Gun Dog Forum

It's gonna be a long summer, I already can't wait for hunting season. How do you guys pass the time between seasons? It's still too much ice to do much fishing up here, but I did get out after panfish today with the fly rod. I've been shooting my bows every day, and shooting trap one night a week, but it doesn't seem to be enough so I've been out watching some deer locally. I didn't get drawn for a a turkey tag this year, so it is going to be a while before I can hunt them.
If I had a hunting dog that was my own I'd be hunting canned birds to keep sharp, but unfortunately that's not in the cards quite yet. I've been fortunate a friend of mine has been letting me work with his lab, which is really fun. My Aussie and I have been hiking almost daily. He loves the exercise, and I love the time outdoors. What's everyone up to?

Minneguy wrote:It's gonna be a long summer, I already can't wait for hunting season. How do you guys pass the time between seasons?

Training the dog for the upcoming season. Other than that summer is for fishing and golfing.

Training, Lots of work on waterwork and retrieveing, Kennel repair and grounds maintenance and this summer... PUPPIES WOOHOO! more soon on dogs for sale page

After the season end's we continue without a gun until it's illegal



After that it's hikes & swim's in local near by parks






As the air temps rise we hike higher in altitude up to 10,500 ft





Mixed in are fly fishing trips







Of course yard work





Come August we release the hound once again for a preseason warm up

QuillGordon,
Those pictures, oh my god! Where do you live? Fantastic view sir! I was out bending a fly rod today on some panfish, and this weekend I'm after stream trout up north. Thank you for posting the pictures! I am seriously jealous right now!
My hiking is scenic, but nowhere near as stunning as yours. And that trout! Do you bring your dog fly fishing with you?

mountaindogs wrote:Training, Lots of work on waterwork and retrieveing, Kennel repair and grounds maintenance and this summer... PUPPIES WOOHOO! more soon on dogs for sale page

What kind of puppies are you having?

GSP (what else is there? ) Excited to be breeding Sky to one of Walnut Hill's amazing stud dogs.

Well, I do love my 2 labs, also. But one is spayed and 12yrs and the other a young male. But he is a heck of nearly perfect dog. Exactly what I think a lab should be. IMHO

Gopher shooting as things warm up, I need more hunting land so this is the best investment in grooming permissions for fall.

Fishing the current plan is 3 weeks at our cabin, but there is local fly fishing, a Fishing Kayak that I got late last summer to learn how to use.

Running the dog in birdy spots for a few more weeks May 1 ish. no law but just rule of thumb

Prepping for UT so lots and lots of steady work

Taking the time/risk to get my homers actually homing from more than just a mile away.

Taking my two girls turkey hunting, and fishing at local city pond. Trap league started so once a month I'm there probably get in some prairie dog shooting too!

mountaindogs wrote:GSP (what else is there? ) Excited to be breeding Sky to one of Walnut Hill's amazing stud dogs.

Haha it seems sometimes like the only two breeds are gsps and labs. Glad to hear you're excited about it! I hope to hear everything went well!

aulrich wrote:Gopher shooting as things warm up, I need more hunting land so this is the best investment in grooming permissions for fall.

Fishing the current plan is 3 weeks at our cabin, but there is local fly fishing, a Fishing Kayak that I got late last summer to learn how to use.

Running the dog in birdy spots for a few more weeks May 1 ish. no law but just rule of thumb

Prepping for UT so lots and lots of steady work

Taking the time/risk to get my homers actually homing from more than just a mile away.

Nice! I've been pest shooting for field permission, kinda fun. I love popping woodchucks with the 22, it's like miniature deer hunting
The water around here is still a touch cold for the fish to start up , but I did ok the other day on sunnies. I would let the fly land on the ice, pull it off and catch a sunny. Pretty fun haha

tfbirddog2 wrote:Taking my two girls turkey hunting, and fishing at local city pond. Trap league started so once a month I'm there probably get in some prairie dog shooting too!

That's awesome to hear! I hope they have a great time and get a big ol strutter. I might have to be buy an OTC tag and hit up the last couple seasons.
I've never gone prairie dog hunting but I hear it's a blast!

Training and running my dogs, getting a new pup over in KC, constant fix up and kennel repair, finishing the landscape in the back yard, fishing, drinking beer and taking naps.

Minneguy, we've called in one so far but I wanted the oldest to shot all on her own and couldn't get him to come another 10 yards! Otherwise we'd have one in the freezer!

Pdog shooting is a blast! I had a lease but it got sold otherwise I'd invite you out! It helps with getting a rifle dialed in to a tack driver!

AZ Brittany Guy wrote:Training and running my dogs, getting a new pup over in KC, constant fix up and kennel repair, finishing the landscape in the back yard, fishing, drinking beer and taking naps.

I'm assuming another Brittany?

tfbirddog2 wrote:Minneguy, we've called in one so far but I wanted the oldest to shot all on her own and couldn't get him to come another 10 yards! Otherwise we'd have one in the freezer!

Pdog shooting is a blast! I had a lease but it got sold otherwise I'd invite you out! It helps with getting a rifle dialed in to a tack driver!

Haha that's half of the fun, I love the sound they make when they go full strut up close. Almost nothing beats it if you ask me.
What do you usually shoot them with? I have a .308, .223 and access to a .22-250, or a .243. Or do you guys ever go rim fire?

Minneguy wrote:

AZ Brittany Guy wrote:Training and running my dogs, getting a new pup over in KC, constant fix up and kennel repair, finishing the landscape in the back yard, fishing, drinking beer and taking naps.

I'm assuming another Brittany?

Of course Although this will be my first Liver and White. I have never worried about the paint job, just concerned with the ability to run and find birds.

mountaindogs wrote:GSP (what else is there? ) .

GWP, The good looking German with the beard!!!!

Like QuillGordon said, get out every chance you can as long as still legal and the birds are not nesting!

Where do you live?

I live approximately twelve miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah. East are mtn ranges with altitude's up to 14000' & west is our high altitude desert. Around these parts thirty miles either way is one extreme to another...

Wow quill, is there any need for a personal trainer near you? I love the diversity you live in!

Gonna head out and start catching some lingcod here shortly, maybe some halibut. Already have a full chest freezer of salmon, so I might hold off on that for a while. Besides fishing I shoot my bow a lot more during the summer, usually a few hours a night if I can work it into my schedule. Camp/scout new areas for next deer season.

Minneguy wrote:

tfbirddog2 wrote:Minneguy, we've called in one so far but I wanted the oldest to shot all on her own and couldn't get him to come another 10 yards! Otherwise we'd have one in the freezer!

Pdog shooting is a blast! I had a lease but it got sold otherwise I'd invite you out! It helps with getting a rifle dialed in to a tack driver!

Haha that's half of the fun, I love the sound they make when they go full strut up close. Almost nothing beats it if you ask me.
What do you usually shoot them with? I have a .308, .223 and access to a .22-250, or a .243. Or do you guys ever go rim fire?

Haven't done any woodchuck shooting in a heckuva long time. But I always liked what the .243 brought to the dance. Not much in the way of recoil so it was always fun to shoot. I developed a 100 grain Speer PSP /IMR 4895 load to a consistent sub-minute of angle performer out of a heavy barreled Ruger M-77. Back then the hundred yard shots on woodchucks were only a challenge if I tried to pick left or right eye. The heavier bullet seemed to handle windy conditions pretty well out to 300 yards. Certainly better than the 80 grain pill. Killed one chuck dead with two shots at 600 long steps. Never tried to do better than that. Today, well, I woul be happy to stay on the paper.

My son just built a Jersey legal heavy barrel .308 semi auto that was pretty fun to shoot also. Sucker was pretty heavy so no real recoil. He said 11+ pounds. I'm glad he will be carrying it. Only shot factory stuff to condition the barrel, so we shall see what it can do down the road.

RayG

Minneguy wrote:Wow quill, is there any need for a personal trainer near you? I love the diversity you live in!

Not sure,
I know for me the scenery alone makes it real easy to stay active

deke wrote:Gonna head out and start catching some lingcod here shortly, maybe some halibut. Already have a full chest freezer of salmon, so I might hold off on that for a while. Besides fishing I shoot my bow a lot more during the summer, usually a few hours a night if I can work it into my schedule. Camp/scout new areas for next deer season.

Sounds an awful lot like a good time! Where you from catching those crazy kind of fish?
What kind of bow are you shooting? I love that you also scout, that's the mark of a true sportsman!

RayGubernat wrote:

Minneguy wrote:

tfbirddog2 wrote:Minneguy, we've called in one so far but I wanted the oldest to shot all on her own and couldn't get him to come another 10 yards! Otherwise we'd have one in the freezer!

Pdog shooting is a blast! I had a lease but it got sold otherwise I'd invite you out! It helps with getting a rifle dialed in to a tack driver!

Haha that's half of the fun, I love the sound they make when they go full strut up close. Almost nothing beats it if you ask me.
What do you usually shoot them with? I have a .308, .223 and access to a .22-250, or a .243. Or do you guys ever go rim fire?

Haven't done any woodchuck shooting in a heckuva long time. But I always liked what the .243 brought to the dance. Not much in the way of recoil so it was always fun to shoot. I developed a 100 grain Speer PSP /IMR 4895 load to a consistent sub-minute of angle performer out of a heavy barreled Ruger M-77. Back then the hundred yard shots on woodchucks were only a challenge if I tried to pick left or right eye. The heavier bullet seemed to handle windy conditions pretty well out to 300 yards. Certainly better than the 80 grain pill. Killed one chuck dead with two shots at 600 long steps. Never tried to do better than that. Today, well, I woul be happy to stay on the paper.

My son just built a Jersey legal heavy barrel .308 semi auto that was pretty fun to shoot also. Sucker was pretty heavy so no real recoil. He said 11+ pounds. I'm glad he will be carrying it. Only shot factory stuff to condition the barrel, so we shall see what it can do down the road.

RayG

Haha that's awesome! Sounds like you were dialed in! I missed a chuck in the rain yesterday with my .223, I shoulda used the .308 (wind drift got me) but I went .223 so I didn't have to worry about the bullet going off the ground and continuing on. Nobody should be sneaking in our woods, but ya never know!

Quill, you're killin me! I'm gonna steal those photos if you don't mind!

Steal away...

Minneguy wrote:

deke wrote:Gonna head out and start catching some lingcod here shortly, maybe some halibut. Already have a full chest freezer of salmon, so I might hold off on that for a while. Besides fishing I shoot my bow a lot more during the summer, usually a few hours a night if I can work it into my schedule. Camp/scout new areas for next deer season.

Sounds an awful lot like a good time! Where you from catching those crazy kind of fish?
What kind of bow are you shooting? I love that you also scout, that's the mark of a true sportsman!

Im from N.W. Washington. Lingcod opens up this weekend, along with spot prawns, so we will be spending the entire weekend out on the boat. I shoot a Mathews switchback xt right now, but am looking into either a bowtech rpm 360 or hoyt spyder or faktor. As for the scouting, for me its more of a get away from long work days all summer. Pack up the dog and the old lady and head over to the east side for a weekend, check out the local deer population while I'm over there.

Here is picture of a monster lingcod, 46 inch 50 lbs. Had to throw the big girl back, she was ten inches over legal limit.

Quill Gordon ..... it would take a lot to make me move out of Scotland but those photographs of where you live fairly make my mouth water !

Since the seasons end I did a bit of dog training on an estates residual birds then I stopped because the birds, pheasants and partridge, were beginning to nest. The gamekeeper then contacted me to have me do a nest count. This means walking the hedgerows with a vizzie and a Brittany hoping the dogs point the nests but do not disturb them. It all boils down to an awful lot of walking on that large estate with it's miles of hedges and bits and pieces of rough cover in field corners.

I always did my best to avoid my dogs finding nests before, it feels "wrong" to be trying to find them. Apart from that I've done some trout fishing and some carp fishing , in another month or so I will be trying to catch barbel ....the poor man's salmon.

Bill T.

Now that's an embarrassing reminder; my dog did that during a trial. :roll:

tfbirddog2 wrote:Taking my two girls turkey hunting, and fishing at local city pond. Trap league started so once a month I'm there probably get in some prairie dog shooting too!

Your girls don't like sewing machines or baking cakes (unless you are talking about your two bitches, the kind with paws)?

i hate to say it, but i live and breath camo and hunter's orange. bullet doesn't react well to the blackflies, so right now it's let's lay low and keep in the house. he gets bit, it looks like he's got some wicked doggie chicken pox or something! but, previous to this, i took him to the old deer yard to see if we could find some birds, and better yet deer sheds. although he's not a "shed" dog, he picks up on things quickly. and between the snow melting and blackfly season, the window of opportunity is small. it gets him out and gets him running, and although we never find any birds, he loves being out and about. over the course of 4 days the boyfriend and i found 9 sheds, 4 being from this passed season and one of them being partially chewed by rodents, and one broken from we think the snowmobile groomer running it over, 2 were right from the buck, remainder were oldies. but, when i decided to wander the local migration trail, the dog started to act weird. he stopped and sniffed. then i noticed the hair, a slight stentch floating in the air and this massive skull in which he stopped and sat beside. was a 10 point, one tine busted off during the scrap season, and i think a straight up wolf kill. then again, this was 100 yards off of the main hydro line, and about 40 yards from the main migration trail. people sling arrows all over durin the season. it wasn't far from many stands...if this was something i knew i had hit, id go looking for it...then again, some hunters are lazy....it'll be on my wall soon enough! other than that and waiting for the summer to get on, fishing, scouting, dog training and of course, work!

Now that's an embarrassing reminder; my dog did that during a trial.

Don't be unless your only concerned about a ribbon for yer wall...A well bred hound's natural instinct is to retrieve feathered, winged object's. Basically a ribbon for your hound's wall so to speak. I'm completely in support of such habits

deke wrote:

Minneguy wrote:

deke wrote:Gonna head out and start catching some lingcod here shortly, maybe some halibut. Already have a full chest freezer of salmon, so I might hold off on that for a while. Besides fishing I shoot my bow a lot more during the summer, usually a few hours a night if I can work it into my schedule. Camp/scout new areas for next deer season.

Sounds an awful lot like a good time! Where you from catching those crazy kind of fish?
What kind of bow are you shooting? I love that you also scout, that's the mark of a true sportsman!

Im from N.W. Washington. Lingcod opens up this weekend, along with spot prawns, so we will be spending the entire weekend out on the boat. I shoot a Mathews switchback xt right now, but am looking into either a bowtech rpm 360 or hoyt spyder or faktor. As for the scouting, for me its more of a get away from long work days all summer. Pack up the dog and the old lady and head over to the east side for a weekend, check out the local deer population while I'm over there.

Dude I had to look up what a lingcod was! Haha I'll extend a warm future welcome to the dark side (Hoyt) youll love it over here:)

Trekmoor wrote:Quill Gordon ..... it would take a lot to make me move out of Scotland but those photographs of where you live fairly make my mouth water !

Since the seasons end I did a bit of dog training on an estates residual birds then I stopped because the birds, pheasants and partridge, were beginning to nest. The gamekeeper then contacted me to have me do a nest count. This means walking the hedgerows with a vizzie and a Brittany hoping the dogs point the nests but do not disturb them. It all boils down to an awful lot of walking on that large estate with it's miles of hedges and bits and pieces of rough cover in field corners.

I always did my best to avoid my dogs finding nests before, it feels "wrong" to be trying to find them. Apart from that I've done some trout fishing and some carp fishing , in another month or so I will be trying to catch barbel ....the poor man's salmon.

Bill T.

Howdy bill! It's cool to have somebody from across the pond. Is it true you guys don't use labs for anything but the retrieve?

halt3rtop wrote:i hate to say it, but i live and breath camo and hunter's orange. bullet doesn't react well to the blackflies, so right now it's let's lay low and keep in the house. he gets bit, it looks like he's got some wicked doggie chicken pox or something! but, previous to this, i took him to the old deer yard to see if we could find some birds, and better yet deer sheds. although he's not a "shed" dog, he picks up on things quickly. and between the snow melting and blackfly season, the window of opportunity is small. it gets him out and gets him running, and although we never find any birds, he loves being out and about. over the course of 4 days the boyfriend and i found 9 sheds, 4 being from this passed season and one of them being partially chewed by rodents, and one broken from we think the snowmobile groomer running it over, 2 were right from the buck, remainder were oldies. but, when i decided to wander the local migration trail, the dog started to act weird. he stopped and sniffed. then i noticed the hair, a slight stentch floating in the air and this massive skull in which he stopped and sat beside. was a 10 point, one tine busted off during the scrap season, and i think a straight up wolf kill. then again, this was 100 yards off of the main hydro line, and about 40 yards from the main migration trail. people sling arrows all over durin the season. it wasn't far from many stands...if this was something i knew i had hit, id go looking for it...then again, some hunters are lazy....it'll be on my wall soon enough! other than that and waiting for the summer to get on, fishing, scouting, dog training and of course, work!

Nice find! Bummer it was a deadhead and not a bow kill (for you). It woulda been Awesome to see that bad boy!

Minneguy wrote:

Trekmoor wrote:Quill Gordon ..... it would take a lot to make me move out of Scotland but those photographs of where you live fairly make my mouth water !

Since the seasons end I did a bit of dog training on an estates residual birds then I stopped because the birds, pheasants and partridge, were beginning to nest. The gamekeeper then contacted me to have me do a nest count. This means walking the hedgerows with a vizzie and a Brittany hoping the dogs point the nests but do not disturb them. It all boils down to an awful lot of walking on that large estate with it's miles of hedges and bits and pieces of rough cover in field corners.

I always did my best to avoid my dogs finding nests before, it feels "wrong" to be trying to find them. Apart from that I've done some trout fishing and some carp fishing , in another month or so I will be trying to catch barbel ....the poor man's salmon.

Bill T.

Howdy bill! It's cool to have somebody from across the pond. Is it true you guys don't use labs for anything but the retrieve?

Howdy ! Or as we say in Haggisland ...." Hullaw there !"

It is completely untrue that we don't use labs for anything else but the retrieve. I expected and trained my own labs to do a beaters dog's job ....hunting for and flushing birds on big driven shoots. I also used them for what we call "rough shooting" and what I think you would call Upland Hunting." Apart from the dedicated field trailers or from the men who shoot driven game while standing at pegs ,many lab owners use their labs for just about anything to do with game shooting ..... apart from pointing ! Although I have seen a few labs that would point nobody I know of trains labs as pointers or even tries to deliberately breed labs for that aspect of gundog work.

Labs are capable of doing just about anything remotely resembling gun dog work and of doing it to a high standard. I trialed the same labs I worked as spaniels with quite a lot of success. The Labrador just has to be one of the best gundog breeds on the planet just the way it was passed on to us from our Gt. Grandpappies. I don't want to change anything about them.....apart from the travesties of the breed I too often see in show rings !

Bill T.

Labs are capable of doing just about anything remotely resembling gun dog work and of doing it to a high standard. I trialed the same labs I worked as spaniels with quite a lot of success. The Labrador just has to be one of the best gundog breeds on the planet just the way it was passed on to us from our Gt. Grandpappies. I don't want to change anything about them.....apart from the travesties of the breed I too often see in show rings !

No truer word's spoke or typed in this particular instance...

I can trace me root's back to the Clan Gordon in the mid 1500's, birth place middle Scotland. What ever in the he!! that means. Originally from Normandy as the story goes...
However, I have always had a fondness for the Scot's and have wanted to visit Scotland someday...

Clan Gordon began in the border country of Scotland and England ....not a nice peaceful place back then ! The clan moved to the Aberdeen area of Scotland after supporting the king against clan Atholl (I think?) Clan Gordon was given the Atholl lands. Aberdeen is about 2/3 of the way up Scotlands east coast. It is a beautiful area of hills, glens and rivers . I am not a historian by the way, I just like reading about how my ancestors battered the poo out of each other in between fighting the English !

Bill T.

Trekmoor wrote:

Minneguy wrote:

Trekmoor wrote:Quill Gordon ..... it would take a lot to make me move out of Scotland but those photographs of where you live fairly make my mouth water !

Since the seasons end I did a bit of dog training on an estates residual birds then I stopped because the birds, pheasants and partridge, were beginning to nest. The gamekeeper then contacted me to have me do a nest count. This means walking the hedgerows with a vizzie and a Brittany hoping the dogs point the nests but do not disturb them. It all boils down to an awful lot of walking on that large estate with it's miles of hedges and bits and pieces of rough cover in field corners.

I always did my best to avoid my dogs finding nests before, it feels "wrong" to be trying to find them. Apart from that I've done some trout fishing and some carp fishing , in another month or so I will be trying to catch barbel ....the poor man's salmon.

Bill T.

Howdy bill! It's cool to have somebody from across the pond. Is it true you guys don't use labs for anything but the retrieve?

Howdy ! Or as we say in Haggisland ...." Hullaw there !"

It is completely untrue that we don't use labs for anything else but the retrieve. I expected and trained my own labs to do a beaters dog's job ....hunting for and flushing birds on big driven shoots. I also used them for what we call "rough shooting" and what I think you would call Upland Hunting." Apart from the dedicated field trailers or from the men who shoot driven game while standing at pegs ,many lab owners use their labs for just about anything to do with game shooting ..... apart from pointing ! Although I have seen a few labs that would point nobody I know of trains labs as pointers or even tries to deliberately breed labs for that aspect of gundog work.

Labs are capable of doing just about anything remotely resembling gun dog work and of doing it to a high standard. I trialed the same labs I worked as spaniels with quite a lot of success. The Labrador just has to be one of the best gundog breeds on the planet just the way it was passed on to us from our Gt. Grandpappies. I don't want to change anything about them.....apart from the travesties of the breed I too often see in show rings !

Bill T.

Thanks for clearing that up Bill! I was really disappointed that the labs weren't being used to their full potential!

How's everyone's summer going? It's been raining here "bleep" near every day, but it has broke long enough for me to get out and beat up the bass with my light weight fly rods, and do some trail riding with the pup. Man I love ripping down a hill on a mountain bike!
I think it might even be time to head to a pheasant farm and run the dogs a little bit!

So far it has been a fairly eventful summer. Got engaged at the beginning of it. Been out camping nearly every weekend I can get away. Letting the dog rest up and enjoy the beginning of summer, he had a rough season last year. Fishin, Fishin, and more Fishin, Kings start running here shortly so we will have to get out and put a hurtin on them.

Congrats deke! Sounds like an awesome way to spend a summer. Where are you at? I'd love to get into some kings on the fly, man that would be awesome. Cool avi pic btw, good looking dogs!

Minneguy wrote:Congrats deke! Sounds like an awesome way to spend a summer. Where are you at? I'd love to get into some kings on the fly, man that would be awesome. Cool avi pic btw, good looking dogs!

Im about as far up in Northwest Washington as you can get. We went out on the opener and put six on the boat ranging from 18 to 35 lbs. Guess its time to fire up the smoker and get rid of pinks and silvers that are in there. Never caught one on a fly ( not that talented). We usually take about 20 lbs of smoked fish to SD and give some to the locals, and the ones who offer up good advice or a place to hunt get some king filets.

Thats awesome deke! I love home smoked salmon, and what a good way to eat it up!

Anybody been out scouting? Im seeing high numbers of grouse, and ultra high numbers of woodcock this year. The ducks seem to be ok, and the deer are alright (2 nice bucks) but with it being a 1 deer zone around here this year, im gonna have to do more bird and bunny chasing. I wish the early goose season was around here... A fresh cut wheat field has been holding tons lately lol.
Suprisingly the rabbit numbers are way, way down.
It looks like all the fox around me have mange, and numbers are really low. I have yet to see any coyotes, or sign which im not comlaining about, but i cant seem to come up with a logical reason for their absence. Fall turkey may be good, because theres a ton of them around me. They werent around this spring, but they sure showed up now