For The Birds

                                        Having birds right at home was essential for me for a couple of reason's. First of all I was training 3 Setter's all within 4 month's in age. Then I was frankly busy with my job and had to make wise use of anytime I had to spend with the Setter's. Also keeping birds at the farm was an experience I wanted to have and learn from. Love Creek Valley farm was a perfect place to do it.

                                          Granted it would have been convenient to join a club and go to scheduled training dates versus maintaining a brood of pigeon's and keeping Quail on hand but that didn't fit my schedule. There also were lot's of people with versatile breeds around but not as many people as active as I was with Setter's so I just wasn't comfortable with the club setting. So as deep as I was in the game I needed everything right at home to make it work.
                                          Work it did. The brood of 5 Homer's I started with in the spring of 2003 was now a pretty stable group of 15 and growing. Later on in 2005 I would supply another friend with a number of birds to jump start their own program as well. In the off season I would periodically set out birds for the dog's using release traps in varied location's. The dog's loved this and after they were all well on their way in their development I did it mostly for the fun of seeing them point birds. Also I liked watching my birds fly around the valley overlooking our place then swooping in for the landing. They'd pick gravel in the driveway and hang around sitting on the buildings. The Setter's if out would stalk and point them around the yard then I'd have to go flush! Mick and Molly especially loved to hang around the coop or the quail pen standing or sitting as sentry's waiting for something to happen. Beau being the one that was funny about training birds wasn't quite as enthralled with them but would join the stalking if the other dog's got "birdy" then he would of course honor. So the birds made life interesting around the farm.
                                             However it wasn't without it's problem's. Those being predator's. The pigeon coop was built with a one way entry door at the peak of the coop in front. Often times I would leave this door open during the day allowing the birds to come and go if I was around and then close it at night with a piece of plywood that fit over it. After time I got careless and would forget to close the door once in awhile. I came home one day in late afternoon and as I was driving into the yard noticed something that looked unusual in the outdoor cage attached to the coop. It was a bird but taller than a pigeon. My radar went up and I quickly stopped my van and went over to inspect the oddity. It was an adult sparrow hawk which had gotten in and couldn't figure out how to escape obviously. I hoped when I opened the door that the damage wouldn't be severe but the hawk had killed two birds one of which was an original the other being a young bird. I caught the hawk with a net and put it in a bag and drove 5 miles away and let it out. Later friends laughed at me and said the hawk probably beat me back to the coop but at least the door was shut! Other trouble makers causing much more damage were the two tom cats that managed to again get in but were trapped once they got there. This happened on two occasions over the 5 and 1/2 year's I had the birds but both of them killed several birds and were both dispatched. Sorry cat people but these feral cats do untold damage across the countryside and in Dairy farm country every farmer contributes to the problem by letting them breed uncontrolled. I resorted to having two live traps out at all times to catch them as well as coons and possums. My number 1 bird Red survived all these attacks somehow. Amazing!
                                             The Quail I really loved having around as the dog's really liked pointing them and I grew fond of their shrill call that pierced the air. There was a Quail farm an hour and a half south of me so I'd pick up 25 birds at a time. So I was shooting Quail for the dog's from August through November usually. Having never hunted wild Quail I never really understood what the attraction was with that sport until I became familiar with these birds. Even the flight conditioned birds I was using were exciting to watch burst into flight and I would sometimes set out multiples as well. A trip to hunt wild Quail was soon on the schedule after that!
                                            I didn't keep Pheasant's at the farm but had a guy raising several hundred a year about 45 miles away and would get birds as needed during the fall and into March usually a dozen at a time. I did this just to mix things up and also if the kids would come out I'd set out birds for them to shoot with the Setter's. The 200 acres of CRP around me made it perfect for this. I'd band the birds with a permit sticker and a fluorescent ribbon to make sure we weren't shooting wild birds out of season. This was legal to do under my bird dog training permit.

Red our Number"1" flyer was with us for 5 years!

                                           So despite having a pressure cooker job that could call me away at anytime having everything I needed for the Setter's right out my front door made this all possible and work very very well. It was definitely "For The Birds".

Oh Shoot!

                                         One of my objectives was to improve my knowledge of gun's and shooting. As I spent more and more time in the field the need to work on my shooting became more apparent. Having grown up only touching the shotgun when hunting season came around I was not disciplined in my shooting technique. I was average at best but could manage quite well with the advantage a good dog could give me most of the time.
                                          The off season of 2005 was used to focus on my skills and knowledge of proper techniques. First of all I did some reading and watched some video. Right away it was obvious my mounting of the gun was inconsistent and I hadn't understood all the problems this basic maneuver was causing me. Proper stance and swinging on a target then following though all started to make sense especially as I watched other people shoot. I had never taken the time to break down and study the process of mounting the gun and shooting at a target but once I did it wasn't hard to understand why I was missing so many shots. My motivation was that I wanted to enjoy the sport more but most importantly I owed it to my dog's not to miss! At this time I was alternating between a Browning 12 gauge semi auto and a 20 gauge SxS compensating for the misses with additional shots fired.
                                              I joined my friend Tom at an area gun club to shoot skeet. I had never been to a skeet range before but after shooting a few rounds knew this was exactly what I needed to start doing on a regular basis. This venue had all the elements I needed to practice on. As we shot rounds I got to talk with and watch other shooters which helped to reinforce what I needed to work on. The importance of the mount came up time and again. This was something I could do at home as one older gentleman told me as he watched me shooting. "Just leave a gun in the corner and pick it up and practice that mount a few times several times a day" That's what I did.
                                              My shooting started to get better. I was now conscious of what I was doing wrong and how to do it right. We'd usually shoot 8 or 10 rounds a visit. This was a pretty good work out but I needed the practice. As we were shooting I also got to shoot a couple of Tom's SxS's and became familiar with the ideas about fit and balance. I was surprised at how different some of these gun's felt as you brought them to your shoulder. This was a whole new world to me never having been around a variety of different gun's. Growing up we had two shotguns in the house. My Dad's Ward's Westernfield by Steven's 20 gauge SxS with a single non selective trigger and a Steven's single shot 410. I was still shooting the Steven's SxS  that my Dad had given to me. I had waited year's for this having had so many fond memories of shooting it as a kid but couldn't help thinking when he handed it to me finally  how he must have felt knowing he would never shoot it again. Later I would buy that Browning  Semi Auto 12 gauge to help compensate for my average shooting skills! I admire people that seem to have natural ability but I had to work at this.

One of the last run's of the 2011 season with Molly,Mick and Dad's 20 gauge Steven's
I had Dad's gun restocked,blued and cased. Every time I carry it I think of all the
times we had together down the railroad tracks out side the little town we lived in.
A working man's gun of it's time. I've learned it's not how much a gun costs that matter's
but how well it fit's and whether or not you can shoot the damn thing!

                                            Later that summer we also shot several rounds of Sporting Clays at a few different course's as well. I really enjoyed this game and had shot only once before at a private club in Kansas on a work related trip. I'll never forget that. It was a beautiful place and we were going to do a driven bird hunt from blinds but the first day was clays to warm up. Each station had a bronze sculpture of the bird the shot represented. But what made it so memorable is that on the way back going through airport security I set off the alarm at check in not uncommon but the reason was that I had forgotten a couple shotgun shells in my jacket! Although this was pre 9/11 it still got attention but the older security guard a  tall thin gentleman looking at what I pulled out of my pocket said "Ohhh" I explained we had been out to Flint Oak Hunt Club a well known destination and had just over looked the shells. He said " Well I better just take those" and sent me on my way with a smile. Anyway the relaxing nature of the walk around the course talking and shooting was a lot of fun and fit right in with my objective to further improve my shooting. Anything for the Pup's right?
                                           Now it probably wouldn't surprise anyone reading this that I had decided purchasing a new gun was definitely part of the solution to my shooting problems as well. The search was on."Oh Shoot."More gear!

Auntie Emm's Revisited

                                               It was the second week of January 2005 and once again I was headed for the North Central Kansas farm country.  I had decided to join Bernie and his crew one more time for a week of sun up to sun down late season season bird hunting. There were many things I liked about hunting with these guys. Bernie always made the arrangements and drove his truck. Most importantly we always hunted some pretty good areas and saw plenty of birds.  Bernie was pretty frugal and always did things in the most cost effective way so we ate at the best and cheapest places possible. That is if we weren't cooking ourselves. I loved the camaraderie. We were all drawn together by our mutual passion for the sport but otherwise wouldn't see much of each other throughout the year. Bernie was the glue. Regardless of his quirks we all respected and enjoyed being on the road with him. We'd all pool our money and take turns from year to year being the banker. Then there was the philosophy of one man one dog and system of dropping each other off. This worked great. I also enjoyed some of the cross country conversations we'd have as well as discussions in the truck from one run to another. Bernie loved to talk and had an opinion often with a humorous twist to his view point. Some of his often used phrases were "OK fella's here's what were gonna do!" "The pheasant is an edge bird" "What's the number one rule in pheasant hunting? Follow the dog!" Oh and not to be forgotten " We can hunt here". Sometimes true sometimes not! Nobody drank to much because we were just to damned tired to do much of anything but take care of dog's,clean birds, gun's and eat at the end of the day but there was always a bottle of "C and C" as Bernie called it that being Canadian Club whiskey. This tradition of having "C and C" along started years back on a trip to South Dakota. Joe,Bernie's son in law, had brought some along one year and Bernie said "Joe mix me up some of that with a little Pepsi". He thought that was pretty good so we all had a couple as we cleaned the days birds. Then we were headed up to the ranch house one night where we cooked pheasant dinner for the extended family of about 12 people at their house. This of course really helped with our possession limit! As we were heading up to the house Bernie says" Arlan grab that bottle of "C and C" there might be somebody that might like a drink with dinner" Joe gave me a look like "OK whatever" as he knew Bernie not being a drinker already had had a couple drinks and we also knew the family being very religious were not big drinkers if at all. Well Joe had prepared ahead of time and we all were in the kitchen sitting around the table waiting for dinner to be ready and Bernie with the bottle of "C and C" in his hand turns to everyone and say's would anybody like a drink before dinner? No taker's! Just silence. I'm a little nervous but say sure when asked so I watch Bernie start to pour 3 drinks for us and not being a drinker again he pours tall water glasses about half full of whiskey and then fills with soda! He's all smiles with his face red from the sun and flushed from the alcohol. I just sat back and watched the show hoping we'd get through dinner without any damage or Bernie passing out face first on his plate! We did but it was a classic. From that moment on the "C and C" was a part of the experience but someone else always mixed the drinks!
                                                    So it was all the history we had together and the miles traveled down the road with our dog's that drew me back one more time. However there was another reason. I had the good fortune to have been blessed with  all 3 of my Setter's being exceptional bird dog's and it was Beau's turn for a solo trip. At just 2 year's old he was beautiful as he surfed the wind and stalked these wily birds. This dog was exceptional and just needed time working wild birds to develop. So the objective on this trip was to get him into as many birds as possible.
                                                     We hunted a lot of Milo again and Beau did very well. His heads up style and cautious demeanor when he got into scent made him exciting to watch let alone shoot over. The hunting was tough as it was once again very cold with about 4 to 6 inches of snow cover. We got into birds on every run so beau was getting lot's of practice but with the cold weather and kenneling in the truck at night with temperatures below zero I was concerned about his weight. This dog covers a lot of ground and even though I'd get as much food in him as I could he still would get pretty thin. After a couple day's of sun up sun down hunting I decided regardless of what the rules were at the house we'd rented Beau was coming inside! He was shivering as I took him out of the kennel box which even though had plenty of straw and 3 other dog's generating heat around him was still very cold. When I went into the house I said" Here's what I'm gonna do" and that was to take my dog upstairs put him in the bath tub and give him a nice warm bath to get him heated up. Then he'll sleep in my room. Bernie said he had "never" given a dog a bath. And yeah I believed that but I treated and valued my dog's differently and didn't care what the rules of the house were at this point.
                                                    I loved hunting the Postman's 320 a section with CRP and crops on two sides so I was anxious to take Beau on this run. Steve dropped me off again and we headed through wheat stubble with Beau working birds all the way across. This took a while as he's very cautious not wanting to crowd the birds. So we had several points as we worked this area with a group of hen's taking us back and forth through the cover. I'd walk in to flush with Beau solid on point and the birds would have run ahead so I'd release him and we'd continue over and over again. I didn't care how many hen's we worked in this way as it was just fun to watch him perfect his craft. I was hoping as we moved east toward the fence line we might pin down a Rooster and I was right as Beau picked up scent again as we approached and pointed about twenty feet off the fence. It was bare wheat stubble and I had no idea where this bird might be. I took several step's ahead of Beau towards the fence line when the Rooster took flight to the right heading to the CRP. I luckily made the 30 yard shot with the bird coming down just short of the CRP. This opportunity occurred because Beau didn't push or pressure the bird which is why I quickly grew to love hunting this young dog.
                                              We crossed over into the CRP and worked the ravine on the east side as I had done with Mick the year before. There was plenty of sign and Beau picked scent along the fence line and we worked a long way on this east side of the CRP with birds obviously moving ahead. It was another cat and mouse game with Beau unable to get ahead of these birds. They took us all the way to the end of the field adjacent to the road ditch and a dirt road. I knew this would be the final chance to get a shot if we had Roosters so I approached cautiously as Beau sure enough pulled up on point right at the top of a small rise before the road ditch. As I walked forward all hell broke loose as multiple birds took flight. No matter how many times this happens to you It still takes a few seconds to focus as you just watch the birds rising before picking out a Rooster. Luckily I did just in time to drop a bird right on the road. What a walk that had been. But again I had a dog that didn't get to aggressive or frustrated with the moving birds.
                                            As I turned Beau around to the north I saw two truck's one with a dog trailer pull over by the cemetery. I didn't know if they saw me or not and when I saw them get out and get ready to hunt I was concerned about getting in their cross fire with my dog. Since I had shot two birds I decided to head around to the wheat stubble so they could see me and get out of this area. Of course Beau put on a show working birds as we headed up to where they were now watching. We must have moved birds in that direction coming out of the CRP. I let him point a couple before I just heeled him up the fence line to the road. There were 4 guys from Missouri that had English Pointer's and also had permission from the Postman. Since I had been dropped off they had no way of knowing I was there. I could tell they weren't ecstatic I was there ahead of them but it was almost eleven o'clock in the morning so get up earlier I thought to myself! I explained I hadn't hunted most of the section at all and they asked about Beau having seen him work a couple birds in the open wheat stubble remarking how impressed they were after I told them he had just turned two years old. I wished them luck as they headed out to "Gang Hunt" the CRP. A practice I had come to abhor for many reasons I'll talk about later.
                                         So I called Steve on my cell phone and let him know I was done early so he could pick me up. I'd have about an hour wait so Beau and I got some sun as we waited by the cemetery for our ride.
                                           It was a little after noon when, Steve and BJ, Bernies son pulled up and we headed out. A mile down the road we turned south and started up an incline when suddenly the wheels started to spin in the dirt now turned to a slick muddy mess with the mid day sun. The incline wasn't that great but this Kansas dirt is like quicksand when it gets wet. We would spend the next 2 1/2 hour's getting a quarter mile down the road doing everything we could with brush ,grass and whatever was available to put under the wheels to gain traction in this gooey muck.

Stuck in the Kansas mud with Mary's truck.
Once the mid day sun hit the roads it turned
them to quick sand. 

 The truck Bernie's wife always gave us order's to keep clean was now covered with mud. We all maintained a pretty good sense of humor about it and eventually got going again and back to bird hunting.
                                           The rest of the week passed with some good days and the over all bird count better than the previous year according to Bernie. There was always lot's of talk and focus on the number's. This wore on me but I turned a deaf ear to this year's ago. I was happy with my dog and glad I had brought him in the house as I thought he deserved it! And could tell it was OK with him as well. We violated another house rule as well moving the evening bird cleaning into the kitchen due to the cold weather. I helped clean and bag as well as mix the " C and C"!
                                            The evening before we left I took Beau for a long walk around the farmstead aided by what was almost a full moon. That's when I noticed the tornado shelter out behind the house and imagined how many times over the life of this place a family had to take cover down that cement fortress from the raging winds that came across this country. The place was nestled in between a couple gentle rolling hills obviously picked I bet for protection from such storms. But as we walked back to the house I knew this would be my last visit here as the openness and free access of the North Dakota plains was calling me back.

                             

Round 2

                                  A little over a month later we were on our way back to North Dakota for the Pheasant opener. Imagine that! Actually everything had worked well the last trip with 5 dog's and 3 guys sharing the same accommodations. Having never met Phil before I enjoyed his quick wit and conversation. He also liked to cook and always had coffee going in the morning. Phil had been a salesman for commercial masonry supplies for years which is how Tom knew him. He also was always up for a cold beer at the end of the day and I loved watching his demeanor change with each beer he drank! It was like putting money in the jukebox. Just sit back and enjoy the show! Phil was about 10 years ahead of Tom and I in age and in good shape. Having been a Ruffed Grouse hunter from way back he was also a pretty good shot on most days!
                                   So we settled in once again on arriving in Prairie Pothole country. Tom's dog Ida kenneled in the garage. Phil's dog Moca a Weimeraner shared his room in the house as he had strict orders from his wife to take care of her dog! So I felt better that my crew of 3 Setter's never got out of my sight staying in the house as well.
                                     On the last trip over the course of the week we had seen quite a number of pheasants. In fact on one run I had to heel the dog's out of a field due to the number of young birds that were in it. This was due to re-nesting which occurs if the birds loose a brood for some reason.  This country also is shared by 3 species of upland birds. Pheasants,Sharptail Grouse and Hungarian Partridge. It's common to find 2 of them in close proximity but sometimes all 3 species will be sharing the same general area. This makes the prospects and anticipation of mixed bag hunting very exciting.
                                      I had put on a lot of miles with the Setter's the last trip and learned a few thing's about them or at least had experiences which reinforced what I thought I knew. In regards to running them together we could really cover some ground and I loved it. It was just a beautiful sight. They watched each other and would converge if it appeared another dog was birdy. Otherwise they just continually worked the cover which I let them do as this was big country. It wasn't uncommon for them to get out 2 or 3 hundred yards ahead depending on the cover. This suited me fine as I like to keep moving and quickly learned how to keep an eye on all 3. I would choose areas conducive to this but otherwise would choose which dog I thought would be appropriate for a particular run and also tried to be fair with rotating them. Mick was very smart about handling birds and would not leave an area if he thought there were birds there. He would also hold steady no matter how long it took me to get there. This was important because I would sometimes end up with multiple dog's on point at the same time. What a problem to have! Molly amazed me with her stamina and drive. This dog had so much desire to hunt it brought tears to my eyes sometimes when she would work to pin down moving birds. Also having the most prey drive she was the best at recovering down birds not having any problem putting the "Kibosh" on down birds trying to escape. Now Beau I knew from seeing him surf the wind around the farm had promise but I wasn't prepared for what I saw he could do on the open plains. Being a taller dog he always moved with his head high and consequently always into the wind. This allowed him to use his long legs to just cruise along covering huge amounts of ground until he picked up even the slightest scent. I watched him many times come to a majestic pose holding birds not wanting to alert the sentry's of a covey. Beauty,style and finesse. This dog had it all. And to think I was calling him a clown just month's earlier. Wow! It would have been so easy to break this dog's spirit with the wrong handling.
                                     Now having dialed in so to speak on the talents of the Setter's the last trip I would continue to run them together even though I knew still being in the learning process we would bump birds occasionally. I didn't care. This was a pursuit of perfect moments. A pursuit of those times when everything comes together in perfect harmony. I was amazed and excited at how often this was happening.
                                     After a couple of days hunting locally we decided to travel 45 miles SW to scout some new area's. I enjoyed these foray's into the countryside. It was relaxing to just ride along taking in the scenery all the time watching for good bird cover. On the way to our destination we drove through another small town larger than the one we were staying in and I remarked at the fact that several homes had sprinkler systems running with bright green lawns. This was more of a farm and ranch area with more prime crop acres.
                                       We arrived at our destination 8 miles south of that little picturesque town and choose the areas we would hunt. I took an area with some tree rows and wheat stubble in between and let the Setter's out. My plan was to hunt these rows up and down and allowing the Setter's to cross into the wheat as they would. They were birdy about a hundred yards down the first row and I knew we had birds ahead but with all 3 dog's on the ground they tended to push each other and I had to keep up. These tree rows were a quarter mile long and went up and down a hill. So I had my work cut out for me. 3/4 of the way down the first row they crossed over into the wheat and started working the next row. Obviously the birds had ran out and across the wheat so I followed. It was very dry with the temperature in the fifties and bright sun at mid morning. Finally I had a dog on point with Molly holding steady and Mick and Beau spotting her and moving in to honor. I hoped I could get there in time as I had about 50 yards to cover slightly uphill of course! I would later learn to avoid these scenario's as the birds just had to much of an advantage. The birds held and I flushed a group of Hen's. We proceeded down that row and once again the dog's crossed over the wheat stubble in between the rows. Half way down Mick in the lead suddenly turned his head into the direction of the tree row and locked up. Beau pulled up twenty feet behind him with Molly close behind also paying homage to Mick's good work. Again I had about 40 or 50 yards to go to catch up but this time they were on the downside of the hill anyway! I softly moved by Molly and Beau to Mick just hoping to get close enough to position myself for a shot through the cover of the brush in the tree row. I walked by Mick and kicked the branches on the ground. Nothing. He was rock solid still so I moved ahead keeping in mind I had to pick a lane to shoot as well when the Rooster bolted up and to the left. I made a shot as he moved from left to right and brought him down!. I quickly moved through the brush with all 3 dog's as Mick pinned down the bird as it flapped about. Job well done! But I was heating up after that cat and mouse game and took a moment with the dog's on down command to recoup.
                                          We had two more tree rows to go with 80 acres of CRP bordering on the west side. So we had our work cut out for us. Heading back up the hill it wasn't long before the dog's were birdy again along the tree row. There was lots of heavy grass and brush in the rows but getting the birds pinned down wasn't easy let alone getting a clear shot. 2/3 of the way up the same thing happened with the dog's crossing the wheat tracking the birds to the next tree row. This time they all converged on the same spot locked on point. I moved in and nothing flushed. The dog's re-positioned farther down and locked up again spread out in a string with Beau in the lead. These birds were obviously moving ahead. Beau was about 6 feet off the edge of the tree line pointing into it A very pretty sight. I moved ahead of him and nothing flushed but the dog's still held their positions so I knew we had birds someplace between them. I came back up toward Mick and then birds started just going up all along in front of us. Hen's and Roosters. I got my bearings and picked out a Rooster and brought him down on the second shot. However he was a runner and Molly shot through the brush and the chase was on! Luckily he was still well within the wheat stubble and not yet close to the CRP. She caught him with no problem and proudly displayed her prize to the other dog's. I was getting quite a workout!
                                           We still had most of that last tree row to go and the CRP so after a break with the dog's again on down command and a drink from the water bottle all around we resumed our run. We were a hundred yards or so into it when Beau tracked scent out into the wheat and came to a cautious point. I walked up and nothing was there but the dogs had scent here and worked into the edge again along the tree row. It wasn't but a minute and Mick was rock solid with his body rigid pointing into the brush. As I moved in being fairly close this time the other dog's were locked up behind me watching in the wheat stubble. I never had problems if it was Mick's point of course in terms of the other dog's encroaching. Again I was challenged to position myself to get a shot through the brush. This was the last tree row with wheat stubble in between the CRP on the other side. I walked in front of Mick and kicked the brush. Nothing again! He wasn't changing his mind so I moved in farther having to use one hand to move away branches. I hate having to do this as a flush at that moment makes you vulnerable. I kicked the grass again. Nothing. I turned to look at Mick and tried to follow his eyes back. As I turned forward a covey of Huns screeched from the brush! I quickly fired. Missed. Then got my bearings and  brought down a bird on my second shot. How exciting was that Pups! We recovered the bird in the wheat stubble and I had watched the covey as it landed in the CRP  so we took another break before seeing if we could add to our now mixed bag with another one of these beautiful birds.
                                              With temperature in the 50's and bright sun I had to be careful with the dog's so I took them down to the end of the tree row and into the bottom of this area to a waterway and let them get wet and re-hydrate. That's the nice thing about North Dakota. Most of the time there's water nearby.  
                                          The wind was coming from the southeast so we entered the CRP from the northeast corner making a loop around from the west into the wind in the approximate area I expected the Huns to be. At first the grass was heavy then I saw that there were some thin spots as well as some high spots coming up. It didn't take long for Mick to come to point in the grass. I didn't know what we had as we had moved quite a few birds the last couple hours and this was really more pheasant cover than anything else. I moved right up to Mick intent on a spot in front of him and moved forward. It was the Huns! They took flight into the wind and just hung there a moment it seemed. I could see all the colors they displayed clearly as the sun caught them before they turned with the wind. Again I missed my first shot and brought down a bird with the second but what a sight that had been.
                                           After we recovered our 4th bird now having 2 Rooster's and 2 Huns in our bag we worked to the end of the CRP and shortly thereafter the truck pulled up with Tom and Phil. We shared our replays of all the moments of our runs as we always do and let the Setter's take long drinks from the water bucket. We clearly had scored big having had two points on Huns as we all considered this to be a bonus on any day. It is not uncommon to see them but their population numbers are drastically lower than the peak numbers in the 90's.
                                           And so it went. Round 2 in North Dakota. Lot's of miles walked. Lots of opportunities for great moments and great birdwork! On the way home we stopped in that little town I had talked about earlier and picked up a six pack of Long necks. The first bar had a sign that said"closed due to a lack of help". We were puzzled by that but didn't think much of it. However later I would find out exactly what it meant. The beers went down to easy and didn't last many miles as the sun was setting behind us. As I turned around I couldn't help but think how beautiful it was.
                                           
                             

Go West Young Man

                                           As summer advanced into August I had been researching options for western bird hunting trips wanting to stay on course with my objectives to increase my days in the field with the Setter's. I had sent for several maps of the Dakota's, Kansas and Montana along with guides to the States walk in areas outlining all state and federal land open to hunting as well. There were lot's of options and the birds on my list were Pheasants of course,Sharptail Grouse,Hungarian Partridge,Prairie Chicken's and Quail. Since scouting new territory can be quite a job and having a crew of young but promising bird dog's I decided to check with my friend Tom who I knew had plans to head for North Dakota in the fall.
                                          I called Tom and since we both seemed to be in the same boat with young dog's hunting in an area familiar to at least one of us made sense to me so when he said sure you're welcome to come out and stay at my place I thought that's great. However we would be on our own which was fine as Tom was traveling with his buddy Phil who also had his own dog.
                                           Sharptail season was the second week of September so I packed up the Jeep and loaded the Setter's for the 12 hour trip to North Dakota. We followed each other stopping for gas and letting the dog's out periodically chatting in between by cell phone as we went along. I was anxious to get my dog's where I could see the results of all the time I had spent on their development individually and running them together. It would be as new to me as the Setter's as I had never hunted North Dakota before nor had I hunted Sharptail Grouse. We all had a lot to learn.
                                            Upon arriving around 9pm that evening in the little town where Tom had purchased his house it was difficult to get a feel for our surroundings but we were in the middle of prairie pothole country with gentle rolling hills and lots of water everywhere making it a very popular destination for waterfowl hunters. This little town of less than 200 was quiet now being weeks away from the waterfowl season that brings most of the traffic here in the fall. As Sharptail hunters we were very much in the minority which was fine with us of course! After letting the dog's out and unpacking we gathered around the living room table to discuss the opening morning plans. Dog's were welcome in the house so they found comfortable spots around the room as well. Tom suggested we all go over to his section and hunt the pasture and adjacent hay field as he had seen birds there earlier in the summer when walking the property with the Realtor. There was plenty of room there for all of us to split up and hunt with our own dog's. So that was the plan for the next day. Before turning in for the night I took the dog's for a walk around the block taking in the sounds of the town which were few. Someones T.V. a dog barking a few blocks away and the distant sound of cattle on the outskirts of town someplace. No traffic. We could walk down the middle of the side streets not all of which had street lights. Main street was a bank, senior center,cafe,small grocery,bar,post office and a little building marked "Public Library". Other main street attractions were an insurance agency,VFW post,sign shop and further south a Dairy Queen right out of the 60's. As we approached what would be our home for the next week I thought as I looked at the 4 bedroom house with attached double garage Tom had bought for nine thousand dollars" I get it". But it would all make even
 more sense after tommorow!
                                           Phil and I being early risers had breakfast and coffee going ahead of Tom but we were all set to go by 8:30. We headed out with Tom in the lead for the 15 minute drive to his section on the eastern border of the county. After arriving we agreed I would take the northern part of the section. A hay field with short cover. Tom and Phil would hunt together a half mile away.
                                           I let out all 3 dog's in what was short cover totally in the open on the side of a gently sloping field. Having run them together many times and knowing they would back each other with the exception of Mick breaking the rules once in a while I rolled the dice! We had birds in the air almost immediately as a covey flushed wild when we entered the field. Then after the dog's converged on this strange new scent they were off casting about and soon came to point seemingly on different birds but it was a group spread out in close proximity and I moved in that direction when they all flushed taking two shots but bringing down only one bird. This open cover shooting was an adjustment somewhat as the Sharptail weren't allowing me to get as close as Pheasants for example so the shots were longer in nature but unlike Pheasants it didn't take much to put them on the ground. The dog's bumped some birds learning how to handle them and I missed a few myself but as we crossed into the adjacent pasture Beau did a beautiful job working a bird and coming to point in sparse cover which I brought down.
                                          For an opening run I was very impressed. We had two birds in the bag and the dog's had eventually figured out how to handle them making some nice points but my shooting needed work. I clearly wasn't used to this longer open field shooting. I was also on this run introduced to being "Sharptailed". When you walk into a point and use both shots from your sxs then as your standing there wondering why you might have missed the rest of the covey takes off!

Tom and Ida after our opening run 2003

We took a break and shared notes on the run with all of us encouraged by the number of birds we saw missed and shot! I was anxious to get my dog's on birds again so we headed out to find another run. The public access program is referred to as PLOTS or plots of land open to sportsman. These areas are marked with a yellow sign by the State Fish and Game who leases it form the landowner.

A typical PLOT sign as seen throughout the State

These areas represent a variety of cover for different species. I was familiar with other states walk in programs but the people I hunted with avoided them saying they received to much traffic however my attitude is that the birds don't know it's public access and a lot of hunters are just to damn lazy to walk the cover and find the hidden pockets you can't see from the road sitting in a truck! So the Setter's and I covered a lot ground that week getting a feel for where these birds lived what they ate and how they acted.
At this time of year the crops of the birds were full of grasshoppers,bits of alfalfa and a yellow flower that grows around the grassy areas. Alfalfa was by far the preferred cover as this is where they had raised their broods. High points were common haunts as these often were near mating grounds and the birds would always be within close proximity to such features. The dog's quickly learned to cautiously approach hilltops and rises in alfalfa fields.
                                   I let the dog's run as big as they wanted and when a covey would hold was rewarded with the most beautiful sight. All 3 Setter's spread out on point in the open cover!. This became what I was really after. The picture. The moment. I hunted for it over and over again.
                                    North Dakota. The people. The country. The birds. I was really starting to "get it"!
                                   

Just Like Dominoes

                                      It's hard to believe our lives might somehow be connected in such a way that our future is preordained. But as I've pointed out once you examine how you arrived at where you're at in life the events responsible can often seem uncanny. And somewhat humorous as well!
                                      In 2002 my friends Tom and Dennis who as I said grew up in the same small town as myself, a real version of Mayberry on the Andy Griffith show, decided to travel to North Dakota to look for investment property while doing some bird hunting. They had rented a small house in a whistle stop of a town in rural North Dakota and traveled the area looking at parcels of land. Dennis had already purchased some property south of the area so had some experience with the process. Tom had found a listing he wanted to explore so with the help of the county plat book set out to locate the parcel. Dennis was driving. The access off of county roads into a lot of this country is by section line roads which are unimproved dirt lanes basically that ranchers use to access pastures and fields. They may or not be passable at various times of the year due to water and snow cover. Well after some deliberation as to where this parcel was and how to get to it Dennis proceeded down a section line road overgrown with weeds and grass. Now as they were proceeding double checking the map at the same time then looking at the land on either side of them it would have been difficult to anticipate what would happen next.
                                           It was a bumpy ride but a passable lane as they worked their way a mile and a half off the county road to a ridge overlooking a small lake and several pot holes to the west. A beautiful view and certainly the type of terrain to hold birds as well. Not paying attention to the speed at which they were advancing down this less traveled path the vehicle suddenly rose up and came down with a "thunk". Hard. Forward progress had stopped and it was obvious it was time to get out and see what happened! Upon further inspection it was noted that transmission fluid was leaking from the filter cover punctured by the large rock they had landed on. Out in the middle of nowhere on a section line road with a truck stuck and disabled the prospects were not good to say the least!
                                           There were a few problems here. They were stuck. The truck needed to be repaired. Parts ordered. They needed a vehicle in the mean time and who could help? Well calling information using their cell phone for garages in the area gave them basically one shot. There was a little town about 6 miles away that happened to have a listing called "Willies Place". Upon dialing they got an answer from a guy with a German accent that said "Hello..Ya this is Willie" Dennis explained the predicament and tried to describe where they were at and Willie said in a matter of fact way " I know just where you're at and you better not try to drive that truck so I'll be right out with the wrecker" These guys thought incredible! Well it wasn't long before they saw an older model pickup with a winch on back that was the "wrecker". Introductions followed and the damage was surveyed. Dennis at best just needed a new cover for the transmission filter and a refill on fluid. It was a fairly easy task to free up the truck and get it hooked up for the trip to "Willies Place".It made a curious picture with Willie a retired German farmer turned mechanic riding along with Tom a pretty big guy in between Dennis being well over 6 feet tall all squeezed into the front seat of an old pickup towing Dennis's new truck! On the way they explained they were looking for property as well as doing some bird hunting. Willies said "Well you guys are going to need a vehicle because it's gonna take a couple days for me to get the parts and get that truck fixed." They're thinking yeah so tell us something we don't know! They arrive at Willies a short while later and upon inspection Willie confirms the issue and checks on parts availability. He could have the filter cover the next day! Then he says " You guys just go ahead and take my pickup so you can keep hunting. The keys are in it." Dennis also had his Shorthair Fritz in the truck along with all their gear of course. These guys were just a little caught of guard by Willies hospitality having minutes before been total strangers so Dennis says " Well do you want my name and drivers license number?" Willie replied " Your names Dennis right?
                                              And that's the story of how Tom and Dennis met Willie and were introduced to the hospitality and simple ways of the rural culture that surrounded them. The vehicle was repaired as promised the next day and they then got to meet Willies wife Joann which is another great story but anyway on subsequent trips that year Tom purchased that parcel of property. In addition having been taken in by the friendliness of Willie and his wife Joann decided to purchase a house in town that had belonged to Joann's mother who had recently entered the local nursing home. " Just like dominoes"  starting with the truck literally being between a rock and a hard place if you will we would all eventually be drawn to this country and these people.

Ida's Debut

                              When the time came for Ida's Natural Ability hunt test I had asked Tom if I could ride along to watch as I was interested to see how she did. It was obvious this was important to Tom so the anticipation added to the suspense of the event. I was also curious to see the other dog's and owners take their pups through the process. Having been to field trials and workshops in the past I knew there would be a variety of breeds there in the Versatile category those being the German types. But also there would be just as much of a show in the owners coming from all different walks of life in all different shapes and sizes both men and women. Some in jeans and sweatshirts some in the latest upland attire right out of the Orvis catalog! Then the assortment of vehicles was just as varied with everything from regular pickups and compact cars to fancy rigs with custom made shiny aluminum dog boxes and trailers. All pointing dog lovers. All passionate about their dog's and the sport. And as always there would be those people with their noses in the air. Snobs for lack of a better word. I always enjoyed it when their dog's would screw up! I had the luxury of a secluded rural setting to run my dog's through their paces but this was a very public display of either their superb instincts and ability or what could be their bone headed antics and stubbornness! Let alone the talent and experience of their handlers or lack thereof. Just to be fair though! I will say with a pretty high degree of certainty that "the wheels can fall off" on any given day for any dog and their handler. These mysteries that could befuddle even the most experienced and professional of handlers could fill volumes but the underlying theme in all of them would be "every dog has their day"!
                                   The big day finally came and I drove north to rendezvous with Tom and Ida for the trip to the Test site in central Wisconsin. As anticipated it was the usual mix of people and dog's spread out around the staging area. Tom got himself signed in and we waited while taking in the scene of anxious handlers and their young dog's talking with some of the participants and judges.

Tom talking with one of the judges as Ida waits patiently for her run.

                                    When the group was called to order and the runs began there were a variety of dog's as I mentioned but also a mix of dog's that obviously had different levels of experience and confidence in the field. This exposure to new territory and lots of new sights and sounds all weighs on the level of confidence a dog has. There were dog's that took off from the release point like a rocket and those that cautiously proceeded not putting much distance between them and their handlers unsure of what they were doing walking with this group of strange people.
                                        The first bullet point on the check list was checking the dog's response to gunfire. Most dog's were fine. A couple flinched a little but one simply turned tail and ran back under the nearest truck! Of course the handler/owner was upset for the dog and we all I think shared the concern but I still was puzzled as this was an event you prepared your dog for and didn't understand why the dog was subjected to the Test if it was obviously gun shy and needed a lot of work at this point.
                                         My favorite Test point was the water. The handler was to heel his dog to the edge of a small pond where the judge would launch a retrieving dummy into the water at which point the handler would command the dog to Fetch! Most of the dog's I think would list this as a favorite as well aggressively leaping into the water swimming to the dummy and back then taking up there position at the left of the handler to complete the test. Some of them hesitated again unsure of the water and needed coaxing to start with a couple refusing to go in at all.
                                           Finally it was time for Tom and Ida to take their turn. Ida was off with her quartering style of covering ground in a deliberate manner. She's not a big dog and being shorter in stature works close which is exactly what Tom wanted in a dog. She was fine with the gun shot and proceeded to the bird field where she handled birds and held her points like a pro! Then came the Tracking exercise where a dead bird was dragged across an area and hidden in some brushy cover. Ida took off and picked up the drag scent and completed the exercise again with no problem! The last exercise was the water. Tom had spent a lot of time with Ida in the water which she loved as well as retrieving. In fact she would play catch with you until your arm fell off! They moved into position at the edge of the pond with Ida heeled at Toms side. The judge launched the dummy and Ida was released leaping into the water making a perfect retrieve as well as a perfectly mannered return to Toms side waiting for further instructions!This was above and beyond the expectation for Natural Ability but she did it. Wow! It looked good to me but you never know watching from the gallery exactly what the judges view was.
                                            It came time for the results to be read off with handlers anxiously waiting for the judges decisions.Ida's score was a prize one! The highest rating! This was one of only two given on this particular day much to Tom's relief as he had spent a lot of time and effort in the preparation for this first Test. I congratulated Tom and we shook hands on a job well done by Ida! Tom thanked me for my help and treated me to lunch on the way home at a popular cafe where we both had an open faced hot Turkey sandwich with gravy and mashed potatoes to celebrate the victory. This was to be one of many meals we would share while on the road "Bird Dogging" over the next several years!

A Likely Visitor

                                       The first winter passed with the dog's having enjoyed the walks up the driveway we took on almost a daily basis that soon gave way to once again exploring the fields around the Love Creek valley. Depending on conditions we also were regular visitors to the local hunt club 15 miles west of us through the month of March.
                                         I was anxious as Spring approached to see if our Pigeon crew of 5 birds would multiply and sure enough it wasn't long before I discovered eggs had been laid in the nesting boxes I had built into the coop. Having birds on hand was not only fun but essential. My goal was to run these dog's together when appropriate for the cover so " Backing" or honoring each others point was critical to this working. They did this naturally from the start but I had to reinforce the rules and set the expectation that you do not encroach on your fellow teammate! Using electronic bird traps made it possible for me to "reset" a dog if they moved or tried to encroach upon the point of another dog. Beau had impeccable manners as well as Molly however the "First Born" Mick often would take it upon himself to validate someone else's point so I had to work on his manner's and ego. This proved to be a reoccurring theme with him as year's went by. I dealt with what was his jealousy if he was not finding as many birds as he thought he should be on any given day.
                                           I had given my friend Tom a call to see how he was doing and learned he had lost his Chesapeake Retriever to a car accident and knowing how difficult this is expressed my regrets. We chatted about pointing dog's as Tom had spent time in North Dakota with Dennis Traugott bird hunting with his Shorthair and looking for property the previous fall which is another story I will tell in a later post that deserves it's own title believe me! Anyway I shared my rationale for choosing the Setter's and brought Tom up to date on how I was addressing their training. He was researching dog's and breeders as I had done and was trying to find a match for himself. I told Tom to stop out and see my setup and that I would be happy to help him with training if I could when the time came as I now had the perfect situation right at home.
                                            As it turned out it wasn't long before Tom had decided on Pudelpointers as the breed and had made a reservation to pick up a pup in Idaho. Like an expectant father he was anxious to get out there. Making the trip with Tom was his cousin Stanley who I also grew up with and went along to ride shotgun but ended up playing the role of "Nursemaid" as the new pup appropriately named "Ida" spent most of the return trip in his lap!
                                          I got a call from Tom weeks later as he had business to do in my part of the country and made arrangements to stop by with his new dog. I had never been around Pudelpointers and was pleasantly surprised when "Ida" arrived. A compact build with a face full of personality plus. Her whole body shook as she wagged her stub of a tail and greeted me then immediately made the rounds about the premises taking in the place. So I showed Tom around the farm as he had never been out to my place and outlined my program for training. We talked as he used a dummy thrower to launch "retrieving dummies for Ida. At just a few month's old I was amazed at her retrieving ability and drive but that's one of the things that makes them the number one Versatile breed Tom explained. Tom also explained his goal was to take Ida through  the NAVHDA hunt test program with the first hurdle being the Natural Ability Test which involved evaluating young dog's in all facets of field experiences including water retrieving,pointing and tracking as well as reaction to gunfire. Tom had been working Ida in the water close to his home but didn't have access to birds so I offered my set up to him to help prepare Ida for the test. After a quick demonstration with my dogs using pigeons demonstrating how they were working together and backing nicely Tom was on his way having agreed to take me up on my offer.
                                              A couple weeks later Tom came back with Ida and we  spent a couple hours setting birds out for her which she did well on and eventually worked up to incorporating the gun into the process and on later visits actually shot birds for her which she located and retrieved. I was very curious about the hunt test process and knew a little about it but was anxious to see how the work we did with Ida helped her when the day came to be "Tested".
                                              It was obvious we both shared a common interest in pursuing Upland Hunting but the Bird dog aspect made it more interesting as we each had young dog's at this stage. Tom was way ahead of me when it came to guns and shooting as he had shot trap and skeet regularly over the years and since I needed to improve my knowledge and skill in this area I was glad to have something I could in turn help him with regarding training as this was his first experience with a pointing dog. I would also add we both shared an interest in all the "Gear" and gadgets that went along with both hunting and dog's but would later joke that we had "nothing" on Traugott when it came to the accumulation of perceived necessities!
                                               So the days passed that summer as we both were focused on our dog's and the dreams and anticipation of the upcoming hunting season as well as Ida's debut!

Mick's First Road Trip

                                   When I first talked with the Breeder about this line of Setter's he said these dog's developed sufficiently to do quite well at the first year mark. I believed this was true with Mick especially being just rock steady on point and having worked both wild and released birds around the farm for month's now.
                                    In the last ten years I had done a lot of hunting in Iowa,South Dakota and Kansas with a friend of mine who I would describe as the most passionate Pheasant hunter I have ever met. Bernie a semi retired cattle and grain farmer just lived to hunt these birds and come fall went from one destination to another until the season closed. We traveled most of the time from State to State with 3 or 4 hunters but would always hunt one on one with our dog's. These trips were always fun as Bernie was quite a character and had scoped out the territory, accommodations and eating establishments by the time I started hunting with him. In regards to the territory the phrase" We can hunt here" applied sometimes true sometimes not! The accommodations ranged from a pop up camper held together with duct tape to cheap hotels and old farmsteads we rented. The eating establishments ran the gamut from the local Moose club to small town cafe's. The only qualifier for supper besides having to be the cheapest was the place had to have "Tapioca Pudding" as this was a staple of Bernies diet! But wherever we went or stayed Bernie talked to everybody and it didn't take long in a rural area for everyone to get to know him. He has one of those high pitched voices where the tone goes up at the end of the sentences and he love's to talk, tell stories and listen to AM radio. I always considered this side show so to speak almost as much an experience as the bird hunting. I hadn't hunted with him for 4 or 5 year's as not knowing if you were going to get your ass chewed or not for being on the wrong side of somebody's fence wore on me after a while but didn't phase him one bit.
                                        So all things considered in December since I didn't have any plans myself yet I decided to touch base with Bernie about the Kansas trip that was always the second to last week of January. I was in luck as he had one spot open so there would be 4 of us. Anxious to break in Mick to life on the road in real bird country I said I was on board knowing full well what I was in for but like I said trips with Bernie were never dull and I had frankly missed the company of these die hard Pheasant hunter's who always went from sun up to sun down and then some!
                                         The time came soon enough and I boarded Beau and Molly for the week a couple miles down the valley from me at my neighbors boarding kennel. Convenient. And I fully trusted these dog lover's with my pup's.
                                          When I arrived at Bernie's farm to load up in his red Ford crew cab truck with topper on back he said Mick could ride in the top dog box along with "Sarge" Steve's Shorthair. This was a surprise as I had planned on using a crate with a cover for Mick but there wasn't sufficient space. Right off the bat Mick was having a new experience as we put him up and I hoped we wouldn't hear any disagreements from the two of them as we had a full day of driving ahead of us. All was well as we continued to pack the vehicle and then we were off!
                                          We were headed for north central Kansas farm country. An area with grain farming and some cattle interspersed with gentle rolling hills. The weather was quite cold with some snow on the ground and more on the way. In past year's we had actually used snow shoes as the snow cover was so deep. But it currently was around 6 inches. The only issue being if it warms up the Kansas soil turns to a slippery gooey mess difficult to walk on and makes the secondary roads sometimes impossible to travel. Bernie's truck was new and his wife Mary had given strict instructions to keep it clean! Ha Ha! But as always we did our best to keep the vehicle in good shape but it was the roads we had to worry about.
                                           We arrived late in the evening to what were nice accommodations having rented  a local farmers renovated farmstead a traditional 4 bedroom 2 story house in the country the only drawback being dog's were not welcome in the house so Mick was going to have to rough it in the dog box for the week. The other guys had no problem with this but I live with my dog's and am used to them being with me wherever I go. So I made sure I spent some time with Mick after supper before I turned in for the night.
                                              By this time of year we were hunting what I call educated birds mostly in milo stubble and fields of CRP. But we hunted it all if it would hold birds. Mick adjusted well to hunting in unfamiliar surroundings and since he had spent some time on wild birds knew they're tricks. I had a bell on him and also had along an electronic beeper to track him in heavy cover but he did well checking back and keeping an eye on me. I didn't like either device but preferred the bell I guess it's just that I don't like any unnatural sound breaking the silence as you hunt however loosing track of your dog on point is worse I guess.
                                              I preferred hunting Mick in the Milo stubble where I could watch his every move which I enjoyed as he attempted to circle around and cut off the advances of these wily birds and coming to a hard earned point finally. I had shot a few birds for him in this cover then was disappointed when we lost a couple Mick was unable to recover. He was just not aggressive enough and when he caught up to these runners would try to just pin them gently with a paw while wagging his tail allowing them to just escape. I knew he would learn with time so I just tried to really hit the birds hard knowing he had some learning to do on recovering wounded birds.
                                                Mick was getting to work a lot of birds which was the goal and the work I had done on field obedience was worth every minute with this young dog. We were in unfamiliar territory so it was important he responded to my direction when needed. I don't direct a lot but I always put a dog on the down command after we shoot a bird to get them settled before we resume the hunt to avoid them getting over excited and bumping other birds that might be in the area. Also heeling in and out of the field to the vehicle avoids any danger of the dog running into the road if you're hunting where there might be traffic. My dog's learned to actually anticipate this routine and would naturally heel up when we headed for the vehicle although I always give this command to make sure we safely kenneled up.
                                                One morning we had about 4 to 5 inches of new snow and my run was to be the Post mans 320. This was a field of CRP bordered by wheat stubble on two sides. As I said we hunted alone with our dog's and would drop each other off with set times we would pick each other up later in the day. I had asked Bernie if he had talked to the guy and he said "Oh Yeah he said no problem. You just go ahead and hunt that Bernie but I'll be out of town on vacation so if you run into anybody else there just tell them I gave you permission" I had learned before that Bernie may have been given permission to hunt but that may have been years ago! He just didn't give a shit! So I had Steve one of the guys drop Mick and I at the northeast corner of the section. My plan was to hunt across 160 acres of wheat stubble and cross the fence into the CRP where it funneled into a ravine on the corner. I had hunted this in year's past so I knew where the birds concentrated. As we came across Mick worked several hen's and I could see a lot of tracks in the fresh snow moving toward the fence line in the direction we were going. It was a very quiet cold morning with bright sun. Beautiful. I stopped and decided to take Mick's bell off as I knew these birds were just running ahead of the sound. As we approached the CRP on a slight rise along the fence line I looked in front of us at a lot of fresh tracks! The plan was to cross over and work this little ravine on the edge where I could see now the birds had funneled to as I anticipated. Mick proceeded cautiously as he sensed there were birds here somewhere. I fully expected a huge flush any minute as we slowly and ever so quietly walked forward then suddenly I didn't see Mick! Bright sun, new snow with brush bending under the weight of the soft powdery white stuff but no Mick. I took a few more steps slowly slowly and looked again turning in every direction. I knew he was very close I just couldn't see him yet. Then my eyes caught him 40 feet ahead on my right with his head pointed under some bushes bending under the weight of the new snow. Blending in with the contrasting lite and dark cover. Rock solid on point! My heart was pounding as I approached finally making it to Mick. I readied myself and took a step ahead when several birds burst from the cover back in the direction we had just come. I picked out a rooster and brought it down hard. I knew this bird was dead so we headed that direction and Mick located his prize which I put in the game bag then took a minute to give Mick kudos for a job well done. Knowing by the amount of sign in this ravine there were probably more birds here we turned around and started back down the ravine. Mick was once again moving cautiously ahead of me and at the point I lost sight of him just moments before he went on point again this time on the other side of the ravine. These birds must have been pretty well dug in the cover here I thought. I moved ahead once again and another group flushed. This time I quickly took the first Rooster and we had our second bird in just minutes! So we had moved probably 20 birds in only a few minutes and had several hundred yards of cover along this side of the run to go but we didn't make it. Mick was all business and knew what was ahead. Within 50 yards he was on point again! I knew we had probably walked by some birds and even more were probably running ahead judging by the tracks but Mick managed to pin another bird down. I enjoyed just looking at him as I approached closing the distance between us thinking to myself how glad I was to have decided to bring him on the trip. He was gaining confidence and knowledge with every bird he worked. I got to Mick and came around the side flushing the Rooster and bringing it down in the soft snow against a sunny blue Kansas sky. After the shot it was still once again with just the sound of Mick and I moving to the bird and by this time Mick wasn't quite as shy as he picked up the bird and turned to look at me with tail wagging!
                                       We had our final bird of the day as we turned and headed back to the pick up point with quite a wait before the truck would arrive. Mick worked some more birds as we crossed the wheat stubble again on our way and we talked with some other hunter's we met at the road as we waited near an old cemetery. They knew the Post man too! It was a beautiful day. One of many Mick and I would spend together in this way.

Time To Reflect

                                          The first year with the Setter's was coming to an end with winter fast approaching. It was time to review where we were at and think about where we wanted to go. Mick had turned a year old at the end of October. Beau would turn a year old in January and Molly was at the seven Month mark as December came around.
                                          The kids had gone on an extended travel vacation after college spending month's in Australia,Thailand and the Netherlands. After which Carson set out to pursue his Master's degree in New York and Jared remained in Madison for a while then headed out to New York as well.
                                          My job was always demanding and took a lot of my time. Being in a Supervisory position you were always on call 24/7 and with multiple locations to answer for there was always a crisis some place either customer, employee, equipment or financial in nature. I had remained successful all these years by developing a group of talented self reliant operators and enjoyed working with these very smart and successful people. But the new generation of employees was of the entitlement mind set. I want it now. I deserve it..now. And I do not want to work very hard to get it! These people required much more direct supervision and a micromanage style the direct opposite of who I was and how I had become successful. So I knew I was now approaching the final stages of my career with this organization.
                                           I had spent the previous December ski vacation in Alberta Canada. One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen or skied having stayed at the historic Bannf Springs Hotel for two weeks. Skiing had been an incredible revelation to me because I had discovered I could do something completely outside of my comfort zone. I found the people I'd meet from all walks of life and countries very interesting as I shared conversations and learned about how other people lived at all stages of life. It helped me push my dreams and vision for my future beyond my current horizons and beyond the horizon of the Love Creek Valley.
                                          A year later the Setter's and I were enjoying the lifestyle I had created for us with bird's always available and trips to the Hunt club nearby if I didn't have Pheasant's or Quail on hand to shoot for the dog's as I had a Bird Dog training permit for the surrounding property. I'd get my skiing in at the local ski hill just ten miles east of the Farm. It was a great time no doubt but just a prelude to what was to come.
                                           However now having assembled a team of very promising bird dog's I was locked into a place far away from where the real action was. Far away from the big open spaces where you could hunt all day and let your dog's loose on endless acres of cover. I knew at this point I would make a transition from the Love Creek Valley and it was now time to begin the end game.
                                            This period of reflection had begun while I was in Baanf skiing the northern Rockies. The mountains surrounding Lake Louise were the back drop for the scene I viewed everyday as I contemplated the future. I now felt OK with the realization that the Farm had played it's role in my life. The Trout were no longer plentiful,the Grouse had vanished from the surrounding hills, the Deer had developed CWD and the hunting seasons were now greatly expanded so you never quite knew when someone was in the woods with a rifle. The kids were off on their own journey searching for they're place in the world.
                                              This period of transition was to take 5 years as I prepared financially reducing debt and increasing investments to my retirement funds and deferred accounts to be ready for the change. I also completed any remaining projects around the property to ready it for sale when the time came. If I hadn't enjoyed everything this place had to offer this would have been difficult for me but while the beauty and solitude still remained as it always was I was the one that had changed. My dream and horizon for the future had expanded beyond Love Creek Valley Farm. I was now at a time and place where the commitment and responsibility of owning the property was to me like a tether on a balloon that wanted to rise up and travel with the wind but couldn't....not quite yet anyway.

Keeping It Positive

                                         By the time Molly arrived in the Love Creek valley I had assembled a small library of books,Tapes and publications on every subject relating to training and Upland Hunting. None of them impacted me more than a book titled ' The Power Of Positive Dog Training' by Pat Miller.
                                         Having read everything I could get my hands on, attending workshops,enlisting the help of a trainer and joining the local NAVHDA chapter nothing really resonated with me like the philosophy put forth in this book. I had seen the heavy handed techniques used by the folks with the versatile breeds in action heavily dependent on shock and pinch collars but knowing my dog's knew this wasn't for us. However I benefited from the NAVHDA emphasis on a structured approach to developing the dog's potential and was amazed at what I saw as I watched the hunt test's and what these dog's could do.
                                          This was a turning point for me in that I now had come to a place where I would no longer search for and second guess my course of action with the development of my crew. A field and obedience regimen was adapted and kept as basic as possible. The things that were important were basic manners in  the house and field, commands being, here,heel,down,whoa,A whistle for attention and one for here, hand signals for changing direction. Phrases I use are "This way"and "Bird in Here" for recovering down birds. Everything else including backing and retrieving was just instinctive and came naturally with time.
                                           I had been told many of these things but not having worked through the development cycle with Setters before didn't have the confidence to rely on someone else's' Here's what a guy oughta do advice" from a self proclaimed expert. I was making a major investment in a team of bird dog's I was going to live and hunt with for the next decade so I needed to get it right for me and my crew! Now I have spoken about using experts several times but I believe the role they play is helping you get to your end goal of developing your own plan based on knowing your particular dogs as you are the one who's going to live and hunt with them. Hunt is the operative word here as I had no intention of training my dogs to execute a series of detailed maneuvers in hunt tests having little to do with what actually happens when hunting wild birds. So having someone handle your dogs in a way that works for them but won't be used or followed up by you is useless and a waste of time and money that could be used getting your dogs on wild birds where they could really learn something!
                                          Molly was so much fun to take through the training I was really surprised how much she wanted to please and respond to my direction. She was very food oriented so I used treats to reinforce the positive training methods.This really helped keep it all fun but once again as she grew and became more confidant which she didn't have much problem with from day one I had to slow down a little and think about how to get her to the end goal as she was very head strong and strong willed but that's the dog I picked! I quickly learned gentle persuasion and patience worked with her. She very much wanted to please me but I had to give her time to get there as again the pace for development is determined by the dog's maturity and it was easy to think I could go faster with her because she was such a willing student. I was shooting birds for her very early on and she loved it but retrieving took a while. She would find the birds no problem but connecting the event with bringing the bird to me took a little finesse. I'd turn away and let her follow me and carry the bird for a while then let her come close and praise coaxing the bird from her mouth. This didn't always work the coaxing the bird out of her mouth I mean but eventually she understood and would release the bird. I will tell you that I am not rigid in my expectations on retrieving as I simply want the bird located quickly and recovered. I recall early on I was hunting with Molly in Montana in the foothills of the Big Horn mountains and had shot a Sharptail over her that had fallen on the other side of a rise out of my line of sight and she instinctively with no command followed up the bird and came back over the rise to me with the bird in her mouth. A beautiful moment where we were "one" hunting together without a spoken word. The same scenario has been repeated time and again without the need for a command. Then a friend I hunted with had recently acquired a new German shorthair and had attended the breeders training seminar where he demonstrated forced retrieving. Bernie became a disciple of all the methods this trainer used and adapted the whole program. At the point where he was at retrieving he called me and invited me to come down to his farm and watch how this technique worked as he had taken his dog through it and was now taking his English Pointer through it. I must say it was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen done to an animal using shock treatment to get them to open their mouth due to the response to the pain then shoving a dummy into their mouth and saying" Fetch!". He just didn't understand why I said there was no way in hell I'd do that to my dog..ever!.
                                         Many people have different visions of what they want out of they're dog's and how to go about getting it. We also have different styles of hunting. The important thing is that you define the expectations for you and your dog's. I do not believe in any universal application for anything.The reason is that the breeds are different the terrain varies and we are different as well as each species we hunt.  Personally I want my dog's to cover ground in an unrestricted manner. Hunting naturally using their instincts not constantly looking over their shoulder for my direction and permission. I love watching them hunt finding the birds in the big open country we all love however I do not love controlling them that's not my objective. But I do know that "Keeping It Positive" is what's right for me and my Setter's.

Old Friend's New Again

                                   One of the most rewarding experiences in my adult life has been keeping in touch with friends I grew up with in the little town where we all shared our childhood years. After a period of time where we all went our separate ways I once again called my friend and hunting partner as a teenager Ron Gray. Ron and I would hunt the area down the rail road tracks north of town after school with my Brittany Spaniel Ginger and his brother n laws Shorthair Gina. They were quite a pair to watch and Ron and I made many memories together on those hunts.
                                   Having learned Ron was still doing carpenter work in addition to working for the state I enlisted him to help me with some projects at the Farm. This worked for Ron as he had a friend that lived 10 miles west of me that had a pocket of wild birds on his property so I'd take Ron hunting with my Short Hairs Gina and Bernie. We had some great times working and hunting together again revisiting old times as we made new memories as well. I learned a few things from Ron also as he's a master carpenter and finish man.
Ron relocated to Black River Falls with his wife Yolanda and built a new house in the woods perfect for Ron and his wife both avid deer hunters. It wasn't long before Ron got himself a Shorthair pup named Jake but as busy as Ron always is Yolanda took over the role of guardian and spiritual adviser for the dog. Yolanda being American Indian soon became one with the dog! When Ron would come down to visit I always had a set of instructions as to what to"cook" for the dog as Ron certainly didn't do it and in Yolanda's absence I was the responsible party. All I can say is that he was lucky to have found that woman. I should say "they" both Ron and the dog!

Ron and Frank with Gina and Bernie after a great hunt

In talking with Ron I had learned another friend of ours Tom Lochner had stayed in touch with Ron as well. Tom had his own commercial masonry business and had been busy all these years making a living like the rest of us. Tom had recently acquired a Chesapeake Bay Retriever as he enjoyed duck hunting and had made some trips to North Dakota which Ron had joined him on as well. Time passed and I eventually caught up with Tom and Ron on a weekend camping trip to northern WI where Tom had property. It was great to see Tom again and visit old times while getting to know where he'd been all these years as well. I really liked his pup and enjoyed the visit connecting once again retelling old school stories laughing till tears came to our eye's! I also learned that Dennis Traugott a neighbor two houses down from our family growing up, an avid bird hunter himself, had stayed in touch with these guys as well handling they're insurance for them all these years. Dennis had taken over his dad's agency after he and his wife Bonnie had moved back to town. Dennis had hunted and fished the western states pretty extensively over the years so he had a few more stories to tell than we did which I always enjoyed hearing but we were soon to be making some of our own. Together again.
                                        What made these "Old Friends New Again"experiences interesting to me was the opportunity to learn something new from each other which is what keeps any relationship alive. I've learned that life seems more fun when you're discovering something new or improving you're skills. Life is about growth and all of us seemed to have some expertise to share as we converged years later over our passion for Upland Hunting.