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Tick Check
When it comes to ticks, the only thing you need to know is that they should be avoided at all costs. Nothing good comes from an association with a tick. They’ll latch on to you, your dog, your wife and kids, your horses, and anything else they can sink their grubby meat hooks into. Diseased ticks can leave you sick for the rest of your life.
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 farm in Virginia, he had walked with his father, a dirt farmer, behind home grown pointers and setters after quail.
My Life As A Field Trial Reporter
From 1995 until 2022 I had two professions, lawyer and pointing dog field trial reporter. The first to earn money to pay creditors and afford to indulge in the second, pursued for the pleasure it brought me.
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 and a wild bird emerges as an intricate dance, a narrative woven by the instincts of the dog, the natural behavior of the bird, and the dichotomy between untamed wilderness and cultivated training grounds.
`Upland` Chaps
The snow had begun to accumulate. Measuring just high enough that each boot step would certainly put me into almost ten inches of the white stuff. The landscape was wet with freshly fallen snow. Its weight had pushed down all the dried, tan switchgrass that fall and winter brings. I opened the back half of the truck’s cab to get to my gear bag. I unzipped the main compartment and pulled out matching tan chaps. They were quickly put on over my pants and secured. An hour into my hunt, I quickly found the chaps sole purpose that day was to keep me dry. I had pushed though snow-laden grass, flushing roosters who had taken to burrowing themselves in small openings to get out of the weather. If I had not worn chaps, I would’ve been one wet and cold bird hunter.
Tails We Could Wag
“It's not much of a tail but I’m attached to it,” said Eeyore, the donkey made famous by Winnie the Pooh. When it comes to tails, some hunters require them on their dogs while others do not. But regardless of your breed of choice, did you ever wonder why some tails are bobbed while others are not?
WHAT TO WEAR? THAT IS THE QUESTION.
What do I wear for bird hunting? Is a valid and common question asked by new bird hunters. The answers they receive will be on both sides of the spectrum. From the very basic to high-tech. Comfort and protection are paramount when hunting the uplands, as they can be versatile in every aspect of the hunt. There’s a style to the upland ruggedness we hunt. What bird hunters wear must allow them to walk comfortably and if need be, crash through heavy and unruly thickets, brambles, thick cover, as well as up and over rough terrain in mild to extreme conditions. Wear what makes you comfortable and what you can afford, while still maintaining breathability, warmth, dryness, and durability. These attributes make for upland field excursions more enjoyable when not thinking about whether the clothes on your back will function, so focus can be to putting birds in your bird vest.
The Versatile Beagle
There is a lot of emphasis on versatile hunting dogs in recent years, and guys like me have been running them for decades. What am I talking about? Why, the ever-popular beagle is what I am thinking has been the versatile hunting dog par excellence for centuries. Growing up in the Northern Appalachian Mountains, specifically in the Alleghenies, there were lots of hunters who kept a beagle or two for rabbit hunting. Beagles are hounds, with a powerful nose, and a strong urge to pursue game. Typically, the biggest problem faced by owners of beagles is ensuring that they do not chase off game—deer being the most tempting and problematic off game species. A cottontail rabbit might run in a circle a few hundred yards in diameter. A deer chase might take a pack of beagles so far away that you no longer hear them baying, and it ruins a day afield. Experienced houndsmen do not venture afield for a hunt with a beagle that will run off game.
Upland Glossary
Upland hunting is a great way to enjoy the outdoors; for people new to hunting and especially upland hunting, learning some standard terms and slang words can be helpful when talking with other hunters. This list is not a definitive list of upland bird hunting terms. This list is intended to get the novice hunter quickly up to speed so you can spend more time hunting and less time wondering what your fellow hunters are discussing.
Bird Hunting Partners
Few living today knew the days of wild bird (quail) hunting on foot on ordinary farms across much of America. I did, and it kept me sane and gave me much joy.
4 Great Ways to Shoot Your Dog
Karl, a German shorthaired pointer, zig zagged his way through the humid, early season corn maze. These South Dakota stalks stood tall, taller than even an NBA center, and if a bird flushed up it’d make for tricky shooting. To harvest a bird over a point, Karl’s owner knew he’d need to get out to the edge. When there was an opening he headed west, and stopped where the last row of stalks met the winter rye.
First Season Expectations
You’ve built up to your pup’s first hunting season—but what should you expect from your young dog? The experts weigh in.
Understanding Bird Scent – Part 4 The Dead Bird
You’ve just made a nice on-the-wing shot on a flushing bird. The bird drops and your dog even marks the drop of the bird. You release your dog for the retrieve. What’s wrong…the dog is searching everywhere but can’t find the bird. Whether in the forested ruffed grouse woods or the prairies, we’ve all seen this scenario over and over. Why?
Sweet Revenge
Ben and Sam were savoring Friday afternoon drams of The Macallan in Ben's library-conference room when the subject of back-hunters came up, and they recalled an incident. The curmudgeons agreed that the most dastardly of outdoorsmen were back-hunters, those unprincipled souls who, having hunted as a guest a host's favorite covert, would alone or with others (but not the host) sneak back to hunt the honey hole.
Tips for traveling with your Gun Dog
Whether you're driving a decked-out dog hauling rig or crating Rover in the backseat of your sedan, traveling with dogs is a process. Here are some tips and recommendations from two hunters and trainers who spend a lot of time on the road with their dogs.
