Chris and Rachel not long after she was born

Our little girl finally arrived! We are very excited to have her here. With the help of some amazing mid-wives and the staff at the Portneuf Regional Hospital, Rachel was born Friday morning (2/26/2010). It greatly deepened my appreciation for women and especially my wife Julie.  I love you Sweetheart!

The kids were so excited about the baby, even Sam, who prior to the birth was not happy about a baby sister (he wanted a brother). After one look at her he fell in love and has been going around protecting her ever since. He just couldn’t get over how little she is and how soft she is. Sarah just wants to dress her up in every outfit she has, like some play doll.

When we got home our Labrador was very interested, but careful around the baby. She wanted to sniff everything thoroughly. It was neat to watch; she innately seemed to know to be careful and gentle around the baby, but was super curious.

Introducing a dog to a new member of the family usually goes pretty easy, dogs have several hundred thousand years of doing this in their genes. During the introduction take it easy, keep the situation calm, watch behavior and body language closely and let them know how this babe automatically fits above the dog in the family rank. Do this by firmly telling the dog to back off or go lay down when she gets too close to the baby or starts licking her. This firm direction provides what the dog needs to understand the social order of the home.

Allie, our lab has been curious about the baby, especially her scent, but very cautious around her.

Tri-Tronics G3 EXP with Tracer Light

I recently purchased two Tri-Tronics Tracer lights to test and the following are my thoughts after 3 months of use:

First, they were fairly easy to install into the e-collar receivers (GP2 or GP3). I removed the collar from the receivers and took out the two screws. The unit then separates from the battery and you insert the tracer light between the battery and the stimulation unit and screw it together with the longer screws provided.  It was pretty straight forward.

The light works by setting the power level dial to “A” (Accessory) to control the light. Click any of the control buttons to turn the light to flash mode (unit flashes a quick double flash every 3 seconds), push again to turn on the light solid.  Another click turns the unit off.  The only catch is that the light must be turned off before the collar is manually shut off on the underside or the light continues flashing and will run down the battery. This really isn’t much of a problem since you clearly see that the light is on, even in broad daylight and can turn it off.

The first thing that struck me about the Tracer was how bright the light is. These new LED lights are really bright. As long as the dog is facing you and the collar is not hidden by the dog’s head, you can see the light a long way off. I didn’t test it to see how far it can be seen at night, but it has to be several miles. I liked the fact that they make it in white, blue and red, so you can run multiple dogs and tell the difference. I was also impressed at the ruggedness of the light. It is built to the same high standards I have come to expect from Tri-Tronics.

Battery life is another thing I haven’t specifically tested, but running the light on flashing mode for 5 to 15 minutes almost every day, I didn’t notice that I had to charge the receiver any sooner than I normally do. Tri-Tronics reports that running the Tracer in the constant on mode will drain the battery 40% faster than the flashing mode.

The Tracer light is nifty, but do I really need it? That is the real question to ask yourself. I guess that answer really depends on how much you have your dog out after dark. If I were running coon hounds night hunting it would be an absolute necessity. Otherwise, I guess it depends. I often take the dogs out to the back pasture for a quick run and bathroom break before putting them up for the night. I really enjoy the Tracer for this. I can easily keep track of several dogs in the total dark by watching the lights. The second way I have used this is with my big running pointer at the end of the hunt. Late in the chukar season this year I was headed back to the truck at the close of shooting hours when he disappeared. I got to the truck and he wasn’t there as I expected. I was able to remotely turn on the Tracer and in a few minutes I saw the light in the growing darkness way off. I was able to drive a little closer and call the dog over. That saved me a lot of nervous time and frustration. I could also see how it might save a dog’s life if an oncoming car could see the light and slow down to avoid the dog.

The Tracer does add 1/4” thickness to the e-collar, but I have run it on cocker spaniels up to large labs and not felt like the thickness or weight was an issue. The lights retail for $49, and can be purchased from many online sellers, including Tri-Tronics.com for $44. If you already have the G2 or G3 EXP collars, you will have to think through you need for such a product, but if you are thinking of getting one, they’re rugged and work great.

Tri-Tronics Tracer Light - Flash mode (1x/3 sec)

Tri-Tronics Tracer Light in constant mode (dog moving)

“I didn’t come this far to miss,” is the slogan for the Hevi-Shot  loads. I don’t think that just by spending $2 per trigger pull you will automatically shoot more accurately. Consistently hitting a flying target with a shotgun takes practice.

However, this slogan did make me think of one of the days on our New Year’s Arizona trip this year. I drove over  2,000 miles roundtrip to southern Arizona to hunt Mearn’s and scaled quail and had a bad shooting day. The First day the we struggled even finding birds, then the second day we got into some, but they were few and far between, so every shot counted.  Maybe it was simply the pressure of coming so far, the chance to bag a new species and not wanting to miss, but it definitely affected my shooting. Luckily, my hunting buddy was on top of his game, he went six straight.

Here are four key principles of shooting that may help to work on: First, know your dominant eye and learn to shoot a shotgun from that side. (If you are left eye dominant, learn to shoot left handed.) If you have trouble every so often that your non-dominant eye takes over dominance due to eye fatigue, or some other issue, you can try placing a small (1/4” x  1/4”) piece of clear 3M Scotch type tape on your eyeglasses or shooting glasses in the exact spot where you see the shotgun bead  when the gun in mounted. You will still be afforded good overall vision from both eyes, but this slight distortion or haze should help direct focus to the correct eye.  If you are in the field and don’t have any tape, you can try gathering a little oil from your nose, forehead or hair/scalp on the tip of your finger and touch it a small spot on your glasses where you would put the tape previously described. Every once in a while I find this happening, that after a missed shot I realized that my left eye was the one that was focused on the target rather than the right.

Second and perhaps much more commonly the head is being lifted off the stock in anticipation of seeing the bird fall. It is critical to the aim of the shotgun that the cheek is firmly rested on the stock and the dominant eye is looking right down the barrel. Keep your head down and cheek against the stock.

The next factor critical to shooting success is to maintain stable balance. This is difficult to do hunting chukars. The steep, rocky, uneven terrain is what makes these bandits so challenging to hunt and even harder to hit. The shooter is usually working to get the shot off while still stumbling around on the steep hillside. You are far better off to take the extra fraction of a second to get a stable base then make the shot. The stable base is critical for a smooth swing.

Finally, there’s proper lead; you have to be out in front of a moving bird and not stop your swing at the trigger pull if you hope to connect.  There are two different methods: sustained lead and swing through leads. Both will work, however, I have found that the swing through method is more natural and helps my subconcious judge the speed of the bird and distance to the bird and calculate the necessary lead better. The critical thing here is practice and let the subconscious build libraries of previous shots and it will do the necessary calculations and guide the shots to success.  Just don’t stop your swing and let it happen.

I am glad December 21st is finally here, the day are now getting longer

It is finally here, the winter solstice! These short days are killer for trying to work and train dogs. The days are now getting longer though. I do a combination of things in order to train on these short winter days; going in to work early so I can train after, going in late so I can train early, and doing some yard training in the dark. The days are getting longer though! I did live about 30 miles below the artic circle for six month many years ago. I saw the longest and shortest days of the year there. All I can say is that I’m glad I don’t live there now.

Reminiscing about the hunt before heading home

Saturday morning dawned cold and snowy here in Idaho. A perfect day for hunting pheasants. I thought about ruffed grouse, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to track wily roosters in the snow. As it turned out, the day warmed up and by early afternoon there wasn’t any snow to be found. The wind however, kept the birds flighty and made it challenging.

I have been working with a young Brittany and thought it was the perfect time to get him on wild birds. At times he ranged out farther than I wanted, and blew through several pheasants and a whole flock of huns, but by the end of the day he came through for me, producing a plump young rooster that held fairly well in a thick covert along a stream.  We put a lot of miles on for that bird, but he was worth every bit of it.

American brittany and ring-neck pheasant

Cocker Spaniel - A great dog for working a ruffed grouse out of thick cover

Friday afternoon I was able to slip away with my 10 year old daughter Sarah for some ruffed grouse hunting. She was happy to be out with her Dad and I was tickled to have her to myself. (Truth be told, I think Mom was glad to have the kids seperated for a few hours. Tell me, why are they such a pleasure one on one, but just want to fight when they’re together?)

Sarah and I took Luke, a bold little male cocker spaniel that we have been working with out for his first experience on wild birds. We were hunting him with Allie, my seasoned female lab. I was excited to get this little brush-buster hunting wild birds. It wasn’t long before Allie got into birds. Luke was right there with her. What I loved about this little dog is his ability to thoroughly work tight cover (and look cute doing it). I’ve never been able to hunt over a cocker before and loved the experience. I think you have to look carefully for the right breeding to get a game hungry cocker like this one, but if you can find one, they are a pleasure to hunt with.

The two dogs put up a handful of grouse for Sarah and I and despite the thick cover, I was able to put one of them in the bag. Needless to say, we had a ball on our daddy-daughter date. We did have to spend a while after we got home combing the burrs out, but it was worth it.

11/22/09: I have had several calls about hunting cockers since I wrote this post. I have now had luke out after pheasants and grouse and thoroughly loved hunting with this dog. The following comment came from Gail Workman about Luke:

From: G L Workman
Sent: Nov 19, 2009 8:13 PM 

There are only a handful of breeders who are breeding the American Cocker for its true intent: as a sporting dog. Luke is owned by Sharon Pearson and bred by Gail Workman. Here is a little history of Luke’s background. 
In 1995, the first “Master Hunter” titled American Cocker was CH Petts Southwest Breeze, CD, WD, SH, MH (Ruby). Bred by Elsie Scolaro and Anne Noble, Ruby was owned, trained and handled by Trish Jackson of West Falmouth, Massachusetts.  In 2001, Trish Jackson bred, trained and handled the first cocker spaniel field champion in almost thirty years, a Ruby daughter, FC Madisons Pride and Passion MH, sired by Bazils Stylish Pride JH SH.

Gail Workman, who also breeds field Cocker Spaniels, trained and handled the first VCD3 American Cocker earning advanced titles in obedience, tracking, agility, and hunting. OTCH Knights LIttle Kelly Girl VCD3 TDX AX AXJ WD SH (Kelly). Kelly was bred to the first male cocker to earn a “Master Hunter” Pudg’gee Ann’s Heart and Soul MH (Spunky) who was bred, trained and shown by Bob Linehan of San Deigo. From that litter Gail kept a red male Kelly’s Cruisen Legacy (Cruiser) who was trained and shown by Gail Workman earning his UD, TDX, OA, OAJ titles and was shown to his Master Hunter by Bob Linehan.

Trish Jackson bred FC Madisons Pride and Passion MH to Gail Workmans Kelly’s Cruisen legacy VDC2 TDX OA OAJ WDX MH. From this breeding came Lukes Sire: Madisons Blackland Prairie Rufus SH WDX (Rufus) owned, trained and shown by Elain and Buck Grabowski.

Luke’s Dam is Six of Seven CDX, NA, NAJ, WD, SH (Six) . Six is an old fashion cocker with no background in hunting, Gail purchased Six to add a new line i.to the small gene pool of the field bred American Cockers. Six is now working towards her Master Hunter title.

As Chris said it is not easy to find a game hungry cocker like Luke. However, that being said, I could recommend all the breeders mentioned above to get a true field bred American Cocker.

Thank you, Sharon, for giving Luke an awesome home and for sending Luke to Chris’ to get his hunting training. Having worked with Chris myself, I know Luke is in good hands!  I could not be more proud of of Luke and all the hard work Sharon has put into raising him.

Dave Walker Pointing Dog Seminar, Annabella, UT

 We had a great time at the Dave Walker Seminar here in Annabella. I met and made a lot of new friends, and learned a ton watching Dave work 20+ dogs a day, plus listen to his thoughts on how dogs learn and what to do in different situations. Then Dave worked with us as we worked our dogs. The focus was training the trainer, rather than just the dogs. 

Thanks to everyone who came and made it a great weekend. Thanks especially to Dave Walker for coming and so willingly sharing his knowledge.

Dave Walker Seminar, Annabella, Utah Sept 2009

This weekend I got out to do some pre-season scouting for the upcoming blue grouse season in Central Utah. I was encouraged by what I saw. I found fair to good numbers of birds and a fair number of broods with 4 – 5 chicks. I would have liked to have seen larger brood sizes, but was still excited about what I saw. If you are planning on hunting grouse this fall, you may want to start looking around now. They are moving upslope now and are close to where you will find them in September. Look for hens and broods in more mesic sites with good cover, while the cock birds will likely be a little higher and on more xeric sites. Let me know what you are finding.

As for chukars, all the reports I am hearing are really good. All the spring and early summer moisture really seems to have boosted production. Folks I have spoken with in several places around Utah and in northern Arizona and Nevada are all reporting the same high numbers of chukar chicks. I am excited about this hunt.

If I can’t chase it with my shotgun my interest wanes a bit, nevertheless, I don’t pass up an opportunity to catch huge brook trout. These two limits were taken by a buddy and me on Boulder Mountain, UT. The biggest one approached 4 lbs. I’d love to say that they were taken on a size 22 dry fly, but in reality they were taken on the never-fail, tried-and-true mepps spinner. We did, however, catch a few 6 – 8″ native Colorado River cutthroat trout in one of the streams with nymphs on a flyrod. All I can say is, “what a beautiful time of year.”

Like elsewhere in the west, wild turkey populations and distributions in Utah have undergone some major changes due to major management efforts by the state wildlife agency.  However, one of the things Utahns are struggling with is change in the number of permits. 

Over the past ten years only a handfull of turkey tags were issued through a drawing system. As interest in turkey hunting increased it became very difficult to draw a tag. There was a bonus point system, plus a three year waiting period to be eligible again once you drew a tag. The upside to this was there there were very few hunters out and hunter success was often in the 90+% range.

Now the Division of Wildlife Resources is moving to increase the number of tags with the end goal being unlimited over-the-counter tags within a year or two. I am excited about this, but many new-commers to Utah turkey hunting are fighting it. All they have known is naive birds, no hunting pressure and extremely high success rates. A 90% hunter success rate is a waste. Turkeys should be managed like the upland game bird they are. Think about it, a three year old bird is an old gobbler. We should be aiming for 20 – 30% harvest rates like the turkey states in the mid-west and east. 

I’d rather have an opportunity to hunt turkeys every year and hone my skills, than only be able to hunt a turkey once every five years or more. When I hear someone complaining about the Division offering too many turkey tags for sale, my response is, “why don’t you learn how to really hunt turkeys rather than shooting fish in a barrel.”

We had an awesome hunt this year on the Zion unit during the late season. Unfortunately Julie missed her bird, but we had a great time.