Indholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2025 i Gun Dog

MENTALLY and physically, I was dragging. I had decided it was a good idea to hunt ptarmigan in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains just days after returning from backcountry Alaska where I spent eight days on a DIY caribou hunt. Why? I like torture, apparently. I came in with high hopes. My scouting a few months prior had paid off and I had found the birds. But so far, I had covered over 30 miles in four days, and no ptarmigan had been seen. My body was screaming and not happy with me. The hike to get to ptarmigan country consisted of steep, long treks to get above tree line before you could even think about hunting. My setter, Jones, was starting to feel the fatigue as well. I may have done…

SATELLITE IMAGERY By the time December rolls around, birds have been hunted often and hard. This makes them wary and smart. Their habitat has also changed as they are now seeking hard to find food and shelter from the harsh weather conditions. In the late season, you’ll want to focus on thick cover such as cattail sloughs, thick native prairies, tree belts, patches of cheat grass on the mountain, south facing slopes where snow will burn off quicker, etc. Utilize onX Hunt's satellite imagery to locate your heavy cover, marshes, and slopes before you head out the door. LINE DISTANCE A bird’s eye satellite view can be deceiving and look smaller than an area actually is. Trying to conquer a 150-yard cattail slough with just you and your dog is…

“AT LAST the dishes were set on, and grace was said. It was succeeded by a breathless pause, as Mrs. Cratchit, looking slowly all along the carving-knife, prepared to plunge it in the breast; but when she did, and when the long expected gush of stuffing issued forth, one murmur of delight arose all-round the board, and even Tiny Tim, excited by the two young Cratchits, beat on the table with the handle of his knife, and feebly cried Hurrah! … “There never was such a goose … Its tenderness and flavour, size and cheapness, were the themes of universal admiration.” — Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol Before prime rib, roast beef, and turkey, the Christmas goose was the centerpiece of many European holiday tables. The tradition can be traced to…

IS THERE such a thing as weather that’s too cold for your retriever? I’d like to say no, not really, but as with most things, the answer has to include a disclaimer: “It depends.” While we can all agree that Labs, goldens, and Chessies are built to handle the roughest conditions on both land and water, there are a lot of variables that dictate how long a retriever can hunt effectively before the cold becomes indeed “too cold.” Let me outline my thoughts and observations on this topic here, with the understanding that I’m mainly addressing late-season upland hunting. Think Dakota pheasants after Thanksgiving or Michigan ruffed grouse during the Christmas season. Unless your hunting area gets crushed with so much snow that walking through it isn’t an option, the…

BY THE time this issue makes it into your mailbox, the seasons will again be changing. The mercury’s dropped and—depending on where you live—the ground could already be blanketed white. If you’re like me, time spent behind dogs is winding down, maybe even close to over for the year. For some, it means a deserving break; while for others, it’s time to pack the back of trucks or trailers and head somewhere south in an effort to milk out what’s left of the shortening days. This is the time of year I can teeter on depression, knowing it will be a while until we get to do it again. If you don’t make your living training, this whole hunting dog thing can be considered somewhat seasonal. Another will come and…

ARMAGEDDON GEAR PADDED SHOTGUN CASE Keep your shotgun protected in this heavy double waxed canvas, water buffalo leather padded case from Armageddon Gear. The shotgun case is lined with 2 lbs. density ¼ inch closed cell foam between the waxed canvas and pack cloth inside, providing extra protection while in the elements and while banging around on dirt roads in the truck. Accommodates shotgun barrel lengths from 26” to 32”. $130; armageddongear.com KUIU UPLAND FIELD VEST KUIU has taken features from their big game hunting packs and put them into their new upland vest, creating a unique design. A load bearing waist belt is available in two sizes, while a patent pending back panel stay allows you to transfer the weight of your load from your shoulders to your waist.…

TURKISH GUNS have become popular in the States over the last couple decades, primarily because they are affordable. But not all Turkish firearm factories provide products of equal quality. Some Turkish import guns are plain cheap. Others, like the Spandau Premier Field, offer good quality at an attractive price point. Boxlock over/under actions have been around for over a century, and there’s no secret recipe on how to build these guns. The variations from one gun to the next largely boil down to the quality of the machining and the component parts in the gun. Some very cheap Turkish guns in the past have had serious fitment and mechanical issues, but Spandau is different. Their guns are top-notch, with clean lines and quality craftsmanship that rivals some European guns. The…

AS I’VE mentioned before in this column, I now spend most of my summer helping my friends train flushing spaniels in New York’s Hudson Valley. Summers in upstate New York are beautiful, though periods in July and August can be so hot and humid that trainers work early and late to avoid the hottest midday hours. Fall and spring are glorious, but winter is another story. Weather conditions in a northeast winter are unpredictable to say the least, and it is not uncommon to be faced with some combination of rain, snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, often in a single day afield. These days, I try to escape to Florida before the snow flies, but when I owned my kennel, I was forced to work right through the winter weather, training,…

AS A FOLLOW up to our previous article, where we touched on “whoa” training as a required tool to reinforce and teach backing, we will now take a deep dive into teaching “whoa.” All working dogs have need for a stationary command. In the pointing breeds, we commonly use “whoa” as the cue to stop and stand still, which we use to reinforce steadiness on game, to support backing, or to simply stop our dog for any number of reasons. Teaching “whoa” takes time, but once the command is in place you have the control needed to either avoid or work through many problems faced while hunting. It stands to reason, if you can stop a dog in his tracks and keep them stopped under any circumstances, you’re on the way…

TEX is a 4.5-year-old male black Labrador who enjoys hunting ducks in Utah. This is BILLIE, a 4-year-old Brittany of Dogwood Brittanys. She is an energetic companion who loves to hunt pheasant, grouse, and doves. Brian Wilk Sugar Grove, IL PIPPA is a 3-year-old GSP. She enjoys field trialing, the endless hours of training, and the annual fall trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Tom Davis Moosic, PA 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 not guarantee publication. We reserve the right to reject images that…

THE TERRAIN our dogs run through isn t for the faint of heart. Their paws take a beating on sharp rock, ice covered snow, dense forest, and the rolling prairies covered in cacti and sand burrs just to name a few. These environments can leave your pup with sore, raw pads, sidelining them for days at a time. Conditioning before the season is always a must to help prevent running through their paws, but that can only go so far during the long season. These ointments can help keep your dogs paws healthy and improve resiliency. PAWS R PROTECTED A favorite among Gun Dog staff, this all-natural paw protector balm is from Dogs R Treed—a small company in Idaho that understands the needs of working dogs. Available in a container…

IT IS helpful to step back mid-season and check in on your bird dog’s performance. As the season progresses, we can all get “kennel blind” and miss the little changes that have taken place in our dogs since the opener. Many a dog has started out se the hunting season steady to wing and shot but has ended the season breaking on the flush. Erosion in a dog’s performance often happens while hunters and handlers focus on hunting and lose a bit of that training attention to detail. During the hunt, it’s easy to focus on conversations with friends, the beautiful landscape you’ve immersed yourself in, or making a shot on a flushing bird. With all these distractions, you may not always notice when you miss a chance to handle…

FROM A distance, I saw the covey rise into the air. The low hill between me and the birds prevented me from seeing which dog had caused their flight. It was not long, however, before the culprit came over the rise in hot pursuit. As I expected, it was Joe. Joe was a young setter that had recently come in for some training. His owner had stated that he only ever saw Joe chasing birds in the air. He didn’t ever see him working birds as if he could smell them. He questioned whether Joe had a good enough nose to smell them. A BACKWARDS POINTING DOG Wild game birds are very exciting and challenging for young dogs. It’s not unusual for a hard running dog to forgo pointing for…