Innehållsförteckning för September 2024 från Gun Dog

IT'S FUNNY what bird dogs do to our souls. Lincoln paved the way for me—my first bird dog. He was an unexpected hunter, but how thankful I am for his natural instincts to have come alive. He made me an upland hunter, and our adventures together led me to Jones, my sweet, faithful setter. Jones was my first pointing breed, and the next leg of my upland and bird dog journey. He has taught me more than I could ever teach him. Together, I had my pack, my boys. I ended last season with both highs and lows. The low: It would be Lincoln’s last season, his bird hunting journey coming to an early retirement. That was harder than I could have ever imagined. Thinking of “replacing” him was difficult to…

THIS RECIPE is a celebration of the coming fall season—ravioli filled with September grouse, golden squash, sage, and brownw butter will get you excited for the flavors of autumn. I also like this recipe because from just one bird, you can make an elegant dish that can easily feed four people with the addition of other courses. Making ravioli is always a process, but I’ve found a way to cut down on the work. Instead of making pasta from scratch, I use wonton wrappers—a trick I learned while cooking for myself in college. Now, I won’t say that wonton wrappers will taste just as good as freshly-made pasta—because it won’t—but it’s a reasonable substitute, especially for those who don’t have the luxury of spending two days in the kitchen. A…

FALL BIRD hunting means unpredictable weather. Extreme conditions can be dangerous for both you and your dog if you’re not prepared. My main concern as I think ahead to season openers in my home state of South Dakota is unseasonably hot temperatures. Our prairie grouse season (sharptail and prairie chicken) opens the third weekend of September, followed by pheasants in mid-October. Even when temps aren’t what we’d consider “extreme,” a hard-working flushing retriever heats up fast underneath that same heavy coat that does such a good job of protecting it in cold weather. In hot weather, the hard-charging characteristics that we otherwise find so valuable in our retrievers actually become detrimental. Dogs that are single-mindedly fixated on finding birds don’t know when to quit. Therefore, it’s up to you to…

WHEN THE distant tinkling of a bell turns silent, something inside me changes. Lord, I hope that never goes away. Plenty of things in the outdoors have that effect on me. A perfect cast that flows gracefully off the tip of a #4-weight, landing just above the foam line of a good run. To catch a native on a dry fly, still a brookie. The same as those caught before it on spinning rods with hook, split shot, and crawler. Anyone whose done it both ways can affirm, they are different. The difference is in how it got done. If you’ve never been behind bird dogs pointed, I warn you, there is little in the uplands that will rival the experience. Working behind one that is steady through the flush…

THIS YEAR marks Fabarm’s 100th year in business. Or maybe not. Born in Italy’s Val Trompia, the company that would become Fabarm was started by the Galesi family in the early 1900s, at a time when gun making was transforming from a specialized craft to an industrial operation. It isn’t until 1924 that there is clear evidence that the Galesi’s family gun business—which would become Fabbrica Bresciana di Armi—was established. Translated from the original Italian, the name means Arms Manufacturer from Brescia. The company would become universally known as Fabarm. In its early days, Fabarm manufactured pistols and side-by-side shotguns. However, in the years following World War II, the brand added compressed air rifles and over/under shotguns to their catalog. By the 1960s, the company added their GOLDENMATIC long recoil-operated…

AT THIS STAGE in the game, I can accurately say that I have watched thousands of dogs at work, either in hunting, trialing, or training fields. This amounts to a pretty good sample size to have studied. I have also watched nearly as many people, both professionals and complete novices, handling dogs in those same environments. All of this watching has led me to believe that an effective partnership between handler and dog depends on clear communication. The handler must know what they wish to communicate, and they must be able to deliver that message in a clear, concise, and timely manner. The dog can only perform at peak levels—both while hunting and training—if they clearly hear and understand what is being asked of them. In the end, a functional human-dog…

IT’S NOT uncommon to hear of a young dog being concerned, apprehensive, or even frightened of gunfire. My feeling is that, in almost all cases, true ‘gun shyness’ is man-made. Yes, there are individual dogs whose soft, insecure temperament predisposes them to problems. But most often, even those with problems lacked proper considerations before and during early exposure/introduction to each facet of their new world—including gunfire. The good news is, if we take precautions, and follow some sort of sensible process, we can help our pup understand the gun noise as a cue to downed game and the excitement of the retrieve, rather than an unexplained, sudden, frightful ‘BANG!’ Whether starting a pup or working through existing gun sensitivity problems, my best results involve engaging the dog’s innate desire, prey…

AS BIRD DOG owners, we spend so much time and energy searching for the right puppy, developing that dog, and then progressing through the initial training, all so that we can at last get into the hunting field alongside them. Often, though, once we consider the dog “trained,” we tend to kick into cruise control; after all, once we can actively get out hunting with our bird dog, the work of training is complete, right? In reality, training should be an ongoing part of the dog’s life. We love dogs, and working with them, because they are not programmable like robots. They are living, breathing, changing individuals, creatures that are, like all living things, imperfect. As such, they get rusty and out of shape when skills and activities aren’t practiced. Any…

ONCE AGAIN, Pete grappled for the rebound. Jerking the ball away from the opposing player, he sprinted down the floor. Being larger and more mature physically than the other 13-year-olds, he willed his way to the basket for a layup. Immediately, a substitution was made, bringing Pete to the sideline. Exasperated, he asked, “Coach, why did you pull me out?” “Pete, you are not doing what I asked,'' came my reply. Pete was a very gifted young man. Routinely leading the team in scoring and rebounding. He played with more passion and drive than most kids his age, however, in the heat of the game he seemed to go blind to the fact that he also had four teammates on the floor with him. Still breathing heavily, Pete replied, “But…

FOR GUN DOG owners, there are few moments more gut wrenching than those following a snake bite. Sideways encounters with one of the most feared and respected serpents in the uplands are wrought with fear and chaos as hunters rush to triage a dog in pain and face the prospect of a more sinister, potentially life-threatening reaction to the bite. Traditionally, dog owners have relied on avoidance training to keep their hunting partner safe. In these scenarios, dogs learn to avoid snakes by pairing the sound and smell of an angry buzztail with a stout (but far from lethal) negative stimulus. This technique works great for discouraging those dogs who readily plunge headfirst towards anything that wiggles, but in my field and clinical experience, many snake bites occur without the…

I FREQUENTLY see people on Facebook and other social media sites asking complete strangers where they can find a Gordon setter or Irish setter that can hunt. While that might seem like a good starting point, many times these prospective dog owners get led astray by people who are either ignorant, or simply trying to sell puppies regardless of their quality and background. Along with varied suggestions, they’ll also get many answers from naysayers advising them to completely steer clear of both breeds since they are just “show” dogs and no longer have the nose, drive, or conformation to be decent bird dogs. Of course, that last point is just flat wrong. Fine Gordon and Irish gun dogs are out there, and many can hold their own very well against…