Indholdsfortegnelse for December/January/February 2019-20 i Gun Dog

FOR me, the first snowfall of the year happened exactly when and where I wanted it to: in early October while I was chasing birds in the mountains of Idaho. Two friends and I had made the journey across the country in hopes of getting into Huns, quail, and chukarthose red-legged devils. The forecast had called for clear, blue skies and temperatures in the 50s, but as we loaded our bird vests and I let Lincoln, my retriever, out of the truck, gray clouds and a wave of cold air moved in. I wasn’t complaining. The drop in temperature would mean Lincoln could hunt longer and harder. It would potentionally keep the birds holding tight, and hopefully keep the rattlesnakes at bay. As hunters, we embraced the change in weather.…

The late-season is not the time to go cheap on shells and shoot trap loads at ringnecks. Spend more for ammo designed to hit them hard, and then mark your birds when they fall. I carry along a roll of biodegradable flagging tape, so I can mark exactly where I was standing when I shot. This allows me to direct my dog into the wind without losing my spot, which is crucial for recovery. Roosters are notoriously tough, so shoot quality shells and pay attention to where they hit the ground.…

➔ BACK IN 1975, BOB FARRIS WAS LIVING IN IDAHO, WHERE HE WAS TRAINING GUN DOGS AND HUNTING UPLAND GAME BIRDS AND WATERFOWL. He was running an English setter for pheasants, chukar, Hungarian partridge, and the many species of grouse found in Idaho, and a Chesapeake retriever for retrieving ducks and geese. Although both breeds of dogs did a good job of hunting, Farris thought it would be good to have one breed of gun dog that could hunt everything. He admired German wirehairs, but at the time they were too compulsive about hunting unwanted furred game and other creatures. And German shorthairs have hair that is too short for hunting waterfowl in the winter. EVERY PUDELPOINTER SHOULD HAVE FACIAL FURNISHINGS CONSISTING OF BRISTLY EYEBROWS AND BEARD. “About this time,…

➔ A CHANGE IS HAPPENING IN THE WAY RETRIEVERS ARE TRAINED. It may be subtle, it may be occurring in small increments, and it may be struggling to gain acceptance—particularly among professional trainers—but it is happening, nonetheless. If and when it occurs on a wide scale, it will be a “sea change” in retriever training. Webster defines sea change as, “a marked change or transformation.” So, it is appropriate to call the change in retriever training, which is also spilling over into training gun dogs of all types, a sea change. For, instead of adhering to long-accepted, dominance-based and compulsion-training techniques, a small but growing number of trainers are beginning to incorporate positive training and reinforcement in their training repertoire. BALANCING ACT These trainers will be the first to tell…

SEND US A PICTURE OF YOUR YOUNG BIRD DOG It’s time once again to send us a photo of your sporting breed puppy for possible use in our spring 2020 issue. Here’s your chance to show off your little pride-and-joy/unholy terror, but hurry—the submission deadline is Friday, December 7. When you email us your pictures—and please, no more than one per contributor—include a brief message with your pup’s name, breed, age, and any interesting personality details, plus your name and complete contact information. EMAIL YOUR SUBMISSIONS TO: gundog@outdoorSG.com Minimum size requirements for magazine reproduction are 5x3 inches at 300 dpi or 1,500 by 900 pixels. Most cell phones and digital cameras now take excellent photos, but make sure your phone or camera is set on the highest resolution possible.…

IS there anything better than hunting ducks over water with your favorite four-legged friend? Eating said ducks comes in as a close second. Mallards fattened on the agricultural seeds and grains along their migration routes are some of the tastiest waterfowl. Ducks are often eating the same things as domestic livestock to fatten them up before slaughter. To take full advantage of the fat the birds have stored, make sure to pluck the best birds from your hunts for roasting. Feel the breastbone for plump deposits of fat, and make sure the bird doesn’t have too many shot holes. Duck fat, also known as confit, is used by world-renowned chefs for making the richest-tasting recipes, so why would hunters not take advantage of a fat duck in hand? A long,…

Most of the best pheasant states have a season that extends into January. In the case of my home state of Minnesota, and in the Dakotas, you’re looking at a few days in January before the closing bell rings. In Iowa or Missouri, you’re looking at the middle of the month. Nebraska and Kansas will let you chase ringnecks until the eve of February. All of these states have roosters on public land, and all are worth the trip, but you’ve got to narrow your search down to the areas in each state with the highest pheasant populations. In Missouri, for example, you’d do a heck of a lot better in the northwest corner of the state than just about any other part. In Nebraska, you’d be well-served to point…

This is my two-year-old German shorthaired pointer, Merle. He is an energetic, hard-hunting dog that likes to snuggle even harder. —Zachary White, Sumrall, MS Nellie is a 1½-year-old Labrador that loves hunting geese and ducks. She had a great first year of hunting fields and water in many states. —Robert Charles Bell, Madison, WI Turk is a five-year-old English springer spaniel. He has a love for birds, but his all-time favorite is the great ringneck pheasant. —Paige Hopkins, Tooele, UT PHOTO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES • Please make sure your phone or camera is set on the highest quality jpeg available. • Submit no more than two photos and include your dog’s name, age, breed and any additional interesting details, plus the town and state in which you live. • Submission does…

MANY trainers and handlers (myself included) seem to make common mistakes when training our dogs. I cannot explain why people tend to fall into the same negative or unproductive behaviors, but I hope that in sharing these common problems with you, we can self-assess more honestly and can do a better job as trainers, thereby doing better by our dogs. As you consider the following common missteps in training, assess your own actions: Break your training down into elements and lessons, and take note of how you and your dog performed, for better and worse. Hold yourself accountable, as you would hold your dog accountable, and learn from your mistakes. OVERCOMPLICATING COMMANDS The issue stems from a handler being inconsistent with commands. Sit, sit down, and hup may all label…

THE Revenant over/under is a work of beauty paired with function. But what’s more, is this shotgun is leading the way in luxury firearms that can be more than just an aspiration to most sportsmen by creating iconic craftsmanship using 21st century technology. The Revenant incorporates some of the features that are typically only seen on handmade shotguns, into a production price point that is more affordable. MODERN TECH PAIRED WITH CRAFTSMANSHIP Every bit of the Revenant is made on computer-driven machines, and the only time human hands touch it is when it is assembled. “I contribute much of our success to our passion to combine technology and art,” said President of Caesar Guerini Italy, Georgio Guerini. It was a secret for several years that the staid houses of James…

➔ I’D PROMISED MY WIFE THAT I WOULDN’T HUNT, AND THAT THE ROADS WOULDN’T BE TOO BAD. Since she’ll never read this piece, I can say that both were outright lies. The storm that had blown in from the west and left a layer of ice on both the roads and the cattails had been a good one, and it wasn’t quite finished wreaking havoc. The wind on the tail end of the front was pushing 50-mph gusts, and according to the weather update on my smart-phone, could produce ground blizzards, which is when ice and snow are lifted from the ground by high winds and whipped into whiteout conditions. When I stepped out of the truck, I knew it was nearly a lost cause, but the long cattail slough…

➔ TWO DECADES AGO, BRAD RODENHIZER MIGHT HAVE INSISTED I WEAR A BLINDFOLD BEFORE HE TOOK ME TO ONE OF HIS SPOTS. Who can blame him? Grouse hunters have always been a secretive bunch, especially when they invite a stranger to tag along. It’s not that the 68-year-old retired building contractor is selfish. A lifelong bird hunter, Rodenhizer, who lives in Mt. Sidney, Virginia, has spent most of his life following a bird dog, often with an old friend or a new friend by his side. At first it was quail. He once counted five coveys on his Shenandoah Valley farm. They vanished, so he focused his efforts on grouse. For a while, the birds were plentiful in the mountains on either side of the valley, but so were hunters.…

SIXTEEN years ago, I got a German shorthaired pointer I named Buck Run Josey Wales; the first dog that didn’t just happen to me, the first purebred, and the first puppy I picked with a purpose—you and I are going to hunt birds. I’d been hunting for 20 years with a bow. I’d gotten used to my “buck fever” in the form of the quivering legs and pounding heartbeat at full draw. I remember the first time I felt the connection: The robin in the yard and Josey’s puppy legs shaking in his first point, and him turning his head slightly and carefully to meet my eyes. This thing, he was saying, I don’t know what it is, but my teeth are chattering, just a little. THROW IT EVEN WHEN…