May 2025. Eight months earlier in August of 2024, KUIU had overnighted me a prototype pair along with their new Upland Field Vest. My job – to evaluate both pieces of gear exhaustively as I hunted spruce grouse and ptarmigan in the Alaskan backcountry.
Adjusting Your Training
When you have trained multiple dogs, once you find what works for you, it is natural to stick with the same method for each dog you train. If the way you introduce them to gun fire works, why change? If your drills for steadiness are successful, keep it up. That was the way I always felt. But as it turns out, we can get into that mentality and it is extremely difficult to break out of it when the time comes that we need to.
You’ve got dove problems
September 1st signals the annual arrival of dove season and the start of the upland bird season for so many bird hunters. Shooting doves is for many wingshooters, the beginning of a glorious time in the outdoors. It readies the soul for days afield to chase other feathered game in the coming months. Days prior to the dove opener, shotguns are pulled out of their cases, camo attire is selected, and lots and lots of shells are purchased. With all these preparations, several blunders will befall many dove hunters.
Rabbit Massacre
After eating my way through the holidays last year, I desperately needed some exercise, so when a couple of my buddies said they wanted to go pheasant hunting, I called my friend, Casey, who’s got access to thousands of acres of prime habitat in Oklahoma’s panhandle and booked a trip. Considering the limited success I have, it’s a miracle that I still go, but such is my relationship with pheasant hunting. If I happen to bag a bird, great, but if not, it’s not the end of the world, as there are peripheral benefits to be found on every pheasant hunt. I get to stretch my legs. I get to watch the dogs work. And whether I bring a bird home or not, I get to make another memory.
The Smith Setter Celebration
It’s tough to beat the warm days and cool nights of Georgia in the Spring. The high heat and humidity, the kind that drives field trailers in droves to the Dakotas, the Rockies, or Canada, hasn’t yet hit. The sounds of songbirds float on the light-variable winds, while the thundering gobbles of Eastern wild turkeys echo through the fields and draws. Bird doggers hear them, but they’re really listening for the ‘poor Bob White’ whistle. Gentleman Bob has been an important part of life on the land off of Ben Hatcher Road for a long time.
