In Nova Scotia we have an Oct 1 opener on the Atlantic coast counties (where there is less agriculture, and less pheasant habitat) and then a November 1 opener in the Fundy coast counties, where most of the good cover and pheasants are. I finally have built a small milk-run of Oct 1 spots to get a few hunts in, so I'm excited to take a day off from work on Thursday to hit one of my spots. It's not my best spot, but it is the one that gets the most pressure (it's public land), so I figure I should get on that on opening day and save my private spots for Saturday.
There are two big changes for me this year:
1. a full-time job (in the past I was self-employed, and could fit in a few weekday hunts without having to answer to anyone). This is definitely going to be an adjustment for me.
2. an e-collar on the dog. For Ruby's first four seasons we went without an e-collar. As a beginner (my first gun dog and just getting into wingshooting), Ruby and I learned together a lot about pheasants and dogs and each other, and I put in many, many hours of training (she's a flushing lab). One thing that I could never quite get past was stopping her when on hot scent of a running pheasant. This was not a huge problem for me, because it was a fairly rare occurence that she would flush them out of range and she never went THAT far. Still, I realized last year that it was affecting who I would hunt with, as well as my stress level when hunting with others (and alone, to a certain extent). FOr example, there is an elderly guy who I really like hunting with, but he moves slowly and has well-trained labs wearing e-collars. Although he never said anything, I know that he found hunting with me and RUby stressful because of the speed that she would move at and the fact that this would sometimes result in birds flushed out or range. Towards the end of last season she got into a great piece of cover and lost he mind - she took off out of sight and pushed every pheasant out of the cover. When I finally got her back she had a cut on one shoulder and I was very frustrated and worried. I resolved that this HAD to be fixed by the 2009 season, for many reasons. Last winter and this spring I spent a LOT of time with a long-line reinforcing Ruby's whistle sit. SHe made decent progress, but still needed a correctioon at the beginning of every session (and that was not even with live birds!). After that first correction she woudl respond well, but even after many sessions she just couldn't resist until she's been "reminded". When I did test her on wild birds (again with the long-line) she responded fairly well, but it required a lot of vocalization and whistling on my part, which I really don't like doing. Not only is all the yelling and whistling and scolding the dog annoying and noisy (for me, let alone for other hunters in my party or otherwise) but I noticed last year how quickly roosters on public land wise up to this and flush wild way out of range as a result. After a half-dozen real bird sessions (with training between) without any noticeable improvement I finally I decided to try an e-collar. I put in on her and took her through a conditioning program. She responded very well, and did not require a very strong stimulation to get a very good response. I don't regret waiting 4 years to do it, because I really learned a lot about the principles of dog training as a result. On the other hand, I think that our hunts will be more effective and more enjoyable because she's working so much more nicely within range than she has in the past, especially in open cover.
Best of luck to all on opening day, whenever it might be for you all. I hope to be out on Thursday for most of the day for the opener (alone) and then with my hunting partner and his new dog (also a flushing lab) on Saturday.
Cheers,
-Croc
There are two big changes for me this year:
1. a full-time job (in the past I was self-employed, and could fit in a few weekday hunts without having to answer to anyone). This is definitely going to be an adjustment for me.
2. an e-collar on the dog. For Ruby's first four seasons we went without an e-collar. As a beginner (my first gun dog and just getting into wingshooting), Ruby and I learned together a lot about pheasants and dogs and each other, and I put in many, many hours of training (she's a flushing lab). One thing that I could never quite get past was stopping her when on hot scent of a running pheasant. This was not a huge problem for me, because it was a fairly rare occurence that she would flush them out of range and she never went THAT far. Still, I realized last year that it was affecting who I would hunt with, as well as my stress level when hunting with others (and alone, to a certain extent). FOr example, there is an elderly guy who I really like hunting with, but he moves slowly and has well-trained labs wearing e-collars. Although he never said anything, I know that he found hunting with me and RUby stressful because of the speed that she would move at and the fact that this would sometimes result in birds flushed out or range. Towards the end of last season she got into a great piece of cover and lost he mind - she took off out of sight and pushed every pheasant out of the cover. When I finally got her back she had a cut on one shoulder and I was very frustrated and worried. I resolved that this HAD to be fixed by the 2009 season, for many reasons. Last winter and this spring I spent a LOT of time with a long-line reinforcing Ruby's whistle sit. SHe made decent progress, but still needed a correctioon at the beginning of every session (and that was not even with live birds!). After that first correction she woudl respond well, but even after many sessions she just couldn't resist until she's been "reminded". When I did test her on wild birds (again with the long-line) she responded fairly well, but it required a lot of vocalization and whistling on my part, which I really don't like doing. Not only is all the yelling and whistling and scolding the dog annoying and noisy (for me, let alone for other hunters in my party or otherwise) but I noticed last year how quickly roosters on public land wise up to this and flush wild way out of range as a result. After a half-dozen real bird sessions (with training between) without any noticeable improvement I finally I decided to try an e-collar. I put in on her and took her through a conditioning program. She responded very well, and did not require a very strong stimulation to get a very good response. I don't regret waiting 4 years to do it, because I really learned a lot about the principles of dog training as a result. On the other hand, I think that our hunts will be more effective and more enjoyable because she's working so much more nicely within range than she has in the past, especially in open cover.
Best of luck to all on opening day, whenever it might be for you all. I hope to be out on Thursday for most of the day for the opener (alone) and then with my hunting partner and his new dog (also a flushing lab) on Saturday.
Cheers,
-Croc
