Search found 239 matches

by nhachman
Wed Feb 01, 2017 11:39 am
Forum: Events
Topic: Free training demonstration in the Kansas City area - Mar 18
Replies: 0
Views: 4877

Free training demonstration in the Kansas City area - Mar 18

A free training session sponsored by the Missouri Brittany Club will be held on Saturday morning, March 18th, 2017, open to ALL pointing breeds for young dogs (or 2-3 year old dogs who haven't had much bird work). The emphasis will be on introducing your dog to birds. Location - Kearney, MO (Exact a...
by nhachman
Wed Jan 18, 2017 4:24 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Why are Bird Hunters Afraid of Field Trials
Replies: 62
Views: 30881

Re: Why are Bird Hunters Afraid of Field Trials

It takes some ingenuity and commitment to train and keep the dogs conditioned, but it's doable. It's the commitment that's vital though, IME. I wouldn't advise folks to just pull their dog off the sofa once in a while and expect to be competitive, or to not expect scheduling and budgeting issues in...
by nhachman
Wed Jan 18, 2017 12:20 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: What range do you prefer, etc.?
Replies: 18
Views: 8912

Re: What range do you prefer, etc.?

Here in the MO/KS area I hunt all kinds of cover. Narrow fence rows, ag field edges, prairie grass, old (idle) ag fields, ditches and creeks, timber edges/islands, etc. Many of the areas I hunt have a combination of cover types that each can hold birds. The answer to this question is variable. The w...
by nhachman
Tue Jan 17, 2017 5:12 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Post dogs on Point!!!!
Replies: 738
Views: 738026

Re: Post dogs on Point!!!!

Guy & Doug - Here's a family portrait. Annie's litter-mate Jesse is the dog honoring close up. Katie is on point (left), what turned out to be a single quail. Rey (right), 1 yr old pup from last December's litter, has no intention of honoring.... she did however have multiple finds and great natural...
by nhachman
Tue Jan 17, 2017 5:00 pm
Forum: Please Welcome New Members - Introduce Yourself Here!
Topic: Saying Hello from Missouri
Replies: 8
Views: 4782

Re: Saying Hello from Missouri

Welcome to GDF. I'm north of KC MO with 3 American Brittanys. Kansas isn't too far away for great hunting!
by nhachman
Tue Jan 17, 2017 4:52 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Why are Bird Hunters Afraid of Field Trials
Replies: 62
Views: 30881

Re: Why are Bird Hunters Afraid of Field Trials

I've enjoyed reading through all of the comments in this thread on the subject. I am not sure that I would have started or persisted in NSTRA if not for having an uncle who was also just starting out in the sport. We both attended trials and earned our lumps together. I stuck with it because I enjoy...
by nhachman
Wed Dec 07, 2016 8:48 pm
Forum: Tributes to the Departed
Topic: R.I.P. Elle
Replies: 18
Views: 16852

Re: R.I.P. Elle

Sorry for your loss.
by nhachman
Mon Nov 28, 2016 1:44 pm
Forum: Hunting
Topic: Kansas Hunting
Replies: 6
Views: 4889

Re: Kansas Hunting

Image

Day two was much more productive. Met up with a couple of great guys that had us along on their private land hunt. I provided the dogs and we had a lot of fun.
by nhachman
Fri Nov 25, 2016 6:58 pm
Forum: Hunting
Topic: Kansas Hunting
Replies: 6
Views: 4889

Re: Kansas Hunting

Hunted north central today, first of a three day hunt. Moved 5 coveys, 3 of them had 15+ birds. 6 roosters and 5 hens seen. None taken.
by nhachman
Mon Oct 10, 2016 12:22 pm
Forum: Events
Topic: Northwest Missouri BDC NSTRA trial October 22/23
Replies: 2
Views: 5577

Re: Northwest Missouri BDC NSTRA trial October 22/23

The field trial grounds at Pony Express Lake CA are too overgrown for us to safely hold a trial there. The area manager will not allow any mowing to resolve the issue. We are going to have to move this trial to the trial grounds near Sterling, KS.
by nhachman
Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:33 am
Forum: Brags
Topic: Giving her the Credit
Replies: 1
Views: 5503

Re: Giving her the Credit

Looks like you a have a fine hunting partner there. I wish you many years of enjoyment hunting with her.
by nhachman
Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:20 am
Forum: Events
Topic: Free youth pheasant hunt October 8th
Replies: 0
Views: 4606

Free youth pheasant hunt October 8th

A couple of guys that have a private preserve near Cameron, MO are hosting a free youth pheasant hunt on October 8th. It is open to youth 11-15 years of age with a hunters safety certification. The day will consist of trap shooting, 2 pheasant hunt and bird cleaning demonstration. Please see the fly...
by nhachman
Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:20 am
Forum: Hunting
Topic: Free youth pheasant hunt October 8th
Replies: 1
Views: 2345

Free youth pheasant hunt October 8th

A couple of guys that have a private preserve near Cameron, MO are hosting a free youth pheasant hunt on October 8th. It is open to youth 11-15 years of age with a hunters safety certification. The day will consist of trap shooting, 2 pheasant hunt and bird cleaning demonstration. Please see the fly...
by nhachman
Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:58 pm
Forum: Brags
Topic: NSTRA Purina Endurance Classic
Replies: 4
Views: 7025

NSTRA Purina Endurance Classic

Last week I competed in this national trial, held at the Iowa Gun Dog Association grounds near Osceola, IA. This is the second year I have attended this event and have taken my family both times. The club members along with the NSTRA leadership ensure a family friendly environment. Camping at the gr...
by nhachman
Wed Aug 24, 2016 7:47 am
Forum: Events
Topic: Northwest Missouri BDC NSTRA trial October 22/23
Replies: 2
Views: 5577

Northwest Missouri BDC NSTRA trial October 22/23

The Northwest Missouri Bird Dog Club will be holding it's fall NSTRA trial the weekend of October 22nd and 23rd at the Pony Express Lake Conservation Area not far from Cameron, MO. The trial format is Open / Double. All dog handlers must be active NSTRA members to participate in the trial and the en...
by nhachman
Wed Aug 24, 2016 7:21 am
Forum: Events
Topic: NSTRA field size ??
Replies: 5
Views: 8015

Re: NSTRA field size ??

Grounds in our region vary. Some fields are bordered on 1 or two sides by fencing, either barbed wire or hog wire. Some fields have no fencing. Boundaries are always marked with mowed strips with bird work done on the mowed strip being in bounds. Fields vary from 25 - 40 acres with somewhere around ...
by nhachman
Mon Aug 22, 2016 11:04 am
Forum: Hunting
Topic: What are your 2016 Hunting Plans??
Replies: 27
Views: 15823

Re: What are your 2016 Hunting Plans??

Planning to stay in Missouri for the first couple of weeks of the season. Going to to western KS over the Thanksgiving holiday and either going back there or trying NE or IA late in the season after Christmas. Fill in any available gaps with Missouri hunts as time allows.
by nhachman
Fri Jul 29, 2016 2:54 pm
Forum: Training
Topic: Training pics from July 15
Replies: 8
Views: 4294

Re: Training pics from July 15

Looking good Doug!
by nhachman
Fri Jul 08, 2016 3:11 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Go Pro footage of NSTRA trial
Replies: 17
Views: 7007

Re: Go Pro footage of NSTRA trial

At Rock Creek, A field is 35 acres, B field is 26 acres. This video was of B field.
by nhachman
Mon Jun 20, 2016 10:13 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Go Pro footage of NSTRA trial
Replies: 17
Views: 7007

Re: Go Pro footage of NSTRA trial

........Drone might be a good idea,........ I wonder about a drone, since a bird dog should be interested in anything flying low over his head. I want my dog watching birds. I suppose with a little extra training, a dog could get used to a drone and learn to ignore it.[/quote] Yeah, I was suggestin...
by nhachman
Fri Jun 10, 2016 10:35 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Question of judging NSTRA
Replies: 47
Views: 22205

Re: Question of judging NSTRA

My belief is that for the most part, the judge is able to observe enough of the dog's responses to handler commands while staying trained on the dog. In my experience, most dogs will make their big casts early in the brace and that is when you have the biggest opportunity for the judge to be at a gr...
by nhachman
Fri Jun 10, 2016 9:28 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Go Pro footage of NSTRA trial
Replies: 17
Views: 7007

Re: Go Pro footage of NSTRA trial

Wet indeed, you would have had to have hip waders on to keep from getting wet up to your waist on A field that Saturday morning.
by nhachman
Thu Jun 09, 2016 3:40 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Go Pro footage of NSTRA trial
Replies: 17
Views: 7007

Re: Go Pro footage of NSTRA trial

Having a camera man would be the optimal solution, but without some sort of special authorization that wouldn't be allowed in a live trial. I wonder how they would feel about a drone though? :D
by nhachman
Thu Jun 09, 2016 3:38 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Question of judging NSTRA
Replies: 47
Views: 22205

Re: Question of judging NSTRA

In today's NSTRA, it is understood that it is the judge's responsibility to scout their assigned dog and to do their best to indicate to the handler when the dog goes on point. Depending on the cover and the topography of the field, it could take the form of being 100 yards away or you could have to...
by nhachman
Thu Jun 09, 2016 1:44 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Go Pro footage of NSTRA trial
Replies: 17
Views: 7007

Go Pro footage of NSTRA trial

So I picked up a used 1st generation Go Pro real cheap and wore it during a couple of the trials about two weeks ago. The quality came out good, but having it mounted on my chest was not optimal for capturing the shot at the bird or the retrieve to hand. I think I'll work on getting the head mount a...
by nhachman
Wed May 25, 2016 8:33 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: A few photo's from the 2016 N>W> NSTRA Regional
Replies: 9
Views: 3373

Re: A few photo's from the 2016 N>W> NSTRA Regional

Great pics, good looking dogs. Thanks for sharing.
by nhachman
Fri May 13, 2016 11:52 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Has anyone ever put a dog on a plane?
Replies: 6
Views: 3412

Re: Has anyone ever put a dog on a plane?

** Edit ** All the below was assuming the OP was talking about shipping the dog, not taking it into the passenger compartment. I have no idea what all that entails. A Health Certificate is a fairly normal thing required for animals traveling between states. The laws do vary from state to state howev...
by nhachman
Fri May 13, 2016 7:10 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Fun with NSTRA data
Replies: 14
Views: 5618

Re: Fun with NSTRA data

Ninevehn wrote:Interesting numbers, nhachman! I didn't realize NSTRA data was so open.
Well, it's not.. it took a bit of doing to accumulate it somewhere that I could run my own analysis. :wink:
by nhachman
Thu May 12, 2016 12:35 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Fun with NSTRA data
Replies: 14
Views: 5618

Re: Fun with NSTRA data

Yeah, my wording is the problem, I meant to say 96 wins assuming a win is always worth 3 pts. Again, I'm not putting this out as definitive proof to make a case for best dog/breed/lineage/etc. Just answering questions of curiosity with the data that has been collected and is available to me. Does nu...
by nhachman
Thu May 12, 2016 10:33 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Dog transportation
Replies: 2
Views: 1500

Re: Dog transportation

Check with Terry @ Great Lakes Dog Transport

734-752-2813
by nhachman
Thu May 12, 2016 10:25 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Fun with NSTRA data
Replies: 14
Views: 5618

Re: Fun with NSTRA data

Don, you're right in that the data I have is not a complete picture. The value I'm finding in it is mostly entertainment and to provoke thought. The data regarding how many trials a dog ran in is not available, so we can't take that into consideration. I would really like to see that data so I could...
by nhachman
Thu May 12, 2016 9:59 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Fun with NSTRA data
Replies: 14
Views: 5618

Re: Fun with NSTRA data

Top 30 dogs by total points out of all breeds, from all time.

Image
by nhachman
Thu May 12, 2016 9:41 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Fun with NSTRA data
Replies: 14
Views: 5618

Fun with NSTRA data

In my professional life I have some dealings with data analysis and like to play around with data sets to answer questions of curiosity. Disclaimer: I'm not saying any of this is statistically sound nor am I making any statements about who is the best dog/breed/etc. As the post title says, this is j...
by nhachman
Thu May 05, 2016 7:24 pm
Forum: Brags
Topic: NSTRA Champion Godfather's Dakota Elle
Replies: 8
Views: 9629

Re: NSTRA Champion Godfather's Dakota Elle

Congratulations!
by nhachman
Thu Apr 28, 2016 1:02 pm
Forum: Health and Nutrition
Topic: Just Right by Purina
Replies: 3
Views: 3250

Re: Just Right by Purina

Yeah, you can pretty well get any combination you want already from all the different Purina brands offered off the shelf. This feels more like a gimmick than anything else, especially putting your dog's name and picture on the label.
by nhachman
Thu Apr 28, 2016 10:19 am
Forum: Health and Nutrition
Topic: Just Right by Purina
Replies: 3
Views: 3250

Just Right by Purina

Purina is starting a service to custom make your dog food... the concept is interesting but at 4 bucks a pound I think they're going after a pretty small market.

https://www.purina.com/products/just-right-by-purina
by nhachman
Wed Apr 27, 2016 8:56 pm
Forum: Off Topic Forum
Topic: Hunting in snow
Replies: 16
Views: 11085

Re: Hunting in snow

I do enjoy hunting in the snow occasionally, but not if the temp is in the teens or lower. I once hunted in snow that in many places had drifts up to my hips (I'm 6'1") and that was rough. We hunted a little 50 acre spot and that was it for the day. Watching the dogs disappear and then come springin...
by nhachman
Tue Mar 22, 2016 7:25 am
Forum: Brags
Topic: NSTRA Champion Ellie's Crazy Katie
Replies: 23
Views: 20652

Re: NSTRA Champion Ellie's Crazy Katie

Congrats to Katie and you. I ran my Brittany, Elle, in a trial here in Arizona last month and she got a 3rd and a 4th. Ran very well in her other two braces. I've entered her in a trial in Colorado on April 9-10 that I will hit on my way back to South Dakota. She is now sitting at 17 points but nee...
by nhachman
Mon Mar 21, 2016 3:59 pm
Forum: Brags
Topic: NSTRA Champion Ellie's Crazy Katie
Replies: 23
Views: 20652

Re: NSTRA Champion Ellie's Crazy Katie

Katie has been on a pretty good run lately. She has a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the past two weeks. Two more wins and an odd point from somewhere and she could be a 2x champion! She has a few more trialing years left in her so I hope that can become a reality.
by nhachman
Fri Feb 12, 2016 7:05 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: NSTRA Results: Dog Rating
Replies: 15
Views: 6213

Re: NSTRA Results: Dog Rating

Also, how will you rate a dog just based on the scores on the NSTRA site? Those scores are just for 1-4th place, as you stated, so what about all the other scores the dog achieved when it didn't place? Not including those in your average discredits the math right away.
by nhachman
Fri Feb 12, 2016 6:58 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: NSTRA Results: Dog Rating
Replies: 15
Views: 6213

Re: NSTRA Results: Dog Rating

I agree with what has mostly been said in the other posts. Increasing average score through training is only one of possibly a hundred different variables that would go into the formula for winning a given trial. Plus, training can only increase the score on finds and retrieves if the dog finds bird...
by nhachman
Fri Jan 22, 2016 8:57 pm
Forum: Brags
Topic: New NSTRA Champion
Replies: 11
Views: 13181

Re: New NSTRA Champion

Congratulations! That's a fine looking dog you have there, and the Championship shows he has the skills to go with the looks.
by nhachman
Sun Nov 08, 2015 9:15 pm
Forum: Hunting
Topic: Missouri opener
Replies: 13
Views: 7537

Re: Missouri opener

After 3 days of hunting birds in Iowa with a friend, the dogs are tired and I'm dog tired. We walked a bunch to say the least. We ended up with 7 roosters and 2 quail. There were plenty of other missed opportunities. The 2 quail came from the one covey we saw in all three days. My young brittany got...
by nhachman
Wed Nov 04, 2015 9:43 am
Forum: Hunting
Topic: 2015 Omaha Indian Rez
Replies: 10
Views: 5686

Re: 2015 Omaha Indian Rez

Having fun doing it is just as good as putting birds in your bag! I'm headed to Iowa tonight for a 4 day hunt with a friend.
by nhachman
Wed Nov 04, 2015 9:37 am
Forum: Hunting
Topic: Missouri opener
Replies: 13
Views: 7537

Re: Missouri opener

I'm headed up to south central Iowa tonight for 4 days of hunting. From what I hear we should get into plenty of birds.
by nhachman
Mon Nov 02, 2015 9:17 am
Forum: Hunting
Topic: Missouri opener
Replies: 13
Views: 7537

Missouri opener

Hunted with dad and my cousin yesterday in NW Missouri. 3 coveys of quail, a few more singles, and saw about a dozen roosters. It did get warm, dry and windy in the afternoon so the dogs had trouble smelling and we lost a few quail. Ended the day with two roosters and two quail in the bag. http://i1...
by nhachman
Sun Oct 25, 2015 7:40 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Post dogs on Point!!!!
Replies: 738
Views: 738026

Re: Post dogs on Point!!!!

Image

Breaking out the new pup
by nhachman
Mon Oct 19, 2015 11:37 am
Forum: Hunting
Topic: SD
Replies: 5
Views: 3356

Re: SD

I didn't get to go this year but talked to my group that are there. There are five of them and they shot 15 birds on Saturday. Sunday was very windy and they only managed two birds.
by nhachman
Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:57 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: nstra ohio
Replies: 5
Views: 2501

Re: nstra ohio

Just put a call into the trial chairman to get directions to the grounds. NSTRA people are typically friendly and always welcome new folks.
by nhachman
Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:57 am
Forum: Brags
Topic: Missouri Gun Dog of the Year
Replies: 7
Views: 9574

Re: Missouri Gun Dog of the Year

Congratulations Rowdy!