Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2024 i Gun Dog

Hoping to find more birds this year for your gun dog, as well as your freezer? E-scouting is a tactic that you should consider before hitting the field. It will have your boots (and paws) tromping through the uplands in search of the next flush rather than behind the cab of your truck wasting precious time and gas. E-scouting from your computer, tablet, or phone helps aid a successful day afield and gets precious bird contacts under the nose of your bird dog. Utilize these tips and tools before heading to the uplands this fall. UTILIZE ACCESS LAYERS By toggling on layers such as Walk-In and Possible Access layers, you’ve just opened up thousands of acres of land to hunt. Many states offer walk-in programs—private land opened to the public…

“JERK” refers to both the cooking method and the spice blend famous in the Caribbean. The smoky, spiced meat—typically pork or chicken—is grilled by a variety of wood-burning methods. This food tradition dates back to the indigenous Taino and Arawak peoples of Jamaica. The most prevalent flavors in jerk are Scotch bonnet peppers and allspice, an earthy fruit that tastes like a blend of nutmeg and cloves. The art of jerking is believed to have been passed down from the indigenous Taino people to the enslaved Africans, freed in 1655 during the invasion of Jamaica. When the English invaded, Spanish colonists freed their slaves. They escaped into the interior of the island, forming their own free communities called the Jamaican Maroons. They hunted the island’s wild boar, and the technique…

WHEN IT COMES to training with real feathers, one bird stands tall among all of them in my mind: the lowly pigeon. Pigeons are valuable for many reasons—in some scenarios they even work better than gamebirds such as pheasants. FEATHER INTRODUCTION Pigeons can figure into your pre-season training over the course of your dog’s whole life. Because this is the “Puppy Issue,” let’s start at the beginning. When a pup is as young as eight or nine weeks you can introduce a pigeon wing to unlock excitement about feathers. A wing is fun to chase, it smells interesting, and it can’t fight back or slap a puppy in the face. Begin by teasing your pup with a wing by dragging it in front of your dog’s nose to entice them…

NEW YEAR, new column. Last year, I focused on different trainers across the country, their methods and what I learned from them. This year, I wanted to dive headfirst into myself as a trainer, and my “dyed-in-the-wool” mentality, as some would call it. I should explain: The reason I wanted to write this column is because I’m going through something I think a lot of readers can relate with today when it comes to gun dog training methods. I won’t argue that the idea “easier = better” works in some situations, but I’ve more recently come to realize that equation is not true across the board. Innovation and modernization are a reality, but there still can and should be a time, place, and reason for “the way we used to”…

MISSING INGREDIENTS You missed some of the ingredients! It's kale soup (Flush to Table, Pheasant Kale and Gnocchi Soup, Winter 2024) but kale isn't on the list to purchase! – Melissa |via Instagram Hi Melissa, You're right! We messed up and left out important ingredients to Jenny's delicious soup. Missing components: 4 cups of chicken stock or light game stock 2 cups of roughly chopped kale leaves 2 cups of half and half Forgive us! We were in the kitchen taste testing… – Kali Parmley | Editor in Chief Wild upland I would like to say I really appreciate the format of Wild Upland as it pertains to upland gun dogs; no other bird hunting show I have seen emphasizes dog work, rather than shooting birds, the way Wild Upland…

IT WAS LATE September but the temperatures at Redstone Ranch outside Dilley, Texas were still pushing triple digits. Nevertheless, the die-hard dove hunters that arrive in this area each year in—ahem—flocks were not put off by the heat, and I was among them. As I stood, backed up against a mesquite thicket loading my gun, I could see that the mercury wasn’t the only thing that was hot in south Texas at the time. The birds were flying in great numbers back and forth across the milo fields. If I didn’t bag my limit, it wouldn’t be because of a lack of game. I’ve always enjoyed dove hunting, but I had particularly looked forward to my trip to Redstone because I would have a chance to test Browning’s new 20-gauge…

GIVEN THE task of writing a column about puppy socialization, I took a moment to reflect on puppies in general; the opportunities they present to a trainer, and the role they continue to play in my life. I have come to believe that puppies keep me young. Even as I get older, and I look back over a sample size of flushing dogs that is bigger than most, I still find myself amazed at the raw potential that exists in every pup I see. Now, I recognize that not every pup has the genetic material, the opportunity, or the special combination of both that will result in a Field Champion or even an exceptional hunter. But I gladly hold out hope that each pup that comes through my hands will…

LAST OCTOBER, a number of sportsmen and women gathered to face the challenges placed before them and their young retrievers during the five-day National Retriever Derby Championship (NRDC). The NRDC is held each year on the beautiful Wood Dale Farm near Sedalia, Missouri. Wood Dale is owned by the Hayden family and is designed and groomed specifically for retriever training, hunt tests, and field trialing. It was graciously offered to the Derby National Club for their use during the five-day National, as well as the preceding week-long set up. Thinking of this event as a great opportunity to expose our readers to the amazing abilities and expectations of young retrievers in today’s world, we’ve decided to use this year’s event as a basis for this article. Duck dogs pay attention!…

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BIRD DOGS are adventure dogs. They travel, interact with other dogs and hunters, and are often asked to perform in new environments. They frequently encounter the unexpected, especially during hunts. Bird dogs that are not developed in a way that prepares them to be successful in the face of common stresses can be easily overwhelmed. Here at Smith Kennels, it is not uncommon for us to hear stories of how a dog acted completely out of character in some new situation. These are stories of dogs that “booger bark” and run back to their owner when a stranger unexpectedly appears in a hunting field, or dogs that heel their owner for the entirety of an excursion because they are overwhelmed by a strange environment. These stories often include stress indicators:…

“WATCH OUT! Highly aggressive dog!” the woman screamed as she came bursting into our training center. “He just bit the vet and almost bit the girl outside!” The dog was in a harness and on a short leash. It lunged toward me, snapping its teeth. Behavior does not become this severe overnight. What was now a serious issue was once imperceptible to the untrained eye. Left undetected, it developed into a nuisance; and eventually, when unaddressed, became a full-fledged nightmare. In this example it’s easy to see the dog’s need for training. Without the help of someone with knowledge, experience, and the time to dedicate to correcting the problem; the dog would surely have been euthanized. Often overlooked is the owner’s need for training as well. Had the owners possessed…