Thrasher
Member
I took the pup out yesterday to look for birds. We drove to western Kansas and hunted Walk-in, a place that I found earlier in the year. We, Molly and I, walked half a mile and saw 20 or 30 birds flush a few hundred yards ahead.
Molly, a Lab/weimaraner, is only a year old and this was her 6th trip out. I took her to South Dakota for her first trip and hunted 4 days. The first day she was out front (10 -15 yards) until we hit the tall grass and then walked behind me. I figured she was afraid of losing me. She did not show much interest in the birds that we shot unless I tossed one for her to get. She would then bring it back to me. Every day of the trip she would expand her comfort level by a few yards and by the last day was out in front, quartering, and sort of sight seeing.
On our first and second Kansas hunts, she was still sort of sight seeing. When I shot a bird, she would walk over to it with me and sniff it. If I tossed it for her, she was bring it back.
On the trip yesterday, it started out like normal. We flushed a hen that we did not know was there, and saw 20-30 birds flush at a few hundred yards out. We walked a couple of miles, I had a rooster get up right behind me. Molly stood there and just looked at it. I shot it and before it hit the ground Molly was after it. The bird hit the ground and started hopping and beating its wings. Molly did not hesitate at all and pinned it down with her front legs, folded the wings and brought it back to me. I wish I had the camera out, she laid on the bird to keep it from beating her up.
After that she started actually hunting with her nose on the ground more time then not and got birdy a number of times. We flushed a few more hens in the next hour or so and then, out of the blue, her attitude changed. She found a scent and followed it, quartering back when she lost it, and actually flushed her first bird, a hen. She chased after it 20 yards or so until I gave a single hupp command. She came back to my side and I gave her a ton of attention. I think that is when the light came on for her. She started hunting like a pro and tracked 6 more hens to completion.
I am still learning to hunt with a dog and realized she was finding more birds when we hunted into the wind, duh! We walked into this small corner and Molly walked with 3 feet of this old rooster, she did not scent it because the wind was wrong. I had a feeling and tried to get her back into the edge. I walked over and the bird flushed. I shot it, she marked it but was off by about 15 feet. The bird flapped its wing and she was on it, another good retrieve.
After shooting the second rooster, Molly had really figured it out. She had her nose on the ground and was scent hunting. Hunting back to the truck she got on a scent. As she trailed, the bird, another hen, got up around 50 yards out, I took my camera out and taped the last part of her tracking. She followed the scent right to where the hen flushed and kept circling when we she could not find the bird.
We got the two roosters, and bumped two more roosters that got up right at the edge of my range and I missed on both. After giving Molly some water, casing the shotgun, and loading the truck headed home. After moving 50 yards, out of the corner of my eye I see this big old bird standing on the edge of the road. I debated going after him, but decided I was to tired and sore, and that he would be there next time out. I walked 9 miles for two birds in the bag, and a day that I will never forget!!
Molly, a Lab/weimaraner, is only a year old and this was her 6th trip out. I took her to South Dakota for her first trip and hunted 4 days. The first day she was out front (10 -15 yards) until we hit the tall grass and then walked behind me. I figured she was afraid of losing me. She did not show much interest in the birds that we shot unless I tossed one for her to get. She would then bring it back to me. Every day of the trip she would expand her comfort level by a few yards and by the last day was out in front, quartering, and sort of sight seeing.
On our first and second Kansas hunts, she was still sort of sight seeing. When I shot a bird, she would walk over to it with me and sniff it. If I tossed it for her, she was bring it back.
On the trip yesterday, it started out like normal. We flushed a hen that we did not know was there, and saw 20-30 birds flush at a few hundred yards out. We walked a couple of miles, I had a rooster get up right behind me. Molly stood there and just looked at it. I shot it and before it hit the ground Molly was after it. The bird hit the ground and started hopping and beating its wings. Molly did not hesitate at all and pinned it down with her front legs, folded the wings and brought it back to me. I wish I had the camera out, she laid on the bird to keep it from beating her up.
After that she started actually hunting with her nose on the ground more time then not and got birdy a number of times. We flushed a few more hens in the next hour or so and then, out of the blue, her attitude changed. She found a scent and followed it, quartering back when she lost it, and actually flushed her first bird, a hen. She chased after it 20 yards or so until I gave a single hupp command. She came back to my side and I gave her a ton of attention. I think that is when the light came on for her. She started hunting like a pro and tracked 6 more hens to completion.
I am still learning to hunt with a dog and realized she was finding more birds when we hunted into the wind, duh! We walked into this small corner and Molly walked with 3 feet of this old rooster, she did not scent it because the wind was wrong. I had a feeling and tried to get her back into the edge. I walked over and the bird flushed. I shot it, she marked it but was off by about 15 feet. The bird flapped its wing and she was on it, another good retrieve.
After shooting the second rooster, Molly had really figured it out. She had her nose on the ground and was scent hunting. Hunting back to the truck she got on a scent. As she trailed, the bird, another hen, got up around 50 yards out, I took my camera out and taped the last part of her tracking. She followed the scent right to where the hen flushed and kept circling when we she could not find the bird.
We got the two roosters, and bumped two more roosters that got up right at the edge of my range and I missed on both. After giving Molly some water, casing the shotgun, and loading the truck headed home. After moving 50 yards, out of the corner of my eye I see this big old bird standing on the edge of the road. I debated going after him, but decided I was to tired and sore, and that he would be there next time out. I walked 9 miles for two birds in the bag, and a day that I will never forget!!
