Sallie my new pup.
Luke
Tur Bo
We have had over a week of extremely hot weather. Each morning at daylight it has been in the upper 70’s to low 80’s. I haven’t done any dog training since the fifteenth of July.
I did go to Omaha and pick up my stud fee puppy. I got a 7 week old female setter out of Tur Bo and a Tekoa Mountain female. I wouldn’t have taken her from her litter so early except I had the 2 pups from Blaze’s litter, that were 4 days younger, to put her with. The mother of the puppy has Tekoa Mountain Sunrise on both sides. Hick’s Rising Sun is her my pups Great Grandfather. I had a Rising Sun grandson that was a really good bird dog. I’m expecting good things from her.
I took Blaze, Tur Bo, Luke and 6 pigeons to the 100 acre farm that is just a couple of miles from my home. I took my 4-wheeler and hid the pigeons, in release traps, a long way from the truck. The first was 300 yards and the second was 505 yards from the truck.
I put the e-collars and the GPS on Luke. I got on the 4-wheeler and released him to hunt. The truck was just a few yards from a tree lined fence row. Luke hit the fence row and took it to the east. When he came by the first pigeon he was on the wrong side to catch the scent. We went on toward the second. When I got to the second bird Luke was no where in sight. I checked the GPS and it showed him on point.
I started looking for him but couldn’t see him. I went to the pigeon and the GPS said he was 60 feet to the north east on point. I went through a thicket without finding him. I came back and started watching the GPS and finally found him. He was on point inside the thicket. I went in front of him thinking maybe he was pointing wild birds but wasn’t able to flush anything. I released him and he moved about 10 feet closer to the pigeon and went on point again. This time he was on the edge of the thicket. I flushed the pigeon. He didn’t move.
I took him by one of the feeders I have out on this farm then back toward the first pigeon I had hidden. This time he was closer and he whirled to a point. I took some pictures then flushed the pigeon. He didn’t move. He hunted back to the truck.
I replaced the pigeons and turned Tur Bo loose. He was quite away from the first pigeon when he came by it so we continued on toward the second. When I came around the corner he was on point about 30 feet from the pigeon. I took pictures and walked in front of him kicking the cover. He didn’t move when I flushed the pigeon. I led him away and released him to hunt.
We made a big circle then went toward the first pigeon. When he hit the scent cone he slammed into a point. I took pictures and walked in front of him kicking the tall weeds. I flushed the pigeon and he caught it. I saw him start to move and yelled, “whoa”, and hit the button on the flank e-collar but once he starts to move nothing will stop him. I picked him up but his collar and the flank collar and set him back. He dropped the pigeon as I was carrying him back and it flew away. I kicked the cover in front of him then went to the 4-wheeler for another pigeon. I put it to sleep just a few feet in front of him. I said, “whoa” one time and the pigeon woke up on it’s own. He didn’t move as it flew away. I released him and we hunted back to the truck.
I only had one pigeon left so I picked up the closest release trap and reloaded the farther one. I turned Blaze loose. She nosed around where the first bird had been hidden but went back to hunting. She was quite away ahead of me when she pointed her bird. She was almost in the same place that Tur Bo had been when he pointed. I went in front of her kicking the cover after taking pictures. I flushed the pigeon and she never moved. I led her away and released her. We hunted back to the truck.
This is the first time I have had a place where I can spread the birds out and really make the dogs hunt for them. At my place I only have 3 or 4 acres to hide the birds in. On this place I have probably 60 of the 100 acres that I can hide birds.
With me riding the 4-wheeler, the dogs don’t have to check back so often and I can spread the birds out farther. I started roading the dogs yesterday. Between the roading and them running farther in search of the pigeons they should get in better shape for the upcoming season.
Blaze
Luke
Tur Bo