Running English Setters In Kansas

Posted on September 22, 2018 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

At home, it was supposed to get down to 48 degrees so I loaded 4 English setters up and headed to Kansas. By the time I got to where I wanted to run dogs it was already into the low fifties. Still cooler than it has been for a long time.

Tur Bo after the pigeon has flown.

Sally pointing a pigeon.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.

Prairie chicken season is open but I decided to run on a state owned wildlife area. If I hunt on walk-in property I have to carry a gun and act like I’m prairie chicken hunting. On state owned land I can just run dogs.

The first place, I wanted to turn dogs loose on, was a huge area of grass and weeds around a wheat stubble field. As I turned Sally and Luke out a dove hunter stopped to talk. After a few minutes I looked at the Garmin GPS and it showed Luke at about 500 yards. I told the guy I had better follow Luke.

We had a pretty good breeze out of the north east and we hunted into the wind. Until this morning it’s been too hot to work the older dogs so this is the first time I’ve had them out.

We had walked in over a quarter of a mile when Sally went on point. Luke came by but couldn’t see Sally on point in the high weeds. I whoaed him and as he stopped he saw her and looked good on the back. I had laid my camera out to bring with me but walked off and left it.

I walked in front of Sally and when I got in front of her she started trailing. Luke came in front trailing, also. Sally went about 50 yards and went back on point. Before I got to her she started trailing again. Both dogs trailed like something was right in front of them but never came up with anything.

Everything is still green and the grass is really thick. Quail could probably get under the green grass and be really hard to smell. We continued on into a large area of grass and weeds.



I didn’t have a gun so I walked with my hand on the GPS handheld. It beeps when a dog goes on point but I can’t hear the beep. It also vibrates and as long as I have my hand on it, I can feel the vibration.

As I walked through the sea of grass the GPS vibrated. Luke was on point less than a hundred yards in front of me. This, for Luke, is like being under foot. He’s usually 4 or 500 hundred yards in front of me. But now, at over 8 years old, he may be slowing down. I started toward him but when I got within about 35 yards he was moving. I had been watching and never saw any birds in the air.

I saw Luke on the hillside about 65 yards from me going back and forth like he was trailing something. When Sally and I came through the low spot where Luke had been on point, she started trailing, also. We moved on through the area without seeing any birds. At the point that we turned back west we were a mile from the truck.

Sally on point.

There were black eyed Susan flowers everywhere, (maybe wild sunflowers) in bloom, and hundreds of Monarch butterflies on them. I kept thinking with the north east wind, if the Monarchs were going to Mexico, now was the time. There were, also, plenty of grass hoppers for quail and turkeys to feed on.

We were almost back to the truck when Luke went on point. I walked out in front of him, kicking the grass. He was looking right in front of him, like he had almost got too close. I went back to him and tapped his head. He didn’t want to move. I kicked the grass right in front of him. I tapped his head again and he moved about 2 steps and went back on point. I kicked some more and he went on, trailing. We never did come up with anything.

I don’t know what they were smelling when they pointed but neither one is bad about false pointing. Maybe they were just cautious because they haven’t been out in a while. I don’t know but when we got back to the truck I put them in their box.

Luke

I pulled down the road about half a mile and turned Dolly and Tur Bo out. Tur Bo tore his knee cap off and had to have it re-attached so he lost most of last year and Dolly is over 12 years old so I wasn’t going to leave them down very long. That was my plan anyway.

We started into the north east breeze. The place we were hunting was another area of almost endless grass and weeds. It was warming up and I hadn’t brought any water with me but we were only going to be out for a little while. That was the plan.

We went into the wind for about half a mile then started toward the road. I thought we would get to the road and just head back to the truck. Dolly and I were about 75 yards from the road when the GPS vibrated. Tur Bo was on point about a 150 yards north east of us. Away from the road.

I started toward him and we hit some kind of real thick grass that grows around ponds and low, wet spots. Dolly figured out that if she would get right behind me I would break trail for her. Some times she was stepping on the back of my feet. It took a long time to get close to Tur Bo. We were about 30 yards from him when he went to moving. I had been watching and never saw any birds in the air.

Dolly

Tur Bo went to the south and east so we followed. We got into some more of that thick grass. Both dogs were real hot and needed a drink. I saw some willows and thought maybe there was water close. By staying in the low spot kept us in the real thick grass. Tur Bo stayed in front of me but Dolly was still following. I don’t know how far we walked in that stuff but it was along way. We never found any water.

Finally, I saw a way out. As soon as we got out of the thick grass we hit black berry vines. Then we got into normal cover and made it back to the truck. Both dogs were really thirsty. We had been out for well over an hour.

It was near 70 degrees when we got back to the truck and we had been out longer than I planned. Both dogs had had enough but Tur Bo wasn’t favoring his leg. I don’t think, even as tough as the grass was, it bothered him. Dolly, at her age, is smart enough not to run like a crazy dog. It will be cooler and some of the cover will be lighter, later on.



Hopefully, it will continue to cool down and this is just the first of my early hunts. I will continue to try different places until we come up with some quail. Most of the places, I will have to carry a gun and act like I’m prairie chicken hunting. But that’s okay I can do that.

Sally backing Tur Bo at Black Kettle Grasslands.

Tur Bo at Black Kettle National Grasslands.

Sally near and Luke. Divided find.



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Back To Training English Setter Puppies, 9/17/18

Posted on September 18, 2018 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

I had my gall bladder removed almost two weeks ago so I haven’t been training the setter puppies the last two weeks. This morning I decided I could start back to training. I should have started really early but I didn’t get out until 7:45 am.

Babe pointing a pigeon.

Mann on point.

Babe on the chain gang waiting her turn.

I put an e-collar around the neck and flanks of the pups, have them drag a check cord and heel them out with the piggin’ string. I don’t even have the e-collars turned on. I’m just getting them used to wearing them.

This morning I went into Mann’s kennel to walk him first. He jumped onto his house but before I got inside his kennel he jumped off. He went to the back of his kennel and wouldn’t come to me so I went to Babe’s kennel. She jumped onto her house with a little help from me. I put the e-collars on her neck and flanks, hooked the check cord to her collar and heeled her out with the piggin’ string.

I walked her toward the front yard, stopping every few feet and telling her to whoa. I would tap her on the head and say, “heel” and step off. After a few feet say, “whoa” and stop. This morning I decided to try to walk around her while she was on whoa. I’ve always let her move when I step off but now I want her to stand still and let me walk around her.

I said, “whoa” and stood beside her for a few seconds then stepped in front of her. She was okay with me being in front but when I walked back beside her she wanted to turn with me. I tightened the piggin’ string by popping it then letting off. She yelped like I was killing her but I didn’t relent. She tried to sit down. I tapped her head and stepped off. After a few feet I whoaed her again.

Again, I stood beside her for a few seconds then started around her. This time she tried to move but stopped when I tightened the piggin’ string. This is really hard for the puppies. They want to do something but it’s hard for them to understand that all I want is for them not to move their feet.



Babe got better at standing still after 8 or 10 times of me trying to walk around her. I have a whoa board near the retrieving bench and I whoaed her on it and walked around her several times. I, also, whoaed her on the board and gently tugged on the piggin’ string while I stood right in front of her. She seemed to understand that she wasn’t supposed to move.

Next to the retrieving bench I have an airline kennel. I took the piggin’ string off and held the check cord. I walked her to the front of the kennel and said, “kennel”. I’ve worked both setter puppies on the kennel command. They both kennel pretty well. Babe went in several times then I put her on the chain gang.

I took the e-collars off Babe and went to the kennel after Mann. This time when I went into his kennel he jumped onto his house without any help from me. I put the e-collars around his neck and flanks. I hooked the check cord to his collar and put the piggin’ string around his neck. When he jumped off the house he landed in a pile. Sometimes, when they first have the e-collar around their flanks they act like their rear ends don’t work. He hit in a pile then jumped up.

Mann on point.

I walked him a few feet then whoaed him. After 7 or 8 times I whoaed him and tried to walk around him. He, too, wanted to move with me. I popped the piggin’ string a couple of times and said, “whoa”. The puppies start trying to figure out what I’m wanting. They try following and when that doesn’t work they try to sit. When they sit I tap their head and step off for a few feet.

After 7 or 8 times trying to walk around him he finally stayed without moving his feet. We will have to continue working on this. I whoaed him on the whoa board and was able to walk around him. I stood in front and gently pulled on the piggin’ string and he stayed on whoa.

I heeled him to the airline crate and kenneled him several times then put him on the chain gang, with Babe.

I hid two pigeons on the training grounds and put the e-collars back on Babe and turned her loose dragging a short check cord. The e-collars are not on and I never touch the check cord. I just want them to be used to having them. Later I will use them.

I had ridden the 4-wheeler to the back on my side but hid the pigeons on the neighbor’s side. Babe went to the back on my side then crossed to the neighbor’s side. When she smelled the pigeon she pointed then moved around the bird. I sat on the 4-wheeler and watched. She didn’t try to run in. She circled the pigeon pointing for a few seconds. I flushed the pigeon and it flew to a tree and lit on a limb. Babe chased and tried to jump high enough to get the bird.

Sally pointing a pigeon.

I walked to the cover near where the pigeon had been hidden and took a bird from the bird bag. I called Babe’s name as I kicked the cover. When she came toward me I dropped a pigeon from my hand and she chased as it flew away. I rode the 4-wheeler on toward the back and Babe came in front of me, hunting.

When we got near the bird hidden in the back she went on point on the other side of a clump of brush. She pointed for several seconds then started to move. I flushed the pigeon when she moved. She chased this bird about 35 yards and it lit in a tree. She jumped, walked on her hind legs and did everything she could think of to get the bird. I took a pigeon from the bird bag and kicked the cover near where the pigeon had been hidden. When she came close I dropped the pigeon and she chased it as it flew away.

I put Babe back on the chain gang. I reloaded the release traps and turned Mann loose with the e-collars and dragging the check cord. By the time I got on my 4-wheeler and rode about 25 yards he was at the back on my side. He rimmed the back and crossed to the neighbor’s side.

When he got close to the first bird, hidden in the tall weeds, he pointed. I took a pigeon from the bird bag and kicked the cover. I dropped the pigeon from my hand and he took about two steps closer to the bird he was pointing and went back on point. I flushed the bird in the release trap. The bird that flew into the tree when I worked Babe flew out of the tree, too.

Tur Bo

We went on back toward the back. I was looking for Mann and finally saw him on point on the other side of a clump of brush. I got off the 4-wheeler to walk around the clump and get some pictures. When I got to the other side he wasn’t there. He had moved back to the side where I had been. He was on point so I dropped the pigeon from the bird bag. When it flew off he didn’t move. I kicked the cover then flushed the pigeon from the release trap. He chased a short distance then went back to hunting.



I turned Babe loose and let them play for a while. It was warm and their play consisted of lying in the shade so I put them in their kennel.

It’s fun to get back to dog training after being off for a couple of weeks. It would be a lot nicer if the weather would get back to normal instead of this heat we are having. But it’s a great life I’m living. I have been blessed.

Mann pointing a pigeon.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.

Babe after I’ve styled her.



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Dove Season And Other Stuff, 9/7/18

Posted on September 7, 2018 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

On opening day of dove season, Vince Dye and I met Don and Linda Hansen on one of the Kansas Conservation Department dove fields. We knew in advance that we had to have non toxic shot. Don reloads bismuth and Vince and I had steel. Vince was shooting a 20 gauge and I had a 28.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.

Sally pointing a pigeon.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.

We got there in what seemed like the middle of the night but in reality was only about 45 minutes before daylight. Don had been the first hunter there and had set up on the east side of the field. Vince and I set up on the south side with a Mojo dove in between us. Before daylight the doves started flying.

As we sat waiting more people kept coming into the field. A guy set up just to Vince’s left. We had a highway a hundred yards south of us and with the guy on his left and me on his right Vince had almost no room to shoot. I offered to move down or we could move back although we had people behind us, too. Vince had brought his English cocker, Maggie. He really wanted to work her more than shoot.

Maggie has been duck hunted and she’s been along on some quail hunts but never dove hunting, before today. When she’s duck hunting she has a large bird and most times a splash of water to mark the fall. On the quail hunts we are close and if she doesn’t see the bird fall we walk her close.

Maggie is not very tall and Vince kept her in the tall cover and she couldn’t mark the fall, very well. The doves were flying good and I was getting some shots. Out of the first 5 shots I knocked down 4 doves. Maggie found them all. It was work getting her to stay where we were wanting her. There were guns going off all over and she wanted to find them all.

My shooting didn’t continue that well all morning but I did shoot pretty well and was really surprised how well 5/8 of an ounce of steel number 7’s will kill doves. In 30 or 40 minutes I had what I thought was a limit of doves. I unloaded my gun and sat in my chair to wait for Vince to kill his doves. I noticed that where I was sitting was still restricting where Vince could shoot so I counted my birds again and went to the truck.



Don and Linda were talking to the game warden as I got there. We had all seen him pull into the field about shooting time. Don had killed his limit and had them lying on his tail gate. I dropped my tail gate as the game warden came up and started laying my birds out. I stopped long enough to give him my license and HIP stamp. I kept pulling the birds out of my vest. When I pulled the fifteenth one out I could feel another bird still in the vest. I told the game warden as I laid the sixteenth one on the tail gate that I had miss counted.

Vince, when I had shot my last bird had only shot three times. Had I known that I was over he could have taken the bird or I was far enough away that I could have dropped it in the weeds. I thought I was legal.

The game warden was a nice young man and I didn’t get his name. He still had my hunting license and asked for my drivers license. As I gave them to him he said, “I really think you made a mistake but I have a job to do.” I agreed with him.

Sally near and Luke. Divided find.

He went to his truck and was gone a long time. I used the time to put my gun in the case and to get some water to drink. He came back after what seemed a long time and handed me my licenses and said, “I’m just going to give you a warning.” That made me feel really good. I didn’t mind the thought of having to pay a fine, or for the money part of it but killing over the limit is like stealing. It’s taking more than you have coming. I didn’t want that feeling. Although I had killed an extra bird it as a mistake. I’m used to making mistakes. I’m not used to stealing.

After a while Vince and Maggie, the cocker spaniel, came out. They didn’t quite have a limit but the game warden checked him on my tail gate. When he saw Vince didn’t have a limit he asked if I cared if he gave him the dove he had taken from me. Of course not. He said he would be out all day and as warm as it was it would spoil.

Vince told me that Maggie had really come on, on the doves. He had moved her to where she could see them fall and she got really good at marking. He didn’t have to do anything but send her.

Vince or Don neither could go back the next day. I thought I would go and I even made a reservation for the next day. Saturday night I told my wife I thought I would just sleep in the next morning. When I woke, I thought, “I should have gone”.

Just a couple of hours later I started feeling bad. Then it got worse. I knew if I went anywhere to get checked out on Sunday, and especially a Sunday during a three day weekend, there would be almost no one there. I toughed it out.

Sunday night I didn’t sleep except for a couple of hours. About noon Monday, Labor Day, I went to Urgent Care. When the doctor looked at me he said, “You better go to an Emergency Room”. So we went to St. Luke’s.

A covey roost I saw on Sandy Sanders.

I knew I had a gall stone. I had no idea it was huge. St. Luke’s ran a C.T. scan and said my gall bladder had to come out. They put me in the hospital.

Tuesday morning they took it out. The gall stone was supposed to be 19 centimeters. Before the operation the doctor said it would take about 30 minutes. My gall bladder was attached in two places and he had to crush the stone to get it out through the small holes, one of which he opened up to a larger size. The operation took well over an hour.

I was sore when I woke up but almost immediately started feeling better. They were amazed that I had no symptoms of this before. Maybe I did and didn’t know what they were. I had some lower back pain and a little pain in my calves. Wasn’t bad. Since the operation I haven’t had any. I hope that fixed what I thought were just pains I had to learn to live with.

The operation wasn’t the worst of it. They kept me in the hospital from Monday until 8:00 pm Thursday. Four long days.

I didn’t put the gall bladder stuff in for sympathy but to let you know why it will be a while before I work puppies. I really enjoy the puppies but I can’t bend over without pain right now.



If this does take care of the back pain and the pain in the calves I will be hard to keep up with this fall.

Mann in the brush, pointing a pigeon.

Babe pointed her first pigeon.

Mann again.



Posted in It happened to me. | Comments Off on Dove Season And Other Stuff, 9/7/18

Training Puppies, 8/27/18

Posted on August 27, 2018 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

I’ve been working the puppies, on pigeons, in release traps, for a while now and Babe seems afraid of the release traps. Vince Dye had some Dogtra release traps sent to my house because he wasn’t going to be home. He had told me they were quieter than the one’s I was using. He told me to go ahead and try them. I did and they were quieter. I ordered some and they were delivered on Saturday afternoon. I usually give my dogs the day off on Sunday so I was ready to work puppies this morning on the new traps.

Mann pointing a pigeon.

Mann on another pigeon.

Mann in the brush, pointing a pigeon.

On the Dogtra release traps there is an adjustment to make them even quieter than they way they were shipped. I adjusted one and tried them both. The one I had adjusted was quieter so I adjusted the other before I used them.

Before I hid birds for the puppies I walked them to teach them heel and whoa. I put an e-collar on Babe, hooked a check cord to her collar and led her out with the piggin’ string. I don’t turn the e-collar on and I don’t have the transmitter with me. I just want them to get used to wearing the e-collar. We went to the east to the highway, north to the driveway then back toward the retrieving bench. I have a whoa board on the way to the retrieving bench and we stop off and work on it. I whoa each of the puppies about 5 or 6 times on the whoa board.

After the whoa board and as we near the retrieving bench I have an airline kennel. I had Babe kennel several times then set her on the retrieving bench. I walked back and forth petting her and telling her what a good girl she is. I took her off the retrieving bench and put her on the chain gang.

I put an e-collar on Mann, hooked a check cord to his collar and led him out with the piggin’ string. I took him through the exact same thing that I did with Babe. Mann kennels better than Babe but Babe works better on the whoa board than Mann. Babe, also, comes back to be hooked to the chain gang better than Mann. Although they have been trained exactly the same there is a difference in how they learn.



I hid two pigeons on the training grounds, in the Dogtra release traps. I heeled Babe away from the chain gang, whoaing her several times before turning her loose to hunt. I followed Babe on foot. She ran by the first bird and whirled around when she hit the scent cone. She pointed then moved back toward the pigeon. I hit the button to release the pigeon but I released the bird in the other trap. She pointed again then moved again. This time I released the bird in front of her. She chased then went back to hunting.

We crossed to the other side and she found the empty release trap. She tried to point and I just stood about 35 yards from her and let her work it out. After a couple of points she moved in, smelled the trap then went back to hunting. When we got back I hooked her to the chain gang.

I reloaded the release traps and brought Mann out. He’s too fast to walk behind so I heeled him close to the 4-wheeler and turned him loose. I followed as he went down my side then crossed over to the other side. He pointed at the back and I took some pictures then walked in front of him. I kicked the cover 4 or 5 times then released the pigeon. He stood and watched the bird fly away, then went back to hunting.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.

I didn’t see where he went but rode the 4-wheeler on the neighbor’s side then crossed to mine. Mann wasn’t in sight. I rode down my side then when I got close to where I had hidden the pigeon I saw him on point deep in the cover. I took a couple of pictures then kicked the cover. He stood, on point, while I kicked the cover and didn’t move until I flushed the pigeon. He chased a short distance then went back to hunting.

I rode the 4-wheeler back near the chain gang. Mann has been staying away from me when I get close to the chain gang but today he came right to me. I petted him a bunch then had him kennel several times so I would have more reason to pet him then put him on the chain gang.

I reloaded the release traps and turned Babe loose. She raced down the field but went on the wrong side of the first pigeon. She knew a bird was close but lost the little bit of scent she had and went back to hunting. I followed her across to the other side. She checked out the back then started toward the front. She hit the scent cone and pointed. Her tail was up but the end was curled backwards. I think this is lack of confidence. She held the point for about 30 seconds then took a step toward the bird. I flushed the pigeon. She chased then went back to hunting.

She checked the cover then went back to the other side. She went to the back on my side then came back. She was real close to the next pigeon when she hit the scent cone. She went on point and knew she was close. I stood without moving or talking. She pointed for about 20 seconds then went toward the bird. I flushed the pigeon. She had been close when she pointed and she was even closer when she took the step. She didn’t seem phased by the bird coming up right in her face. She chased then went back to hunting.

I took her back to the chain gang, reloaded the release traps and turned Mann loose. I followed him on the 4-wheeler. He pointed the first pigeon on my side but he wasn’t getting much scent. Normally he points with a straight tail but his was up but had a bend in it. I took some pictures then kicked the bushes and flushed the pigeon. He chased then went back to hunting.

Sally pointing a pigeon.

He hunted my side then crossed to the other side. He went on point with the wind in his face. This time his tail was twelve o’clock. I took some pictures then kicked the cover and flushed the pigeon. He chased then went back to hunting. I rode back to the chain gang and he came to me.

I petted him then turned Babe loose. I rode the 4-wheeler toward the back and Mann came with me. A hen turkey and about a dozen 3/4 grown babies were in the very back. I stopped the 4-wheeler but encouraged Mann to chase. He started toward the turkeys, stopped then as they ran ahead of him he chased. They flew off to the west and he came back.

I picked up the release traps then rode back to the kennel area. Usually, I let the puppies play for a while before I put them up. It was 82 degrees. They got a drink and laid down in the shade. I waited for a while and they didn’t act like they wanted to play so I put them in the kennel.



I don’t know whether Babe is really afraid of the other release traps but I’m going to work her for a while on the new release traps. They hardly make any noise so if it’s fear of the sound we will be able to work through it, I hope. One of her birds today was real close to her and she didn’t show any fear. We may be going in the right direction.

Mann on point but not getting a lot of scent.

Puppies lying in the shade cooling.

Babe on the chain gang waiting her turn.



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