Innehållsförteckning för October 2021 från Gun Dog

I WOULDN’T make a very good duck dog. You see, I’m not much for sitting in a blind—I shake from the cold, not anticipation. My eyes are generally on my coffee when the sun starts to rise, rather than to the skies looking for silhouettes of early flying fowl. I like swimming well enough, but not if I have to break through ice to do so. I really don’t enjoy retrieving objects at long distances—or from places other humans wouldn’t dare go. Nope, none of that is for me. But duck dogs are different—a hardcore different. Their drive is found in what would seem like torture for me. They thrive in the coldest water, harshest weather, and nastiest terrain you can think of. A Lab loves water—there is no doubt…

FIVE YEARS AGO, I spent an afternoon dove hunting with a friend and we both were shooting Benelli guns: I had my 20-gauge Montefeltro, Joe his 20-gauge Benelli Cordoba. I was impressed with my friend’s gun, and I thought it might be nice to add a Cordoba to my shotgun collection. Years passed, and so did the Cordoba. It disappeared from Benelli’s catalog a few years ago, and I was sorry to see it go. I suspected that if I ever wanted to own one of those guns—and I very much did—I’d have to scour the used gun market waiting for some poor fool to let go of their Cordoba. I won’t have to get my Cordoba from the used gun market though, because these guns are back in production.…

IN SOME ways, training an upland dog and a waterfowl dog is pretty similar. After all, without a rock-solid foundation of obedience, neither is going to be all that much fun in the field or on the water. There are many skills that transcend hunting styles, locations and ultimately, desired quarry. There are also obvious differences between upland and waterfowl hunting that require specifics out of your retriever. A retriever in the northwoods looking to nose up some ruffs or woodcock has a vastly different job than he’d have while sitting in a blind waiting on some greenheads to swing through and cup up. This means that if you’re going to take your upland dog duck hunting, you’re going to want to train to the task. Below are three key…

WHEN ASKED what I think is the most important thing to consider in a dog, I say without hesitation, “The dog’s temperament.” But like everyone else, for me the word has a specific meaning. It creates a certain picture of how the dog acts, reacts, assesses and handles, responds to, and copes with any given situation. But, describing a dog’s actions/reactions is more of an operational definition of the word temperament as it applies to dogs, not a succinct definition. What I mean when I say temperament is bound to differ from what you or anyone else means. The word has various definitions depending on the discipline where it is used. Used in a human emotional context, it will be different from the more applied use of how a dog…

If you can’t hit the blind as much as you would like this year, don’t worry, My Outdoor TV (MOTV) has you covered. MOTV offers hunters their favorite hunt shows from Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, and World Fishing Network, all in one convenient location so you can watch whenever you want, wherever you want. MOTV gives hunters access to a library of 20,000 episodes of popular hunting shows, including Heartland Waterfowl and The Fowl Life. It gets better: The new MOTV HuntStream allows you to watch wingshooting content live via MOTV HuntStream or On Demand. GUN DOG subscribers can enjoy 25% off a MOTV annual subscription. Visit myoutdoortv.com and use promo code GUNDOG21…

“YOU CAN build a house driving nails with a crescent wrench, but it’s a lot easier to use a hammer.” Back in my days of construction, an old foreman used to often tell me that. Since then, I’ve managed to recycle the line more than a few times in more than a few situations. It’s funny how easy and valuable the use of analogies can be when talking about dog training. I think the idea of building things—whether it’s a house, team, business, retriever, pointer, or flusher—all have a lot in common. Understanding everything good starts at its foundation and using the right tools for the job helps make things easier to complete. To make up a good dog, I don’t think we need a lot of tools in our…

WITH FALL progressing, the waterfowl are starting to move south again, and I am beginning to think about following them to warmer places. I have never been much of a duck hunter, and I have never really had the patience for or interest in training retrievers to a field trial standard. I am a spaniel guy who occasionally will suffer the presence of a Lab or a golden in the uplands provided the dog is small, athletic, and works close. I train flushers to work well on upland birds, and to have the skills necessary to ensure some good shooting and the retrieval of game for their owners or handlers. I aim to produce a dog that exhibits practical skills, and I personally don’t have a lot of use for…

SINCE YOU’RE going to be trudging through some really thick stuff, a lighter gun is going to let you hunt longer without getting worn out. Woodcock aren’t really hard to kill when you can actually hit them. Typically, that means a 20- or even 28-gauge, usually with light loads of number 7.5 or 8 lead shot (7/8 or 1 ounce for 20, ¾ ounce for 28) will do. Of course, if you happen to be hunting in an area where lead shot is prohibited, nontoxic shot is required. As far as equipment is concerned, hunting woodcock doesn’t take much specialized equipment that you don’t already have for hunting other birds. While many dyed-in-the-wool, old-time woodcock hunters still prefer a bell or a beeper collar, others get by just fine with…

SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I found an Irish pub cookbook in the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble. While its cover bore no author, this collection of classic Irish recipes has become one of my most cherished cookbooks. The dishes tend to be seasonal, and they highlight local ingredients—the kind of food you’d expect out of a decent pub that cares about its vittles just as much as its drink. Also, they’re the kind of recipes that work well with wild game. One recipe that stood out to me was goose with apple stuffing. In Ireland, Scotland, and England, it was tradition to eat a young goose on Michaelmas Day (Sept. 29), also known as the Feast of Michael and All Angels. This medieval holiday falls near the equinox, when autumn…

PERIODS OF transition and change can be challenging. Consider the experience of a recent high school graduate, and the tremendous amount of stress that arises as that student navigates the first year of college. Change brings new expectations and boundaries. It is exciting, but also quite daunting to move into unknown territory. These periods of transition arise through the life stages. After navigating the college environment, a new set of challenges will be presented in the form of various new jobs, new homes, new financial responsibilities, and more. Fortunately, facing the stress of transitions will equip the developing human with some coping skills. Each successful transition or change helps a person become more comfortable dealing with the new situations that are unavoidable throughout life. With experience, each change gets slightly…

DON’T BE confused by this statement: There is absolutely no reason not to take your pointing dog duck hunting. In fact, breeds originating in Europe during the Industrial Revolution, otherwise known as “continental” breeds, were bred specifically to perform on both land and in water. During these times, hunting was becoming available to the lower class where it was previously only open to higher class individuals and royalty. In those times, even though more people could hunt, many still didn’t have the wherewithal to maintain a kennel of dogs who specialized in just one category of hunting (upland, fur, or waterfowl). For this reason, they sought to develop breeds good at all facets of hunting, including pointing or flushing game, and retrieving from land or water. The list is long,…