Just got back from Alberta hunting was good, more wild pheasants this year an lots of huns. I went with my new GSP pup 11month old Murphy and my veteran GSP 11 year old Arrow. We spent the first few days working the huns but they were very hard for the dogs to point. The wild pheasants were not easy to find and some had not coloured up but they held for the old dog and the pup would run in and bust them after the third time I think she if she had her way the pup would have stayed home.
When my hunting gang showed up; 2 75 year old guys and one newbie at 63 we hit one of the public release sites. I found a nice piece of cover that was being neglected and worked the dogs there. Murphy was still busting birds but then we got down wind and he started tasting the air licking and mouthing, game on he slammed a point on a rooster and with Arrow backing him up I flushed the bird and dropped him for the pup.
He seemed to need that as he worked harder after that and several more times I saw him doing the tasting wind. I have never seen this before only dogs using their nose up in the air. Is it fairly conman thing that pups do and does it stop as they mature? I sure hope not!
Shoot straight and often
Grant