I last hunted with my grandfather when I was a teenager, and I'm not 57. But 3 years ago I got a puppy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, and on a whim took her to a hunting retriever class. From the first session, she was fixated on the whole process -- she would start to shake when we'd get in the neighborhood where the class was held. I would have liked to hunt ducks with her, but opportunities to do that are few in Connecticut. Instead, I joined a local hunting club that provides opportunities to hunt pheasants on its 80-acre property. My dog Bridie has turned into a keen upland bird dog, and has proven to have a great nose. Now in her second year of hunting she has started to recognize the types of areas where the birds hide, and stays close enough that I get a good shot when she flushes one (Tollers are flushers not pointers). We spend most Saturdays in the fall this way now, but I'd like to seek out other opportunities to hunt with her and get advice on training techniques. Frankly, Bridie is a better hunter than I am, as I have a lot to learn about working with her.
New Hunter in CT
- Thread starter TAC in CT
- Start date
No wild pheasants in CT or in all of southern New England -- too bad. Next year I want to take Bridie out west to experience wild birds. She is fast and tireless and would have a great time, I'm sure. I get such a kick out of watching her hunt birds; she is so intense about it, yet she'll stop from time to time to make sure that I am still close enough to shoot any bird she flushes. Wears me out, though, keeping up with her.