Gun Dog Forum

Are you working on any particular drills with your dog? Roading? Planning a multi-state hunt? Whats your conditioning routine as you are approaching the season (if you have one)?

Personally, my pup Ranger is about to be 1 year old, so we are still doing training - will be in the bird field Monday with a friend and his dog to see how they do hunting together. We will get out a few times during the PA pheasant season but nothing crazy. He's been doing great but we've had a few roadbumps with steadiness. Thats okay, he's still a pup.

I dont have trips planned this year but I have been added to a text group labeled "Kansas 2027" so the training will continue in anticipation of that.

Finally, I have last minute shopping to do. Hard to shoot a bird with no ammunition. The fiance wants a two seater treestand too so we might have to get in on that before deer starts here in SEPA. So much work to get done, so little time!

My Whip is turning 11 this year so I'm just cherishing his waning years. Hunts will be a bit shorter but he's still as bird crazy as ever.

As for the deer stand, yeah, get a two seater. I don't understand why anyone would get a single. The price difference is nominal and when hunting solo there's room for your pack and most importantly, you can shoot behind the tree.

A shorter hunt is still a hunt in my book, especially with a good friend. I know a lot on this forum are older than I, but with this being my first dog of my own, I have to remind myself to think about how much fun we're gonna have vs how sad its going to be.

I have a hang on with sticks and a climber for mobility because I am but one person and at the time was single. She doesn't want to use either though and wants a stand with a ladder; rather than getting a one seater I'm opting for the double. I also tend to hunt more (disappear for a few months starting Sept 1) but that privilege comes with the tradeoff that I still have to meet her needs and wants as well. Getting the new stand isn't a problem, right now its figuring out where to set it up since I didn't run cameras this year.

Along the training track though, bagged an 8lb groundhog the other night and both Ranger and Stella (Staffy/Lab rescue) had some fun trailing it through the yard. Ranger went ahead and picked it up which surprised me as he has been reluctant to pick up birds as willingly. We're probably going to work on force fetch next year with the way he handles retrieving