Fat and Happy

Shai's days in the field have come to a close.  For the time being anyways.  It's a lot of work building babies and she's right in the thick of it.  We know they'll hunt, now it's just fingers crossed that we'll see a pile of happy, healthy puppies.

Training Days

I got a little behind in my posting, but being a working kennel means the days are filled with better things than the internet!!  These are just a couple short videos of our training days. The first is a practice run for Shai's NAVHDA Utility Track and Retrieve and the second for her Utility Duck Search.

https://youtu.be/99Ah8kxZQU8

https://youtu.be/0cZJd__Ambs

The First Shall Be Last

Benjamin Franklin said, "Write something worth reading or DO something worth writing about."  I hope with this blog I find a little bit of both and I think this bit is exactly what Brother Franklin was referring to.

As the waterfowl season was drawing to a close, I didn't have a lot of time to get out to the blind, so many of my hunts were jump shooting then catching a few in passing before packing it up for the day.  This day was no different.  I was three birds shy of my limit and had, through poor planning on my part, three lonely shells left for the day.  And so we set out.  I would whoa Shai and work from sagebrush stand to juniper then call the dog behind me.  We could hear the Mallards and Canadas chattering away on the other side of the brush in the warm water of East Idaho's Rainey Creek and Shai was quivering.  Not yet wet from the river, she was electric as she stood and waited.  Not wanting to spoil it, I parked her, readied the 12 gauge and stepped out...

The water explodes in every direction.  BANG...goose drops to the right.  Down, but not out.  Swinging.  BANG...Mallard drake.  BANG...huh...a wayward Teal drops.

Shai had broken on the second shot.  It was all just too much.  She brought it to hand and I sent her on the Teal, which had dropped somewhere in the cattails.  Now where was that goose?  A few minutes later I spy it walking up the far bank, a wing dragging beside.  FETCH!  While not yet force fetched, Shai does very well at moving in the direction she is sent.  So she goes out, steadily, until that goose flaps a wing and ploughs into the water.  Shai loses her mind.  Half yelp, half bellow and across the ice like a freight train.  I watch in momentary entertainment, then in silent panic.  The goose has paddled into the middle of a large pond and, as the dog approaches, it slips beneath the black surface.  A bark and a whimper and the dog treads water.  30 feet away the goose resurfaces, paddling in the other direction.  And the dog begins chasing again.  This repeats again as I weigh options.  Shai is a good dog, but while paddling a couple hundred feet away commands are lost in translation.  I'm empty, and not about to wade.

I set out for the truck.  A half mile away and 10 inches of snow make for slow going.  I run, gasp, walk and run again.  Finally arriving at the truck, I double over trying to catch my breath.  One shell, that's all I need.  I rifle through pockets and bags.  I find my missing sun glasses and an old sandwich, but no ammo.  Finally, under one of the seats, two glorious, black shells are waiting.  Now running I can still hear the dog yelp and bark as the goose avoids her and mocks.  I show up a full 25 minutes after the dog went in the water and just in time to watch the big bird slip under again.  Waiting.  Still waiting.  Now up...BANG!  Not sporting, I know, but I'd had enough!  I can only imagine the string of obscenities running through the mind of my sweet puppy as she hauled her prize to shore.

With all six of our legs wobbling with exhaustion, we slowly make our way back to the truck.  I couldn't have been more proud of my dog.  The time she spent in that wintery slick with nothing but a desire to please driving her was incredible.

As we finally arrive back at the truck, her reward waits in a warm truck cab.  Mine, on the leg of an Alberta Mallard!

Badlands Upland Game Vest Review

The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is a working hunter's dog and Broken Bow Kennels is a working kennel.  It sounds mighty stuffy, but the great thing is, our work is PLAY!  Special occasions involve trips to secret hunting fields and wish lists are filled with gear.  I'm no different.  This pack was a birthday gift and it has been on every upland outing since.


Badlands Upland Game Vest

The manufacturer's description covers the features, I've got the insight.  As an upland pack, it's a little small for pheasant.  Two birds about maxes it out.  For the hiking hunter looking for grouse, it's fantastic.  If you're walking the prairie looking for Sharpies or Huns, it makes a days worth of gear easy to bear.  And if you're short on common sense and have the Chukar addiction, it's worth every ounce!

The fit across the shoulders and back distribute weight well, without adding bulk.  This is very advantageous when trying to shoulder a gun while standing on a cliff face watching the Devil's own songbirds screaming away.  It holds close to the body without a lot of shifting and flop.

If you're shooting a 20 gauge or smaller, the side pouches are big enough for a full box each without popping the magnets, which are awesome, by the way.  They allow for a quick reload, but are surprisingly secure.  12s are just a little bulky.  I never used the dump pouch, but this could be a solution.

Space gets to be an issue if you start shedding layers.  As the weather cools off, finding a place for a jacket becomes tricky.  Especially with a pack full of birds!

As a whole, the pack is great!  It is my go to on any walking hunt.  It also meets most states requirement for square inches of orange.

That's it.  That's the quick and dirty.

Is It My Turn Yet?

While working with another pair of dogs, Shai was put up and told not to leave the truck. Well, she's nothing if not obedient, so she stayed with the truck. She just creeped as close to the fun end as she possibly could.

There are a few things about working with a great dog that truly make great memories.  Every time I see muddy paw prints on the hood, I'm reminded of those good times.

Had a great morning out with my hunting buddy. Even managed to bring a Ruffy home.

Playing Catch Up at Broken Bow Kennels

Being a hunting kennel means the time needed to keep up on a blog is eaten up by the good stuff!  It has been a busy, busy season with hunts and travel covering Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah.  All the while scoping out the next valley to hunt or the perfect spot for a duck blind.  This is the quick and dirty of our season up until today.

Some very early season Chukars.  We even managed a double hit and double retrieve!!

 Just the opposite.  This lonely Drake was shot on a crystal clear, sub-zero morning.  Shai's beard and brows were frozen solid, but she still whimpered and whined after I put her away to retrieve the blind. 

 Gavin was so proud to be a part of this Dusky Grouse hunt.

 Caught a quick shot of Shai pointing a Meadow Lark.

 Glamour shot from our Salmon trip.

 In pouring rain is a tough way to sniff out the birds, but Shai managed a long-tail and a pair of huns.