American and French Brittanys as companion gun dogs. Hunting, training, trialing and more.

2011/12 isn’t pretty for wild upland bird hunters in the Midwest. Pretty much Texas up into Nebraska save a few honey holes here and there, are dry and have no cover.

I always dread these sort of years. Not because business is affected or anything like that but because it is tough to train on wild birds when you don’t have any. Montana is usually my emergency stop-gap honey hole every year in times like these. My trip up there in Sept/Oct was tough at first due heavy cover but miraculously, the cover squeaked open just a bit and the birds flocked together. Thank God for that! So for 2 months it was fine then back to scalded pastures in Texas.

The trip down from Montana, other than being a nightmare due to snow, really was an eye opener. It seemed that all the normally golden expanses of crp grasses waving in the wind took the year off. Every blade of grass, even the tail water pits, were long baled. I’m thinking “where are the birds hiding?” and “In what!?!”. Down through the panhandle it was a redux of what I saw in Kansas.

My Texas spots to hunt are not good either. No birds are being reported in any huntable numbers. Again, a few honey spots here and yonder but not much to report. I hear south Texas may have some below average huntable numbers but then, I’m not up for hunting in areas where the snakes never hibernate. They have some whoppers down here. It’s not “IF” but “when” your dog gets bit. Oh sure, there are stories of dogs never bitten just like there are stories of 99 year old smokers since the age of 5 not dying of lung cancer of emphysema. Am I being to mellow dramatic? Maybe. lol

So what to do? All I can tell you is find some pen raised birds and give it a try. Especially for young first year dogs. They need some bird contact even if it is controlled contact. No they don’t learn to become great hunters that way but at least their nose is able to absorb the most heavenly of scent that wafts aimlessly through the wind, fresh game birds in the feather and BREATHING!

Depending on the bird and whether it is wild or not dictates the approach. For example, my friend Rusty and I hunt late season pheasant in Kansas. Just two men and 1 or 2 dogs depending on how we feel about the area we are hunting.

We have been quite successful on public hunting lands alone. You would think that you need a long line of drivers and blockers in the late season but you would be wrong. In fact, I don’t think a large group is any more productive on a birds shot per man ratio.

Hunting alone, he and I take about 1 to 3 birds per man per day. Recently we hunted with a large group and when you figure out the birds/man ratio, it was about the same (late season, wily wild pheasant!).

Tactics play a major role. Quietly parking, no slamming of doors, minimal dog handling, etc. Walking likely areas at the right time of day plays an integral part in success.

Our 2 man tactics include zig-zag hunting with frequent pausing for at least 30 seconds to a minute. Many times we have paused and just about when we are about to take a step, a nervous pheasant pops from the cover, unsure where we were.

Rusty and I hunted pheasant together in Montana this past year early season. We applied the same tactics and had awesome success.

Of course success is not measured in shot birds. To me it’s measured in dog work and good times afield. I honestly don’t care if I shoot a bird as long as my dogs get an opportunity to point birds. That’s what it is about after all, isn’t it? You certainly don’t want to EVER calculate the “price per pound” on wild bird hunting! lol

You can buy pheasant meat at the grocery store… lol

I suppose one of the most difficult things a new owner of a newly trained bird dog has to do is decide whether he is hunting his dog or training it.  Example:  You walk past your dog to make the flush…    [Read more →]

I recently returned from a trip to Kansas to hunt public walk in hunting areas (WIHA).  Our trip was successful so here’s a bit about how to approach that hunt should you… [Read more →]

Being in Texas, I don’t have to be too concerned about snow, lol, but in Montana and other places I too have to be cautious.

Two observations:

First, snow will accumulate between the toes of your Brittanys feet in that small pocket created by the toe webbing.  That’s not good because lengthy exposure will frost bite your dogs toes.  Options including booting in the snow or frequent feet checking.  I have tried both.  The cheap Nylon cordura  velcro boots fix that.  Of course you need to tape down the tops with duct tape.  (don’t get that cheap tape called ‘duck tape’ brand – note the spelling difference).

Second, dehydration.  With water sources frozen you must bring a water bottle with you to hydrate your dog.  True, cold weather gives your dog the ability to run forever but trust me, they get dehydrated in this weather.  My advice is bring a water bottle you can stick in your pocket or one that has a thermal barrier wrap to keep it from freezing while afield.

While these two recommendations seem like ‘duh – no kiddin’ type info, I myself am guilty of being in a rush and forgetting.

If you have some thoughts or recommendations, I’d like to hear them.

Take care and give your dog a treat for me!

Dave

While some of the reports on various species of game birds this year may be somewhat down in expected bird numbers, there are areas with above average expectations… and so goes the life of a wild bird upland game hunter.  This requires some thought, hurried communications and last minute preparations if you plan to go where the wild birds are in abundance.

I suppose the one quandary that pursuing wild birds brings is that each and every year we potentially face finding a different place to go hunting.  The good news is that in this internet age of instant communication, many of us have a network of hunting friends literally scattered all over the world who are happy to report their bird numbers.  State and other government agencies who benefit from hunter dollars, publish their bird expectations as well.

Last minute changes always complicate things.  The thought of bird numbers being down at my honey hole almost makes me panic.  I have worked hard getting my old dogs in shape and getting my young dogs ready for their first season.  I would sure hate to see all my efforts go to waste.  Frantically seeking places with good numbers at the last minute makes me weary.  Connections with old friends who have good numbers in their area becomes priority.  It can be tough to land a good hunting spot for you and your bird dog at the last minute.

Here are some suggestions of what to do:

1. Consider states nearest to you with public hunting options that are reporting good bird numbers.  Figure that other folks are doing the same so plan mid-week hunts as opposed to weekends where public lands may be congested.
2. If your private land honey hole has decreased numbers, you might consider checking with local agencies to see if releasing birds to supplement your numbers is allowed or feasible if travel is out of the question for you.
3. Network with your hunting buddies.  This is the time to trade out some hunting.
4. Take that lifetime trip to an area that has good reports.  There are literally millions of acres out west that hold birds but folks don’t go because it’s so far away.   Here’s a footnote about that:  There is a learning curve when hunting new species in new areas so unless you have someone with you who has done it before, don’t expect to be overwhelmed with success.  You can ask any of my Montana hunters who return each year about this.  Afterall, it is hunting.
5. If in Texas, ‘day leasing’ has some popularity.  If you find something like this, you must question the day leaser if they rotate hunters regularly on large tracts of land.  It is possible that a day lease can be awful if not properly managed by the owner/leaser.
6. Barter.  If you know someone who has good hunting in their area, perhaps they would be willing to barter some goods for services?  You never know in the current economic climate.

Well it has been a while since I posted and todays lunch hour permitted it.  Hope you glean a piece of useful information out of this post.

Take care and give your dog a treat for me.  Tell ‘em “Dave says good dog!”

Dave

I often hear about how well their dogs do on pen raised birds but have a tough transition to ‘gently handling’ wild birds. My reply is that this is normal and you should expect it.  Usually a few pointed questions reveals that the dog has some bad habits on pen raised birds, habits that wild birds will not tolerate.  These habits include crowding and creeping.

Wild birds are not very forgiving unless it is early season, before they’ve had any real pressure put on them.  This is a good time for your young dog to learn.  As the birds begin to react more quickly due to pressure, your dog will progress with them.  Do expect mistakes on wild birds and do expect to ‘train’ in the field.  This is just how it works and there is no way to get around it.

I realize that many folks cannot or do not have time / finances, etc. to travel to where there are wild birds.  That’s a tough situation to be in because wild birds DO make a bird dog realize their fullest potential if properly trained and properly / consistently corrected when mistakes are made.  Consistency being emphasized.

I tell my clients to not even think about shooting wild birds for table fare the first year afield.  The first year is all about doing it right without breaking any spirit in the dog.  I tell folks not to shoot anything not properly pointed and held for your arrival.  If you just do that much, your young dog will quickly learn to handle wild birds gently so that you have time to arrive and properly shoot game without being rushed.  If you run all the time, the dog will expect you to run to every point.  Having said that, there are some species that require you to run!  But for the gentleman’s bird, bobwhite quail, it’s usually not necessary.

Have fun getting ready for the seasons this year!  Dove season is just around the corner in most states so get busy!

Give that dog of yours a treat for me and tell ‘em Dave says “Good Dog!”

Dave

brittanys.com

Update: To clarify my position on Garmin and battery life, you should understand that I think the technology is awesome!

However, if you hunt for days on end and plenty of hours on your Garmin, you better keep it charged and be worried about when your rechargeable Garmin battery will fail.

The BIGGEST point I’m making is that KNOWING where your dog is and GETTING to where your dog is can be quite difficult!   If your dog gets on to property you don’t have permission to travel on, and/or there are locked gates, and/or there are streams – obtacles to get to your dog, YOU HAD BETTER BREAK THE TRESPASS LAW before your batteries go dead.  Do so at your own risk but if I had an expensive dog and a collar that had been on all day before my dog was lost, I WOULD ALMOST PANIC!!!!!

You had better get to the dog, even after dark, because the batteries AT BEST only last 36 hours IF fully charged and that is IF they were ‘just charged’.

I think the 3rd generation collars will address this. The other thing is this, if you train a lot or use these things alot, you know as well as I know that at some point rechargeable batteries will lose ‘life’.   So the ‘36′ hour rule that Garmin puts out to the public (30 sec. sampling on full charge)  is definitely a soft rule that will, in my humble opinion, eventually bite your butt.

It’ll take a while for those stories to come out…but leave it to a pro to field test stuff and tell you what really can go wrong…I’m one of ‘em!

——————————————————————————–

Well folks, I lost 2 dogs 2 days ago wearing fully charged Astro’s.

I lost them on FLAT prairie.

The bottom line, Battery life. I’ll say no more.

Battery life is the key in finding lost dogs. Battery life on the Garmin lost
my dogs.

Yesterday I “lost” a dog and my old faithful tracker which bounced signals and
made me zigzag over coulees and prarie brought me to my dog. Overnight? Signal
strong. Signal reliable.

RETHINK your needs. All-age?  (big running dog) Tracker. Period. Don’t risk it. I’m still
missing one dog.

Gun dog? ok.

One of things I talk about a lot are the foundation commands and basics.    I have a humours side today so thought I’d post a few “You know it’s time to go back to basics when…”  If you have some humorous ones, please add them in the comments.  Laughs, smiles, chuckles are all good for your soul.

YOU KNOW ITS TIME TO GO BACK TO THE BASICS WHEN…

1.  You let your dog out of the truck to potty as you begin to get dressed and ready to head out for your one day hunt.   You elected NOT to put his tracking/beeper collars on before letting him out of his crate to potty and because he’s well trained, you didn’t bother to put a leash on him.  You put your vest on and turn around.  He’s gone.  After searching into the wee hours of night, you head home.  The next day you get a call that your dog was found miles from where you went hunting yesterday.

2.  Your dog goes for the retrieve and eats it on the way back.

3.   After several days of hunting on your extended trip away from home which took a year or more to plan, you finally  get into birds!  Your dog points, self-relocates, points then jumps in busting 100 wild pheasants that scatter for miles around.  You have to leave that evening to head back home.

4.   You arrive to your favorite upland hunting spot, hours from home, and go through getting yourself and your dog ritual ready only to find that you left your gun beside or on the top of your truck.

5.   you are a model citizen and hunter and for the first time in your life a game warden asks for your license.  You realize at that moment that its on the dresser at home.

That’s it for now…

Give that dog a treat for me and tell ‘em “Dave says good dog!”

Dave

Everytime I turn around there’s something on the TV or radio that is worded in such a way that some ‘poor’ minority or person with a warped brain isn’t offended.  It makes me sick.

It has spilled over into dog training too.  Now days we have to find a ‘nice’ way to train a dog.  Well I’m for nice and I’m for working smarter not harder but come on folks, nice for pack animals?  Don’tcha watch the wild animal shows on TV?  Haven’tcha seen a show on wolves, coyotes, or even the little ole meer cat?

Animals have packs or societies that function in very basic ways.  Number one rule, if it hurts or kills you, that’s a lesson of what NOT to do.  If the senior animal in the pack bites the other, that’s a strong signal of what not to do!  Ever seen a wolf pull out his ‘licker’ and give a lick to the subordinate coyote in the back for doing something wrong?  Uh, no.  Why?  Because pack animals learn the hard way, that’s the way the good Lord wired their brains.  

Ever watch that animal planet show with meer cats?  Even those cute cuddly things have a pack mentality.  They run off the old boy who can’t dominate or they’ll run off a young sister who is competing for food and status.  The neighboring meer cats attack the poor outcasts ’cause they don’t want ‘em either!  Makes my heart bleed.

“What are you getting at Davey, ole boy?” the Irish in ya might be asking.  (My mother was a McGowan and my blood is green).

When puppies go home they have some fundamental lessons to learn.  First off, no nipping, biting, chewing things you shouldn’t, etc.  How do we teach that?   “Now, now Fido, don’t do that….’click, click’ here’s your treeat!”  Come on!  Are you kiddin’ me?  Thump that bugger on the nose and tell him “NO!!!!”  If he comes back at ya for harder play, THUMP HIM HARDER!!!  DOMINATE HIM!  YOU ARE THE ALPHA!  YOU ARE THE PACK LEADER!  Good grief.

Pups have to learn WHERE they fit in.  What ORDER in the pack!  In other words, what is their RANK?  Are they a buck private in your lil’ army or are they the General?  Establishing pack order at home is paramount very, very early.

Now of course there are times for lovin’ and treats, etc.  But we are talking about life lessons your dog will remember.  Chew a sock?  Wham, punishment!   Come on, I don’t mean for ya to injure anything but his feelings.

Give that dog of yours a treat for me and tell ‘em “Dave says good boy!”

Dave