Luke
Luke
Luke is in there somewhere.
It was cool this morning, temperature in the upper 50’s, with very little wind. I would rather have a little breeze for the scent to be dispersed farther but the cool weather is nice. I hid 3 pigeons, in release traps, on my neighbors side of the training grounds. It’s getting harder and harder to find new places to hide the birds.
I put the e-collars on Luke’s neck and flanks then heeled him near the 4-wheeler. I whoaed him, got on the 4-wheeler, started it and said okay to release him. By the time I got to the first pigeon he was on point. I walked in front of him kicking the cover, flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. I continued to kick the cover then got back on the 4-wheeler. I started the 4-wheeler, wrote on my note pad, then said okay to release him.
Luke went straight to the next pigeon without much hunting. I walked in front of him kicking the cover, took some pictures then flushed the pigeon. I watched him closely but he never moved so I shot the blank pistol. He never moved. I got on the 4-wheeler, started it, wrote on my note pad, then released him with an okay.
On his third pigeon, I looked for him but couldn’t find him. I rode around the grounds, close to where the last bird was hid, without seeing him. Finally, I got off the 4-wheeler and walked near the last hidden bird. The e-collar around his neck had a blaze orange collar and I saw it buried in the weeds. He was on point, hidden by the weedy cover. I walked around the outside kicking the cover, flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. I got on the 4-wheeler, started it and he started moving. I whoaed him and he stopped. The cover was too thick to put him back so I made him stand for a while then released him with an okay. He hunted back to the kennel.
Blaze
Blaze
I put the e-collars on Blaze, one around her neck and one around her flanks, heeled her out near the 4-wheeler and whoaed her. I got on the 4 wheeler, started it and released her with an okay. She went past the first pigeon and pointed the second one. I took some pictures, then kicked around in front of her trying to flush the pigeon. The release trap wasn’t working so I bent over and released the bird by hand. It’s hard for a young dog to stay on point when you are handling the birds. They want to help. She took a couple of steps so I set her back. The whole thing was my fault, I had the transmitter on the first trap and she was pointing the second. I had flushed a pigeon that she wasn’t pointing as well as the one I flushed by hand. She only had one left. She stayed on point while I got on the 4-wheeler, started it and wrote on my note pad. I released her with an okay.
My neighbor had mowed an area that normally was brush so we had some edge that we had never hid birds in before. That was where I had hidden the third pigeon. She made her normal round but never came close to the pigeon so I waved her into the new area and she pointed. I walked in front of her, taking pictures and kicking the cover. When I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol she never moved. I got on the 4-wheeler, started it, wrote on the note pad then released her with an okay. She hunted back to the kennel.
Tur Bo
Tur Bo
I put the e-collars on Tur Bo and heeled him out of the kennel. I whoaed him near the 4-wheeler. I got on the 4-wheeler, started it and released him with an okay. He ran, all out, to the back before he even thought about hunting. When he pointed he was 25 yards from the pigeon but he was in the scent cone. His mouth was opening and closing like he was chewing the smell. I took some pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. I whoaed him then flushed the pigeon and he never moved so I whoaed him and shot the blank pistol. He took one step at the shot and stopped. I set him back and kicked in front of him again then got on the 4-wheeler. I started it, wrote on the note pad, then released him with an okay.
He was still wound up and went back to the other end of the training grounds to point the first bird in the field. He looked good so I took more pictures then walked all around him kicking the cover. I whoaed him then flushed the bird. The pigeon came right over his head and when I shot the blank pistol he turned sideways. I set him back. When he went back on point I got on the 4-wheeler, started it and said okay. He waited for me to say okay before he moved.
When he pointed the next pigeon he was right on top of it. I walked to him and kicked in front of him. This is just the second day that Tur Bo has not been held by his collar on the birds. He was so close to this one that I tried to get between him and the pigeon. I didn’t hold his collar I just stood beside him. I flushed the pigeon and it fluttered a little then flew straight up. Tur Bo jumped at the pigeon, snapping his teeth, and got higher than my head. I grabbed his collar before he hit the ground and stopped him. I held him until he went back on point then got on the 4-wheeler. I started the 4-wheeler, wrote on the note pad but this time I let him stand for about a minute before I said okay to release him. He hunted back to the kennel.
These three young dogs have been working on holding, on whoa, as long as I want them to hold. This may carry over to the field. It will, at least, teach them not to run in when the birds flush, I hope.