Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i Gun Dog

WATERFOWL hunters are a niche group. In fact, out of the 11.5 million hunters in the United States, only a million of those are duck hunters. It takes a certain breed of human—and dog—to hunt waterfowl. Not many people have the temperament to wake up at three or four in the morning to head to the blind and sit in the freezing cold, waiting for a flock of ducks to soar by or a team of geese to cup their wings and drop their feet into your decoys. Cold is an understatement. The photos of waterfowl hunters in layers and layers of hunting gear and thick waders isn’t for show. We all know some of the best days to hunt waterfowl are the coldest, snowiest, and rainiest days. Waterfowl hunters…

EAGLES quarterback, Carson Wentz, is an elite NFL player, but when not winning big games, he’d rather be working his three Golden retrievers or hunting with his brother Zach, co-host of Wentz Brothers Outdoors on the Outdoor Channel. The duo work with Eukanuba’s experts to prime their pups for the season. We sat down with the brothers, who shared their experiences learning about training dogs and canine nutrition. GD: What dogs are currently in your stable? CARSON: Henley, Jersey, and now Riggs, a 1.5-year-old Golden retriever. He’s already the biggest go-getter of all three by far—just a stud. GD: Break down for us how the Eukanuba products have performed. CARSON: We mostly use the 30/20 Performance food. They are coming out with a new line that’s impressive. It requires less…

The wake splashed over th sides of the boat with every wave we cut through. I was huddled near the stern, and the frigid saltwater drenched the back of my jacket I had mentally prepared myself for hunting in cold weather, but this was really col I buried my face in my neck gaiter, wrapped my arms around my body, and focused on the end goal: To swing my shotgun barrel I had dreamed of this hunt, and those dreams were keeping my spirit—if not my body temperature—up. DREAM HUNT Hunting sea ducks isn’t for the faint of heart. You’ve seen the photos: No blinds, and no protection from the harsh coastal elements. To hunt these unique ducks, waterfowlers huddle on rock outcroppings in the ocean as waves of frigid…

AFTER 45 MINUTES OF ETERNITY, HIS TAIL THUMPED. THEN IT THUMPED AGAIN. SOMETIMES, a guy is lucky enough to have a dog turn out in spite of his own shortcomings. That’s the defining story of my old boy Sackett. My first dog from pup to elder, Sackett was an absolute powerhouse, and he was so naturally gifted that there really wasn’t much I could have done to screw him up. Some purebreds are like that; all you gotta do is show it to ’em once and they get it. The real problem for me was his drive. I just didn’t know how to handle it. His toughness became both the stuff of legend and my Achilles heel. If he ever showed any indication of hypothermia, the younger version of myself…

CUPPED WATERFOWL FINISHING MALL ARDS ➜ ecoys feature unparalleled realism to pull in hard-hunted ducks. Lifelike paint schemes and head postures have these decoys closely resembling live ducks on the water, putting otherwise wary birds at ease and helping flocks finish better. The decoys come in a 12-pack, with six drakes and six hens. They have weighted keels and are built for superior durability for years of use. $50 | cupped.com RIG’EM RIGHT FIELD BULLY DOG BLIND ➜ You built for comfort and warmth, and the Field Bully is just what the doctor ordered. A pat pending Bullycoil frame system means blind setup takes seconds and compresses flat whe stored. A padded floor and peep-hole doors grace the front and rear, and slots have bee added for additional vegetation. The…

The Gunnison rolled gently, but heavy. It had no choice. The mercury dipped deep into the negative overnight, creating a mix of slush and sizeable blocks of white. Watching my buddy, Cody Moss, drag a long line of diver fakes through the current made me cringe. Ice built around his waders, and twice he lost his fo He made two trips. Both were sketchy, but he got it done and the six-pound downrigger weights held the lines in place. A semi-open puddle near the bank made a great locale for some mallard dekes and full-body honkers. The dogs—both bulky male Labrador retrievers—found their respective places next to their owners. A thin layer of ice coated their vests, and they hadn’t even taken a plunge yet. I was thankful I’d heeded…

NOT everything in life goes as planned, and so is true in dog training. The “Bella…Be Good” series reminds me of this as a handler, and it becomes quite clear to anyone following along with the YouTube video series. It’s the risk you take when you make the decision to show the process completely unedited and raw. I experience the struggles and shortfalls not only as they happen in real time, but then again each time that I review the videos, create a text summary, and post an episode. It’s much easier to see issues coming, critique, and recognize what you should have done from the comfort of your easy chair while watching it all unfold on your laptop weeks later. This series has become a living document and a…

YOUR dog whining or whimpering while sitting in a blind or while waiting his turn at a club training session or trial is a large problem. The people who mostly face this problem are Labrador retriever owners. But being noisy is by no means exclusive to Labs. Once this problem occurs, depend on it escalating, getting worse, more intense, or starting sooner—because it will. But why does it happen, why does it escalate, and how do we fix it? WHY IT HAPPENS The proximal reason a dog whines is excitement and over-the-top enthusiasm. One source is the dogs are selectively bred for it. The competition of trials and tests demand a big, splashy entry. The game of the dog launching itself from a dock after a flung bumper demands showy…

“I always try to go further.” Zach Benson, a 40-year-old State Trooper living in rural Canton, NY, prefers his hunting as a solo expedition; as a test of skill, endurance, and of the self. “So many people hunt with a large group,” Benson says. “It’s a social gathering. As a police officer, my job is very face-forward. It can be stressful. Duck hunting is a release for me. That solitude, that physical effort, is needed.” Benson lives on a 75-acre property—a former dairy farm—surrounded by 12,000 acres of state wetland. The St. Lawrence River and the Adirondack Park are only a short drive away. “It’s room to play, for sure!” Benson says. “I have no neighbors, save for the occasional hunter I’ll run into out there. It’s just a great…