Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i Gun Dog

AS THE TRUCK ROLLED over the bumpy dirt road, somewhere in Idaho’s backcountry, I could feel Jones and Trek, my English setters, spinning in their kennels from the bed of my truck. The feel of a dirt road under the tires evokes a sixth sense in my dogs. It means one thing: We’re going on an adventure. I was on a quest to help my best friend, Natalie, shoot her first wild chukar. She had come from Arkansas to join me in Utah’s rugged mountains many times before to hunt the desert dwelling bird, but as many know, connecting on a flushing wild chukar takes years of practice and a lot of luck. As we made our way into the backcountry, I saw two yellow eyes and a wagging tail…

Successful trips and heavy loads are what we all hope for when we venture afield, but we want a vest that carries that load well to enable us to hunt day after day without developing hot spots and sores. Here are our favorite vests to keep you in the field and ready to capitalize on the moment your dog goes on point or puts up a wiley rooster. FINAL RISE SUMMIT XT VEST SYSTEM When Final Rise stepped onto the stage, they filled a hole that upland hunters were looking for: A lightweight yet durable vest. The lumbar belt design of Final Rise keeps the weight of the pack on your hips, allowing for easy carry all day. The Summit XT Vest System is modular with incredible versatility and features…

WE ARE ALWAYS innovating and looking for ways to improve training and do better by our animals. Yet, in that quest, it is wise to not overlook the simple, proven training tools that have stood the test of time. In looking back through the years at some of the top trainers and the techniques they have relied upon, we see consistent themes of focusing on what works for the animal, resisting fads, and keeping training scenarios clear and simple from the animal’s perspective. In the equine world, teaching a young horse to stand tied is a foundational skill, often one of the first lessons taught in training. It is a basic skill that helps them stay safe, settle mentally, and develop manners, patience, and responsiveness. Horses are tied to be…

HEARING A GREAT commotion outside, I opened the door and came face to face with a very upset customer! Barking and snapping his teeth, he burst through the door. He was wearing a harness and had his human in tow who was frantically yelling, “Watch out! Highly aggressive dog!” The dog was obviously very upset. He and his owner had just come from the vet clinic where they had stopped to have the dog’s vaccinations updated. Evidently, he had done his best to bite the vet. This had been very upsetting to all involved. When they arrived at our facility, emotions were high. As the owner and dog had approached the front door, my daughter had unexpectedly come bursting out, further surprising the already upset duo. The dog had lunged…

NOTHING SAYS October like the flush of ruffed grouse from golden aspens. Finding the king of game birds is no easy task, though, as they are well-known for their complex food and shelter preferences. The solution? E-scouting is the most effective way to find these wild birds’ favorite covers. Here is how to find more ruffs for you and your gun dog this October. UTILIZE ACCESS LAYERS By toggling on layers such as Walk-In and Possible Access layers, you’ve just opened up thousands of acres of possible land to hunt. Many states offer walk-in programs—private land opened to the public for hunting—and these can be recognized on the map as plots of land marked with red dots. Additionally, the Possible Access layer is great for grouse hunters who hunt the…

THIS IS AN end-of-the-harvest season kind of recipe. Perhaps you’ve put away some sweet corn in the freezer and have peppers still lingering in the crisper drawer. Maybe you still have upland game birds in the deep freezer from last season. This creamy, slightly spicy chowder is hearty, and when served hot, will warm up your bones after a chilly fall hunt. Perhaps make a whole pot of this at home to bring to bird camp. You’ll be the most popular hunter there. Don’t limit yourself to just quail either. Use whatever upland birds you have on hand, including pheasant, partridge, and grouse. This is a good opportunity to use up odds and ends, or any bird carcasses you may have in the freezer for making stock. If you’re short…

NO MATTER what kind of hunting you do and how great of a shot you are, there are going to be times when you knock down a bird that runs off. Whether that grouse, pheasant, or duck walks, runs, or waddles 20 yards or 200 yards, it takes a retriever with trailing experience to find it. A retriever that runs to the spot where it saw a bird fall only to come up with nothing might simply give up. It’s not that your dog doesn’t want to find the bird; rather, it’s confused as to why there’s nothing to retrieve. This is especially true if you’ve done lots of marked retrieves in preparation for waterfowl hunting or hunt tests. Sure, some dogs can learn on the job during hunting season,…

IT MUST’VE BEEN shot on an old home video camera. The footage was grainy, the audio was worse. Between the creak of wooden chairs, the hum of an airplane overhead, and the rhythmic slurping of a dog at a water bowl just off camera, it took a fair amount of focus and effort to get through the six minute video. I don’t remember exactly when I first watched it, but I remember the moment well. I was sitting at my kitchen counter; the same spot I’m writing this now. I’d become completely rabbit-holed into a seemingly endless parade of videos. YouTube has a way of capturing those seeking its information, and I had been sucked into the vortex of fascination. On the screen was an elderly man with whitened grey…

JOHN MOSES BROWNING designed lots of great guns, but perhaps his most remarkable feat was getting American firearms enthusiasts to embrace the more European over/under shotgun design. Browning was finalizing details on his first over/under when he died in 1926, so his son Val finished work on it in 1931. That gun was known as the Superposed, and it single-handedly established the American market for stackbarrels. The Superposed name was changed to Citori when production moved from Belgium to Japan—although the two guns are mechanically quite similar. Over the decades, Citori over/unders have evolved slightly, and the newest iteration—the 825—was announced late last year. The first model that was released was the 825 Field in 12-gauge. The release of the 825 is a bigger deal both for Browning and American…

WHEN I FIRST STARTED to become fascinated by flushing dogs, I looked at them and how they hunt as demonstrating a standalone style of chasing birds. Pointing dogs and the people that ran them did one thing, and with my flushing dogs, I did another. It didn’t seem like there was any reason to combine the two, and I became completely focused on the details of handling flushers, reading their body language, and understanding how they move through a bird field or a piece of cover. I hung around in flushing dog circles, and though I knew some pointing dog people and appreciated their work and their animals, I pretty much ignored the pointing dog game entirely. After all, a good spaniel could find, flush, and retrieve the birds I…