Gun Dog Magazine is the best magazine for hunting enthusiasts who are owners of retrieving breeds. Each issue is guaranteed to be filled with useful information devoted to you, your dog and the sport of upland bird and waterfowl hunters.
WATERFOWL hunters are a niche group. In fact, out of the 11.5 million hunters in the United States, only a million of those are duck hunters. It takes a certain breed of human—and dog—to hunt waterfowl. Not many people have the temperament to wake up at three or four in the morning to head to the blind and sit in the freezing cold, waiting for a flock of ducks to soar by or a team of geese to cup their wings and drop their feet into your decoys. Cold is an understatement. The photos of waterfowl hunters in layers and layers of hunting gear and thick waders isn’t for show. We all know some of the best days to hunt waterfowl are the coldest, snowiest, and rainiest days. Waterfowl hunters…
CUPPED WATERFOWL FINISHING MALL ARDS ➜ ecoys feature unparalleled realism to pull in hard-hunted ducks. Lifelike paint schemes and head postures have these decoys closely resembling live ducks on the water, putting otherwise wary birds at ease and helping flocks finish better. The decoys come in a 12-pack, with six drakes and six hens. They have weighted keels and are built for superior durability for years of use. $50 | cupped.com RIG’EM RIGHT FIELD BULLY DOG BLIND ➜ You built for comfort and warmth, and the Field Bully is just what the doctor ordered. A pat pending Bullycoil frame system means blind setup takes seconds and compresses flat whe stored. A padded floor and peep-hole doors grace the front and rear, and slots have bee added for additional vegetation. The…
NOT everything in life goes as planned, and so is true in dog training. The “Bella…Be Good” series reminds me of this as a handler, and it becomes quite clear to anyone following along with the YouTube video series. It’s the risk you take when you make the decision to show the process completely unedited and raw. I experience the struggles and shortfalls not only as they happen in real time, but then again each time that I review the videos, create a text summary, and post an episode. It’s much easier to see issues coming, critique, and recognize what you should have done from the comfort of your easy chair while watching it all unfold on your laptop weeks later. This series has become a living document and a…
IF you’re looking to make an impression at the dinner table, this recipe is it: The flavors and aromas in this tea-smoked goose breast are by no means shy. Sichuan peppercorns impart a juniper berry-like flavor, while tea leaves, star anise and rice are gently toasted to create a smoke that’s almost intoxicating. The better news is that this dish is simple to make—the most difficult part might be tracking down dried Sichuan peppercorns, also called prickly ash. This recipe takes a few shortcuts that depart from the original Sichuan dish, which is prepared with duck. I chose Canada goose breast because of its thickness. Black tea is traditional, but green or jasmine could also work. I used a mixture of loose-leaf oolong and a packet of Earl Grey tea…
IT was a mistake that could have killed my best dog. It was the ’90s, and my friend Chris and I had driven from my home in Montana to southern Iowa—a time when the state still had fair populations of bobwhite quail. But shortly after we arrived, we ran into bad luck. Chris’s setter, Nick, badly slashed his chest on a half-hidden strand of barbed wire. We stitched him up promptly, but he wouldn’t be able to hunt for at least another week after our trip was over. Then my setter, Rabbit, tore her pads so badly she could barely run. That left us with just my aging Brittany, Fancy, a pint-sized trooper that would be our only option for the rest of the week. Fancy, like all my dogs,…
MULTITASKING dogs are more common than ever, which means that the retriever that used to be dedicated to upland hunting might now spend a fair amount of time each fall in a duck blind. This is something I fully encourage for anyone interested, but not without a note of caution—especially when it comes to goose hunting. Waterfowl hunting in general is a vastly different pursuit than coursing the big woods for ruffed grouse, or the CRP for roosters. When you add in blinds, boats, calls, decoys, and a host of other duck-hunting elements that aren’t found in the upland world, you invite confusion on your dog’s part without proper introductions. In other words, it’s best to—through training—introduce your dog to all of the elements of waterfowling before actually going hunting.…
