I got up early and was out with the young dogs by 6:00 am. Even at that, it was already 70 degrees but it was better than later in the morning. What little wind we had was out of the south east but on these grounds the wind usually swirls. That makes it hard to know from which direction the dog will point.
Josie pointing a pigeon.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
A friend, Vince Dye, had a couple of Dogtra release traps that he wanted to sell, so I bought them. Now I have 4 of them. I like them better than the others I have had because they are easier to set and make less noise. They, also, are smaller than the DT’s or Innotec release traps I have had. They are almost too small for some of my larger pigeons. Almost.
I put pigeons in all 4 and hid them on the training grounds. I heeled Josie out with the e-collars around her neck and flanks. She was also dragging a long check cord. I had put a couple of my place boards out and I whoaed her on the first board. I pulled the check cord out in front of her. The check cord is about 30 feet long and I held the end. I tugged on the check cord and said, “here”. She came off the place board and I held up my hand like a traffic cop and said, “whoa”. She stopped. I whoaed her two more times before I let her come all the way to me. We went to the next place board and did the same thing.
I heeled her on across the little creek and whoaed her. I took the piggin’ string off and held the check cord. I check corded her toward the first pigeon. The wind was supposed to be out of the south east but she hit the scent cone and locked up like the wind was from the south west. Josie almost always has a 12 o’clock tail. This morning was no exception.
I walked around her, stroked her sides and told her what a good girl she is. I had two pigeons in a bird bag so I dropped one pigeon in front of her. She wanted to chase but I stopped her with the check cord. I set her back and waited for her to catch the scent of the bird in the release trap. When she was real rigid, I walked around her again. I stroked her sides and flushed the pigeon. She took a step or two and I set her back. I stroked her sides then released her but held the check cord.
The next bird was hidden in a grass strip I have left in a grove of walnut trees. I walked in front of her after taking pictures then dropped the second bird from the bird bag. She tried to chase but the check cord stopped her.
Josie pointing a pigeon.
I set her back and walked around her again. I stroked her sides then flushed the pigeon from the release trap. This pigeon came out low right over her head and she turned to chase but I caught the check cord and stopped her. I set her back then took her on.
We crossed to the neighbor’s side. There are more clumps of brush on his side and that makes it harder to check cord a dog. We went toward the back. When we got close to the bird she wasn’t getting any of the scent. The wind wasn’t the way it should have been. I let her go into the heavy cover on the south side of the bird and she caught the scent and pointed.
Abby.
I moved this release trap for the next two dogs but for Josie I held the check cord and told her what a good girl she was. I flushed the pigeon and she took a couple of steps. I set her back and stroked her sides. I check corded her away.
The fourth bird was in a strip of grass near the front. Josie was right beside it when she pointed. I walked between her and the bird. I stroked her sides and told her what a good girl she is. When I flushed the pigeon she took a step and I set her back. I heeled her away then let her run back to the kennel.
I reloaded the release traps and moved one of them. I put a couple of pigeons in the bird bag then brought Abby out with the e-collars around her neck and flanks. I heeled her to the place board and said, “whoa”. She stopped and as I walked ahead of her pulling the check cord she just started walking around. Came right off the place board. I held the button on the transmitter down on medium 2 until she stopped. I held the button down and carried her back to the place board. I let off the button when her feet touched the place board.
Josie.
I walked out in front of her with the end of the check cord in my hand. I tugged on the check cord and said, “here”. Abby started to me. I held up my hand like a traffic cop and said, “whoa”. She stopped. I tugged again and said, “here”. She came toward me and I stopped her again then called her to me. We went to the next place board and we did the whoa and here a few times. Both of these young dogs thought when I said whoa they were to stand next to me. This exercise teaches them to stop wherever they are.
We went on to the training grounds. Abby was going from one side to the other on the check cord when she hit the scent cone and pointed. I walked around her and stroked her sides. I stepped on the check cord and dropped a pigeon from the bird bag. She took a couple of steps. I set her back and waited for her to realize that the pigeon was still in front of her. When she got rigid I stroked her sides and flushed the pigeon. She tried to chase but I stopped her with the check cord. I took her on to the back.
Abby was going back and forth on the check cord. When she got into the walnut grove she circled one of the trees and when the check cord got tight she went on point. I moved the check cord so it would not come loose then went in front of her. I took some pictures from well out in front of her. I walked around Abby then flushed the pigeon. The check cord kept her from chasing. We went to the neighbor’s side.
Abby with her check cord tanged around a tree.
Josie had been deep in the brush when she pointed the pigeon at the back on the neighbor’s side so I moved it for Abby. She was well off this one when she pointed and I stroked her sides and walked in front of her. I stood on the check cord and dropped the last pigeon from the bird bag. She tried to chase but I stopped her with the check cord. I set her back and waited for her to realize there was a pigeon in front of her. When she got the scent I flushed the pigeon in the release trap. She took a step and I set her back then held the check cord as we went toward the next bird.
Abby pointed the next bird but was never very sure. She never got real rigid and kept moving her head to get the scent better but she didn’t move her feet. I stroked her sides and flushed the pigeon pretty quickly. I didn’t want her to move. She tried to chase but I held her with the check cord. I led her away and let her run on the way back to the kennel.
I was still 50 or 60 yards from the kennel when I saw Abby go on point close to the kennels. There were 3 pigeons on the ground and she was sight pointing them. She didn’t move until the pigeons flushed, then she chased them. I put her in her kennel.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
I reloaded the release traps for Boss but I didn’t carry any pigeons in the bird bag. He’s not quite 4 months old yet but he’s already getting 50 yards or more ahead of me on the way to the bird field. He went across to the neighbor’s side and I called him back. As he crossed back onto my side and rounded a clump of brush he hit the scent cone and slid to a point. I took a couple of pictures and waited for him to move. At his first step I flushed the pigeon. It came out the opposite side of the clump of brush so he didn’t chase very far.
The next bird was hidden in the strip of grass in the walnut grove. When he went behind a walnut tree I waited for him to come out the other side. He didn’t show. I had to walk about 30 yards before I could see him on point. Only his head was sticking out from behind the tree. When I got close he moved and I flushed the pigeon. It came out low and he chased it a long way back toward the coop.
For some reason on the pigeon hidden on the back side of the neighbor’s side Boss didn’t even try to point. When we got close I saw his head come up when he got the smell but he went right in on the pigeon. I flushed it before he got too close. We went on toward the front.
Boss.
The next pigeon was about the same. He had trouble smelling it so I just flushed it when he got closer than I thought he should have. We went back to the kennel and I let him run in front of the 4-wheeler while I picked up the release traps.
It’s really warm during the days so getting out early, about 6:00 am, is the only way I could work the dogs on pigeons. Upper 80 degrees is not only hard on the dogs it’s really hard on the pigeons in the release traps, covered with grass. But it’s a good life when you can go in your own back yard and get twelve points. God has blessed me.