My Plan, 5 Days In Nebraska, But Life Happens

Posted on September 9, 2020 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

I have been watching the weather for a while, wanting to go somewhere cooler with lots of birds. I picked Nebraska when the chicken season opened. I watched the long range weather forecasts for several areas and decided on Nebraska. The weather forecast was for good weather this week, for working dogs.

Boss on the place board.

Abby on the place board.

Josie on the place board.

My plan was to leave early, Monday morning of the 7th of September. It’s about a 9 hour drive to where I wanted to go. Leave at 4:00 am and get there in time for an afternoon hunt. Thursday morning of the third of September when I went out to clean pens Mann was carrying a foot. Not just lifting it off the ground but with the foot as high as it would go.

As soon as I saw it I knew he was hurting. I took him to the vet, immediately. With Covid 19 going on it’s hard to see a vet. When I got there after a short wait Mann was taken into the vets office. A few minutes later the vet called on my cell phone and said he didn’t see anything wrong. Just a sore muscle. He gave him a shot and some pills and said to keep him quiet for 5 days.

I could have gone on hunting but I knew I would worry too much about him so I stayed home. Sunday, the sixth of September, He wasn’t much better. I thought, “I’ll take him back to the vet Monday.” I thought that all day. Then it dawned on me that Monday was a holiday. The vet’s office wasn’t open. I’ll do Tuesday was my next thought.

Monday evening I could see quite a bit of progress in him. Tuesday morning he was back to his old self, I think. This morning he was definitely in good shape but I still won’t run him for a while. I have a few more pills to give then I’ll start running him. That is one big worry off my mind.

The cool weather hit not only Nebraska but Missouri as well. Tuesday the 8th of September I took Abby, Josie and Boss to a Missouri conservation area. Abby and Josie hunted some last year but they didn’t get into a lot of birds. Boss has never been run anywhere other than right here on my place.

Last year I found a covey on this Conservation area so that was the first place I turned out. I put e-collars on each of them and GPS collars. Abby and Josie went with me pretty well from the start but Boss wasn’t happy about the ride in the dog box. His idea was to stay away from me. I called him as I walked away and he finally got in front of me.

It’s early and the crops haven’t been harvested. There was corn on one side and soy beans on the other with a mowed path between. We started down the path and the dogs stayed on it most of the time. We’ve had a lot of rain this year and the cover was really thick. None of these dogs really understand what they are doing.

Sally pointing a covey of quail.

I went off into the thick cover and the dogs went in front for a ways. It didn’t take long until Boss was letting me break trail for him. I encouraged him to get in front. We made a circle then went through a milo patch and back to the truck. I loaded them up and we went to another area.

The next place was near one of the dove fields on this area. We went along the edge of a soy bean field and on toward the north. We took this a long way to another parking lot on the edge of the Conservation area. I thought I could make a huge circle and come back to the truck but the way was blocked by some deep ravines and deep woods so we returned down a low maintenance road.

A mile down the road we cut back through some really thick cover. All 3 dogs were staying really close to me. Finally, we got out into some shorter ragweed fields and made it back to the mowed trail that we had come down. We went through a milo field that had about as many black berry vines as milo stalks.

It had been a real fine mist on us most of time we had been out so when we got back to the truck I loaded the dogs and we went home.

The dogs had stayed in front of me pretty well. The few times I had to call them they responded quickly. For the first run of the year I thought it went well.

Mann honoring Sally’s point.

When we got home I parked the truck at the house and turned all 3 dogs loose. They ran to the kennel area before I even got around the house. The dogs have all ran to the pigeon house to eat pigeon poop. I’ve been trying to get them not to do this. Now I have an electric wire around the pigeon pen right off the ground. Abby ran to the pigeon coop first and ran her nose right into the wire. She yelped and ran toward the back of the yard. Almost a quarter of a mile. She thought I did it. She finally came to me and I put her in the kennel.

Vince Dye wanted to run dogs with me but he had other obligations so he called last night wanted to know how I did. He suggested that we go today. The forecast was for rain but he thought we could maybe run dogs between rain showers. I wasn’t sure.

Vince called this morning and I said it looked too rainy for me. I sat around for a while and thought if it rains I can’t do anything with the dogs. I may as well be up there and if it rains it’s no big deal. If it doesn’t rain we can run dogs. I called Vince back and said, “I’m on my way”.

Mann on point and Sally honoring.

We parked the truck on some private land owned by a friend of Vince’s. Just as we got out, before we let a dog out, it started raining real hard. We got back in the truck. A few minutes later it slowed down so we got out and turned dogs loose.

This place is a CRP field next to some row crops. As we went down a fence row I told Vince I thought I saw a quail fly behind us on the other side of the fence row. He checked his GPS and his shorthaired pointer, Allie, was on point about 45 yards from us. When we got close she was moving but she didn’t want to leave that spot.

Abby and Josie were out front hunting pretty well but Boss was just a few yards ahead of me. He would make a run but turn and come back. As we came around the end of the field he saw a barn swallow flying across in front of him. He chased it. Pretty soon he saw another and chased it.

When we got across the field from where we thought the covey had got up all 3 of my dogs got really excited. Allie, Vince’s dog was off in another direction. But right there Boss changed. Between chasing the barn swallows and smelling something, he started hunting.

Vince going to Indy’s point a couple of years ago.

We had gone around the edge of the CRP for about a mile when we saw Vince’s dog, Allie, go on point. Then she moved about 5 yards and pointed again. I’ve worked Abbie and Josie on the backing dog but it didn’t work for this. I saw Josie back for just a second but with Abbie still moving she moved up, too. Boss started toward Allie and just before he got to her he pointed. Abby ran by Allie and pointed.

I’m not sure where Josie was. She may have been pointing, also. About that time a deer stood up and snorted. When the doe started out of the edge of the woods she wasn’t moving very fast until Josie ran at her. The deer snorted and ran toward Josie. Josie thought she was in real trouble and screamed and came toward me. The deer took off across the field with all of the dogs right behind her.

Usually, I turn the e-collar all the way up and really light the dogs up when they chase deer. If they become confirmed deer chasers they can get run over crossing roads or they can just spend all of their time chasing. Because these dogs are younger I didn’t turn it all the way up. I hit Abby first and because of her getting the shock from the pigeon house yesterday she came right back.

Austin and Joker.

Josie and Boss went out of sight down the fence row. According to the GPS they were well over 200 yards. I only shocked them for about 5 seconds each and only one time. I called them a couple of times and they came back. With the e-collar I can break them later. Vince got on Allie pretty quick and she came right back.

We worked around and followed along the edge of the road through the CRP back to the truck. We loaded the dogs and drove around looking at other properties.

Today made a big difference in Boss. He learned to get out and search for birds even though he never actually found any. It also helped Abby and Josie. I was really pleased with the way the dogs acted. I’m glad I went.

Posted in Dog training | Comments Off on My Plan, 5 Days In Nebraska, But Life Happens

Mixed Bag

Posted on September 1, 2020 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

I got my Pointing Dog Journal and Tom Davis had an article about mixed bag hunting. More than one specie on the same hunt. Most of us that hunt Missouri and Kansas have done the pheasant, quail mixed bag in the same day but I got to thinking about other hunts where I took more than one specie in the same day. Several times in Missouri I have killed a single woodcock along with quail.

Sally on point 144 yards off the walk-in. I set the camera on the fence corner post.

Mann honoring Sally.

My Baker 5 pound 20 gauge side by side and a few quail.

But a lot of years ago Bob Eades and I had walked a long way through some really thick, tall fescue. It was a half mile in to a bluff that separated the fescue CRP from a pasture. Along the bluff were several coveys of quail. We had a good hunt then we had to walk the half mile back out to the truck through the tall, thick fescue.

We were about as tired as two people could be when the dogs went on point in a little low spot with a few scattered trees. Thinking it was another covey of quail we moved in to flush. Two woodcocks flushed. I dropped one but Bob didn’t even shoot. He had never seen a woodcock and didn’t know they were game birds.

We had a lot of dog work on several woodcocks that had settled into the low spot. This spot wasn’t even wet like I thought woodcock needed. It must have been a flight that landed in this area to rest from their migration. We wound up shooting 6 or 8 birds in a real small area.

Several years ago I went to Scobey Montana area for the opening of prairie grouse season. It opened the first of September. I had never hunted sharp tail grouse before nor ever hunted in Montana. From reading I picked the Scobey area. From my house it was a two day drive.

I had some BLM maps of the area and when I arrived I started trying to figure out where to hunt. I saw a guy combining wheat. I grabbed a cold bottle of water from my cooler and walked out into the field. When he stopped I gave him the water and asked about hunting an area that was on this farm but away from the wheat field.

He said he just worked for the farmer but the guy that owned the land was coming across the field in his truck. When I talked to him he said there weren’t many birds here but he had another place I could hunt. He told me how to get there and told me to park by the tree. I must have looked at him kind of funny but he said, “you may be surprised but in that 8 mile drive that will be the only tree close to the road.” I parked by the tree.

Canada was across the road. The farmer had told me that there were usually some sharp tails in a low spot about a quarter of a mile from the road. The low spot was just a wide, shallow draw with tall grass in the pasture.

Josie pointing scaled quail.

It was pretty warm. I turned out 3 or 4 dogs and started to the low spot. When we got close Lady went on point with Lucky honoring. When I walked in about 5 sharp tail grouse flushed just a few yards in front of me. I shot once and a sharp tail dropped. Lady went to retrieve and a late flusher got up and I dropped it too.

Lady brought me the first one and went for the second one. That was the first sharp tails I had ever hunted or seen up close. We made a big circle around this pasture and back to the truck. It was really warm by the time we got back so I watered the dogs and put them in their boxes.

I think the limit on the sharp tail was 3. I went back to another area that I had been told about late that evening, after it cooled off. I left the truck and made a large circle and was almost back to the truck when Ally went on point. With the other dogs out a head of us I walked in front of Ally and a single bird got up. The bird flew almost straight up with the setting sun in my face. I shot and missed with the first shot but connected with the second.

Sally pointing quail.

When the bird came down I thought I had shot an immature hen pheasant. It was lying in a bare spot. When I picked it up I was still afraid it was a young pheasant. Then I figured it out. It was a Hungarian partridge. I had never seen one of them either. Two new species for me. A sharp tail grouse and a Hungarian partridge in the same day.

Vince Dye and I went to Texas to hunt with our friend Paul Haas. We hunted what for us was a huge ranch. Probably not a huge ranch for Texas but it was for us. It was about 10,000 acres. It was really dry even for south Texas and the scenting conditions were terrible. Dolly was just less than a year old. She had been running with the big dogs and pointing her share.

Most of the dogs were pointing coveys but the singles were harder. We had killed several bob whites each and Dolly made a pass in front of us and went on point. Paul and I started toward her and had only taken a few steps when a covey flushed. I’m color blind so I just knew they were quail. I was on the left and the covey had come my way. Paul didn’t get a shot. They flew from my right to my left which is my favorite shot. I dropped two. Paul knew they were scaled quail but I had no idea. That was my first scaled quail.

Luke when he knows the bird has left.

Back in the 1980s Dennis Garrison and I belonged to a hunting club that had a lot of land leased in Missouri and Kansas. We were hunting opening weekend in Kansas, near Bellville. This was a new area for us but we were young and covered lots of ground. We had spent the night in my camper and got up opening morning and turned the dogs out and walked away from where we had parked the camper.

We came upon a small alfalfa field, just a short walk from the camper, that was about ankle high. We started through it and pheasants started flushing. When we got to the end we both had our limit of 4 pheasants. We hunted this farm then got in the truck and drove to another area.

We were finding quite a few quail but didn’t have a limit when we saw some prairie chickens land in an open field that was part of the clubs land. We split up. Dennis went toward them from one direction me from another. When we got close the prairie chickens flushed and when the smoke cleared we had a couple apiece. That was the limit.

Sally honoring Mann.

We continued hunting until we had our limit of quail. A really good day. A limit of pheasants, a limit of prairie chickens and a limit of quail.

I think it was 2006 when I met Mike Goldsmith near Deming New Mexico. Mike is from North Carolina and I met him when we were both hunting in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma we didn’t hunt together but would meet in the restaurant of the evening and compare days. We got to be friends and talked occasionally in the off season. Mike had hunted near Deming before but this was my first time.

This was Gambles and scaled quail area. I had never seen a Gambles. We drove a long way from Deming on some roads that, with a little rain on them, we might not get back. The area we hunted had a little creek with very little water in it but had some cover along the edges. The first few quail I saw were flushing in front of the dogs.

Abby’s, my puppy, second point on wild birds.

Mike grouse and pheasant hunts most of the time and his dogs don’t run like mine. My dogs were the ones that the birds were flushing in front of. In a little while they started pointing some quail. I think they were used to getting closer to bob whites but figured out they had to be more cautious on Gambles.

Mike and I got separated. We had walkie talkies and he called me saying, “a covey just flushed coming your way. Must have been 40 birds in the covey. Damn, here comes another 30.” They really spread out and we got quite a bit of dog work on the singles. When we started to clean birds there were a few scaled quail in with the Gambles although there were a lot more Gambles. We hadn’t even noticed the scaled quail when we got them.

Sally on point.

So I have killed bob white, scaled and Gamble quail. I would like to hunt the other 3 kinds of quail, Mountain, valley and Mearns. Every year I think I will be able to go after them but I haven’t yet. Maybe this is the year.

Posted in Dogs, Hunts | Comments Off on Mixed Bag

Cool Weather, A Relative Term

Posted on August 25, 2020 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

Talking of cool weather in August is a relative thing. It may be cool for August but it’s not really cool for the dogs or the trainer. The mornings have been in the upper fifties to low sixties but when you are walking it’s not that cool. The dogs do better at about 30 degrees so it’s not all that great for them either. In just a little while their tongue is hanging out. But any attention is better than none.

Close up of Abby on the place board.

Boss on the place board.

Josie on the place board.

A few weeks ago I bought 12 pigeons to replace some of the pigeons that the raccoons killed. They were young birds and too small to know how to come back to their coop. I waited about 3 weeks thinking they would home now.

I tied two pigeons to the strings on my pigeon poles and placed them in release traps. I threw a little hay over the top so the dogs wouldn’t see them, right away. I had some pigeons in the box on the 4-wheeler parked in the shade close to one of my place boards.

Boss last week went in his house instead of getting onto his house when I went into his run. When he didn’t come out I went to the next dog and worked it. Now he jumps onto his house when I come into his run. The e-collars aren’t turned on but I put one around his neck and another around his flanks. I heeled him out with the piggin’ string. When we got outside the kennel area I hooked a long check cord to his collar.

I whoaed him a couple of times before we got to the 4-wheeler. When we came by the 4-wheeler I got a young pigeon from the box. Before we got to the first place board I tossed the pigeon in front of Boss and said, “whoa”. He stopped and watched the pigeon fly away. We circled back to the 4-wheeler and I got another pigeon.

When he walked onto the place board I said, “whoa” and he stopped. I held the pigeon by the feet and let it flap. I turned the pigeon loose and it flew maybe 5 feet and lit right in front of him. He got excited and I held the piggin’ string. He hadn’t tried to catch the pigeon but I wasn’t sure what he would do.

I held the piggin’ string but he wasn’t moving so I threw my hat at the pigeon. The hat landed right beside the pigeon and it flew just a few feet. I didn’t have anything else to throw. Since he wasn’t trying to get the pigeon I dropped the piggin’ string and walked in front of him. I watched him and he was still holding. I thought I would catch the pigeon and return it to the box. As I bent over to catch it, it flew right back by Boss and landed. About the time it landed he had it.

Abby on the place board.

He was holding the pigeon with one foot and mouthing it. I petted him and told him what a good boy he is. I took the pigeon from him and put it back in the box. I heeled Boss to the next place board.

I knew with him catching the pigeon just a few minutes before, it would be hard to keep him on the next place board, when pigeons started flying. I used the check cord to put a half hitch around his flanks and hooked it to his collar. I tied the end of the check cord to a stake in the ground.

With him on the place board I walked around in front of him then flushed the pigeon that was about 25 yards away. That put some style in him but he didn’t move. I kept walking back and forth in front of him then flushed the pigeon that was about 10 yards in front of him. He looked really good but didn’t try to move.

Boss on the place board.

I walked to the farther pigeon and made it fly again. He came off the board. When the check cord tightened around his flanks he looked like a bucking bull. He reared and bucked and tried to bite the rope. I didn’t say anything or do anything. I just stood and watched. I had no part in this fight. It was between him and the check cord. When he stopped fighting I let him stand for 15 seconds or so. I wanted the fight to be over. I carried him back and set him on the place board.

I grabbed the string that the pigeons were tied to and let them flap, then let them fly. He moved up on the place board until the rope around his flanks was tight. I set him back and flew the pigeons some more. I want them to stand on the place board with slack in the check cord. When he couldn’t get away with leaning into the check cord he gave up and stood with slack. I heeled him back to the kennel.

When I first started working with these dogs on the place boards with pigeons I would put the pigeons back in the release traps before taking the dog I was working with back to the kennel. I noticed when I started putting the pigeons in the release traps the dogs knew their training session was over. This saved me several steps but they would wander off the place board. Now I brush them up and tell them what good dogs they are, slip the piggin’ string back on and heel them to the kennel.

Josie on the place board.

I put the pigeons back in the release traps and covered them with hay. I put the e-collars on Josie and heeled her out with the check cord around her flanks. I have been whoaing her then walking well out front and calling her to me. This morning when I walked about 20 yards ahead of her and turned around here she came. I whoaed her, picked her up and carried her back to where I had first whoaed her. I walked out front of her then went back and walked a circle around her. I tapped her head and heeled her away.

After just a few feet I whoaed her again. I walked out front then to her rear then heeled her away. As we passed the 4-wheeler I grabbed a pigeon from the box. When she jumped onto the place board I whoaed her. I held the pigeon by the legs letting it flap. I turned it loose and it flew just above the ground for a long way before going back to the coop. She didn’t try to chase. I heeled her to the next place board.

Abby pointing a pigeon.

She stepped onto the next place board and I whoaed her. I tied the check cord, that was hooked to her collar, with a half hitch around her flanks, to the stake. I walked back and forth in front of her kicking the grass. I was well out front of her when I flushed the farther pigeon. Her head came up but she didn’t try to take a step.

I continued to kick the grass then flushed the closer pigeon. She moved to the end of the place board but didn’t come off. The check cord was tight so I set her back. These dogs move up so slowly that without the rope getting tight I wouldn’t notice. They must move when I’m not looking. I watch the rope and fly the pigeons 8 or 10 times for each dog. When the check cord gets tight I move them back. When I flush the birds a few times and the check cord is still loose is when we quit. I heel them back to the kennel.

Abby was last this morning because she is in heat but she also whined when I brought the others out. I want her to learn to be quiet. I hope she figures it out.

Boss pointing a pigeon.

I whoaed her before we got to the 4-wheeler, walked out in front of her and called her to me. Just before she got to me she went to the side a little but I moved and caught her. I’m not convinced that she was trying to evade me, but she has before. I got a pigeon from the box on the 4-wheeler as we passed it.

When she stepped onto the place board I whoaed her. I held the pigeon by the legs so it could flap. Abby was certainly excited but didn’t try to move. I dropped the pigeon and it lit right in front of her. I’m not holding the older pups but she didn’t move. I took a step toward the pigeon and it flew away. Abby didn’t move. I heeled her to the next place board.

I tied the check cord to the stake and walked in front of her kicking the grass. I flushed the farther pigeon. This pigeon is about 25 yards from the place board and the dogs never fail to see it flush but it doesn’t cause them to want to move. I continued to kick the grass and flushed the closer bird. She moved up on the place board but didn’t step off. The check cord was tight so I moved her back.

Josie pointing a pigeon.

I continued to move her back each time the check cord got tight. I don’t want these dogs to lean against the check cord on the place board. That could create a situation where they would take a step on point, trying to lean against the check cord, even without one on. The last time I worked Abby and Josie, they both came off the place board. Today neither came off. They moved up but they are searching for what works. Standing still is the only thing that works.

I flew the pigeons 8 or 10 times before I got 3 or 4 without Abby moving up. That’s what I was looking for. I heeled her back to the kennel.

Boss.

About once a week I work Sally and Mann on retrieving. Usually late of the evening if it’s cool enough. I cut a hotdog in about 20 slices and when they retrieve a bumper, correctly, they get a sliver of hotdog. It seems as if Sally is more interested in the treat than Mann but she invariably will turn her head and not see where I have thrown the bumper. Usually, only once per session but she gets no hotdog.

I throw the bumper and they must go get it, bring it back and hold until I say, “give”. If they miss any portion of this they get no hotdog. Mann seldom misses but Sally has a problem one time each session. But she likes the hotdogs so I’m expecting better from her.

Posted in Dog training | Comments Off on Cool Weather, A Relative Term

Another Cool Morning, 8/19/20

Posted on August 19, 2020 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

I was going to work dogs every morning this week since it was going to be real cool for August mornings. I worked them Monday on the place boards then after working dogs moved a bunch of stuff. Must have been the wrong thing to do. I could hardly walk on Tuesday even after taking some pain pills. Was much better this morning and after a couple of Ibuprofens kicked in, I worked dogs.

Josie on the place board.

Abby on the place board.

Boss on the place board.

After buying some pigeons and leaving them in their house for about 3 weeks I wanted to see if they would home back to their coop. I worked the dogs Monday, Abby, Josie and Boss, on the place boards without birds.

I heeled Abby out of the kennel with e-collars around her neck and flanks dragging a long check cord. I whoaed her a couple of times before we got to the place board. One time I called her to me with a here command and the other time I kicked the grass in front of her as if I was flushing a bird. When she stepped onto the place board I said, “whoa”. I walked way out front then made a big circle around her. She’s used to this and didn’t move.

I heeled her to two other place boards and whoaed her on each. I want the dogs, before we use birds, to understand that they can’t come off the place board. I heeled her on and off of each board 3 or 4 times.

I heeled her back close to the kennel and placed her on whoa. As I got on the 4-wheeler she took off. Although the last time I had put her on whoa and got on the 4-wheeler she had stayed on whoa until I said, “okay”. Not this time. I let her go and followed on the 4-wheeler. After a couple of laps she was ready to go into her kennel.

I did about the same thing with Josie. Josie, when I say, “here” comes real slow, normally. I have been using the tone on the e-collar to speed her up. Plus, in the field I will use the tone for her to come to me. She may as well get used to it and it does speed her up.

I worked her on all three place boards several times each then let her run. She didn’t wait for me to get on my 4-wheeler either. After one run to the back she went into her kennel. I took the e-collars off and put them on Boss.

Since Boss is just starting the heel and whoa thing I walk him a lot farther. I walked him to the front of my yard then across to the north then toward the back. Ever few feet I whoaed him and walked out in front of him. I hold my hand up like a traffic cop and he stays without moving his feet, most of the time. If he moves I pick him up and set him back.

Josie on the place board with birds.

When we get to the place boards I have him whoa as soon as he is on the board. He understands not to move on the place board, most of time. With him on the place board I can walk way out front and even to his rear. When we first started he wanted to turn and watch me when I walked behind him but I picked him up and set him back, a lot of times. Now he may turn his head but not move his feet.

He’s young and it’s harder to tire him out. I let him run to the back and then we circled the house and to the back again. After several circles I parked the 4-wheeler and went into the kennel. Boss laid down in the shade outside the kennel. He had no desire to come near me because I was going to put him in the kennel.

Abby on the place board with birds on the pigeon poles.

I went into his run and started telling Luke and Josie what good dogs they are. After a little while he couldn’t stand it. He came to me so I could pet him and tell him what a good dog he is. I put him in the kennel after I petted him.

This morning I tied a couple of my old pigeons to the pigeon poles and placed them in release traps under some hay. I had 3 pigeons in the box on the 4-wheeler, parked near one of the place boards, in the shade. The new pigeons look young and not as strong as my older pigeons.

I heeled Josie out, wearing the e-collars around her neck and flanks, with the piggin’ string. I whoaed her where I had the long check cord hanging and attached it to her collar after running a half hitch around her flanks.

We went toward the north and I whoaed her. I walked way out front and said, “here”. Just before I said, “here” I hit the tone on the e-collar around her neck. She ran to me in a hurry. I whoaed her one other time before we got to the first place board.

My ladder against the rose bush.

As we passed the 4-wheeler I got a pigeon from the box on the back. I whoaed her on the place board and showed her the pigeon. I have turned pigeons loose in front of them when they were on the place board before. I let the pigeon flap. Without birds they just stop but with birds they look a lot better. I let the pigeon fly away. She didn’t try to chase.

I heeled her to the place board near the pigeon poles. They know the game. As soon as she got on the place board she whoaed. I had a stake in the ground behind the place board and I tied the check cord to it. I walked around her then flushed the farthest pigeon. I wasn’t sure what to expect. The pigeon just flew a few feet then landed. She was animated but didn’t try to come off the place board.

I walked around her then flushed the closer bird. This pigeon made a couple of good flights then landed out front of her. The check cord kept her from getting to this bird. I set her back on the place board with slack in the check cord. I don’t want these dogs leaning against the check cord. They must stand on their on.

I didn’t lose that much blood getting the pigeon out of the rose bush.

I picked the closer pigeon up and let it flap a little. I put it back in the release trap. I stroked her sides then released the pigeon. It only flew a few feet and landed but she didn’t move. After walking out in front of her and letting the bird flap some more I placed the pigeons back in the release traps and covered them with hay.

Josie was still on the place board but she was sitting down. I stood her up and went behind her to untie the check cord. When I turned back around she was off the place board. I set her back and petted her. I took her back to the kennel.

I heeled Abby out with the e-collars around her neck and flanks. I hooked the check cord to her collar after putting a half hitch around her flanks. This is the first time either of these pups has had the check cord around their flanks. I whoaed her a couple of times before we got to the first place board.

Boss on the place boards with birds.

I grabbed a pigeon as we went by the 4-wheeler. She whoaed on the place board and I showed her the pigeon. I let one wing flap a little and she got intense. This was one of the new birds and was really young, I guess. When I turned it loose it flew a few feet and tried to land in a tree. It fell from one limb to another but stopped before it got all the way to the ground. I heeled Abby away.

She didn’t want to leave that bird just a few feet off the ground but I had the piggin’ string on her. I whoaed her on the next place board and tied her check cord to the stake, leaving some slack in the check cord. I stroked her sides then walked in front of her. When I flushed the farther pigeon she got intense but didn’t try to chase.

I stroked her then went in front and flushed the closer pigeon. This bird made a circle and landed in a wild rose bush that was close. Abby came off the place board. I set her back and stroked her up. I went over and tried to pull the pigeon out of the rose bush by pulling on the string. That didn’t work. I went to the farther pigeon and made it fly a couple of times. Abby hit the end of the check cord and stopped.

Abby off the place board but the check cord isn’t real tight.

I set her back with some slack in the cord. Then I got a ladder to get the pigeon out of the rose bush. It was in there pretty good and I didn’t lose much blood getting it. I let it fly a short distance and Abby came off the place board. When the check cord tightened around her flanks she started fighting it. I didn’t say anything or do anything. That was between her and the check cord.

She would hit the end of the check cord and buck like a wild horse, stop then try again. She figured it out after a few times. The only thing that felt good was standing still. I carried her back to the place board and when her feet hit the board I said, “whoa”. She stood still. I flew the pigeons a few times then put them back in the release traps.

As I untied the check cord from the stake she came off the place board but just sat down and watched me. I set her back on the place board, stroked her sides then heeled her back to the kennel.

Josie looking good.

I heeled Boss out of the kennel with the e-collars around his neck and flanks but they were both turned off. I had him drag the long check cord for the first time but it wasn’t around his flanks. I whoaed him several times before we got to the first place board.

I whoaed him on the place board and for the first time had a pigeon in my hand, for him. He wanted that bird. I held him with the piggin’ string. I let the bird flap then let it fly away. He wanted to chase but I held him with the piggin’ string. I heeled him to the next place board.

On the way to the next place board the check cord bothered him a little. He kept looking back to see what was following him.

One of the pigeon poles.

I stroked his sides when he was on the next place board. When I flushed the farther pigeon he got intense but I held him with the piggin string. I held on to the piggin’ string as I walked around him. I flushed the closer bird and he really wanted it. I held him with the piggin’ string.

He figured out he wasn’t coming off the place board so he stayed. He was a lot more intense with the pigeons in sight. I took him back to the kennel.

All of my dogs, I have steady to wing and shot on pigeons. It never transfers to wild quail and I’m okay with that. I think if the dogs get really steady on pigeons they will also hold wild birds until the flush which is all that I require. It works for me.

Posted in Dog training | Comments Off on Another Cool Morning, 8/19/20