Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2019 i Gun Dog

I STILL HAVE vivid memories of my first experience in a duck blind. Jeremy, a coworker and friend, had invited me on a hunt for Canada geese that were making their way south through our home state of Ohio. I remember the 3 a.m. alarm clock, and launching the weathered boat into the darkness. I remember the bags and bags of gear and Jeremy setting the decoys as the sun began to rise, his figure silhouetted against the brightening sky. It was my third hunt—of any species—ever. My hunting attire consisted of cheap, camo rain gear worn over my regular winter coat and snow pants. That’s all I could afford. But that was unimportant. I was there—and that was all that mattered. It was cold, but the geese weren’t flying.…

1 FILSON TIN CLOTH EXCURSION BAG Before you hit the blind, stuff your gear into Filson’s water-repellent and abrasion-resistant travel bag that’s made to withstand abuse. A rustproof, brass U-zipper gives you access to the 44-liter main compartment—plenty of room for shells, calls, camera, extra layers, and more. A water-repellent side pocket with ventilating grommets collapses when not in use, and sits on the side of the bag for stowing wet and muddy gear. $425; filson.com 2 ALPS OUTDOORZ TIMBER DOG STAND The Timber Dog Stand is made of lightweight aluminum and a Tech Mesh platform to shed water. An included ratchet strap allows you to easily attach the stand to a tree, and angled teeth dig in to bark to stabilize the platform. The lower bar adjusts to accommodate…

Teach your dog to “kennel up” in the new portable kennel from Lucky Duck. This one-piece, rotomolded kennel is durable yet lightweight—making it easy to move from your house to your truck when it’s time to hit the field. The Lucky Duck Kennel has an injection-molded door that can easily be reversed, and a locking paddle latch that keeps your dog safe. A pitched floor runs water away from your dog into drain channels located on each side of the kennel. Powder-coated tie-downs, non-slip feet, and a heavy-duty handle round out the package. Best part? These kennels are made in the U.S.A. $500; luckyduck.com…

STANDING ON THE BOAT DOCK, I STARED ACROSS THE GREAT SALT LAKE, its mirrored surface the same gunmetal gray as the Utah sky. Rising high above the salt flats on the opposite shoreline were the northernmost peaks of the snowy Stansbury Mountains. The whole landscape seemed empty and isolated—until, that is, I turned around and looked to the south at the sprawl of Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Front just beyond it. The Great Salt Lake, all 1,700 square miles of it, is a massive wetland wilderness positioned on the edge of one of America’s great urban centers. The stillness was broken by the hum of a motor, and across the plane of the water I saw an airboat growing larger. When the fans slowed and the boat came to…

CHAD YAMANE TURNS HIS BOAT FROM THE RAMP AND POINTS IT TOWARDS A NARROW CHANNEL THAT WINDS INTO THE GREAT SALT LAKE. It’s the last week of Utah’s swan season, and I hold a coveted tag for one of the big, white birds that bring waterfowlers here from around the country. Still within sight of the ramp, we encounter a thick shelf of ice and the boat literally grinds to a halt. Over the course of the last decade or so, I’ve been blessed to share waterfowl hunts withYamane on several occasions. He and his partner Rob Friedel operate Fried Feathers, well-known along the Wasatch Front as the best, hardest-working waterfowl guide service on the lake. In those lucky years when I, or one of my friends, have drawn a…

Situated on nearly 5,000 acres, White Oak Creek Ranch, located just 90 minutes east of Dallas in the wildlife-rich hardwood bottoms of Franklin County, is redefining ranching. “Our goal is to deliver a first-rate, best-of-class destination ranch where the owner- members can enjoy the outdoors and their families without any of the responsibilities of running, managing and maintaining a ranch,” said Ty Looney, who with his business partner, Garry Kyle, purchased the ranch in 2016. The ranch, which had been managed solely for wildlife for the past 30 years, offered the duo an unmatched opportunity to create an exclusive hunting club and ranch community. “We set out to create something we—and other outdoor enthusiasts—would want to be part of for a life-time,” Looney said. Currently, only 12 owner-memberships remain out…

THERE’S AN OLD saying among dog trainers: You need birds to train bird dogs. It’s true. But most of you probably don’t have a flock of homing pigeons or penned quail at your disposal. I get that. So, what follows are tips on training with birds—and, when you don’t have them, training without. INTRODUCING BIRDS First, let’s talk about introducing puppies to what they’ve been bred for: pointing birds. Typically, I introduce them to a planted pigeon at three or four months of age, although I’ve introduced them as young as seven weeks. Here’s how I do it. First, constrain the bird so it won’t flap or run away. I wrap masking tape around the bird’s wings and legs so it can’t move. Truss him up good. You don’t want…

PROBLEM I would like your opinion on correcting hard-mouth. I have a five-year-old English pointer that started out as a natural retriever. Two years ago, she started being a little rougher with the birds she was retrieving. Last year, it got worse. Needless to say, I need to correct it. Two things have contributed to her developing this problem. Number one is I exclusively hunt pheasants, which I know can contribute to dogs developing this problem. Number two is my shooting regressed the last few years to where I am not getting clean kills, resulting in a lot of cripples that I am  sure are fighting with her. My question is: Do I resort to force-breaking her? In the past, I force-broke a couple of my dogs using the toe-pinch…

The Great Salt Lake is probably on your bucket list of duck-hunting destinations, and it should be. But hunting here is quite unlike most anything that you’ve probably done previously, so your best option for a short hunt is to book with guides like Rob Friedel and Chad Yemene of Fried Feathers. Both of these men have three decades of experience hunting the lake, and their company has earned a reputation as the goto outfitting service in the area. Rob and Chad use the best equipment and hire the best guides, so you can expect to enjoy a successful hunt with them—if the conditions cooperate. Single day duck hunts start at $225 per person, and Fried Feathers also offers swan and goose hunts, as well as spring light goose hunts.…

Swan has a bad reputation when it comes to table fare, but if you cook it right, it can be downright delicious. Adult birds are old, and have winged their way up and down the flyway for many seasons. This means they can be tough. The best way to cook them is a long, slow braise in a flavorful liquid. Green chili is one of my favorite preparations because it’s easy to prepare, with most of the cooking hands-off as the meat simmers away on the stovetop, getting more tender and tasty along the way. This recipe also works with Canada and snow geese, and is a great way to use up the legs of any type of waterfowl. INGREDIENTS: 1 swan breast 6 green chilis roasted, seeded, and chopped…

CRATE-TRAINING IS important for obvious reasons with a puppy. You want him to understand whether he’s at home, or in the truck heading down the road, that he has his place to be. Not only is this convenient for you as the pup’s owner, but it’s also a great way to keep him safe. Teaching the kennel command to a youngster is easy enough, and at first should happen at home. But before you start, remember that the idea is to not only get the dog to understand what you’re telling him, but also to create a positive association with his crate. I do this by placing some kibble inside the crate and then giving the kennel command and gesturing toward the crate. Any pup with an ounce of food…

WHEN NOT THROWING touchdown passes in front of thousands of fans, the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback, Carson Wentz, can most likely be found in a duck blind or deer stand. I sat down with Carson to get the inside story of what makes the big guy tick, and how hunting keeps him grounded and humble. Congrats on getting locked in with the big Eagles contract, and your big year coming up in the league. You are a guy who could probably kill a goose with a football, and your passions seem to have merged: Your new income could get you in some prime duck  holes…if you can find the time. Tell us how you got into hunting, and what aspects of it most interest you? CW: I started young with my…

NO SHOTGUN GETS more abuse than those used for waterfowl. Rain, snow, mud, and Labrador drool are what a duck gun can look forward to. Many duck hunters feel that the inertia-powered shotgun is a gift from God. While some gas-powered guns are dependable, nothing stands up to the daily grind of crud like an inertia shotgun. While the first inertia-powered gun appeared in 1908, it wasn’t until 1967 that Bruno Civolani changed the world and gave us his version of the inertia system for autoloading shotguns. With no gas ports to clean and O-rings to mess with, waterfowl hunters took to this action like a duck to water. INTERTIA-POWERED... ONLY BETTER “The patented Retay Inertia Plus design is the most significant improvement to the original Bruno Civolani rotating bolt…

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE AMERICAN WATER SPANIEL BEGAN VERY EARLY IN MY LIFE.  According to family lore, when I was a baby, my mother would take me outside for a bit of air and place me on a blanket out on the lawn. The family dog, a water spaniel, of course, would watch over me and whenever I crawled off the blanket, the dog would tug me back on. As I grew older, that same dog would meet me on my way home from school each day and walk me back home. But it was the next American water spaniel, Pal, that really got to my heart. Pal was in her prime when she saved my life, and I was in my prime when I saved hers. It was…

Our precious Brittany spaniel, BELLA, on the hunt. Bella is five years old, and is an amazing retriever on land and in the water. She is very bright, sweet, loyal, and loving. — DeDe and Bill Bauder, Corpus Christi, TX HANK ROWDY (Rowdy Boy’s Feather Fetcher) is a two-year-old Labrador retriever. He is just a happy boy that loves long boat rides, the water, and ducks. — Fletcher and Sarah Atkins, Pace, FL REBEL is a Labrador, and is nothing less than a machine that lives to retrieve. One foggy morning after walking to get the boat, I found him naturally sitting on this stump watching for birds. — Tom McGee, Burlington, OK PHOTO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES • Please make sure your phone or camera is set on the highest quality…