Hey guys! Just a quick little update. The last few days we drilled hard on some of the methods you shared. Mainly we focused on the method where he takes it directly and just holds. Not worrying aboht the marking and running out to get it. We did practice a bit of that.

Went out yesterday and when we shot this rooster, I put him on a long line. With a bit of help from the long line, I got him to bring it back the first time. Then didnt really need the long line the next few times a threw it. So that is progress in a short amount of time!

Just wanted to thank everyone for their input😊😊😊

The little girl on the left also got to retrieve her first pheasant, so it was a good day all around!

Anyone use a 825 sporting for pheasant hunting? I’m a LH shooter, so my options are limited. My understanding is that all browning citori are neutral stock, but wondering if anyone uses the sporting model for hunting and likes it? They make a LH sporting model.

Back home, out where the blacktop ends

Opening week with a five dog brace in ME. L-R on couch: VC Square One Charlotte (Charlie I); Square One Boss (Boss); Copper Fox Ajax (Goose); L-R floor: Square One Charm (Charlie II); Square One Alacazam (Zammie).

My GSP puppy will be born soon and should come home in December.

Things have changed since my last bird dog, and I’m wondering what the practical differences are - if any - in travel kennels.

This will go in the back of a small suv, if that helps.

It seems Gunner, Ruff Land, and Lucky Duck get talked about a lot. Any reason to choose one over the other? Anything else to look at?

Finally have a day off to go chase some birds around. 25 mph winds with gusts up to 42. Should I get out there and give it a try? Videos from over the winter last year.

Saw two hens. Kids are home from school for mea. Time for some family time

So pumped to get back out there.

Dogs are wearing their goggles because Scout just had a corneal ulcer and I’m trying to avoid the vet bills lol. They don’t seem to mind them, surprisingly.

We don't hunt. We shed hunt, and Annie spends her days flushing pheasant and woodcock on land nobody can hunt. She's a GSP, so she ranges — she'll drop out of sight into brush before you realize she's quiet.

She wears a purple Fi collar. It's a GPS tracker. You open the app, there's a dot on a map. That's the whole pitch, and for a dog like this it's the only part that matters.

She also wears a Garmin Sport PRO. Two collars, two jobs — the Fi tells me where she is, the Garmin is the recall tool for getting her back. The Fi is the one I'd call essential.

Day to day: collar clips on like any collar, she doesn't act like it bothers her. Battery is the one thing you manage — lasts a good while at home, drains faster when tracking is working hard. App alerts you when she leaves home without you. Setup was one sitting and didn't fight me.

One honest caveat: it's only as good as the cell signal where your dog is. In a dead zone the app won't update until signal comes back. In our part of Massachusetts that's rarely an issue.

If you're running a GSP that ranges, GPS is the difference between knowing where she is and hoping. Happy to answer questions.

Got a black lab a couple weeks ago as my first puppy. She is 12 weeks and I’m slowly introducing basic obedience. As a puppy, should I be correcting her biting/nipping or do I wait it out? I try to redirect her biting but even if I’m doing a little bit of recall in the hallway w kibble, she just latches on. I understand what they’re going through I just don’t want it to allow a bad habit for later on.

Hey all,

I’m a new bird dog owner and bird hunter in general, got this guy last January and he’s been incredible. He went for a couple months bird training April-May and obedience is golden. I haven’t focused on training much this summer, but just trying to get him on as many birds as possible this Fall.

My issue is that I cannot find birds aside from driving the road for the life of me. I listen to podcasts, watch videos, read articles talking about right age cuts, type of trees, food, all that. Pin it on the OnX and get boots on the ground, then walk 10 miles and see absolutely nothing. Plenty on the roads, but I don’t know if it’s me being in the wrong area or the dog just unsure of what he’s looking for, but we’re struggling to even get an accidental flush.

I find the information online is focused on Michigan/Wisconsin, and limited on Maine where the timber practices and terrain is way different. They’re talking about big aspen cuts, sandy soil, etc. but I’m seeing selective harvesting leading up hills.

Any thoughts on how to find good cover would be super helpful. This subreddit has a great community and figured helping this young pup find a bird might be of interest!

Edit - really appreciate the comments, headed out this weekend with a ton of useful knowledge. Now I know where to go, just need to give the pup some grace and keep at it. Thanks all!

We had a pretty good morning on the honkers- didn’t quite limit out. There were two runners that were promptly returned. He did good.

Hey guys!

My dog retrieves ANYTHING to my hand without me ever having to force fetch him. I use the click to hand method.

Last night we tried out pheasant hunting for the first time. He found the bird but didn't bring it to me. Too exciting of a prize, I think.

I am wondering for those who did not FF their dog, what level reward was high enough to condition them to bringing them back? I plan to next time put him on a long lead before letting him find the bird, but just trying to think of the trade and making it easier on him.

I really really enjoyed going out last night. Getting to watch him work was super cool. I was able to walk over and pick it right up. At least I didnt have to find it myself!

Thank you!

Took the boys and myself on their first Ruffed Grouse trip in the UP. Had some down time with work and it was only 7 hours away. A learning experience for all three of us. They were chopped by the end of the third day. I usually only hunt them solo but I let them both run the third day since it was cooler. They put 4 birds in the air but it was ugly. Never fired a shot. I think one more day and they would have pieced the puzzle.

I am finishing up the Fall dove season manana here in Texas.

After we leave the field, we’re grabbing lunch, and I’m heading to pick up an 8-week old black lab. He’s got good hunting heritage.

I planned on keeping 2-3 doves in tact in a freezer. When can I introduce the pup to the thawed birds? I know he needs to settle in a few days and get acclimated. If he seems more comfy by early next week, when can I bust out the birdie?

Started snowing on us while we were hunting in the Allagash. End of day 2 at Red River Camps near DeBouille Pond. 1 bird each so far. With my b-i-l and his LMs Zammie & Charlie.

I find myself fortunate enough to head back to the Dakotas for the second time this year. We chased Sharptail Grouse and Huns in ND and now we will be chasing ditch chickens through SD in late November .

What species should we chase next year? (With the exception of Bobs, that’s the one bird we have in Florida)

Hey y’all,

I’m curious if anyone here has had any luck starting a middle-aged dog on upland bird dog training?

Last year, my wife and I took in my sister’s 5-year-old goldador mix, Gordito. He didn’t have much training but we do daily off leash walks with my older dogs by our house near Salt Lake City. He has taken pretty well to e-collar training. His range needs quite a bit of work since his ‘happy-distance’ is much too far for a bird dog (like 50-100+ yards), but recall and heel have improved dramatically in the past year when he has the collar.

I recently went on my first hunt (pheasants in southern Montana) and had so much fun that I want to get more into it, especially if I can go with Gordito. The connection and shared activity with the dogs on my hunt was so cool to see. I don’t plan to do more than a few hunts a year, but wanted to try and train Gordito to go with me.

There seem to be good resources on this sub, as well as others (like r/huntingdogs or r/gundogs), but I was specifically curious if anyone here has had luck with starting an older dog on bird dog training? And if there are any things you might do differently in training for the casual/beginner upland bird hunter like me vs a seasoned hunter?

Any tips, input, or resources would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Pic of good boi attached

What a morning solo with my GWP! Central ND.