12/23/13 Clean Up Hunt

Well it was cold today!  Willow did great, pointed about 10 birds, but I can't say I did so well!  Missed the first bird, took three shots at it and it kept flying!  The next four birds were missed due to the firing pit light sticking and the gun not going off.  After each bird I got the fun to fire but not on the next bird we saw.  I decided to go and switch back to the old reliable pump gun.  On the way back to the car Willow went on point again.  This time I could not shoot due to a low flying bird going right toward another group of hunters, so I told Willow to get it and she took the chucker right out of the air.  That was the first bird we actually got.  I switched guns and went three for four for the rest of the hunt.  That could have been a great cleanup day, but it was fun anyway.  Now I need to figure out why I am getting light strikes on the firing pin.

Clean up 12/23/13

Well conditions look rough for tomorrow, but we are going to give it a try.  I will honestly be surprised if we see any birds.  High will he in the low teens and there is supposed to be a good breeze.  Two days ago it rained on top of the snow and now there is a hard crust the dogs are falling through.  I am not sure how they will hold up under these conditions, but we will post what happens.  I guess not expecting much will mean I can't really be disappointed.

December 23rd we have a scheduled cleanup hunt!

We have a hunt planned for December 23.  We are not releasing any birds, lets see what Willow can pull out that day.  Autumn will not be joining us, as she will be having her surgery that day.  I think she will be back out with us at the end if January.  Watch for an update on the upcoming hunt!

Clean-Up hunt

Well Willow and I decided to try our luck on a clean up hunt.  It was cold out, single digits when we started and I truly wondered if Willow would be able to handle the cold and why I was even going out.  Well I found two things out. One, if you dress right you won't be cold, and I wasn't cold at all.  Two, Willow does not mind the cold one bit.  We only stayed out for two hours but ended up with two hens, a chucker, and my first quail.  It was a good day!

Sunday's hunt. 12/8/13

Conditions got a bit rough halfway through the hunt.  Then wind picked up and the temps seemed to drop, but I will still call it a decent day of hunting.  Willow did good, although she was a bit more wild running with all the dogs in the field.  Autumn, the dog in the green Christmas sweater, helped point a few birds.  Norma, my uncles dog did alright for an old lady losing her hearing.  Gertie, his pup, was out for her second hunt.  I think she did good following along and showing good interest in the birds.  Good thing we found her after she took off at the start of the hunt.  She needs to get used to the cold still, as she was looking to get back in the truck.  Check out the video to the right if the web page.  You have to view the blog in the web version to see that and the pics at the bottom of the page.

Scheduled Hunt Sunday 12-8-13

I have a group of guys going out for a scheduled hunt on December 8th.  My dogs are anxious to get out again, but this will be the first time Autumn is hunting with dogs other than Willow.  We will see how that goes.  Norma, a GSP, and Gertie, Autumns sister, will be joining us on the hunt. I am hoping we bag a bunch of birds, but we will be working a huge field with two dogs that are under five months old.  Lets hope the dogs are on this weekend.  Pictures to follow.

Running with the Devils

Well about 18 months ago we decided to get our first GSP.  We named her Willow.   She was purchased, first and foremost, as a family pet, and we love her more each and every day we have with her.  After a month having her at home I saw she was very birdy, so I decided to tag along with Uncle John and Norma on a few hunts when she was still only 5-6 months.  This was Willow's first experience with pheasants.  As a pup I thought she did pretty well and even pointed a few birds that first season.  Then the summer came and I did very little training with her, but thought she might enjoy joining her own club and getting some real work in.  On her first hunt of 2013 she pointed three of the four birds we released.  On her second hunt she found all four.  She is finding birds easy now, usually finding at least 3-5 birds more than we release.  She holds a point as long as I need and is really an exceptional dog for being under two years old.  She was even asked to guide a hunt.  The guys releases 8 birds and she pointed at least 15 for them.   They seemed very impressed at her drive to locate and hold point on birds.  I am amazed at what a wonderful hunting dog she has become!

Before the season even began I talked my lovely wife into allowing another GSP into our house.  Autumn is now just over 4 months old and has hit the field twice this year.  She has already pointed a few birds of her own, and always seems to help Willow on her points.  She is a natural and loves being outside with Willow looking for birds or trouble!