Gun Dog Forum

DonF

Those really are some beautiful pictures Don!! If I am understanding you correctly about the difference between training birds and wild birds, I agree with you. I think the only real difference with training birds is the way they are presented or method in which they are used. Charlie Could you ple...

DonF

birddogger wrote:Those really are some beautiful pictures Don!! If I am understanding you correctly about the difference between training birds and wild birds, I agree with you. I think the only real difference with training birds is the way they are presented or method in which they are used.

Charlie

Absolutely!

DonF

I suspect from what you've said you may be heading for a problem. If he is not steady on pointing and the birds are not well flight conditioned he could scoup a bunch of birds. It'll get his prey drive in gear, how you gonna get it back out? But if they are really good birds, relax aqnd let it happe...

DonF

Boy you take nice photo's. What are you using for a camera? BTW, I wouldn't worry about the dog, just keep hunting him.

DonF

My intent is not really to argue the point here because different people have different methods and different things they want out of their dogs. I have my own way of doing things and like to be careful. I have an example.....I attended a seminar not too long ago and talked to a guy that had a youn...

DonF

Sorry to hear about that. Out here in Oregoin we have state installed guzzlers for birds. The rain water runs off the roof into the concret pan underneath. Lays around to long and gets warn and next thing you know it gets algee, death for dogs. Some of them have field fencing around them th keep pre...

DonF

If the dog has good breeding, so long as no excess pressure was applied in the obedience training and "if" the dog is a well bred field dog, All you'll have to do is turn on the light for it. So long as the desire has not been taken out of it it can still be turned back on. It's just a pup, 7mos old...

DonF

Those are beautiful setters. What is their breeding? Thank you Sharon. They are 3/4 Tekoa Mt. and 1/4 smith. That's what the breeder told me. Pedigree's are like the who's who of the setter world. had to be force broke to retrieve, would not retrieve at all. BTW. the breeder picked them out. I told...

DonF

Here are the photos as promised. 1 inch diameter hardened steel rod. Tip is not too sharp, rounded, so it will go around tree roots and not into them. http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/12388740/sn/250863501/name/DSCF0133.jpg 4 inch round head made from 3/8 inch plate steel, not pointed on top so if the ...

DonF

Squirt has a lazy tail. He can snap it right up but doesn't do it all the time. Bodie on the other hand has anything but a lazy tail. I think the reason for a difference in tail between pigeons and game birds is that the dog understands the difference between a traning bird and a wild bird. I get th...

DonF

You should check with your local laws, I know in Kansas it is VERY ILLEGAL to trap em. I am surprised it is legal even in Or. It is illegal in Oregon too unless you have a Game bird probagation license. That's what I had. I set out a pigeon like trap with a door that would fall down. Held the door ...

DonF

We used to use 7 1/2's because pheasant was a by product of a chukar hunt normally. Found out early that 7 1/2 was a little light, we wern't getting clean kills. Finally tried #6 and the clean kills shot way up. If I were loading just for pheasants I think I'd use #5's. I just saw where you mentione...

DonF

That's interesting. Many years ago I knew a guy that lived on the North Shore of Flathead lake that collected L.C. Smiths. You went into his house and the walls were covered with them. He must have had at least 40+ of them. Wouldn't suprize me if he had one of them.

DonF

Ok. I thought they did that with Labs.

DonF

I would never take a pup that young hunting. But I have seen a lot of people do it! If it's the right thing or the wrong thing to do, who really knows. Probably depends more on the pup than anything. Often finding out what bothers a pup to soon pretty much screw's up the pup. It is a puppy! What I f...

DonF

Hey! You can't call K9 a guy!

DonF

The best shotgun I ever shot grouse with was a Browning Double Auto with a skeet barrel. Next would be an 870 Special field, don't tell anyone! For me both had to short of barrels to follow games when swinging. For years now though I have used either a 12ga, 16ga and now a 28ga AyA. Haven't shot any...

DonF

Anybody that hunts quail with a setter deserves it to common decency to shoot a 28ga SxS! I used to have a couple 12ga's that I really liked. My Charles Daley got stolen by my son and my AyA got stole by a thief! Still have my 16ga and used it a lot over the past seven or eight years. Two years ago ...

DonF

Depends on what and how much your shooting. For a 12ga I reloaded only because I shot so much and I liked 1oz and 1 1/8th oz load. But I believe you can get the cheap stuff about a inexpensively as you could reload it. Don't even own a 12ga any more. 16ga I reload. I find them in light field loads o...

DonF

Not sure what to tell you but, whats a Golden Doodle?

DonF

It could be done but I don't think I'd do it. And in the winter here, my water usually freezes every night. I don't give them to much at a time but I do get to them several times a day. I had a system for my chickens that worked really well keeping water thawed but it requires electricity. Best I wo...

DonF

Ya know you guy's, I don't know if I buy the going rancid answer. My dogs drag in and eat stuff a vulture wouldn't eat! :( I have fossil's laying all mover the place they drug in the chew on. :oops: Of course there was a couple feeds over the years I couldn't get dogs to eat. After seeing what they ...

DonF

Thanks for the help -- very informative. I was worried about the long winter coming up and being able to get a new puppy on some birds, but if I do get one this winter we will just focus on sit and not messing up my carpet. :D By the look of that avatar you will have your hands full this winter any...

DonF

A lot of products, not all, are so equal in quality that the only real difference is customer service. That guy seems to have his head screwed on right.

DonF

This is the first I have heard of PFP Supply. I just went there and looked to see what they had for check cords and leather collars, I'm impressed! I have those style leather collars made locally for my dogs, they cost me $35, but, IMO there is no better collar. My first one was made in Kalispell, M...

DonF

Pigeon's, "bleep" birds and game birds all have one thing in common. "They will not let the dog catch them"! Dog's that catch birds on the ground, 99.9% of the time, have been taught to do it by a trainer that didn't know better in the first place and wasn't prepared to deal with a dog that scoops b...

DonF

I'll tell you what I'd tell you. If your need a dog ff'd, get someone that knows what their doing to help you thru. I hear on several different forums that it is easy, do it yourself. I'm pretty sure that advice is given by people that think they forced their dog when in truth they already had a dog...

DonF

That would probably work but, did you finish the ff with a fresh killed bird? If so, after you finished up did you take him to the ground and start over? Doesn't sound like it. Finish the ff.

DonF

#1 has to be Ruff Grouse #2 This would be Valley and Mountain Quail. They are in big covey's. To get them to hold at all you need to break up the covey. #3 Pheasant. But I have to say also that in the beets and other heavy cover they seen pretty easy to me. #4 Huns. Another covey bird. But smaller c...

DonF

I just noticed the poll results. Hey Steve, your only allowed to vote on

ce!

DonF

I just had a thought as I saw this thread again. Of course you are having trouble with your auto loader. It's not a sxs or an o/u! :mrgreen: Reminds me of a story I either heard or read somewhere years ago. Guy and his son coming out of the hardware store after buying a new pump shotgun to go huntin...

DonF

This was a good thread. I think only one thing will come of it though. We choose our own experts. Those that oppose the procedure will balk at it till h**l freezes over. Those that use it will defend it. FF is really no more than a tool, it can be used right or wrong. If it sounds like some kind of ...

DonF

I saw a dog who had hung himself on a rope that had been left on him. I'm always very nervous about unsupervised ropes on dog, choke chains left on unsupervised etc. Just speaking from my experience.(That is a beautiful pup.) You are right about that. That's why the check cord has to be stiff and n...

DonF

Don't run him where any birds other than "bleep" birds might be. Let him chase them all he wants. From what you quoted from Hickox I would think that's what he was saying. I can't imagine he'd be alright with a puppy catching birds. When you get ready to use birds again, don't pull flight feather's....

DonF

There is some doubt it sounds like? Well this not a program I discovered myself. Been doing it close to 25yrs and it works for me. It comes from Delmar Smith. The idea is that the pup is conditioned to the check cord from the whelping box. At about 2 weeks a cord is tied on each pup, it is a few inc...

DonF

Feed and water them in the dark. When I had quail here the bottom of the pen was boarded up about 4', so they couldn't see out of it unless the flew up th a ledge in back of the pen. I built the feeder into that wall and filled it from outside and sent water in thru a funnel and hose thru the wall. ...

DonF

I've known guy's that used teflon oil exclusitivly and that claim it really smooths things up. But with Browning auto's years ago, may be prehistoric, to shoot high base light target loads, you had to turn over something inside the fore end. I don't know what it is, I don't shoot autos. But I suspec...

DonF

Every method your reading about will work, been proved to many times in the past. Which ever one you use, you'll mneed to keep your dogs attention on what it's doing. So which ever one you use, you can let up on the pressure a bit if, when your dog get's out of place, make a move either directly int...

DonF

Everyone does not agree with that. but lots more do than don't. Probably not a big thing other than what you teach it as a pup you may have to un-teach down the road. I don't intro a pup to birds very young. They do get to happy time and chase "bleep" bird all they want though. Birds should be bred ...

DonF

I don't think there's any normal procedure for starting a pup, just depends on who you talk to. I've seen guy's with 6mo old pup's that were completely broke. Those type trainer seem to have a lot of pup's with the dieise called second year madness. Others have a dog start around a year giving the p...

DonF

I started out my son with a 20ga and light target loads. Got him a Mossberg pump. I suspect you would not be very happy with a 28gr, plain light target loads are something over $11 a box. Field loads were something like $16 to $18 a box. If you could fine one, a Stevens 311 in 20gr would be a good s...

DonF

Not to hard being a gunner. Just remember you need to check where everythig is before you go the front of the dog. If you don't think you have a safe shot, don't take it. At Oregon trials, that means Boyce Corralls, all I ever saw them use for birds were chukars. If you have a 12ga SxS or O/U, I'd s...

DonF

Boy you guy's have some nice loft's. I've got two, one for my ferals is an old tool shed and for my homer's a rather large chicken house. Divided it in two hjalves and keep young birds on one side and captive birds on the other. My captive birds haave a 16x20 ft enclosed area right out the back of t...

DonF

Thanks you guy's, I missed this place too. Just couldn't figure out how to do it.

DonF

I would not put out a scent bird, that is a bird he may well catch. In which case the launcher serves no purpose. There's a simple trick to using a launcher, think like a wild bird. If a wild bird would do it, you need to do it also. What the launcher does really well is let you control the bird and...

DonF

Puppies I raised got a check cord in the litter box when their eyes opened. Puppies in a litter box grab things that move and like to pull around what they caught. They start learning in the whelping box to give to the check cord. Pup's I buy, get a check cord before I ever let then hit the ground, ...

DonF

I don't know if you could leave the kids out of it. My grand daughter likes to take Bodie for a walk every time I'm there, I go with her. She's actually got him heeling and coming on command, she just turned 9. You need to take the time to work with the kids and the dog. Your kids aren't going away ...

DonF

Been a long time figuring how to get back on here. Mostly that "Login" deal would not come up on my computer. Finally gave up on it until today. Thought I'd look again. Yep, it is finally there. But I've been gone so long I couldn't remember my screen name and secret code. Well after trying several ...

DonF

Not really a new member but have been unable to get the "login" on that blue line to come up for a long time. Actually called the new owners of the site trying to find out what was happening, didn't do any good. So just forgot about it for a long time. Thought about it today and got that login in de...

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