About all you can do in the heat!

This is my Brit, "Ruby", relaxing inside.  It's 95 outside and once a day I go out and grab one of the dogs to come in and have a little "cool time".  As you can see, she is making most of the situation.

On The Border

This picture was taken in 2003.  That fence is south of Tucson.  Mexico is on the other side.  Bo'd been hunting the other side of that fence for twenty minutes or so.  I'm glad he didn't find anything over there, because it is a sturdy fence and I didn't relish climbing over it.  Also, it wasn't until about an hour later we found a sign that read "United States of America". 

Product Tester

I test every product I take into the field. Probably, you do the same thing. You learn about an item, you think it may help you in your hunt and you get one.  You take the thing out in the field and use it.  If it doesn't work, it's the last time you see it- I usually give the thing away, or throw it away, if it's not big or expensive.  But, sometimes, I come upon a gem that really enhances my hunt.

I think I'm going to start making short (1-3 min.) videos of some products I use and putting them out on YouTube.  This new vest I bought is a perfect example.  Or the snake vaccine, or my Akubra hat from Australia or my snake chaps, truck shell, Garmin, Tritronics.......you get the idea. 

Stay tuned for links on the this site.  If you have any suggestions of what you'd like to see, let me know. Email flyboykennels@gmail.com. 

Dog Food Re-visited

This all began about 6 months ago, when I decided to try and find the best way to feed my dogs. I wanted them to get the best nutrition they could for strength, endurance, growth and coat.  Regardless what anyone says, buying "dog food" at the feed store is not the most efficient way to feed old Buck. They are not all the same.  Just because the national testing says it will maintain a dog doesn't mean it's good for your dog.  Here is what I've come to believe:  1.) dogs need meat.  2.) dogs need vegetables.  3.) dogs DO NOT need corn byproducts, corn meal, organic corn hulls, or anything corn.  3.) dogs need meat.  4.) dogs do not need grains, wheat, wheat by-products. 5.) dogs need meat.  

OK.  Turn the bag over and read the ingredient list.  The list is ordered by the amount, in bulk, of the ingredients.  For example, if the list is: Organic corn meal, corn, soybean meal, incredibly tasty pork chop by-products, vitamins, spray on fat, sand.  The largest, by volume, ingredient is corn.  Next is corn.  Then soybeans, then some sort of meat.  This is not a good feed.  It will be sold at large box stores as "Quality Dog Food". 

Here's what to look for in our dog food.  Meat, meat meal, fish, lamb, poultry, chicken or some type of meat should be Number One on the list of ingredients.  (Yes, by-products might be guts.  Dogs love guts.)  In addition, meat/chicken/fish should be the top 3 out of the next 4 ingredients. 

I found a good feed for my dogs.  It costs me $68/30 pounds.  I feed them 2.5 cups per day.  They are thriving. There are many great feeds out there.  Google "dog food rankings" and see what you get.  The premium dog food you thought was expensive may not be on the list!

Good Luck! 

Snakes! Now is the time to get ready...

It's that time of year when it's time to start thinking about getting the dogs and my legs in shape for the hunting and trialing year.  Actually, I've been pretty good this year about working out every day. We are shooting for some Chukar hunting in ID the last week of October and I sure don't want to be the last guy up the hill.  Ace, my main dog, has been getting roaded everyday for 3 months now and is hard as a brick!  Actually, since this is the first year I've done the roading thing for him, I'm interested to see how the trialing year starts off for him.  Being in good shape should really help him early in the year. 

Another aspect of getting ready is snake vaccine.  I started the dogs on that 3 years ago and will keep it up this year too.  Red Rock Biologic snake vaccine is most effective on the Western Diamondback (and Prairie Rattler and others of that ilk). In all the years I've hunted, I've never seen one.  I'm sure I'm the only bird hunter that hasn't, but it's true- not one! I decided a few years ago to get all my dogs started on the vaccine, just in case.  For piece of mind, nothing works better. I found out that it should not be used on puppies less than 4 months- so Cap is out.  But Ruby is ready for her first shot and Ace and Bo ready for their annual booster. For Ruby, she'll get 2 shots a month apart and then she'll be protected a month after that. 

Give this some thought.  Google Red Rock Biologic and read about the product.

Update one year later........not only did I see Prairie Rattlers in Montana this year (2010), but up close and personal.  Ruby was a young pup and we were working around some hay bales.  I heard a strange noise that sounded just like a rattlesnake in the old spaghetti westerns. I looked over Ruby's head, past her, and up against the hay bale was a coiled up rattler making all kinds of noise.  He was about 4 feet from Ruby. I called her to me and killed the snake.  We were lucky in that he had two rats in him already that morning and wasn't real hungry or mad.  Later, my friend Robert was struck at by a snake that ran out of himself just as he got to Robert's leg! He, also, was killed.  So, two encounters after many years of no sightings.  Check out the vaccine.

Randy's Red Hot Rocket

Randy's Red Hot Rocket

Looking out my kitchen window

The things you see looking out the window. The photo is poor quality, due to the light and camera, but the deer is real. He was one of four big boys that wandered through. I don't think he was harvested, because I would have heard about one this big!

Randy's Cool as Gritz

Here's my little Gritzie dog in Wisconsin. What a bird finding sweetheart she was. I say was, because when she was 2 1/2 years old, she developed encephilitis. By the time it was diagnosed and we got her to the Auburn University Vet School, she passed away that night. You never want to lose a bird dog before his time, but this one was a special little dog. I still smile when I see her run.

Blast from the past!

This picture was taken in 2001 at the Quail Unlimited National Championship in Bronwood, GA. The dog is Bo (Julia's Bocephus) and that's me as the handler. This picture was snapped very close to the gallery right after Bo found his 6th (and winning) bird. I'm not sure who was more focused. Bo is still with me and, as long as he wants to get in the box, he's got a place on my trips.

Training on the Table

Cap in training!

My dog, Cap, on the Training Table learning the "Trained Retrieve"- (click to view)

Bo on Arizona Quail

That's some big open country out there- a little on the mystical side..

Peaches and the Limit

Peaches and the limit- ND

Sorting through some old dog pictures.... This is Randy's Southern Peach or "Peaches" to those who hunted over the lady. Never flashy, always working, always on game, Peaches was the old, reliable, steady dog that loved her job. She was overshadowed by flashier, faster, and more stylish setters in the kennel, but when push came to shove, Peaches came out of the box and found birds for me. I remember, in Texas, watching her head up a draw in her signature lope. Just before she disappeared around the corner, I noticed just the slightest break in her stride- and then she was gone. After years of watching her work, I knew exactly what I'd find as I stepped around the hill- Peaches had a huge covey of Bob's pinned in a clump of shin oaks. I got a double that time- heck, I was shooting at 30 birds coming up at my feet! Another time, the wind was blowing hard in the panhandle of Texas (really?) and this was pre-Garmin Tracker. She was hunting with a bell and beeper and I could hear neither. I searched the draws and grass and waterholes and, after maybe 10 minutes, I saw the tip of her white tail above the blowing grass. I was filled with respect for this dog as I kicked around for a full minute before the lone, buried up Bobwhite blew out of the tall grass. He dropped and Peaches went after him, located him in the grass and brought him back to hand. She was a good one. There are parts of this country that I have a hard time hunting without a certain dog- all the memories come back as I load the shotgun, check the compass, and leave the truck. "This was Peaches' ditch....", I think to myself......

Teach Someone to Shoot

This is Rhys, from Wales. He was visiting, up from the University of Florida, where he is a student with Elizabeth. He wanted to learn how to shoot a gun. Since I know Elizabeth is a good shot, I figured I'd better teach him- to give him a fighting chance. Son of a gun! I guess better eyes and youth will make a difference. He was a natural!

Take a young person hunting, or take them with you when you run dogs or check your hunting areas. Let's not lose the battle, through complacency, to keep our hunting heritage !

"Working on the chain gang, goin' down, down, down, Workin' on the chain gang.."

More table retriever training!  This is my little Ruby (about 14 mos.) learning about hold and fetch.  It's interesting to me how just altering the sequence in the tiniest degree will have one dog pushing ahead and the front dog lagging behind.  Ruby is now the one lagging.  She was quick to grasp the "hold" command and walk around with the items in her mouth.  Now, she's the one balking at the 'fetch' portion.  Little Cap is forging on ahead with the fetch and is wagging his little stub the whole time!  "Boss, this is great, but when do we get to the real thing?"  Ruby will catch on and happily complete the task at hand, I'm sure....I've got all summer...absolutely no hurry....

On the Training Table

I reached an "impasse" during my fetch training with my two pups (11-13 mos. old). I am a big fan of Jim and Phyllis Dobbs' technique and have used it many times.  I had the dogs holding anything I put in their mouths and walking around with it and surrendering it on command. But, now was the time to head them to moving the mouth out and taking what I was putting out there for them.  I'm not a fan of a lot of yelling and unnecessary pain on a dog (re-read "unnecessary"), and these are my future dogs, so I was a little apprehensive about where to go next.  The would just clam up when I put the buck on their lips.

I went to the TriTronics website and found their Forum.  I ended up getting some very good advice off the forum and I encourage anyone with training issues to give it a shot. I also read through several posts about upland hunting around the country and was especially intrigued about bird hunting in Alaska, of all places!  Did you know their season is 9 months long?  Give it a look! http://forums.tritronics.com/

Look out pups, here we go again!  They will be ready for next year with some fine retrieves, I'm sure!

Cap at 8 months in NM

It's force-fetch time!

Cap on Table with Bird

It's a long summer and I have plenty of time to do this, so, here we go! Here's my pup, Cap, about 11 mos. old, on the training table.  He is really taking right to the training, which surprises me.  My other pup, Ruby, is much more tentative. Of course, that is the personality difference between them, too.  I'm pretty sure she won't be quilled or skunked next year, either.  Cap, on the other hand,.......well, he's got a little of that "ready, shoot, aim" mentality.  I'd lay odds, he'll jump in on a skunk in a heartbeat. It's a good thing I keep pliers and antibiotics on hand for the porcupines and the skunk elixir ready to go (hydrogen Peroxide, baking soda and dish soap).  

Well, back to the table.....

Pet Cemetery

Shuga

Well, we lost another family pet.  This time, it was our little West Highland White Terrier, daughter of Angus of West Georgia fame.  Shuga (southern for "sugar") was an anti-social, territorial, opinionated, little terrier (or "terror" to many a kid that made the mistake of pulling her tail).  Most of all, she was really loved by the family.  Yeah, we had to bury her today after a bout of cancer.  That's three holes in the pet cemetery in six months!  Do you have a pet/dog cemetery?  Ours is in a stand of old pines in one of the pastures.  Lots of memories out there.

OK...Chukar...

The one major game bird in this country I have not had occasion to meet- Mr. Chukar.  Last year, I hunted Idaho for a few days and did not do the proper pre-mission intel search.  I ended up leaving early and putting the dogs back on Huns and Sharps in  Montana for a few days before heading back to Georgia.  This year, I'd like to take another stab at them.  Snake River valley, is what they say. Vertical, rough, dry, and cold- perfect! I'm ready and so are my dogs, but I'm not getting any younger (or thinner), and the time to strike is this season- late September! Anyone have any suggestions as to where to drop the tailgate?  I don't need the street and mailbox address- just a place to start looking.  Heck, half the fun is the search, isn't it?

Thinking about a "Paws on the Ground, Birds in the Bag" Seminar...

I've had some interest in a seminar for the non-hunter who'd like to learn a little about how to go about planning and executing a bird hunting trip.  The perfect attendee would be a pointing dog person (man or woman) with the time, inclination and where-with-all to take a week or so and go on a bird hunt; but they've never done it.  We would cover planning tips, equipment, dog care, species specific hunting techniques, navigation, etc. We'd spend a lot of time in questions and answers, how-to's, and some what-not-to-do's.   
My intention is to spread the word about bird hunting and the value of an outdoor sport in our society.  Is there a place for  a seminar like this?

Another fine dog is a memory....

7XNSTRA Ch. Quail Valley Trooper

Trooper and Jeffrey Keck

On the first of August, 2001, a little male pup made his way into the light and started pushing through his siblings to the warmth and protection of his mama. He was all squeal and push and mouth- and he was not to be denied the nipple. Not long after that day, Jeffery Keck picked that little guy up, smelled his puppy breath, looked him in the eye and told him, “I’m going to call you “Trooper”. And I’m going to put every bit of dog training knowledge I have in to you. That’s my job. Your job is to find birds. What do you say, Trooper? You got what it takes?”  

Three years and two months later, Trooper finished his first championship. Not many years later, he had seven championships, won everything in the Georgia Region and was second high point dog in the nation. It was a given for many years: If Trooper was running, we were all competing for second place.  

I remember watching Jeffery and Keith Howard working with Trooper in the back pasture. Lots of birds planted, voice commands, retrieving practice- most of all, lots of fun, grins and admiration and respect. I had a friend one time mention how I must really like the dog I was working at the time. I asked why he said so, and he said he could tell by the way my face lit up when I watched her run. Jeffery’s face lit up that way every time he worked or ran Trooper.  

I don’t need to tell a bird dog man about the bond that develops between man and his dog. It’s strong, deep and real. It’s about trust and hard work and not quitting- for either dog or man. The man sees a partner, a friend and an animal that trusts him to do the right thing- to care for him, feed him, train him and protect him. The dog simply looks at the man and sees his purpose for putting paws on the ground- to please this man. And he’ll do it every time he’s asked. The dog looks at the man and sees his god. For too short of time, we have our dogs. From pushing to the tit, to standing tall in the grass, to hobbling from the box one last time, they love us unconditionally until it’s their time to be a memory.

Quail Valley Trooper was put in the ground March 29, 2011. He ran his last field trial March 18, 2011. He gave his last run exactly what he gave his first run. I know because I was there to see it- I was his bracemate.  Trooper gave it all he had.

Trooper