The following is a “pass along” newsletter article from the Pointing Dog Journal.

Pass Along PDJ
November 09

Confidence
by Steve Smith

Name me a sport where a good, confident athlete does worse than an athlete of equal ability but with no confidence. Can’t be done. It’s no different in wingshooting.

Like a lot of readers, my first wingshooting of the year comes on ruffed grouse and woodcock. The seasons open in September, the cover is summer-thick, and the chances at the birds are fleeting, fast, and most of the time, impossible. Going through 10 or 12 rounds without cutting a feather does amazing things to your confidence, none of them good. Later, there will be pheasants and ducks, and maybe a trip for prairie birds, all of which give us more time, allowing us to slowly stitch together what remnants we can find of our tattered egos.

What about you? Do you start your season oh-for-a-box-of-shells on doves? It’s interesting, isn’t it, that the hardest wingshooting challenges for almost all of us come at the very beginning of the season when we’re rusty?

What’s the best way to get by t his period in the season — if there is a good way? I suggest not getting rusty in the first place, perfectly, a lot of target shooting, and not just a few weeks prior to the season. A sporting clays course, a hand/ground trap with some friends, anything to help you wrap your mind around the fact that your gun shoots where you look, it will hit what you shoot at, and the inevitable misses that will come are not due to your lack of talent or your gun’s mechanical shortcomings. It’s the cover and the birds. The hits will come; relax and enjoy the ride.

Please do us a tremendous favor and forward this e-mail on to your pointing dog friends

My manager told me of the recent, tragic death of her daughter and son-in-law’s Pudelpointer, and I thought I’d pass it along with the hopes that it won’t happen to someone else’s dog.
Her daughter and son-in-law had the pup only had 3 months, drove to Oregon to pick it up, and it apparently had the makings for a really nice bird dog.
Then a few days ago, her daughter came home from work to find that the pup had hung itself in it’s kennel – it was devastating for the young couple.
I don’t know the details but assume that its collar may have became caught on the kennel somehow.
I recently read that dogs should have their collars removed when crated or kenneled, but check your kennels and crates as well for anything that could harm them. (Mia got 2 of her toes caught in her crate door last week while trying to push it open, but luckily we were home at the time)

Hopefully my shooting slump is ending as I went 1-for-3 today and bagged a young rooster.

I couldn’t go hunting this morning so I worked with the dogs out in the pasture, and cant’ wait to get a fence put up. As I was taking Elvis out, half-a-dozen Pheasants landed in the pasture so I decided to work with the live birds rather than wings. Our neighbor’s dog beat us to them and flushed them before I could get Elvis downwind from them.

Although the birds were gone, I worked with him a little on the scent they left behind. I then worked with Mia a little on bird wings, then let the Labs and Squirt out to run the pasture.

Sophie retrieving the Pheasant, 10-30-9

This afternoon, I took Elvis and Sophie to the local Wildlife Management Area (WMA) for some Pheasant hunting. Elvis is really catching on to hunting but doesn’t yet point. He got birdy a couple of times and then about an hour into the hunt caught scent of a rooster Pheasant about the same time it flushed. I missed the shot.

A few minutes later he caught another scent but couldn’t pinpoint the bird in the stiff wind. The bird was either running or he was having trouble with the wind, but in either case he tracked it a good hundred yards before it flushed. A hen, so I had to let it go.

Elvis checks out Sophie's retrieve, 10-30-9

We hunted a bit more before driving to another area, and spent about an hour hunting it. On our way back to the car, Elvis again caught scent about the same time the young rooster flushed. I missed my first shot, was going to let it go, then decided to take another shot. I lined it up and dropped it at about 50 yards.

Sophie did a good job of retrieving it although she hard-mouthed it a little, but I had my bird and the dogs were happy. I saved the hackles for fly tying, the wings for training, and after cleaning the bird, popped it in the refrigerator to soak in salt water and draw out the blood.

Elvis and Sophie hunting into the wind 10-30-9

The flu started with Mia last weekend, then Dakota, Sophie and Elvis, each with a brief period of vomiting and fever – only Squirt seems to have not contracted it. I spoke with friends today who told me that their dog had it but worse, forcing them to take him to the vet. Add to that a cold that my wife came down with.

I’ve been working with Elvis and Mia several times a week on pointing, using the waist cord. I don’t have any birds so I use my grouse wings, and both Elvis and Mia are catching on.

Elvis Pheasant hunting, 10-23-9

By Friday, Sophie and Elvis seemed to be back on their feet so I took them Pheasant hunting. There was a little shooting early and several other hunters got some, but we didn’t flush any roosters. Elvis flushed a hen, however and did some good work pinpointing it and later on a rooster; the rooster was a wise one and took off about 100 yards away, flying into private property.

Sophie, 10-23-9

Today I took Elvis and Dakota out onto the desert for some partridge hunting. I need to pay more attention to Dakota because she flushed two flocks of partridge. By the time I turned back towards them, they were out of range so no shooting. Dakota also flushed a hen Pheasant that would have been a good shot had it been a rooster.

An angry blow snake, 10-25-9

On the way back, I stopped for a blow snake sunning itself in the road. It must have really been zoning out because when I poured some cold water on it, it merely flinched a little. Stepping out of the truck I took hold of its tail which brought it to life, whirling around, coiled and hissing. I’ve been told that blow snakes will go after rattlers and chase them away, so I merely took its picture and left it angry and hissing, but no worse for wear.

Elvis and Dakota partridge hunting, 10-23-9

The following is a “pass along” newsletter article from the Pointing Dog Journal – which seems to apply to me right now.

Pass Along PDJ
October 09

What Happened?

by Steve Smith

Okay, it’s the middle of the season. The weather has moderated from early season hot to chilly — cold, even, if you live where I do, halfway to the North Pole.

You started out the season shooting fairly well, getting sharper as time went along and the chances multiplied, same as you have for decades. And then, you hit the slump — can’t buy a hit — and your dog’s ready to leave you for a younger man. What happened?

Well, it has happened and will happen again to me; as you read this, I may be in the middle of my 2009-2010 slump. When it does, I like to start off by blaming somebody else, because I know it can’t be me.

It’s the dog’s fault. Early in the season, my dog isn’t in the sort of shape I’d like her to be because, even though I run her every night after work all spring and summer, I only do it for at the most an hour at a time. Of course, I hunt a lot longer than that when the season starts, so Sam paces herself and stays fairly close. As the season progresses, she hardens up, and the cover thins so she can stretch it out, sometimes too far.

At this point, it’s not just the dog, it’s the birds’ fault. They are jumpier because they’ve been hunted and the cover’s thinning out; they don’t hold like they did on opening day when they were young and stupid and not as fully feathered and muscled as they are now — right in my wheelhouse. The dog is pointing them a long way off because she’s increased her range, and sometimes the bird moves before I get into decent range (I know — it’s the trainer). So the shots are longer, the birds faster, I have to use tighter chokes that are harder to hit with, and it’s not my fault.

Of course, it could be that it’s the weather’s fault. It gets colder as the season goes on. So what happens? I move slower because I’m cold — at the same time the birds are getting faster and wilder and the shots are longer because my dog doesn’t hold them close like she did early on. I have to bundle up, which makes gun-mounting less uniform; maybe my gun doesn’t even fit me when I’m dressed like a Siberian border guard. It’s not my fault.

Whose fault is it, then? It could be some combination of all of these, but depending on how long we’ve been at this, it just may be the calendar. Most of us, being both victims and practitioners of human nature, look for reasons/excuses when something we used to do easily becomes increasingly difficult. For the aging gunner, it’s worse — a lot worse. We’ve talked about this aspect of our sport before, but a recent random survey indicates that none of our readers (nor, I should add, the editors) are getting any younger. Our average age is starting to push 53 — f-i-f-t-y t-h-r-e-e. This pretty much, unfortunately, mirrors the hunting population at large. Maybe not that age, but in the process of aging.

The full article “What Happened?” by Steve Smith appears in the upcoming November/December 2009 issue of Pointing Dog Journal. If you are a subscriber, stay tuned! That issue will soon mail!

If you are not a subscriber and would like to read the rest of this article, request an issue right now! If you do so by November 25th, you’ll receive the issue with this article in it! You can request an issue by following the links below or by calling 1-800-447-7367 if you have questions. Make sure you tell our circulation representatives that you’d like the November/December 2009 issue!

Please do us a tremendous favor and forward this e-mail on to your pointing dog friends!

Elvis and Sophie, 10-16-9

I took Sophie and Elvis duck hunting Friday morning and while I got in some shooting, I didn’t come home with any birds. At the first pond we hunted, I was surprised to flush a goose – but didn’t take a shot as it was out of range to begin with. Then a flock of teal flushed, but one remained behind. Based on my last hunt I assumed it was wounded and took a shot at it on the water. Although the water surrounding it splashed with the shot hitting it, the duck took off without being worse for wear.

I had several more shots, some were legitimate misses but some I couldn’t explain, other than they were just too far for the 16 to do any harm. I used up the non-toxic shells in my pocket so that was the end of the morning’s hunt. After cleaning up, my wife and I went shopping, ran errands, and using a trailer we borrowed, picked up some dog kennels. The day was topped off by attending two viewings of acquaintances who had passed away.

I spent Saturday the morning restacking our wood pile and unloading the kennels and after lunch, loaded up Dakota, dropped off the trailer, and then went looking for Pheasant and partridge. Pheasant season opened at noon.

The day was warm and sunny, and I was glad to have brought the cooling vests along with us because Dakota really needed one. We hunted the edge of the farms and five minutes out of the truck, flushed a flock of Huns and I missed my shot. I noted where they landed and although Dakota caught scent of them a couple of times, she’s not a tracker.

We hunted a bit longer than swung back to the truck, taking a different route where I suspected the partridge may have gone. Luck has it that we ran into them again, and they were sitting tight. I had to pull off my first bird as it drifted into line of fire with Dakota, and I missed my next shot. The one after that was a sure shot but resulted in nothing but a dull CLICK: the old shell was a dud, and my next shot was a miss. We flushed a pair of the Huns after that but I was unable to get a shot off, as they dropped down over the hill we were on.

I took Dakota home and picked up Elvis for some Pheasant hunting at McTucker creek where we hunted for about an hour. We found no sign of birds, but Elvis did get birdy a couple of times but nothing came of it. By then I was getting a little worn out, and I needed to take care of Elvis and Dakota.

Elvis scents something, 10-17-9

The cooling vest was a big help, 10-17-9

The following is a “pass along” newsletter article from Just Labs magazine.

Citizen Lab: Troubleshooting the “Heel” Command

by Amy Dahl

This issue, we continue troubleshooting basic commands, focusing on heeling and mannerly walking on lead. Exactly what we want to require of our Labs in walking on lead varies from owner to owner. Heeling is merely walking in a precise position, but again, some folks require more precision than others. Owners who participate in obedience classes, hunting tests, therapy dog work, and other formal activities need their dogs to heel precisely; other readers may find that the ability to keep their Labs in position will help in the navigation of everyday life — through the house, crowded sidewalks, during a family get-together, etc.

No matter what we train our dogs to do, they will understand it better, and do it more reliably, if we make our demands clear and consistent. This is pretty easy with commands such as “sit” and “down,” and many owners find these easy to teach. Even “come” is a straightforward concept, the difficulty being in following through. On the other hand, “stay” and “heel” present an additional challenge: duration. We are asking a dog to begin performing to a standard, and to continue until told otherwise — not a simple action. Heeling is a different kind of command from sitting, lying down, and coming; and many problems with heeling arise from a dog’s difficulty in comprehending what the rules are.

Before trying to fix specific failings, it’s necessary to be sure the dog has ample opportunity to understand that heeling has a beginning and an end, with requirements that apply continuously throughout. Whatever your preferred training method, you can establish this by keeping the duration of the command short. Very short. I start with a dog at my side, say, “Heel” as I start to move briskly, and a second later I stop and say, “Sit.” Then I praise the dog, and give a release command. The release command is critical. If you do not help your Lab understand the difference between “on duty” and “off duty,” she will always be trying to do things she wants, like sniffing, investigating, and trying to drag you where she wants to go when you want her to heel. She may also worry, when she is on her own time, that she is in danger of getting into trouble for failing to do something she doesn’t know about.

I use “okay” for a release command. Lots of people avoid “okay” because it is a frequent word in ordinary conversation and hearing it may confuse a dog. Your release command can be whatever you want. “Free” is popular, but you can use “Kalamazoo” or anything else — as long as you are consistent.

After you practice many brief periods of heeling, ending with a “sit” and a few seconds of free time, your Lab will come to understand that heeling only begins with the “heel” command and continues until the “sit” and release. From this point, you can gradually increase duration and begin working on other aspects of proper heeling.

The full article “Troubleshooting the ‘Heel’ Command” by Amy Dahl appears in the upcoming November/December 2009 issue of Just Labs. If you are a subscriber, stay tuned! That issue will soon mail

I really wanted to take Elvis by himself but needed a reliable retriever if he wasn’t up to the job, so I took Sophie -she’s kinda been neglected as far as hunting is concerned and needed the exercise.

Our first stop was at McTucker Creek, but someone was camping there so we went on to the Wildlife Management Area. One of the ponds sets out in the brush and weeds, and anyone not familiar with the area wouldn’t be able to find it. That was the first place I headed.

I spotted some ducks through the weeds and grass, and with the dogs heeling, Elvis on his waist cord, we crept up on the several ducks I could see. When they flushed, there was about another 50 teal that flushed right in front of me, hidden by the grass. Of course with all those ducks, I shot and missed.

Elvis and Sophie search for the duck, 10-9-9

One Greenwing Teal didn’t take off but swam towards the opposite bank, which told me that it was wounded and wasn’t in any shape to fly. I went after it and the dogs flushed it from the bank, and the fun was on. The water was probably 8-12 inches deep and for the next 20 minutes or so, Sophie and Elvis did their best to catch it. Each time they would try and pounce on it, it dove only to pop up elsewhere.

Elvis gave up after awhile but Sophie was determined to get the duck – waiting for it to pop up and then racing to get it before it dove again. Finally it either wore out or she got lucky, but managed to grab and retrieve it. The teal are migrating through and I got several more shots at the passing birds, doing no more damage than knocking a feather out of one.

Sophie finally finds and retrieves the duck, 10-9-9

I received an email from a blogger on the Veterinary Technical Schools Online web site, concerning the Top 10 Persistent Pet Myths That Just Won’t Die. It’s an interesting article, and I hope to see more from her in the future.

The following is a “pass along” newsletter article from the Retriever Journal.

Pass Along RJ
October 09

Waterfowling North America: Good News

by Doug Larsen

Unless you are at least as old as I am, you probably don’t remember Timbuk3, the band that, in 1986, had the one-hit wonder, “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.” But the attitude reflects the feelings I had when I recently read the report on the habitat conditions for North America and the increased duck populations that should grace the skies this fall. Literally, and for the first time in a long time, there is no bad news.

Based upon a press release issued mid-summer from Ducks Unlimited, total duck numbers were estimated at 42 million birds, which is a 13-percent increase over last year’s numbers. This increase is 25-percent above the long-term average, which has been recorded since 1955. My wife has always classified me as a pessimist, and she says that I often see my glass as half empty, but I get positively giddy, and my glass runneth over when I look through the numbers listed for individual duck species.

What do you think about a 10-percent increase in mallards? Eight-and-a-half million mallards are estimated for 2009 — up nearly a million birds over last year (up 13% over long-term average, LTA). Not too shabby.

Or are you a Central Flyway hunter where not only mallards but teal and gadwalls are a usual part of your bag? Gadwalls are up 12 percent (+73% over LTA), and green-winged teal are up 16 percent (+79% over LTA). And speaking of puddle ducks, pintails are up a whopping 23 percent over last year.

And the ever-popular shoveler is enjoying a virtual population explosion; spoonbills are up 25 percent, and 92 percent over their LTA. Yes, I know, you probably aren’t that excited about the shovelers, but this is a dog magazine, and I can promise you that your dog does not know the difference between a good solid retrieve on a shoveler versus any other duck — and with 4.3 million shovelers in the fall flight, you are likely to see a lot of them.

Another interesting angle on this seaso n ’s duck numbers is how productive the Dakotas were in the mix of duck production, and if you hunt in a state that receives the bulk of the migration from the Dakotas, your hunting season could seem especially enhanced by the strong production effort in that region. In fact, it is so good that more than one authority on duck production feels that perhaps something is amiss in prairie Canada, since it appears that even with high pond counts in a province like Saskatchewan, more and more early nesting ducks are setting up house in the Dakotas.

John Devney, senior vice president of Delta Waterfowl, told me there are growing concerns that prairie Canada may not be as productive as it once was: “Early nesters are not going there in the numbers they once did, and with the abundance of CRP ground in the Dakotas, DU’s work on native grasslands, Delta’s work on predation and other projects, plus clean water protection for ponds, the Dakotas are perhaps more productive than eve r .”

The full article “Good News” by Doug Larsen appears in the upcoming October/November 2009 issue of The Retriever Journal. If you are a subscriber, stay tuned! That issue will soon mail!

If you are not a subscriber and would like to read the rest of this article, request an issue right now! If you do so by October 25th, you’ll receive the issue with this article in it! You can request an issue by following the links below or by calling 1-800-447-7367. Make sure you tell our circulation representatives that you’d like the October/November 2009 issue!

Please do us a tremendous favor and forward this e-mail on to your retriever-owning friends!