Gun Dog Magazine is the best magazine for hunting enthusiasts who are owners of retrieving breeds. Each issue is guaranteed to be filled with useful information devoted to you, your dog and the sport of upland bird and waterfowl hunters.
MY BOOT slipped on the snow-covered lava rock, sending my un-gloved shooting hand deep into the ice to stop myself from tumbling down the mountain. My GPS beeped again to indicate Jones was on point 50 yards above me. My pace quickened, ignoring my burning legs and lungs as I made my way upward. My sophomore setter was on birds and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity. I crested the ridge and through the downed cedar trunks and cheat grass, I saw Jones stiff as a board, tail unwavering. He was positive birds were in front of him. The chukar burst from the brush just as I reached my young dog. A single swung down the mountain and met my shot string. This was just Jones’ second point of…
DOGTRA QL2 LAUNCHER The QL2 Launcher from Dogtra pairs perfectly with the RR Deluxe remote/transmitter for a compact launching system with an impressive reach of up to one mile. The quiet launching design and large vent holes are ideal for young pups still figuring out the game. Additionally, the RR Deluxe Transmitter features realistic duck calls for retriever trainers/testers looking to improve their dog’s marking ability as well. From $120; dogtra.com VICTOR HI-PRO BITES VICTOR Hi-Pro Bites are a high protein training treat that keep your pup motivated to work without adding on weight thanks to their low-calorie formula. These treats feature high-quality beef as the first ingredient and are formulated to promote a good metabolism, strengthen digestion, boost immune response, and support a healthy skin and coat for your…
The DOKKEN DEAD FOWL TRAINER is a household name when it comes to bird dog training. You’ve seen them in the arsenal of many trainers as well as at your local sporting goods store—essentially a glorified bumper that mimics the size and weight of waterfowl and upland birds. Designed and developed by Tom Dokken of Dokken’s Oakridge Kennels and GUN DOG's Retrieve columnist, the prototype for the first Dead Fowl Trainer was created in 1995 to fill a need for his training techniques. To encourage a proper hold on birds, Dokken wanted a soft-body bumper that was life-size for added realism. He also wanted to ensure that a dog wanted to hold this particularly soft area. To do that, he added a free-swinging hard head to this foam bumper as…
SPRING BRINGS warmer weather, and thus the return of backyard cooking. It’s a welcome change of pace from all the stews and braises of winter, and while I like quail baked or braised in a pot just fine, nothing beats quail on the grill. You get the added element of smoke that not only entices the senses but also complements the rich, savory flavor of these birds so deliciously well. Surely, I can’t be the only one who feels this way about grilled meat—to take in the heady aromas, sights and sounds, and then to take a bite from the perfectly charred meat with bare hands, juices running down chins, and noses shining with grease. Meals cooked over smoldering coals calls us back to something more primal and innate. I…
FEW FIREARM manufacturers offer as many shotguns in their catalog as CZ, but that doesn’t mean the brand has forgotten about their core product lines. Take, for instance, their 712 gas-operated semiauto shotgun. The original 712 was a solid gun and a great value, but eventually that gun was due for a refresh, and the 712 G2 followed. But this year, CZ is releasing the third generation of this semiauto gas gun, the 712 G3, and it’s loaded with the types of features serious shooters want at a very reasonable price point. The 712 G3 uses a gas operating system, and it comes with two interchangeable gas pistons. Some shooters scoff at the idea of having to swap out pistons based on the payload of their shotshells—shouldn’t a modern semiauto…
THE FIRST time I found myself “hunting rub lines for white-tailed deer” was after reading an article by the same name. As a young man, I could not erase from my mind that full-page image of a whitetail buck, neck craned out, nose just inches from a fence post-sized maple with freshly shredded bark. That entire fall I sat on a five-gallon bucket wearing a brown and black checkered flannel, waiting within ambush range of a scrape…and never saw a deer. The article scratched just the surface of whitetail behavior but completely changed the way I thought about them. It changed the way I went about deer hunting research, study, and execution. Writing can do this; it can be that influential. As an author, I’ve found that writing something this…
