How is your Pheasant Season going?

elijah79

elijah79

New member
If today, opening day, is any indicator as to how the rest of my Pheasant hunting season is going to be, I'm going to sit in a corner, cradle my beautiful shotgun, rock back and forth mumbling to myself and let the tears flow.
One of my dogs has separation-anxiety and wouldn't leave my side and the other one left my side for about ten-minutes and went God only knows where. When he finally came back he was so tired he didn't want to do anything but head back for the truck. I got home and wanted to cry.
I know they're both pups but I didn't expect them to act like total airheads and have a total and complete brain-fart the whole time!
My GSP is 6-months old and my Weimaraner is 5-months old. I've worked hard on them both up until this point but I guess not hard enough!
There's still hope though. I'm not going to give up on them. Even though this is my first attempt at training Upland Bird Dogs, I will prevail. I will come out on top if it kills me!
 
Relax or you will screw up your dogs. Let them have controlled fun and learn to hunt at that age. Be more concerned about the dogs than the birds.
 
Elijah79, take it easy on yourself man:). I thought I was pushing my 9 month old lab too hard (lol). Give those guys some time. My 10 year old lab (Hauss/my avatar photo) REALLY sucked at 6 months. After a year he really picked up on things and turned out to be one of the best bird dogs I've hunted behind. At 6 months old their still pups.

Just keep it cool my friend. They'll pan out in time;). -1pheas4
 
Yes. You need to relax with the pups. Their world just became very big and they need to find their way. My lab was on my heals at six months old but I wouldn't trade him for anything now.
 
Yes don't ever expect too much the first season. Just keep introducing them to the out doors. This is why training in the off season pays off. Intro to pigeons and guns etc. Get some pigeons and take em hunting with those and toss in one every now and then. Wild birds will come. Season opens here next week:thumbsup:
 
relax, they will be fine, their whole first year is a learning experience. remember the first time you crawled on a bicycle?......OK, then relax, the more you pressure them, the worse it will be for all of you, they are pups, they must have time to figure things out....i like the one who ran off, that pup was hunting for birds!
 
As everyone else is saying, patience is the key. Relax, let them fall into their own pace and everything will come together nicely.

In a couple years, they'll be the ones that are on their "A" games :thumbsup:, and you'll likely be the one letting them down - every time you miss a bird!:eek:
 
JFlew, is right it takes about 2 years for a dog to become a Finished accomplished hunting dog. Relax, They will learn and it just takes time and a lot of field time with lots of birds. Some will do it quicker than 2 years, but they are few in number.......Bob
 
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everyone is right just take a backseat to their pup intities and bumbling behavior it will all come in good time
 
hang in there. Looking back over the last year (she's now 14mos), I was blown away how much my pup learned from 6mos-8mos, then 8-10, 10-12, etc... it's like every couple months she was learning much more, becoming more bold, testing the boundaries more, 'getting it', and then some. it's still early. Enjoy the ride!
 
Hunt 'em separate.

I would hunt the two pups separately. Sounds like you've got two different personalities. Take each on his own for shorts hunts [half hour+/-]. rotate them. Make it fun. Praise them when they do good. Guard yourself from getting too frustrated when they don't. Don't do anything to scare them of the experience. You may be surprised and get a point or two. If you've introduced guns correctly, they are good with that, and they hold a point to let you flush, then shoot for them. Otherwise let them be puppies.

Last weekend I hunted with a brother and his 8 month old golden retriever. the dog shows it wants to hunt and hunted dead pretty well when we knocked down a grouse and a couple woodcock. It found the birds and then licked, sniffed them and laid down pushing them with his nose. My brother expected him to retrieve like his last dog did, was all disappointed and I told him the same thing other guys have said here "Don't worry, he's a baby. He'll get bolder as he gets older".

You are in an enviable position having pups to work. I lost my 6 year old setter this summer to blastomycosis and am bumming in a large way. It's my first fall in over 30 years without a dog and I'm stroking my beautiful O/U, with no dog to hunt behind. I wish I was you with the pups to work and I would be out there every chance I got, trying to get those pups their exercise and some contact with birds. This year isn't about how many birds you shoot, but about introducing your babies into the world. Have fun, be patient and I think you'll look back at this year as a very rewarding one.
 
I guess I didn't specify that much. I did hunt with both of them separately. My Weimaraner, Gunner was the first one I brought out since I live 5-minutes away from the area I hunt. He was so close to my heels that I kept hitting him in the lower jaw every time I too a step. After he got frustrated at me and me at him I brought him home and got Trigger, my GSP.
Trigger is the one who disappeared for at least 10-minutes with me standing there scratching my head, wondering where he went. I don't intend on hunting them both together until they've had at least a couple of years under their 'collar' so to speak.
After reading what everyone has to say here it boosts my confidence levels. I just wish there was more I could do with them than what I'm already doing!
 
Elijah, I understand your frustration, I got my first GSP at the end of last season and have had the off season to train, the first few months were pure he!! all I wanted was to get my pup out and train, as a new owner and never training a upland dog before I had no clue all I knew was I WANTED TO TRAIN :). Everybody on here said "let the pup be a pup work on basic obedience.." So I did. Today I went out to a preserve hunted my dog and WOW that's all I can say he was obedient and we knocked down 5 birds. He didn't retrieve them like I wanted but shoot we have a lifetime to get it right. So remember let the pups be pups work on simple obedience will prevent you from scratching your head wondering "where did that dog just go" :) Good luck!!
 
FCSpringer said:
Yes don't ever expect too much the first season. Just keep introducing them to the out doors. This is why training in the off season pays off. Intro to pigeons and guns etc. Get some pigeons and take em hunting with those and toss in one every now and then. Wild birds will come. Season opens here next week:thumbsup:
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FCSpringer, you mentioned getting some pigeons to train my dogs with, separately of course. Do you think buying some pheasants would be a better idea? I found an advertisement in a local classified paper that is selling pheasants for breeding or dog training at $10 each. What's the general consensus on this approach??
 
elijah79 said:
FCSpringer, you mentioned getting some pigeons to train my dogs with, separately of course. Do you think buying some pheasants would be a better idea? I found an advertisement in a local classified paper that is selling pheasants for breeding or dog training at $10 each. What's the general consensus on this approach??
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I like it!:thumbsup: Thats what I did took mine to a game farm at 7 months last November and just kinda fooled around. The best part was that I was allowed to train, there was no bird minimum that I had to buy. The owner operater has let me do almost all of my training there. The problem is you need to find a place that will let you do what you need to do and remember keep it simple.
 
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