Grouse River Gretchen and Brenna
Here’s my latest contribution to Strideaway.com on the 2011 AAHA Vaccination Committee’s Guidelines. Next Strideaway topics on canine medicine will include 10 top useful tips and understanding canine pyometra disease.
Setter Feathers…
Filed under Bird Dog Wisdom, Bird Dogs, birddogdoc, Canine Vaccinations, Chris Mathan, Colorado Bird Dogs, Field Days, Field First Aid Kit, Grouse Dogs, gun dogs, Pointing Dogs, Quail Dogs, Strideaway Article, Strideaway on-line publication, Upland Bird, Upland Bird Hunting, Upland Life, Wingshooting
CHUKAR HUNTERS ARE DIFFERENT, so different from our other game birds that they are developing their own cult of hunters—
Charley F. Waterman Hunting Upland Birds
I’m waiting patiently for gobbling turkeys and caddis flies here in Colorado as the snows continue to fall on my Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Six inches this morning matter of fact. The greenbacks are under several feet of snow…however, it won’t be long ’til I’m tossing dries to my favorite natives, but until then I’ve been reminiscing on my days spent in Idaho with birds & dogs. Idaho last October 2011 was unseasonably warm and dry. Chukars were still way up in the rim-rock country Idaho is infamous for. The previous day was spent with my brother, Scott, chasing valley quail, pheasants and huns. What a unbelievable day with the coveys caught out in the sagebrush hillsides. My cover setterdog Gretchen and Gary Thompson’s long-legged GSP Pepper had over 50 staunch points on valley quail.
Grouse River Gretchen on Idaho Valley Quail
Scott and I were lured by the Siren’s call 2000 vertical feet to get to Lucifer’s birds that morning. The first covey Scott came upon were scurrying in front of him causing a salivary response like Pavlov’s dogs tempting a ground sluicing…but Scott heartily adores these devil birds, and they roared off the ridge top unscathed to the valley below where we’d just clawed our way from. The next bevy we saw was flushed by a menacing bird of prey. Scott and I climbed higher and higher and were surrounded by cantankerous chukars until the storm rolled in. Nothing like being vertical on talus slopes when it’s a whiteout…specially without skis. It’s been said many times that a person hunts chukars once for the challenge and from thereafter for revenge. I can’t wait to even the score!
Recently Pat Wray (author of A Chukar Hunter’s Companion) sent me an email informing me of his new Chukar Hunter’s website and forum. Pat’s been chasing these birds for many years and has a wealth of chukar knowledge to share. Anyone one interested in wild chukar hunting should stop in and visit Pat’s site. Another excellent chukar forum site is Upland Idaho.
Enjoy the Spring weather and let’s count the days until we’re back in the uplands with our birddogs and smooth bores.
Setter Feathers…
Filed under AYA Shotguns, Bird Dog Wisdom, Bird Dogs, Bird Dogs and Blessings, chukar hunting, Field Days, Fine Doubles, Grouse Dogs, gun dogs, Hunting, hunting partners, Idaho Bird Dogs and Bird Hunting, Pa'tridge Hunting, Pointing Dogs, Quail Dogs, setterdogs, Upland Bird, Upland Bird Hunting, Upland Birds, Upland Idaho, Upland Life, Upland Photographs, Wingshooting
Perfect Colorado weather for a last jaunt across the short grass prairie in search of scaled quail. Bitter-sweetness…the company was grand and the dogs grander!
Plans are drawn and dog purchases are being made for the coming fall! I can hardly wait! Idaho for 2 weeks for certain! Pray for the perfect weather conditions and good carry over!
Gobbling turkeys and tossing dry flies are next on the agenda!
Setter Feathers…
Photo of birddogdoc and Gretchen by Gary Thompson
Filed under Bird Dog Wisdom, Bird Dogs, Bird Dogs and Blessings, birddogdoc, Colorado Bird Dogs, conservation, Double Guns, Elhew Pointers, Everything Quail, Field Days, Follow your Folly, Grouse Dogs, gun dogs, Hunting, Pointers and Setters in Eastern Colorado Scaled Quail Country, Pointing Dogs, Prairies, Quail Dogs, quail eating, Quail Hunting Equipment, Setter Quail Dogs, setterdogs, Upland Bird, Upland Bird Hunting, Upland Life, Upland Photographs, Wingshooting
The season is winding down…tomorrow is the last day for me and the bird dogs to go out and chase birds. Birds of course being quail. We have had a great season and have piles of memories to hold us over the next seven months til it’s time to be back in the grouse woods. Here’s a few images from the Kansas and Colorado prairies.
Setter Feathers…
Filed under Bird Dog Wisdom, Bird Dogs, Bird Dogs and Blessings, birddogdoc, Bobwhite quail, Colorado Bird Dogs, Elhew Pointers, Everything Quail, Filson Products, Fine Doubles, Follow your Folly, gun dogs, Kansas Quail and Pheasant hunting, Kansas Quail Bums, Kansas Quail Country, Kansas Quail Hunting, Kansas Upland Hunting, Pointing Dogs, Prairies, Quail Dogs, Quail Hunting Equipment, Scaled Quail and Pointing Dogs, Setter Quail Dogs, Upland Bird, Upland Bird Hunting, Upland Life, Wingshooting
Glenn and I went to Kansas last weekend to see first hand the hype of how bad the quail season really is in central Kansas…the heart of gentleman country. While loading my dog box into the bed of Glenn’s nice Ford pickup, I left my tattered ol’ Sharp-tail boots at the side of the Tacoma…rookie error! I had a nice pair of walking shoes, but Kansas got dumped on a week before and the snow (and muck) was still stacked up. When we arrived at our destination, my friend and our host (the quail bum) shook his head and called me a “rookie” (and a few other choice words) and proclaimed that those damn shoes won’t do! Off we went to the nearest town to get some proper foot gear. The only thing in my size were Under Armour’s Ridge Reapers…of course I wanted Danner’s or Filson’s boots, but they only had men’s boots in 13′s or 8&1/2′s. I caved. Under Armour goes all out on everything they tackle! The boots were instantly comfortable and not a sore-spot or blister did develop in 4 days of hard walking on both the Colorado and Kansas prairies. And, yes! There were birds worth walking for! 12 coveys in Kansas and 4 coveys in the cholla-choked short grass prairies of Colorado. I love these new boots!
Under Armour Ridge Reaper Boots
Covey right here
Stacking em Up
Black & Blue
Gearing the A-Team
Shadows on the Prairie
Here’s what Under Armour has to say about their boots:
WHY WE MADE IT: Out on the ridge, you don’t want gimmicks. You want hi-tech innovation and traditional toughness. When UA Hunt sat down to design the core hunting boot for our outdoor collection, we gathered up all the top hunting boots and went through them one by one. We picked out the features that worked, scrapped the ones that didn’t, and created some stuff that was just begging to be invented. In the end, we came up with a lighter and faster pair of boots that still don’t compromise on toughness. The Ridge Reaper™ mixes traditional, durable full-grain leather with advanced synthetics to give you the speed and strength you need on the hunt.
Setter Feathers…
Kansas Mixed Bag
Filed under Bird Dog Wisdom, Bird Dogs, Bird Dogs and Blessings, birddogdoc, Bobwhite quail, Colorado Bird Dogs, Dave & Sandy D'Hulster, Elhew Pointers, Field Days, Filson Products, Fine Doubles, Grouse Dogs, gun dogs, Hunting, hunting partners, Kansas Bird Hunting, Kansas Bobwhites, Kansas Quail and Pheasant hunting, Kansas Quail Bums, Kansas Quail Country, Kansas Quail Hunting, Kansas Upland Hunting, Prairies, Quail Dogs, quail eating, Scaled Quail and Pointing Dogs, Setter Quail Dogs, setterdogs, Uncategorized, Upland Bird, Upland Bird Hunting, Upland Birds, Upland Life, Wingshooting
Here’s some of my favorite photos from scaled quail country that I’ve collected over the years. Merry Christmas to all my family and friends out there in blogger land.
See ya on the prairie!
Setter Feathers…
Filed under author John Taylor, AYA Shotguns, Bird Dog Wisdom, Bird Dogs, Bird Dogs and Blessings, birddogdoc, Colorado Bird Dogs, Elhew Pointers, Everything Quail, Field Bred English Cocker, Field Days, Filson Products, Follow your Folly, gun dogs, Hunting, hunting partners, Kansas Bird Hunting, Kansas Quail Bums, Kansas Quail Country, Kansas Quail Hunting, Kansas Upland Hunting, Lawrence Smith, Mark Kastler, my son Dylan, Pointers and Setters in Eastern Colorado Scaled Quail Country, Pointing Dogs, Scaled Quail and Pointing Dogs, Setter Quail Dogs, Sterling Monroe, Upland Bird, Upland Bird Hunting, Upland Birds, Upland Life, Upland Photographs, Windmills
Choked-bored dogs on cholla-choked grasslands. Gentle breeze from the northeast across the prairie. Day spent alone with bird dogs…point’n coveys of prairie nomads. Birds go’n helter-skelter!
Pure Colorado Bliss
Setter Feathers…
Filed under Bird Dog Wisdom, Bird Dogs, Bird Dogs and Blessings, birddogdoc, Colorado Bird Dogs, cooked quail, Double Guns, Elhew Pointers, Everything Quail, Field Days, Filson Products, Fine Doubles, Follow your Folly, gun dogs, Hunting, hunting partners, Pointers and Setters in Eastern Colorado Scaled Quail Country, Pointing Dogs, Prairies, Quail Dogs, quail eating, Quail Hunting Equipment, Scaled Quail and Pointing Dogs, Setter Quail Dogs, setterdogs, Upland Bird, Upland Bird Hunting, Upland Birds, Upland Life, Wingshooting
Filed under Bird Dog Wisdom, Bird Dogs, Bird Dogs and Blessings, birddogdoc, Colorado Bird Dogs, Double Guns, Everything Quail, Field Days, Filson Products, Fine Doubles, Follow your Folly, Friendships, Grouse Dogs, gun dogs, Hunting, hunting partners, Pointing Dogs, Scaled Quail and Pointing Dogs, Setter Quail Dogs, setterdogs, Upland Bird, Upland Bird Hunting, Upland Birds, Upland Life, Wingshooting
Filed under Bird Dog Art, Bird Dog Wisdom, Bird Dogs, Bird Dogs and Blessings, birddogdoc, Blue Grouse, Bobwhite quail, Chasing Idaho's Uplands for Chukars, chukar hunting, Colorado Bird Dogs, Colorado Sage Grouse Country, Columbia Sharptailed Grouse, Elhew Pointers, Field Bred English Cocker, Field Days, Follow your Folly, Greater Sage Grouse, Grouse Dogs, grouse hunting, gun dogs, Huns, Hunting, Idaho Bird Dogs and Bird Hunting, Kansas Bird Hunting, Kansas Bobwhites, Kansas Quail and Pheasant hunting, Kansas Quail Country, Kansas Quail Hunting, Kansas Upland Hunting, October Blue Grouse Hunting in Colorado, Pointing Dogs, Quail Dogs, Scaled Quail and Pointing Dogs, Setter Quail Dogs, setterdogs, Upland Bird, Upland Bird Hunting, Upland Birds, Upland Idaho, Upland Life, Valley Quail Haven, Wingshooting
I arrived the first afternoon in southeastern Idaho to chase sharp-tailed grouse and gray partridge after an 11 hour white-knuckled drive…I left Colorado at O’dark-30 so that Andy and I could get in a half day’s hunt before heading to our folks home. We were told of a place where our brother Scott and his hunting compadres had been recently chasing muley bucks. We found this bird haven and loosed our bird dogs in anticipation of coveys of huns and Columbia sharp-tailed grouse. As the light faded and long shadows were cast on the winter wheat, we had seen (and missed) numerous grouse and 4 to 5 nice coveys of huns.
One highlight was Gary’s dog Pepper pointing a 15 to 20 bird covey of huns and me actually making a rare double on the covey rise.
One low light was that my setter Gretchen had developed Limber Tail Syndrome in the very first afternoon of chasing birds in the Idaho uplands.
Limber Tail Syndrome is a condition commonly referred to as limber tail, cold water tail, or flaccid tail syndrome and is familiar to owners/trainers with bird dogs, primarily English pointers, English setters, Gordon setters, and Labrador retrievers. The typical case consists of a bird dog that suddenly develops a flaccid tail immediately after vigorous exercise. The tail either hangs down from the tail base or is held out horizontally for several inches ( 3 to 4) from the tail base and then hangs straight down or at some degree below horizontal. Most bird dogs recover spontaneously within a few days to a couple of weeks. Less than one third of affected bird dogs experience a recurrence at some point in their field career. Affected bird dogs almost always have a history of long crate transport, vigorous roading or exercise the previous day, or exposure to swimming in cold water or cold/wet weather. There is some evidence in the literature that suggests that affected bird dogs have elevation in their muscle enzymes at the immediate onset of the condition and they therefore have muscle damage (although reversible) to the coccygeal muscles. As I mentioned before, most bird dogs recover spontaneously with rest and NSAID’s (anti-inflammatory meds such as Rimadyl or Meloxicam) therapy. Gretchen has not yet completely recovered in 10 days, but I’m hopeful!
Next up: Colorado scaled quail on the prairies!
Setter feathers…
Filed under Andy Wayment, AYA Shotguns, Bird Dog Wisdom, Bird Dogs, Bird Dogs and Blessings, birddogdoc, chukar hunting, Double Guns, Elhew Pointers, Everything Quail, Field Days, Filson Products, Fine Doubles, Follow your Folly, Friendships, Grouse Dogs, gun dogs, Huns, Hunting, hunting partners, Idaho Bird Dogs and Bird Hunting, Limber Tail Syndrome, Pointers and Setters in Eastern Colorado Scaled Quail Country, Pointing Dogs, Prairies, Quail Dogs, Scaled Quail and Pointing Dogs, Setter Quail Dogs, setterdogs, Upland Bird, Upland Bird Hunting, Upland Birds, Upland Idaho, Upland Life, Valley Quail Haven, Wingshooting
