Luke pointing a pigeon.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
Blaze pointing a pigeon.
Another cool morning for dog training. I loaded Blaze, Tur Bo, Luke and 6 pigeons in the truck along with the 4-wheeler and went to my friends 100 acre place to train. There was a heavy dew and almost no wind.
I hid the first pigeon, in a release trap, on a fence row, not far from the truck. The second was to the east and over the hill. The second pigeon was about 500 yards from where I turned the dogs loose.
Tur Bo had caught a bird the last training session so I worked him first. I had 2 young pigeons, in the release traps, to tempt him with. I put the e-collars and GPS collars on him and whoaed him in front of the 4-wheeler. I got on the 4-wheeler and released him to hunt. Just before we got to the first pigeon he came off the fence row to check a small clump of cover. He missed the pigeon and we went on to the next.
I have run my dogs off a 4-wheeler before but not on this large of an area. Tur Bo, really all of my dogs, check back real well but when I’m on a 4-wheeler they turn to check back and I’m right there. He started hitting the edge and speeding up.
As we came over the hill he hit another hedge row and started down it. I had hid the pigeon in a small clump just off the hedge row. He was on the hedge row when he got the scent and whirled to his left, on point. I took some pictures and went in front of him, kicking the cover. When I flushed the pigeon it fluttered up through the saplings and lit in a nearby tree. He watched it without moving.
I led him away and whoaed him. I released him after I got on the 4-wheeler. I put him on some fence rows and hedge rows before going back to the first pigeon, hid in the fence row. This time he was on the fence row as he got the scent of the pigeon. He pointed. I took more pictures and went in front of him, kicking the cover. When I flushed the bird it hit a limb as it fluttered up. Normally, this is when he grabs the pigeon. He didn’t move. Again, the pigeon lit in the tree right above the release trap. I led him away, whoaed him then released him after I got on the 4-wheeler. He hunted back to the truck.
I brought Luke out next. We started down the fence row and he ran past the pigeon and whirled around. He took about 2 steps and established point. I took pictures and walked in front of him, kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and he didn’t move. I led him away and released him.
We went over the hill and he went down the hedge row. The clump that the second pigeon was hidden in was at the end of the hedge row on the east with a clump of trees on the north. There was not much wind blowing and the dogs had to be pretty close, I thought. Not Luke, he was about 15 yards off the pigeon. I took pictures and walked in front of him. He didn’t move when I flushed the bird. I led him away.
I put him on a couple of edges to the south of where I had parked the truck. I had parked about 150 yards east of the road but Luke is so fast, I was afraid he was nearing the road, so I called him back.
Blaze was next. She just weaned her pups and is still too skinny but she wants to hunt. She is all business when I turn her loose. She went down the hedge row and hit the scent cone of the first pigeon. Her tail was twelve o’clock and her rear was quivering when I got off the 4-wheeler. I took pictures and walked in front of her. She didn’t move when I flushed the pigeon. I led her away and we went on down the fence row then over the hill.
When she pointed the second pigeon she was buried in the clump that the pigeon was hidden in. I walked around her taking pictures. I kicked the cover and flushed the pigeon. She didn’t move. I led her away.
She stayed in front of me really well on the edges. When I got back close to the road she came off the edge just like I wanted her to and came back in front of the 4-wheeler. When I stopped at the truck she came back to me.
I have run my dogs off the 4-wheeler here at home but I don’t have enough room to make them run a long way between birds. After just a couple of times running the dogs on a larger property they are learning that they don’t have to check in so often. This should keep them from looping back to check in so often. Watching dogs learn is what makes dog training fun.
Blaze buried in the cover.
Luke pointing a pigeon.
Tur Bo after the pigeon had flown.