Upland Nation

Bird hunting: what does your dog really want? Your plans for the off-season

Now that the season is finally over, you tell me your highest priority is taking your dog to the next level. I'm with ya there!
So, let's begin the journey to canine excellence with a look at what a dog wants from you, why he works for you, and how you can become a better trainer/handler. I'll offer a few suggestions and observations that might not be in your bag of tricks yet.
Plus, we'll find out what else is on your "to-do" list for the off season, you could win a Scott Linden Signature Series Comfort Collar in our Upland Nation Puzzler question, all brought to you by:
Sage & Braker Mercantile, Dr. Tim's performance dog food, Pointer shotguns, RuffLand performance Kennels, Mid Valley Clays and Shooting School, your online shotgun shopping resource; Happy Jack, FindBirdHuntingSpots.com.

Bird hunting podcast: What the Dogs Taught Me ... and maybe you too. Are you still hunting ... in this weather?

With the season winding down, it's time to look ahead to training ... and thinking about how our dogs think. Anticipating a third printing of my book What the Dogs Taught Me in May (new title: Training and Hunting Bird Dogs: How to Become a Better Hunter and Dog Owner - available now on Kindle), let's take a look at some of the less-common tips and tactics.
From how a dog thinks, to little changes that have big impact, training methods and hunting strategies, we'll survey a number of subject areas, all with the goal of cultivating a better relationship between you and your dog.
You'll also have a chance to win a rare Signature Series Real Bird Bumper, and we find out why some of you are still out there slogging around in pursuit of birds and the dogs we love.
And it's all brought to you by:
Sage & Braker Mercantile, Dr. Tim's performance dog food, Pointer shotguns, RuffLand performance Kennels, Mid Valley Clays and Shooting School, your online shotgun shopping resource; Happy Jack, FindBirdHuntingSpots.com.
 

Bird hunting podcast: Epic public-access journeys and what we can learn from the guy who takes them.

I met Joe Augustine in Montana, walked a few fields with him, and learned way more than I should have! Now, so can you. Author, athlete, and passionate public-lands hunter, Joe has learned a lot while covering thousands of miles on foot and driving there!
Joe has learned the hard way: hunting tactics, to dog care, packing advice, how to shoot better photos, conditioning dogs for heat, to "best practices" for learning how to find and access walk-in properties and public land. He'll talk about some of his favorite spots, too.
We'll also cover your own travel plans, and you'll have a chance to win a Scott Linden Signature Series Real Bird Bumper in our Upland Nation Puzzler question, all brought to you by:
Sage & Braker Mercantile, Dr. Tim's performance dog food, Pointer shotguns, RuffLand performance Kennels, Mid Valley Clays and Shooting School, your online shotgun shopping resource; Happy Jack, FindBirdHuntingSpots.com.

Bird hunting podcast: Pro trainer on pups, clicker training, and positivity ... how you’ll save hunting

Todd Agnew, pro spaniel trainer at Craney Hill Kennel, shares his decades of hunting and training experience, starting with "why spaniels?" and going through a litany of tips and tactics to help us train virtually any dog breed.
It gets down to rewards, he says. But how? We'll explore.
Plus, the last point of the season, an Upland Nation Puzzler question and prize, and your survey responses on favorite dog breeds and how to ensure there's hunting for the next generation brought to you by:
Sage & Braker Mercantile, Dr. Tim's performance dog food, Pointer shotguns, RuffLand performance Kennels, Mid Valley Clays and Shooting School, your online shotgun shopping resource; Happy Jack, FindBirdHuntingSpots.com.

Bird hunting podcast: shoot better - an instructor’s advice from gun selection to approaching a pointing dog

Hunter and chief instructor for the National Sporting Clays Association, Don Currie teaches schlubs like us all year. He offers valuable advice on unboxing your gun, checking for straight barrels (seriously, it's a thing), and choke selection. He schools us on terminology, gun fit, how to fit in at the range, and then we go to the field.
From patterning your gun to foot position on pointed birds, Don has real-life advice, some history lessons on gun making, and how to mount your gun. You will be a better shooter - and shooting teacher - after this podcast!
You share your new year's resolutions, and you could win a Scott Linden Signature Series Real Bird Bumper in our Upland Nation Puzzler question, all brought to you by:
Sage & Braker Mercantile, Dr. Tim's performance dog food, Pointer shotguns, RuffLand performance Kennels, Mid Valley Clays and Shooting School, your online shotgun shopping resource; Happy Jack, FindBirdHuntingSpots.com.

Bird hunting podcast: Wild Huns, wilder country - how’d it go? Your DOG’s new year’s resolutions

Friendship, adventure, and some pretty good dog work punctuate this adventure into the wild, public ground where Hungarian partridge dwell. You'll get a tour of some less-typical habitat, shoot a few and miss a lot, and hear about some cool finds and dazzling retrieves.
Huns are on the rise in the west, so if you're intrigued by this "bonus bird," we'll offer some tips and tactics as well.
And if you think your new year's resolutions are creative, wait until you find out what your dogs are saying!
You'll have a chance to win a Scott Linden Signature Series Real Bird Bumper in our Upland Nation Puzzler question, all brought to you by:
Sage & Braker Mercantile, Dr. Tim's performance dog food, Pointer shotguns, RuffLand performance Kennels, Mid Valley Clays and Shooting School, your online shotgun shopping resource; Happy Jack, FindBirdHuntingSpots.com.

Bird hunting the ”New West” ... we crack the code in this primer, plus your biggest public-access challenges

For many, their bucket list includes a trip west ... for adventure, fun, and that bird specie you can't find near home. But just as in the old days, there is a "code" in the New West as well. From preparation to where to find them, how to approach the habitat and hunting strategies, we'll touch on all of it. (Want more details? Go here.)
Listeners share their challenges when finding new ground to hunt, and we'll offer up a Scott Linden Signature Series Jaeger lead in our Upland Nation Puzzler question, all brought to you by:
Sage & Braker Mercantile, Dr. Tim's performance dog food, Pointer shotguns, RuffLand performance Kennels, Mid Valley Clays and Shooting School, your online shotgun shopping resource; Happy Jack, FindBirdHuntingSpots.com.

Bird hunting podcast: chasing wild quail and pheasants, the upside of social media friendship

Wild valley quail hunting ... with a few pheasants thrown in too. Facebook - and now, personal - friend Mark Avolio shares his experience, strategy and tactics as we debrief our recent hunt in Northeast Oregon. Mark runs setters all over the west, and a chance meeting a couple years ago in a faraway chukar spot led to our becoming regular hunting partners.
In this hunt, lush creek bottoms, bunchgrass swales, great weather and wonderful dog work were the standouts. Versatile dog work was on display, working "wrong" wind and tough retrieves in tight quarters. 
Shotgun ammo and choke recommendations for mixed-bag hunts, dog care tips and a few high points from the dogs' work are all covered in this wide-ranging talk between friends. We explore the reasons for singles without a covey rise, where shot birds go, and how to mark downed birds a little better. There's also a little nostalgia ending at an historical sheep ranch.
We'll find out how your last hunt went, and there's a chance to win a Scott Linden Signature Series Jaeger lead, all brought to you by:
Sage & Braker Mercantile, Dr. Tim's performance dog food, Pointer shotguns, RuffLand performance Kennels, Mid Valley Clays and Shooting School, your online shotgun shopping resource; Happy Jack, FindBirdHuntingSpots.com.