Luke
Tur Bo
Gailen Cooper, a long time friend that had bought Jack, a litter mate to Tur Bo, and I bought some quail and used the 4-wheeler to hide the quail for our dogs. We worked each dog on 3 or 4 quail while the other two were tied so they could watch. Tur Bo and Luke do a good job pointing pigeons and their style is not always the best but on these quail they looked great and I forgot to bring the camera.
I hid 4 quail in the tall grass then put an e-collar on Luke’s neck and a check cord with a half hitch around his flank and the snap in the d-ring in his collar. Luke has pointed wild quail and is almost 4 years old but now I’m trying to steady him to wing and shot. When he pointed, Gailen would shoot and I would hold the check cord. I didn’t jerk on the check cord, I just let his movement put the amount of pressure according to how hard he pulled on the rope.
I released Luke to hunt across a strong south wind. When he pointed, I stood behind him with the check cord in my hand but with some slack in the cord. Gailen went in front of him kicking the tall grass. The quail flushed and flew toward Luke and me so Gailen had no shot. Luke hit the end of the check cord, hard then stopped. I set him back where he had originally pointed. I stroked his sides then tapped his head to release him.
He went toward the area where the bird had flown but I called him back. Luke is trained to come back when I hit the tone button on my Sport Dog e-collar. He came back in front of us and went back to hunting. He pointed again and again I stood behind him holding the check cord with some slack between us. Gailen walked in front kicking the cover. The quail flew and Gailen shot it. Luke just moved forward enough to tighten the check cord but he didn’t hit the end. I set him back and stroked his sides. I tapped his head and we went to the dead bird. Luke found the bird and pushed it around with his nose but didn’t pick it up. I handed the bird to Gailen and we went back to hunting.
He pointed the third quail. On the pigeons his tail curls a little but it’s always up but on these quail his tail is straight and twelve o’clock. I need my camera. I stepped up behind him and picked up the check cord. Gailen went in front kicking the tall grass. The quail flew right over the top of Luke and me so Gailen had no shot. Luke turned and watched the bird fly without tightening the check cord. I didn’t reset him, I just stroked his sides then tapped his head to release him. In my opinion, a dog should turn and mark the flight of the bird when it flies away. Field trial judges may disagree.
He pointed the fourth quail and again I walked up behind him and picked up the check cord. Gailen went in front kicking the cover. The bird flushed and Gailen made a good shot. Luke didn’t move. I stroked his sides the tapped his head and said fetch. He doesn’t know fetch but I said it anyway. He ran to the bird and picked it up. I put my hand out and said give. He dropped it in my hand. I have worked him on the retrieving bench and he knows give. He will retrieve on the bench but he hasn’t made the connection to the field. That is my fault. Maybe next year. I tied him back to the stake out.
I hid 4 more quail in the cover and Gailen brought Jack out dragging a check cord. Gailen wanted to be the one to walk in front of Jack and wanted me to just stand on the check cord until the quail flew then after the shot let Jack go. Jack hunted really well, covering the ground, rapidly. He pointed and I stood on the check cord with some slack between us. Gailen walked in front of Jack, flushed the quail and shot it. I restricted Jack’s movement just long enough for Gailen to shoot, then released him. Jack picked the quail up and took it to Gailen.
He went back to hunting and pointed his second bird. I walked up behind him and stood on the check cord. Gailen went in front kicking the cover. The quail flew back over Jack and me giving Gailen no shot. I stepped off the check cord letting Jack chase the quail. He chased a little ways and came back and started hunting again.
Jack pointed his third bird and I stood on the check cord. Gailen walked in front of him kicking the tall grass. He kicked for a long time before the quail flushed and Jack stayed on point without moving. He made good on the shot and I released Jack to retrieve. Jack picked the bird up but I’m not sure he was looking for Gailen to give the bird to. Gailen pulled Jack to him with the check cord and petted him before taking the bird from him.
It was about 70 degrees with a strong, maybe 30 mph, south wind blowing and the dogs were getting hot. Gailen decided to give Jack a break and put him back on the stake out. We had bought 12 quail but the guy we got them from had given us an extra. Since there was an extra bird, there was still 2 in the cage after I hid 3 for Tur Bo.
I put the e-collar around Tur Bo’s neck and let him drag the check cord. Gailen was the shooter and I was going to restrict Tur Bo at the flush long enough for Gailen to get a shot. He hunted across the wind and pointed his first bird. I held the check cord and Gailen walked in front kicking the cover. The quail flushed and Gailen shot it. I turned Tur Bo loose but he had marked the bird short. I walked to the area it had fallen and told Tur Bo to hunt dead. He found the quail and picked it up. He wasn’t really what you would call soft mouth but I petted him for a while before taking the bird. He wasn’t ready to give me the bird so I blew a puff of air into his ear. He went back to hunting.
He pointed his second bird and I picked up the check cord. Gailen walked in front kicking the cover. He made Tur Bo stay on point for a while before flushing the quail. It flew over our head so Gailen couldn’t shoot. I released Tur Bo and he chased for a short distance then went back to hunting.
He pointed his third bird and I held the check cord with some slack between us. Gailen went in front kicking the cover. The bird jumped but didn’t fly. Tur Bo chased and it ran around on the ground. Finally he caught it. I squatted down, called Tur Bo and he came to me. I petted him for 30 to 45 seconds then held on to the bird and blew in his ear. He gave up the bird and went back to hunting.
He pointed his fourth bird and I picked up the check cord. Gailen went in front kicking the cover. The quail flushed and Gailen missed. He was shooting a 410 and had shot really well. Even pen raised birds are hard to hit and even harder with a 410. Tur Bo chased for a ways and hunted back to the stake out.
There was 2 quail left on the 4-wheeler and I hid one more for Luke. He hadn’t moved on his last bird and I wanted to let him think about that for a while on the stake out then have him point another. I turned him loose with the e-collar on his neck and dragging a check cord with a half hitch around his flanks. He pointed the quail and I picked up the check cord. Gailen went in front kicking the tall grass. The quail flushed where Gailen couldn’t shoot but Luke didn’t move. I let him stand for 45 seconds or so then tapped his head to release him.
I hid the other bird for Jack. He had only pointed 3 on his turn. Gailen had picked him up because of the heat. He ran down the edge of the cover and went on point. I stepped on the check cord and Gailen went in front kicking the cover. The quail flushed where he had no shot. I stepped off the check cord so Jack could chase.
We had released 13 quail and hadn’t killed very many so we turned all 3 dogs loose to hunt. Luke was the first to point with Tur Bo and Jack honoring. They were all 3 real close together and it would have made a great picture but my camera was at home. I walked in front of Luke and the quail flushed down wind. I couldn’t shoot until it was quite a distance from us and I missed. Then Tur Bo pointed just a few feet from where Luke had pointed with Jack and Luke honoring. When it flushed I knocked it down on the second shot. Tur Bo ran straight to it, picked it up and ran straight to me with it. Before he got to me I squatted down and called him. He ran straight to me and I petted him for a while then said give and blew in his ear. He released the bird and it was still alive. That’s a little more soft mouthed.
Luke pointed again but this time he was in a thicket and I went in to flush but could get close enough to get the bird in the air. Gailen came around the other side and the bird flushed. He knocked it down. When the dogs got close it was just wounded and it was running around. Luke and Tur Bo were right behind it but Tur Bo was the one who caught it. He turned and came right to me with it. I squatted down and petted him. I took hold of the bird and blew in his ear. He released it and it was still alive. With a little work I may have found the dog to replace Lady as my retriever.
Gailen was on one side of a fence row and I was on the other. I was on the down wind side and Jack came in front of me and pointed. Gailen could tell that he was a long way from the bird so he asked me to tap his head to move him up. He took about 2 steps and went back on point. His head was up and his tail was 12 o’clock. Did I say I left my camera home. When the bird flushed neither of us had a shot.
We didn’t kill all of the birds we had released but it was one of the best training sessions I’ve had with these dogs. All of the dogs pointed, backed and tried to retrieve. It was a successful day.