Bird Hunting Trip

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I went to visit an old friend in another state, and took the dog with me to do some bird hunting. Really I was hunting anything in season, which was a lot of different species, but I was mainly focused on training for upland game. I spent some time on deer and turkey with some opportunities but no kills, but I spent most of the time pushing tall grass/goldenrod fields, hemlock forests with saplings underneath, and aspen cutovers with plenty of vines and briars.

The one major goal that I did NOT accomplish was to kill a ruffed grouse. I spent a lot of time hunting for them with several flushes, but getting shots on them was very tough. In the open mountain hemlocks, they were flushing too far out - 40 yards or more much of the time. In the really thick aspen cuts, the stem density was so high, you could not swing a shotgun. I pretty much had to snapshoot - just poking the barrel through saplings and firing as soon as I was on target. Twice I cut down an aspen with my first shot. It was that thick. And there was a lot of plowing through thick cover and walking mountainsides between each flush. It was difficult to say the least, but I learned a lot.

All things considered, it was a good trip. I got to work my dog on several different types of birds, which was a learning experience for the both of us. I got to see my buddy arrow a nice 10-point and a coyote while hunting together. I had a couple of good spur-of-the-moment dove hunts over a picked corn field. I got the learning experience of pulling 25 porcupine quills out of a dogs mouth over a mile from the truck in thick cover. Dutch retrieved his first pheasant and woodcock, and proved he was a natural at busting up turkeys. He also got the opportunity to face off with a 250 lb. black bear and her cubs. He really did quite well.

Most of all, I got to spend time with a good friend and his family and see some pretty country. Really, any time you get to take a good chunk of time off traveling in the pursuit of game, it's a good trip. The goal for this trip was simply to have fun, and that was mission accomplished.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
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nchunter2

Eight Pointer
Nice looking dog. What state were you in? Can't wait for woodcock season to get here. If you ever want to chase grouse up in the mountains let me know. I won't go for another week or so until the leaves have mainly fallen. I'd love to hunt here where you can flush a grouse in the same areas as woodcock! Thanks for the pics!
 

Bailey Boat

Twelve Pointer
Woodcock....YUK!!! Might as well swing by the bait and tackle shop and pick up a cup of worms......Rinse and then eat.... Taste the same...
 

41magnum

Twelve Pointer
Is that a Boykin?

I sure miss chasing grouse in the Pa and Va and Md mountains !.....back when I had lungs and could hike.........lol.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Yes, that is a Boykin. We were in NE PA. It was really a training trip mainly, as Dutch is just now going on 15 months. I have trained him here at the house with frozen birds, hidden in grassy cover, but he needed to get out on live birds and learn how to work cover and pick up the scent. He did very well, but a big part of it was me learning how he will react and how to manage him effectively. The thickness of the cover makes a big difference on how he would work.

We will work on some preserve quail here over the winter as well as woodcock. I doubt we will chase any more grouse this year, but I might get him on some ducks if I can find a woodie hole.
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
That's why the pheasant stocking program in PA is popular.

With declining grouse and quail it gives everyone with a bird dog something to hunt.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Honestly, he's got a bit of a lazy streak. He loves to hunt, and he will go all day long, but he doesn't like fetching bumpers repeatedly. I think he may be a better upland dog than a waterfowl dog. He will sit still in a blind great and will readily retrieve, he just doesn't like to train very much.
 

JONOV

Old Mossy Horns
Honestly, he's got a bit of a lazy streak. He loves to hunt, and he will go all day long, but he doesn't like fetching bumpers repeatedly. I think he may be a better upland dog than a waterfowl dog. He will sit still in a blind great and will readily retrieve, he just doesn't like to train very much.

That's not lazy, its intelligence. They know the difference between a duck and a dummy. They quickly lose interest in the latter. It seems to be the case the further you venture from Laboradors. They aren't labs, so don't expect them to behave like labs. That said, you aren't likely to notice a difference in the amount of ducks you recover with the Boykin vs a lab, unless you guide in Arkansas for a living.

I don't mean to say labs aren't smart. I mean to say that they've been bred for generations not only to retrieve, but to be very biddable and able to take handling and train extensively.

I'm training for NAVHDA tests (mostly GSP's, GWP's, Pudelpointers and Griffons) and it seems to be a common refrain that they get bored in a hurry with bumpers.

I bet if you took him with 5 guys and shot 30 ducks, he'd be really enthusiastic the whole way through and down to retrieve 30 more.
 
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sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I'm sure he would. But in order to refine the retrieving process - blinds for instance - he's got to be willing to train to learn it. I took a break from the retrieving to train for upland game, but at some point, I've got to get back to it.
 

JONOV

Old Mossy Horns
I'm sure he would. But in order to refine the retrieving process - blinds for instance - he's got to be willing to train to learn it. I took a break from the retrieving to train for upland game, but at some point, I've got to get back to it.

I've moved to using exclusively dead birds for it, I set them out in the morning and train in the evening or vice versa. I see a total change in his demeanor since the switch. Bird supply can be an issue but not a big deal. I get mine from training days and picked up a few after volunteering at a couple tests, and have a few I got hunting that I just froze whole, but I'm sure a game farm would sell you a shot one or live one for not too much $$$.

How do the boykins take handling compared to labs? Are you running hunt tests or retriever trials with him?
 

Bailey Boat

Twelve Pointer
Honestly, he's got a bit of a lazy streak. He loves to hunt, and he will go all day long, but he doesn't like fetching bumpers repeatedly. I think he may be a better upland dog than a waterfowl dog. He will sit still in a blind great and will readily retrieve, he just doesn't like to train very much.

I've had a couple of dogs (Labs) in the past that did the same when the training session got too long and they got bored and inattentive. Maybe shorten the time and see if that helps. Speaking of help, if you need a body to help holler...... He'll quickly learn your scent and that's when you need an outsider to hide things.. I can also recommend a bird supplier...
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I am not running any tests. Just trying to develop the best all around hunting dog for what I've got to work with. I've got several frozen upland species, but no waterfowl.

I've seen other dogs work, but honestly I couldn't compare him or the breed in general to labs. All I can say is they are more individual dogs. They are each unique and a generalized statement of any kind would probably be incorrect. Someone with more experience seeing a bunch of them work might be able to answer that.

I think I've got suppliers for birds, I just need the time. For the next several weeks, I'll be focused on deer, but after that I will try to train him on some other property.
 
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