Innehållsförteckning för Spring 2023 från Gun Dog

MY BOOT slipped on the snow-covered lava rock, sending my un-gloved shooting hand deep into the ice to stop myself from tumbling down the mountain. My GPS beeped again to indicate Jones was on point 50 yards above me. My pace quickened, ignoring my burning legs and lungs as I made my way upward. My sophomore setter was on birds and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity. I crested the ridge and through the downed cedar trunks and cheat grass, I saw Jones stiff as a board, tail unwavering. He was positive birds were in front of him. The chukar burst from the brush just as I reached my young dog. A single swung down the mountain and met my shot string. This was just Jones’ second point of…

SPRING BRINGS warmer weather, and thus the return of backyard cooking. It’s a welcome change of pace from all the stews and braises of winter, and while I like quail baked or braised in a pot just fine, nothing beats quail on the grill. You get the added element of smoke that not only entices the senses but also complements the rich, savory flavor of these birds so deliciously well. Surely, I can’t be the only one who feels this way about grilled meat—to take in the heady aromas, sights and sounds, and then to take a bite from the perfectly charred meat with bare hands, juices running down chins, and noses shining with grease. Meals cooked over smoldering coals calls us back to something more primal and innate. I…

A GREAT bird dog is the result of good genetics and an optimal set of learning opportunities, but genetics alone are not enough to create a confident, polished, steady, and proficient bird dog. A dog’s life experiences are responsible for much of how that dog views events in its life, and therefore how it will react to different situations that arise. Optimally, every bird dog should be afforded the highest degree of genetic potential, but every bird dog should also be given the opportunity, education, and experience to make the most of that potential. SOCIALIZATION One of the first steps in developing a great bird dog is ensuring proper socialization, and this process begins at a very young age. A puppy’s early months are its most formative, and the socialization…

YOU'RE HOME and have a new pup on your lap—all of sudden you’re hit with a sobering question, often initiated by your spouse: What were you thinking? Hopefully you thought it through for a good while, researched the breeds, family groups, and ultimately settled on an outstanding litter to choose from. Now you have a great looking pup with paperwork demonstrating great potential as a top hunting or contest dog. So, what’s next? EARLY STAGE CHECKLIST 1. First and foremost, you must schedule a visit with your veterinarian for a physical exam and general health check while you still have options with the breeder. You need to make sure your pup is sound, in good health, and up to date on shots. It’s good to have a veterinarian familiar with…

FEW FIREARM manufacturers offer as many shotguns in their catalog as CZ, but that doesn’t mean the brand has forgotten about their core product lines. Take, for instance, their 712 gas-operated semiauto shotgun. The original 712 was a solid gun and a great value, but eventually that gun was due for a refresh, and the 712 G2 followed. But this year, CZ is releasing the third generation of this semiauto gas gun, the 712 G3, and it’s loaded with the types of features serious shooters want at a very reasonable price point. The 712 G3 uses a gas operating system, and it comes with two interchangeable gas pistons. Some shooters scoff at the idea of having to swap out pistons based on the payload of their shotshells—shouldn’t a modern semiauto…

THE SUCCESS of your next hunting season is going to be a direct result of how well you plan for it. Likewise, the success of the next decade of hunting seasons is going to be a direct result of how well you prepare your dog. Now, in the warming days of spring that will soon stretch into the long days of summer, you’ve been given the gift of time to prepare for the future. Don’t squander it. Because this is the “Puppy Issue,” let me suggest a plan for things you should be doing with your new pup during the next several weeks, with the understanding that a very young dog probably won’t be ready for serious work by its first September or October. If your pup is already old…

THE RELENTLESS cold and darkness forced me through the back door of my home. Mildly frustrated, I removed my coat and gloves. My relationship with the winter months is one of love and hate. I hate that it gets dark so early and limits the amount of work I can do. I love that it gets dark so early and gives me a much needed break from the long hours I work in the summer. This particular evening I decided to use a bit of my discretionary time to relax and watch a movie. Sitting back into the recliner and thumbing through my movie options I came across the iconic sports movie, Hoosiers. It was like seeing an old friend and I had to stop for a visit. The movie…

I’VE LEARNED over the years that the right dog seems to arrive at the right moment, whether or not we’re immediately aware of the serendipity. A year ago, the idea of a third dog seemed overwhelming and cumbersome. A lack of gear, vehicle space and logistics aside, I felt a strong preference for investing my precious free time into hunting my two adult dogs rather than raising and training a puppy. My senior dog—still vigorous but in the twilight of his career—had handed over the reins to a younger dog in her prime. They hunted together seamlessly, were both well versed in the house rules and traveled comfortably in tandem kennels in the back of my truck. An informal poll of my hunting dog enthusiast friends suggested that most of…

THE FIRST time I found myself “hunting rub lines for white-tailed deer” was after reading an article by the same name. As a young man, I could not erase from my mind that full-page image of a whitetail buck, neck craned out, nose just inches from a fence post-sized maple with freshly shredded bark. That entire fall I sat on a five-gallon bucket wearing a brown and black checkered flannel, waiting within ambush range of a scrape…and never saw a deer. The article scratched just the surface of whitetail behavior but completely changed the way I thought about them. It changed the way I went about deer hunting research, study, and execution. Writing can do this; it can be that influential. As an author, I’ve found that writing something this…

THE VERY first puppy I had was a springer that nobody wanted. The pup was the runt, the last remaining dog in a litter bred by a friend of my Uncle George. The sire and dam were proven hunters, and George thought the pup and I had enough promise between us to be worth a try, but a good number of folks had looked at the litter and determined that one little runt was inadequate. I took the pup home and named him “My Own Alex.” I worked with Alex for months, made some mistakes, and learned a bunch about flushing dogs in the process. He would go on to become an Amateur Field Trial Champion and an exceptional hunting companion, but by all accounts, the success we realized was…