Gearing up; whats new this fall.

     The grouse season is just around the corner. I haven't checked, but early goose season is probably already open. I don't feel like it's the advent, nor do I feel ready. Sure, I'm constantly train with Ginger, and shooting skeet, but gone are the days of making all kinds of lengthy plans, and mapping out destinations. Now when the season opens its just, off I go. It's nice to know your coverts intimately, but the thrill of heading into the unknown, that feeling of excitement and expectation doesn't attach. Still, I wouldn't miss it for the world.

     While the grouse season up north opens October 1st I generally don't start seriously hunting until around the 15th of October. Generally it's still quite warm before then, and unless there has been a heavy rain there can be a lot of leaves still up on the trees. That said, It's been quite some time, perhaps 10 years or more since I've made an early season, opening day dash to Maine. In the past I'd spent a few early days in the Down East region, and often shot an opening day grouse there. I love the state of Maine, and am considering making a quick, budget trip up there.

     As the weather is still quite warm during the earlier part of the season I thought it would be a good idea to get a shirt more suited to the weather. Hunting clothing are usually quite warm. I decided to go the athletic route.

What do you think?

     And now a quick word about Under Armour. There has been a lot of people going on about Under Armour being anti-hunting. This is not true. Yes, UA did fire one of their Prostaffers. Yes, the firing might have been contivertial, or unjust. But UA has not stopped supporting the field sports and hunting. UA still has hunting pro staffers. Still makes hunting apparel. Still produces the Ridge Reaper TV show. UA still supports hunting. They just fired one individual. If they'd have fired one of golf or tennis pros, would they then be anti- golf, or anti-tennis? Lay off the hype.

     I've picked up some new kit for the upcoming season. As I've stated before, my primary hunting boots are Wellies, but  I'd been contemplating giving lace-ups a try. I took the plunge, and bought a pair of Cabelas by Meindle. I'd been looking at Meindle boots, and hearing good things about them. After hearing a serious grouse fool, cover dog fool, hunting guide friend rave about them, I knew they had to be good. As fate would have it, they were not only on sale, but the young man working the register at Cabelas gave me the military discount in lieu of a public safety/first responder discount, which cabbalas doesn't offer (yet Bass Pro does).

     I also found a great deal, online, of a light weight, packable, breathable, water proof shooting coat. So I now own another article of Musto clothing. Truthfully, one can't go wrong with Musto. This coat, as well as the new boots, will be making the trip to England with me this year. 

     I also decided it was time for a new upland hunting vest. I like a strap vest, but I carry quite a bit of stuff with me, so I need storage space.  Because I often walk/hike a long way into the woods on my outings I also wanted something that has a lumbar belt to carry the weight on my hips. I looked at quite a few. Some were nice, others not quite there. 

     One of the first vests I looked at was the LL Bean Pat'ridge II. I really wanted to like this vest, but it needs improvement. The lumbar belt was nice, but the vest lacked adjustability in the back. The belt is attached too high to the game bag, so the entire back section rides up, and the straps bulge out. A loaded game bag would pull down and back at an uncomfortable angle. If changed slightly, this vest would be very nice.

     I also looked at the LL Bean Technical Upland Vest Pack. Believe it or not, this thing is pretty nice. It's not got much style, but it has got lots of adjustability, and storage. No doubt this could be an all day hunting vest. The issue that kept me from buying it was the pockets. The front pockets are basically designed so that a box of shells fits right into each pocket. Who keeps that many shells, and only shells in their pockets? In addition to shells I carry a knife, GPS, EMT gel, a compass, a snack, and several other small essentials up front. With a couple of proper pockets, this vest could be a keeper.

     The Browning Bird n Lite vest was also on my short list. This vest has been around for a while, and gets the job done. Nothing kept me from buying this vest other than a better deal coming along. 

In the end, I ended up ordering a Q5 San Carlos vest through a friend who is a pro staffer for Q5. Unlike the others, the San Carlos rides lower, primarily around the hips, with only the straps running up your back. I like this because I tend to sweat right in the middle of my back and don't need a vest helping that along. I haven't got the vest in hand yet. I'll be picking it up next weekend, but I'll be sure to review it later.

     Q5 also makes an upland bird belt. I am very intrigued by the belt, but don't think it'll satisfy my requirements as a hunting accessory, however, it may make a nice dog training belt at some time in the future.

     And that my friends, is all I've got for you.

P.E., by JNR - Flushing Dog Training Day.

     With the hunting seasons now closed what does one do? Well, get ready for the upcoming field trial and hunt test season, of course. That is what these Cockers, Springers, and Golden were doing.

Lots of running,......

Lots of retrieving,......

A bit of patience,...

 

Some directing,....

And of course, connecting.

All photos were taken by my lovely and talented wife, JNR. Thanks, dear.

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Trials, and.......

     With summer behind us, and opening day upon us hopes and expectations are high. I like to think of all the dog days of testing, and trialling as nothing more than preseason preparation, and while I enjoy them greatly, I am never as excited before an event as I am the final lead up to the grouse season. This season is no different.

     The build up began in August when I brought home a new Browning 20g over-under to accompany me in the woods. I've been shooting a 20g side-by-side, which I like a lot, but it's got 26 " barrels which I find too whippy. Not having a 28' barrelled 20g, nor an over-under 20g I figured I'd fill that hole in the gun safe. I'm glad I did, too, as I've been shooting this gun to pretty good effect at skeet.



     The build up to the season continued when a couple of weeks ago I ran Ginger in the Patriot Sporting Spaniel Club's fall springer trial in North Conway New Hampshire. Spending the weekend in New Hampshire, watching lots of good spaniels flushing and retrieving, and conversing with other club members, many of which I see regularly in grouse camp was quite enjoyable. The trial proved to be a bit of a milestone, too. While Ginger has been doing well in the hunt test arena, trials have been difficult. As such I entered with the humble goal of being seen by both judges. In this way we were successful, but a third series was not to be had. Ginger was a bit sloppy in our first series, and despite Ginger making a fantastic retrieve of a running, fighting bird in the second series, I was the one who was sloppy. Still it was fun, and I look forward to attending this trial again next year. Unfortunately, in a very un-journalistic way I failed to make note of the winners, and thus can not report them here.

Ginger and I getting ready for our second series.

A participant gives his dog it's final instructions before casting it on.

A steady dog honoring it's brace mate.



     Moving closer towards opening day I assessed my schedule, and began adding days away. This year a promotional exam at work, for which I have been studying for, as well as a family obligation and a wedding will keep me from taking to the woods in November, and the beginning of December, so finding a way to spend a lot of time away in October became all that much more important. My one week in grouse camp was stretched out to 10 days, and I added a 5 day cast n blast, for which I will be departing in just a few days. Life with dogs, especially those stuck in high gear, can present you with trails of another sort, and that's what happened on Sunday night when we found it nesseccary to rush Ginger to the animal ER. Somehow Ginger managed to impale herself on something while playing in the yard and presented with a large, deep, penetration in her chest. Though initially the injury looked devastating, by the next morning, with fresh stitches and a drain tube, Ginger seemed to be well on her way to recovery and is back to herself.  Despite bouncing around here at home like nothing happened, she will be on light duty for our first trip north. Rather than  cast n blast, it'll be a cast n scout. Until Ginger has had ample time for her wound to heal she shall be restricted in her upland duties. Rather than hunt in our traditional manner, I will hike some trails, and explore some new territory, hoping to get shots at road birds, Ginger at heel until needed for the odd retrieve. She may not like the arrangement, but she is needed, and we will still have 10 more days in the great north woods for her to do her thing.



The Pause,... or The Paws?

     Lately I've been spending a lot of time dog training. More than anything else in fact. A well trained dog is essential to a successful hunt. It's not everything, practicing your wingshooting at skeet or sporting clays is important, too. With Ginger's introduction to hunt testing, and field trials, however, I've been focusing more on her performance than mine. Considering we've got two more trials before the year is over, I think that's a good thing. Fortunately, I've got a couple of friends lined up to shoot over her at grouse camp, and a few skeet days earmarked.

     With all the training I've been doing I've begun thinking about different traits I like in a dog and have pretty much come to the conclusion that if there was one trait I hold above all others it's Calmness. To be clear, calmness has nothing to do with drive, and the way the dog's motor propels it. A calm dog will hit the cover, or the water just as hard as any dog. A calm dog is just a dog that isn't overly excitable, and has learned that there is nothing wrong with pausing, taking a deep breath, and getting the job done right the first time. This kind of calmness most often seen in a well trained Labrador retriever, whose non-slip work is second nature. The kind of dog that sits patiently in the blind while ducks splash dog in front; often the result of age and wisdom.

     A couple years ago, at a spaniel training clinic, David Lisett (if you haven't heard of David before, you could spend your time in a lot of ways worse than Googling)  of Buccleuch Gundogs in Scotland told me of a theory he holds. David believes dogs have two modes of operation; "Thinking" and "Doing". A dog can rush right into a task without thinking; "Doing Mode", or a dog can pause for a second or two, think about what is needed, and then rush into a task; "Thinking Mode". Over time as I've reflected upon this, and have had opportunity to converse with other trainers, with other methods who may not agree with this, I've likened the "Doing and Thinking" theory to thinking before speaking in humans. Sure, we can all manage to communicate when we need to, but how about that time when you've needed to say something important, and stumbled on your words. Now, how about that time time you stopped, thought about what needed saying, chose your words perfectly, and sounded like a genius. This is what I interpreted David's theory as.

David Lisett works with a young Cocker from the U.P.



     David's theory was for the most part illustrated in non-slip retrieving drills, where a bumper would be tossed, but the dog wouldn't be sent until it had relaxed, rather than from the rocked forward, locked and loaded position. It wasn't just a matter of making the dog wait, but rather letting the dog learn it wouldn't be allowed to proceed until relaxed. Ah. Calmness. I started instilling calmness in my springer, Ginger, from the day she got home. She was gently steadied when retrieving tennis balls in the hallway, steadied before being let out in the yard, steadied before being allowed to jump into or out of the car. In short order, with gentle steadying, she learned to be calm, and that good things were going to happen in due time. She learned that there was no reason to be wound up; she was going to get to do what she wanted. It resulted in having a a non-slip steady springer at 5 months of age, not by training, but rather by conditioning.

     This calmness has manifest itself in other aspects of training and dog work. Steadying to wing, shot, and fall has all been made easier. Once a dog learns that it will be released from a stopped position, it becomes easier to get it to stop, and subsequently will learn that in order to be released it must be paying attention to you. Once you move into a more difficult training realm, perhaps long blind retrieves with cover, a calm dog will do wonders in calming a frustrated handler. Talk about a benefit.

     I don't think there are too many breeds that wouldn't benefit from pups that were conditioned to be calm from the onset. Imagine a retriever trainer having a pup that he doesn't have to fight to steady, or a pointing dog that easily understands that it'll be released from a "whoa" when the time is right. Sure, depending on the breed you might have to do things in a different order, and some dogs may take longer than others, but all the training we do is a lifetime commitment, anyway. And lest you believe calmness will dampen drive, think about this; a dog will do a memory retrieve out to well over 100 yards with great gusto. Do you really think it will be any different if you insist the dog uncoil the mental spring for a moment? A process that takes no more than 30 seconds? All we're really conditioning the dog to do is to think before it speaks.

Patriot Sporting Spaniel Club Field Trial.

     The Patriot Sporting Spaniel Club held a field trial in Conway NH over the weekend. I decided the time had come to enter Ginger, so a few weeks ago we sent our check in, and awaited our place in the running order. Ginger's performance was far from flawless, but good enough to get us to the second series, which was good enough for me. If you haven't ever been to a spaniel field trial before you may want to consider attending one someday. A field trial offers all that is fun, and flashy in spaniels; hunting, flushing, and retrieving. And if you've got a spaniel, I highly recommend giving trialling a chance, if for no other reason than it's a lot of fun for both you and the dog. We had a great time, met lots of nice people, and got to see a lot of good, and exciting dog work.

The puppy stake

 An exciting puppy retrieve

 A steady pup watches a fly-away

 Another exciting puppy retrieve

 Dan Lussen & FC Pondview II's Secret Agent (JB) in the open stake 3rd series, on their way to a 4th place finish.

 A Triple River pup

Me and Ginger waiting for our debut run

 Instructions from the judge, and we're off

 

 Ginger honors her brace mate's flush and retrieve,

 and soon gets a retrieve of her own

 The start of Ginger's second series

 A nice retrieve in the second

 

**All Photos by Junko Nakao Rich**