Post by gobblerhunter on Mar 30, 2015 6:28:15 GMT -5
I am not one for writing longer stories but I felt like writing a little thing about my older dog and it may be dumb but I’m gonna write it anyways 
and ill make it short as possible
When I got him I had zero experience with bird dogs I also didn’t have any bird hunting experience for the most part. I wanted to hunt grouse and woodcock. I didn’t do him any justice at training or preparing him at all and couple that with some dogs just aren’t good wild bird dogs either. So through the years he struggled he was a huge running dog that seemed like to run more than hunt and hunt for himself. He ended up being a decent preserve dog. In his life he’s only pointed I’d say less than 10 grouse and like 3 woodcock. He pretty much would just blow them up. We never were able to get a point and a shot and get a wild bird together.
So a few years ago I got a pup and he has turned into a decent wild bird dog and with my older dog not ever getting it done and having arthritis, has pretty much become a dog that gets to go to the preserve a few times a year and a few quick runs. Every time I would take out the younger dog you can see it in his eyes that…, well he is giving me the stink eye for not taking him.
This past fall,l well right before the season my young dog got lymes and it really took a toll on him with energy. Not only did he run out of steam quickly it took a while to recover and he would just limp around. So one day I decided I would take both dogs I would take out my younger dog and hunt him till he starts slowing down then break out the old guy for a quick hunt with him. Hunt went well I ended up missing 2 grouse but connecting with 2 woodcock and after that if he pointed a woodcock I just let it go wanted to keep one open bird just in case the old guy would luck into pointing one. After he started to slow down we headed back to the truck. I headed to another cover close by and got the old guy ready I ended up for some weird reason showing him the dead birds and let him smell them and said go find one of these lol (I know that didn’t have any effect just sounded good)
Off we go, I’m pretty much just walking along not expecting a thing when he goes on point 125yrds out ahead of me.. I think well he’s found a quillpig or maybe pheasant if im lucky. I get up to him and I start working around him when a woodcock flushes and all I can think of is I HAVE TO GET THIS and this bird couldn’t have flushed in a better spot I had a clean open shot boom (it keeps flying) on it again boom……. It kept flying away I honestly got so bummed I was like we finally did it and put it together and I blew it. He went on hunting and I was just shaking my head so disappointed when 10 mins later he goes on point again I hustle up to him and another doodle flushes I get on it boom and another miss one more shot and I dropped it! Not to sound like a kid or anything but that was one of my most exciting moments hunting in my life, I started yelling woohoo and he found the bird and I couldn’t be happier.
So to the point of this story on Saturday I took both dogs out again. took the younger dog out and hunted a cover and only had one flush and he blew it up to boot. I was pretty disappointed in the lack of birds there. So went to a new cover that I have been wanting to check out and thought it would be a nice quick spot for my old guy to get a quick run in and what happens next was unbelievable he ended up just having the best day of his life, he put on a clinic on how to find and point doodles hahhaa here are a few pics of it.
And yep he will be in the truck next year way more often! Thanks for reading this long and maybe boring story.
and ill make it short as possibleWhen I got him I had zero experience with bird dogs I also didn’t have any bird hunting experience for the most part. I wanted to hunt grouse and woodcock. I didn’t do him any justice at training or preparing him at all and couple that with some dogs just aren’t good wild bird dogs either. So through the years he struggled he was a huge running dog that seemed like to run more than hunt and hunt for himself. He ended up being a decent preserve dog. In his life he’s only pointed I’d say less than 10 grouse and like 3 woodcock. He pretty much would just blow them up. We never were able to get a point and a shot and get a wild bird together.
So a few years ago I got a pup and he has turned into a decent wild bird dog and with my older dog not ever getting it done and having arthritis, has pretty much become a dog that gets to go to the preserve a few times a year and a few quick runs. Every time I would take out the younger dog you can see it in his eyes that…, well he is giving me the stink eye for not taking him.
This past fall,l well right before the season my young dog got lymes and it really took a toll on him with energy. Not only did he run out of steam quickly it took a while to recover and he would just limp around. So one day I decided I would take both dogs I would take out my younger dog and hunt him till he starts slowing down then break out the old guy for a quick hunt with him. Hunt went well I ended up missing 2 grouse but connecting with 2 woodcock and after that if he pointed a woodcock I just let it go wanted to keep one open bird just in case the old guy would luck into pointing one. After he started to slow down we headed back to the truck. I headed to another cover close by and got the old guy ready I ended up for some weird reason showing him the dead birds and let him smell them and said go find one of these lol (I know that didn’t have any effect just sounded good)
Off we go, I’m pretty much just walking along not expecting a thing when he goes on point 125yrds out ahead of me.. I think well he’s found a quillpig or maybe pheasant if im lucky. I get up to him and I start working around him when a woodcock flushes and all I can think of is I HAVE TO GET THIS and this bird couldn’t have flushed in a better spot I had a clean open shot boom (it keeps flying) on it again boom……. It kept flying away I honestly got so bummed I was like we finally did it and put it together and I blew it. He went on hunting and I was just shaking my head so disappointed when 10 mins later he goes on point again I hustle up to him and another doodle flushes I get on it boom and another miss one more shot and I dropped it! Not to sound like a kid or anything but that was one of my most exciting moments hunting in my life, I started yelling woohoo and he found the bird and I couldn’t be happier.
So to the point of this story on Saturday I took both dogs out again. took the younger dog out and hunted a cover and only had one flush and he blew it up to boot. I was pretty disappointed in the lack of birds there. So went to a new cover that I have been wanting to check out and thought it would be a nice quick spot for my old guy to get a quick run in and what happens next was unbelievable he ended up just having the best day of his life, he put on a clinic on how to find and point doodles hahhaa here are a few pics of it.
And yep he will be in the truck next year way more often! Thanks for reading this long and maybe boring story.
