Traveling Pointing Dogs

It’s been a while since I have posted anything on the blog. I’ve been working the dogs most mornings on something. The 4 older dogs (Sally, Abby, Boss and Mann), I work on a little retrieving then let them “happy time”. Sally and Mann retrieve a Dokken quail 3 times and each time they get a chunk of hot dog. Abby had quit even trying to retrieve and I put her back on the bench and got her straightened out. Now she retrieve a frozen quail about 5 times each morning. Boss never has liked retrieving so I toss a frozen quail 3 or 4 times, not very far, for him.

Sally on point with Mann and Bodie honoring.

Abby was about a hundred yards back honoring Sally.

Gus was in a different direction, honoring Sally.

Last week I took all 6 dogs to a walk-in place in Kansas. The property was a half section with about 80 acres of soybeans along the southwest corner. The rest of the property was pasture and after I got into it a way, I could see it was grazed more than it looked like from the road. It still was a good place to run dogs. It was flat and with the short grass I could see them a long way.

On the way out I thought I would run 3 dogs on the first place and then the rest on another, but it was getting warm, quick. I turned them all loose on the first.

This was good for Gus. I put his GPS collar on him before I turned any of the others out. I heeled him up and down the road edge whoaing him occasionally. Although he’s doing pretty good at home on whoa he doesn’t know he has to whoa at another place. Then while I put e-collars and GPS collars on the others he crossed into the field across the road. When I called him he didn’t remember how to cross a barb wire fence. I walked away from him.

Finally, he crossed that fence but there was another on the pasture I was in. The grass was pretty high in the fence row and he had a hard time figuring it out. I crossed a ditch as I called him. He came to me. He was pretty proud of himself.

We stayed about 200 yards from the soybean field as we went to the north. The ground at the north end of the soybeans was pretty rough and the dogs worked it. As they came through the rough ground then back to the middle where I was,
Sally pointed. She was standing about 50 yards in front of me when I saw her. Bodie and Mann were pretty close to her and honored. Abby was about a hundred yards off but she honored from there. A dog honored fairly close to me and I thought it was Boss. All of the dogs will honor except Gus has never been worked on backing.

Gus on point.

I just didn’t pay any attention although I took a picture. I didn’t realize until I put the picture on the blog that it was Gus. I believe that was the first time he ever saw a dog on point. But he honored and did it with style.

When I got close to Sally, she moved up, trailing. When she moved the other dogs started trailing, too. Sally had been right on the top of a ridge and there may have been some prairie chickens there earlier. But any way we never came up with anything.

We went in about a half mile and moved over next to the soybeans and came back. Right along the fence line was a patch of sumac that Boss pointed in. When I got close, he started trailing. Abby went into the sumac patch and trailed too. Again, we never came up with anything. When we got back to the truck, I loaded the dogs. This time when he came to the barb wire fence Gus had no trouble crossing.

It had warmed too much for the dogs, so I drove by checking properties. There were some smaller properties I would have turned some of the dogs out on but most still had soybeans standing in the field. This time of year, a dog or dogs, will knock a lot of soybeans off. After checking several places, we went home.

Bodie pointing a chukar.

Vince Dye and I got some chukars and took Gus and Bodie to a friend of his farm. Where we bought the chukars had got about a half inch of rain the night before. The field we were working the dogs in didn’t get much rain at all. Several times it has been wetter from dew than what it was this time.

We put out 2 chukars and turned Gus loose. When he got close to the first one, he pointed. I took some pictures then went around where I could walk straight to his face. When I tried to get the bird to fly it just stood there. I kicked close and Gus ran in and grabbed the chukar. He carried it around for a while then I took it from him. The bird wasn’t hurt so Vince hid it again while I worked Gus toward the next bird.

The wind was blowing pretty good, and Gus pointed several yards from the chukar. I like to get the bird between me and the dog when I flush so I made the circle and walked toward his face. I saw the chukar lying on his back. I thought it was dead but when I kicked it ran a few feet before Gus caught it. I let him carry it for a little while then took it from him.

Gus with a chukar.

Vince had hidden the first bird for Gus. I worked him into that area. He pointed and when I walked in I picked the chukar up and tossed it into the air. It barely flew and started toward the ground, so I shot into the air. Gus had him when he hit the ground. I let him carry it a little while then took the bird from him. We put him in the truck.

We moved to a new area and hid two more birds. I turned Bodie loose. When he pointed, I got in front of him and walked in. When I kicked the grass the chukar just ran a few feet before Bodie caught him. I whoaed Bodie and petted him until he was ready to drop the bird.

Sally retrieving.

This wasn’t working very well but I worked him toward the next bird. He pointed. When I got close to this bird, I pushed my toe under it and forced it into the air. It flew straight up, and I missed it with the first shot. When it topped out it flew into the wind, and I missed with the second shot. The bird didn’t fly a hundred yards and landed. Bodie was right behind him and scooped him up. He came back close to me and dropped the bird. I picked it up. We went back to the truck but decided this was not good for the pups.

I still had 6 chukars, so when I got home, I put them in with my pigeons. We will try them another day. I think when we go back I will take release traps. Maybe that will get them to fly.

I’m still working the older dogs, Abby, Boss, Mann and Sally, on retrieving then letting them run the yard as I follow on the 4-wheeler. They get a little over a mile and sometimes more than that, of exercise. This morning Boss decided to check the property to the west. I had the GPS on him so I knew where he was. I used the tone on his e-collar to call him back a couple of times then when that didn’t work I started using stimulation. Boss understood that and came back. I’m hoping that if I control them really well at home it will carry over to the field.

Bodie pointing a pigeon.

Gus playing keep away with a chukar.

Maggie the English cocker retrieving a chukar.

I had worked Abby on the retrieving bench and had her retrieving really well last fall. When I tried her with a tennis ball earlier this summer she retrieved for a while then quit. I’ve had her back on the bench and have made her retrieve several different kinds of dummies.

When I first started back on the bench I had to walk each time beside her as she went down the bench. I also had to use stimulation to get her to pick up the dummy. Finally she would slowly walk down the bench, slowly pick the dummy up and slowly come back. I don’t know why but I started tapping on the bench and she went faster and I no longer had to walk with her.

This morning when I put her on the bench I had to tap the bench for the first couple of retrieves. After that she ran down the bench grabbed a dummy and ran back. When I set her on the ground I had her hold the Dokken dove dummy for a few seconds. After I took the dummy from her I threw it just a few feet and said, “fetch”. On the ground she is back to walking but she brought it back. I’ll take that for now. It’s nice to have her retrieving without me having to stimulate her.

Vince Dye and I decided to check out some CRP properties that he has permission to hunt. We are having cool mornings but it warms fast so we got there about daylight. And as luck would have it someone was parked on this place. They were bow hunting deer. Vince made a couple of calls and found us another place to run the dogs.

The place he found was about 300 acres of CRP. Along with the grass and weeds there was wheat, clover and alfalfa. The friend of Vince’s told him as he mowed some strips in this place he had jumped 4 coveys of quail. We drove along some of the mowed strips and it looked really thick. As we drove in we probably saw 20 deer feeding in the CRP.

We decided we would walk the mowed strips and let the dogs hunt. I had brought the young dogs. Bodie, Boss and Gus. Vince had Maggie, his English Cocker spaniel. We started to the south around this place. The dew was really heavy and we thought the quail would come out to the mowed strips to dry off. Boss and Bodie were hitting the thick stuff really well. Gus was staying in front of us but didn’t really know what he was supposed to do.

Gus pointing a chukar.

We made a big circle to the east and found a couple of sunflower food plots. We worked the dogs through these. I checked the GPS and it showed Boss on point just about 50 yards to the north. He was standing in a sumac thicket and when I got close he started moving. He trailed to the east then came back still moving slow and went to the west. Bodie came in and he was excited by the sumac thicket, too. Boss probably spent 10 minutes working that thicket back and forth and the CRP next to it. He never came up with anything but I’m sure a covey beat us some way.

The way the strips were cut we had to back track to get to the truck. The temperature was getting up there and Vince needed to meet a guy at 10:00 am in town so we headed back. We were about 150 yards from the truck with Bodie acting birdy in the thick stuff. As we watched him he went on point.

Sally

Because we were just running dogs I had brought a camera and no gun. I watched Bodie for a few seconds then walked up beside him in the thick CRP. When I got about even with his head a nice covey of quail flushed just a few yards ahead of him. When you don’t have a gun they are fat and slow. This covey with 12 to 15 birds flew across this open grass with not a tree close. Vince said, “Did you get some pictures”. No. I forgot. It still thrills me to see a young dog point birds and I never even thought about the camera.

Each dog is a little different on their retrieving. Boss really doesn’t want to retrieve and I only toss a tennis ball a short distance for him. I throw it 3 times and then put him on whoa until I get on the 4-wheeler, start it and put it in gear. I say, “okay” and he takes off.

Sally and Mann retrieve a Dokken quail dummy. I throw it as far as I can for them 3 times each. But they have to hold it until I reach for it. I give each of the dogs a chunk of hot dog when they retrieve. Mann is fast enough that the dummy has bounced up and hit him a couple of times. Now he runs out but makes sure the dummy hits the ground and stops moving before he picks it up. I don’t blame him. That Dokken quail is hard and probably hurts.

Sally retrieving.

As I write this the temperature is 91 degrees. There are only a few hours of the morning to work dogs before it’s too hot. Hopefully, mid week next week it will cool down. I’m ready for a road trip.

Working with the older dogs is, mostly, just doing the same things over and over. I have them each retrieve a few times then let them run as I ride the 4-wheeler behind them. This gets them in a little better shape. As hot as it still is I can’t run them long but it’s better than nothing. Abby is a different story. She loves to retrieve a tennis ball but will not pick up a dummy. So I work her on the retrieving bench with several retrieving dummies.

Sally retrieving.

Mann retrieving.

Bodie pointing last quail season.

When I take Abby out to retrieve I throw a tennis ball for her 3 times. She races out to get the tennis ball and rushes right back. I give her a piece of hot dog each time she brings it back to me then I heel her to the retrieving bench. She jumps onto the bench and I give her a piece of hotdog. I pet her for several seconds and sometimes give her another piece of hotdog. Then I whoa her and spread 6 different dummies out on the bench.

I pet her some more then say, “fetch” and walk down the bench. Abby slowly turns and starts slowly moving down the bench. Usually, two of the dummies are dowels with legs to hold them off the bench. She likes these better than the others but must learn to retrieve whatever she is sent after. After I tell her to fetch I hold the button on the transmitter down until she picks up a dummy. If she doesn’t get the dummy before the transmitter shuts off after 8 seconds I raise the level one setting.

As soon as she takes a dummy in her mouth I let off the transmitter. Usually, once she picks the dummy up she will bring it to me at the end of the bench. When I take the dummy I give her a piece of hotdog. This morning I added a Dokken dove dummy to the mix. No matter where I place it on the bench it was the last one to be picked up. Also, most of the time she would stand over it until I moved the transmitter button to level 4. Finally, she would pick it up.

There was a little break through today. The third time through the dummies Abby picked up 4 of the dummies without me having to apply any correction with the e-collar. She wasn’t really rushing to them. Still just barely moving down the bench but for me it felt good for her to get them with no correction.

Gus pointing a pigeon.

When we finish with the dummies on the bench I set her on the ground and say, “whoa”. This morning, when I threw a tennis ball and said, “fetch” she raced out and was almost to the tennis ball when I said, “fetch’. She grabbed the ball but laid down and drug her belly on the ground for a ways. I knelt down, held my hand out with a chunk of hotdog and called her to me. She quit dragging her stomach on the ground and rushed to me. I threw it again and she raced to it and quickly brought it right back. Hopefully, she will start retrieving whatever I send her after, soon. We will keep working on it.

Years ago I had an English setter male named Scamp. (Named by my kids.) Scamp was a good bird dog. Back in those days we just took the dogs hunting and there were enough birds that they learned to be bird dogs. The wild birds taught them to hold on their birds. It never occurred to me to train my dogs to kennel. When it came time to load the dogs in the box to change places or go home I would force them into the box.

Dennis Garrison and I were hunting Jackson County Kansas and either got a limit and were going home fairly early or were changing spots. But whichever, I called Scamp and he went the other way. I followed him and he pointed down a hedge row but I had already put my gun in the truck. When I got to him I flushed his bird then grabbed his chain collar and started to the truck. He twisted around when I got close to the truck and pinched my hand in the chain collar. I wasn’t happy with having to run him down and twisting my hand in the collar made it worse.

Bodie

Dennis was standing by the dog box when I got to the truck. Being aggravated with Scamp I picked him up by the collar with my other hand under his body and had him moving really fast toward the open door to his box. Just before he got to the box Dennis closed the door. Scamp hit that door really hard. Dennis was shocked. He looked at me and said, “I don’t know why I closed that door.” I don’t either but the rest of the year Scamp would try to beat Dennis to the dog box to load up.

Another time hunting in a different part of Kansas we were going through a water way between corn fields. The farmer had mowed the waterway and his brush hog must have been dull. All of the saplings looked like it had bent them over then cut them off. The ends left looked like they had been sharpened. I was worried about the dogs hitting one of these just right and being stabbed. About the time I was thinking about this Scamp came bounding down the hill and jumped a small ditch. And I didn’t see him move.

I thought, “Oh no. He’s landed on one of those saplings and it stabbed him.” I wanted to help him if he wasn’t really bad but I didn’t want to see it if it was really bad. He was 50 or so yards away and I started to him. I got close and saw him crouched down as he landed but he was on point. When I walked in a rooster pheasant flushed. A much better end than I was expecting.

Abby on point.

I had a nice stylish male by the name of Rusty and a friend of a friend had a female that was the daughter of Bozeann’s Mosely. He wanted pups from the female and brought his female over and left it for about a week. This was during the quail season and I was hunting Rusty about every day. Each day I would think that he was too tired to breed that little female but by the time I got in the house and looked out they were hung up.

If I remember correctly that female raised 13 pups and I had the pick of the litter. All of the setters I had up to this time had been white and orange. My son-in-law thought I should get a tri-color. When it came time to make my pick there were plenty to choose from. I got a little tri-colored female and called her Susy.

When the season opened the next year Susy was about 10 or 11 months old and I had run her a few times but only remember getting her into one covey and when she chased that time I shot a 20 gauge while she was chasing. But that was when there were plenty of birds and I knew with her breeding she should make a bird dog.

Boss on point with Abby backing.

Opening morning I turned her loose in north Missouri and she hit the ground running. She could fly. As she came by a small plum thicket she hit the scent of a covey of birds and locked up. I saw a big covey of quail in the air before I could get into gun range. I had been watching her and had not seen her move but she may have. She ran into the plum thicket and was really excited. She ran back and forth. There must have been a lot of scent. I tried to call her away to chase the singles.

She wasn’t leaving the plum thicket. She pointed a time or two then started digging. She must have thought that with that much smell they had to be more under ground. I walked away calling her a couple of times before I got her to quit looking in that plum thicket. Susy turned out to be one of the best bird dogs I’ve had. I only had her until she was about 6 years old.

I was hunting her near Atchison Kansas and there was a bunch hunting about half a mile away. They were doing a lot of shooting and I think she went to them. I lost her about noon and drove all of the roads around looking and listening. She had a beeper collar on. I checked with some farmers that were feeding cattle, some men cutting wood and every house I came by. I drove around until dark without finding her. I left a jacket where I had turned her out.

Mann pointing Abby honoring.

The next day I had to work at the fire department but my son-in-law went up and looked for her. The next day I was back and checked with everyone I could see out doing anything. No one had seen or heard her. I drove and looked until dark. I called a radio station and ran an ad on her. I called all of the veterinary hospitals and offices in the area and left my name. I ran ads in the news paper.

I never heard a thing. The next day I hunted the same property that I had lost her on. I believe, that she went to those guys that were hunting close to me because they were doing a lot of shooting. I think they saw she would point, back and retrieve so when they left they took her with them.

That’s been 25 or more years ago and when I drive by that farm I still look for her. My mind knows she can’t possibly be alive but that doesn’t keep me from looking. After just a few days I was wishing someone would call and say they had my dog and were treating her good. She had my phone numbers on her collar.

Boss pointing a single.

Bodie and Gus have been in Nebraska and South Dakota for a couple of months and I should be getting them back soon. I’m looking forward to that. Gus needs his yard work and probably Bodie should have a tune up on his. I’ll have something to keep me busy until bird season starts.