I have been interested in taking up bird hunting

Steve007
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Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: I have been interested in taking up bird hunting

Post by Steve007 » Wed Jul 25, 2018 9:07 am

" It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf."
----Walter Lippmann

JONOV
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Location: Raleigh, NC

Re: I have been interested in taking up bird hunting

Post by JONOV » Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:02 am

Featherfinder wrote:Jon, I wish for you to find the true meaning of bird hunting first and foremost. It does not mean shooting your limit, nor finding hundreds of birds in every outing, nor filling the freezer. At least, not for me.
For me, it is about the dance my dog(s) and I do in the arena that is utterly breathtaking even before I release the dog or find one single bird. It is about being in nature.
I have a refined pallet for enjoying the stride, gait, intelligence and work ethic that exudes in every stride of a beautiful dog.
It is about building relations with landowners and no, they don't ALL let you hunt on their land - which is OK.
As a starter, you may have a more misses than hits but those hits can be SO sweet, which will have you coming back for sure!
Secondly, firearms for bird hunting can be a sport all of itself! While everyone has a budget, you can often find deals that bring shooting - be it hunting game or at a club or just breaking clays - to an almost fanatical level. Collecting fine guns is another peripheral dynamic.
Finally, most every dog today is a companion first-and-foremost, meaning some hunt a lot less than others but they still contribute to a wonderful quality of life at home, probably for a percentage that far exceeds hours afield.
I started hunting when I was about 9 years old. I shot "at game" in my (city) backyard with a BB gun. I then (~12 years old) stepped up to a pellet gun which I transported ( by bicycle) through a major city in a garbage bag to a location that once had wild pheasants on the city perimeter! For me, hunting is in my veins. Not everyone is like that. When my friends were looking at Playboy, I was looking at Outdoor Life.
You need to search your own soul to see if the squeeze is worth the juice. Big or small, there is ALWAYS a return. Only you can account for what that means to you.
In hockey, great coaches will tell you, "If you aren't moving your feet, you're doing it wrong." Hunters have been known to say, "Your success afield is directly proportional to the amount of leather worn off of your boots."
I received a very cordial invite to hunt Idaho from a local gentleman earlier this year. I'm guessing there are areas that still prove to be rewarding.
While some forum responses can appear to be somewhat abrasive/vociferous, understand that some of us love this sport with a passion unrivaled. At least I do! We can get defensive at times.
When trainers reach an impasse with a dog, I recommend that they look inwards for an answer - not at the dog. In this case, I also believe the answers to your questions lie within you Sir.
All the best going forward Jon.
Well said. If that's the sum of what Mr. Bailey has brought out here, then all the tone-deaf abrasiveness is worth it.

I seriously think he should spend a year hunting at a game farm, and go from there.

If he isn't yanking our chain. He may not be. Something I've noticed about many of my elders is that, contrary to popular belief, they don't filter what goes online compared to millennials; older millennials realized their boss could see it and younger millennials were worried about Mom and Dad and Principal Rogers seeing it.

mnaj_springer
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Location: Northern Minnesota

Re: I have been interested in taking up bird hunting

Post by mnaj_springer » Wed Jul 25, 2018 3:13 pm

JonBailey,

I am writing this directly to you. I am significantly younger than you (I turn 30 in a month), but I do have some knowledge when it comes to bird dogs and hunting (although not nearly as much as some members here have forgotten).

I am a first generation bird hunter (or at least in my qualifications). The most others did for bird hunting in my family before me was the occasional groundballing of birds. That doesn't count in my mind. When I was 11 I watched all kinds of hunting shows with birds and dogs. I fell in love with both. Then I came to realize there was a healthy population of sharp-tail grouse near me. I became obsessed and studied it all. Just after I turned 12 I got my first bird dog, and with the guidance of a couple books and the patience of a good Springer, I trained him myself. Looking back, he was barely trained, but he did what I wanted and listened better than most dogs. I hunted with him for years and most times it meant conning someone into bringing me and the dog to a spot in the country to hunt, and when I was done I would walk miles back to my grandparents' place in the country. No internet. No cell phones. And just a basic understanding of the laws. That and pure determination. Again, all this started when I was 12 with no help from anyone other than money and car rides. All the things you're fretting about, I didn't even think of. Did I kill a ton of birds? heck no! I didn't care either because it was just plain old fun!

My point is this: if a 12 year with no mentor, no car, dial up internet, and only a yard to train in, can train an upland flusher to hunt effectively, can find game birds, and can have some success hunting, I sure hope a 54 year old man can. But it takes doing. Not online scouting. But actually boots on the ground, hands on experience.

Now, I FIND the time to hunt. I will travel 100 miles in a day just because I like the spot. I still don't have a ton of money, but I would rather spend it on my dogs and hunting than on a fancy truck or anything. If you really want to get into upland hunting, you'll do it.

PS... getting access is not 90% of the battle for upland hunting with a dog, and the rest cannot be learned from books. If you truly believe that I have a boat to sell you!
“Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”
― Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

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