Truth be told, my fishing suffered severely in 2014. That's the bad news. The good news is that my upland hunting increased exponentially, due to my new hunting companion, Toby, the Field Bred English Springer Spaniel.
In the fall of 2013 he was but a wee lad, but Toby has grown to be a 43 lb. ball of energy and instinct. People love him. Birds fear him.
Although I've had dogs all my life, Toby is my first Springer, and this has been my first crack at training a bird dog. Knowledgeable friends, good books, the internet, a heavy dose of persistence, consistence, and patience, can give even a dog training novice a crack at satisfactory results these days.
With all bird dogs, but particularly with the flushing breeds like Springers, obedience is the real key. The instincts are in there...at least you hope they are, once you've convinced your wife that a well bred dog, and all the associated equipment and veterinary costs are well worth the investment. The real trick is to develop an obedient dog that will willingly work with, and for, you. If he'll work close, resisting the urge to work too far out in front of the hunters, and come when called - his nose, a natural drive to hunt, and his natural desire to retrieve, can be directed toward the fun and enjoyment of you and your hunting companions.
We first hit the bird fields when Toby was 7 months old. A knowledgeable friend with a well-mannered Springer helped us navigate the maiden voyage. Toby did an admirable job of finding and retrieving planted chukars. It was clear he had the right stuff, and the self-applied pressure increased as the little voice inside my head said "You're clearly the weak link in this relationship...try not to screw it up".
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| Successful first hunt |
A long summer of field work, obedience training, and fun followed. Working to train a pup to voice and whistle commands is highly rewarding. A good bird dog pup's desire to please is remarkable, and fun to harness. Watching your pup paddle eagerly to a dummy you just launched to the middle of the farm pond, and return to your side with equal enthusiasm, before dropping the dummy in your hand, is a fantastic feeling that swells your chest with pride. With Toby's affinity for the work and desire to please, I knew that when training sessions didn't go well, It was likely my fault.
As summer wound down, dove season was the first opportunity to put Toby on birds, and several trips afield produced a handful of opportunities. It was obvious that Toby's retrieving skills were better than my wing shooting skills, as the pup found each bird that was knocked down and brought it to hand. Occasionally, he would look up at me, as if to say, "How come you're shooting, but no birds are falling?" Fortunately, bird dogs have short memories in regard to these matters, and have no desire to tease you about your misses (this is not true for all hunting buddies).
October brought a wonderful opportunity for Toby and me, as we headed north to Maine with four other dogs and 10 good friends. For more than a week, we chased grouse and woodcock from Millinocket through the North Maine Woods. The outpost camp we rented through Libby Camps was a fantastic home base for some self-guided bird hunting fun. We stopped at the main lodge on our way to camp, to share lunch, gas up, and pick up some navigational and hunting tips. The Libby's are raising the sixth generation of capable hosts and guides, and their love and knowledge of the North Main Woods is second to none.
Toby grew a great deal as a hunter that week, overcoming a nasty cut on one of his pads to work with other dogs, and for other hunters. Daily construction of a booty made of duct tape made it possible for Toby to hunt. Each night, protective gear removed, he went back to using three legs. Each morning, after being taped up, he hit the woods in four-wheel drive. By the end of the trip, Toby had added grouse, woodcock and a nice water retrieve on a duck to his resume'.
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| Five dog mobile home |
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| Mooseleuk Lake, North Maine Woods |
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| Scouting the Lake |
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| Wood fired cookstove - Grouse Hunting Palace |
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| Endless logging roads through prime habitat |
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| Gettin' the job done |
Back home in Pennsylvania, with shorter, cooler days, came the opening of pheasant, grouse and woodcock season in Pennsylvania and we had great fun canvasing local PA State Game Lands for stocked pheasants. Pennsylvania has ramped up its pheasant stocking program in the last number of years, and, while I find a greater satisfaction in hunting wild birds, it is hard to argue with the opportunity to chase some surprisingly wary birds so close to home.
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| After school adventures |
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| Snowy Thanksgiving Day hunt |
All in all, it was a great hunting season. We hunted from September through January, and Toby logged flushes and/or retrieves on grouse, woodcock, chukar, pheasant, doves and ducks. There is still work to do, but Toby is just getting up to speed - he will turn two as hunting season approaches late in 2015. He'll need more practice afield, and more training, to resist the urge to punch out too far when birds are running, or hard to come by, and to resist the urge to give chase when his master blows the shot. Just because your dog heeds the whistle in the back yard, is no guarantee he'll obey when the birds are flying and the guns are sounding. Repetition and consistency are key. I'll also look for more opportunities to put Toby on waterfowl, where he can exercise his strong drive for water retrieves. I'm determined to make the time to help him realize more of his potential, knowing that he will repay me with years of good hunting and companionship.
Toby doesn't let high water slow down a good pheasant retrieve
I've come to see quite a bit of similarity between fishing and hunting upland birds with a dog. When fishing, I carry the rod and cast a lure or fly toward promising targets. While hunting, I carry my shotgun and cast my dog toward promising cover. In both cases, it is necessary to read the water/terrain, find the likely spots and be ready for the action when it comes. In fishing, the take is the ultimate moment. Similarly, the flush of upland birds is the moment you anticipate most. Bringing a fish or bird to hand is the end goal of the adventure, but in both cases, that's not what keeps you coming back. It's the planning, the preparation, the anticipation, the friendships you develop, and the outing itself. Getting there is more than half of the fun. If only catch and release were an option while bird hunting...
Fortunately, game birds are delicious.
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