do you save a bird or two for training?

DudeRN · Post by **DudeRN** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 7:16 pm

just curious, do you keep a pheasant or grouse in the freezer for training throughout the off season? if you do, do you gut it or leave it whole? and do you thaw it out for training, and put it back in the freezer for the next time?

Roffey · Post by **Roffey** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 8:38 pm

I keep a bunch.. Get quite a few sessions from each bird. refreezing in between. I buy a dozen pigeons in the spring generally gets me through til the fall if need be.

Gooseman07 · Post by **Gooseman07** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 4:39 am

Yes, and I try to replace as they get stanky in the freezer. Its like humans don't like to eat freezer burnt beef dogs don't like freezer burnt birds.

CDN_Cocker · Post by **CDN_Cocker** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 5:36 am

Yep, sure can't hurt. I save pigeons and ducks all the time, so saving a grouse is a big bonus.

DonF · Post by **DonF** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:26 am

Can't imagine anything wrong with it. I keep pigeons and game birds when I have them. I don't thaw them all the way out to use them, just thaw long enough to get flex out of the head and neck. I don't know that that makes a difference to the dog or not but throwing a body with no head for some reason bother's me. I don't want the bird thawed all the way, the frozen body with thawed out feather's seem's to help keep them from chewing on the bird and keep's hard mouth in check.

41magsnub · Post by **41magsnub** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 10:20 am

Yep - have a couple of pen raised chukar in the freezer, already used them once for training while alive and they will get used again.

bmumph · Post by **bmumph** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:45 pm

I live in the city so keeping live birds at my house is not an option. I do have a johnny house on my hunting lease with 20 quail in it, but I'm only able to get out there once a week to work the dog. I would like to be able to do some work with her during the week, but I just don't have the birds.

What type of training exercises are you doing with dead half-frozen birds?

aulrich · Post by **aulrich** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 4:31 pm

Retrieve from drag training ( typical V-dog thing)
Beginning duck search, before we use live birds (another V-dog thing)
FTP
Water marks
Saving a goose or two helps smooth the transition

Though mostly waterfowl, once thawed I keep them in the fridge between sessions, they usually last a week.

Gun Dog Forum