You can always find me....

[Tex]

4 green winged teal, and one greenhead this morning.

She is such a good girl!

 

[Tex]

Dinner tonight…living the dream boys and girls..

it’s important you cook that steak on all 4 sides…

 

[Wilhelmson]

Sometimes I cook a steak on the side but then it’s cooked too much on the sides, so I usually just flip it over. Just like it that way better.

 

[Tex]

Sometimes I cook a steak on the side but then it’s cooked too much on the sides, so I usually just flip it over. Just like it that way better.

Ok, but don't let MasterChief see you, or he will yell at you.

 

[Tex]

Yesterday had a decoy float off into the deep water…

No problem with Tara, I just point her, and say “decoy”, she knows to fetch a decoy..

Notice she swims right pass the close one, she knows to get the one floating off.. I was testing her...

Look at the mud and water she churns, she is full throttle all the time..

I like this pic when she grabs it, that tail goes strait up and slings the water….

She is the best girl ever.

 

[Tex]

Duck hunting season ended this weekend in Texas/Ok. Pic below is Sunday after the hunt, ride back to the ramp. Last day of hunting season always reminds me when I was a ski bum in the 80's, last day always peaceful, nice day, and sad season it's over. Seems every hunting season it is just a gorgeous day, not a lot of wind, blue bird, and no one on the lake. Last weekend was a zoo, always is second to the last weekend of hunting season. I guess everyone thinks that is the best weekend to hunt, to get a jump on everyone, because the last weekend is going to be busy. But really, the last weekend there is no one.

Shot primarily Green Winged Teal (GWT) and Mallards this season, per pics I posted. These are my 2 favorite ducks to shoot and eat. But in combination, really hard. You see mallards are really easy to shoot, but hard to decoy. But GWT, are easy to decoy but hard to shoot. Put these 2 together and you get hard to decoy and hard to shoot!

You see these ducks work together, the mallard, king duck, they send in the GWT first. They come in like little fighter jets, 500mph, their purpose is to startle the duck hunter so the mallard sees where the duck hunters are, they buz your spread like Maverick buzzed the tower in TopGun, you jump and spill coffee all over yourself, then the mallards bust you and laugh at you. That pretty much summarizes this past weekend lol.

Bonus pic from Saturday. Sent this to my wife, she text me back “It’s cold you need to dry her off”.

 

[VickieH]

Did you train Tara yourself? How old is she? At what age was she fully trained? Does there come a time (age) where they lose interest in hunting, or where you need to retire them?

 

[Andy Mink]

Does there come a time (age) where they lose interest in hunting,

They never seem to lose interest. The mind is strong but the body gets old. It is incredibly difficult to watch. I haven't hunted with my new dog (she's 4) yet because I know my old dog (she's 15 1/2) will know where we've been.

 

[Andy Mink]

“It’s cold you need to dry her off”

Have your wife stick her hand under that neoprene vest. Those dogs are NOT cold! but it is a good place to warm your hands.

 

[Tex]

Did you train Tara yourself? How old is she? At what age was she fully trained? Does there come a time (age) where they lose interest in hunting, or where you need to retire them?

Good questions, I'll take them one at a time.

Q1: Yes I did train Tara myself, and my previous gun dog Molly (RIP 2015). But I did make sure I myself was trained to train a dog, very important. This means investing in reading retriever books and buying retriever dog training videos, and, most importantly, having a pro trainer observer your training and give tips. With Tara I paid a pro, probably 10 or 15 sessions, to watch me train Tara and give tips/guidance. I did the same with Molly, but with Molly I joined a Hunting Retriever Club (HRC) for help. With Tara I did not have time for HRC, but recommended for those budget conscience.

Q2: Tara was born Aug 2016.

Q3: A pro will tell you, probably 2 years. That is running through their program. I will tell you the training never ends, every day I train my dog. this will go till the day they die. But retriever training goes like this. 1 to 6 months, it is all fun, fetching (which they do instinctively, you do not have to teach this), here, heal and sit. These are most important. Then you have "No" also very important.

At 6 to 9 months (keep in mind dog is like an 8 year old kid here), this is where you teach your dog the concept of "force". This means when I say sit, you don't just sit, you sit fast, same with all commands. This is where the electric collar comes in, and collar conditioning is very important it is done correctly, otherwise you can ruin a pup. At this most important level of training, the pup needs to know they are in control, they sit fast, no correction, they do not sit fast, there is a correction.

Then you have gun fire training, some pups you can fire a gun in front them and they are fine, other dogs you can ruin them, and they turn gun shy, and very hard to fix this. So you need to be safe, start with a cap gun, get pup used to fetching and smelling gun powder, go to blank gun, etc.. baby steps...

1 year your dog should be ready to hunt.

Q4: They never lose interest, they may not get as excited as before. This is really not fun for me to talk about, gets me misty eyed, but yes there will be a time you do not take your dog hunting. You have to know your dog, and their capabilities. Your dog may be old, you take her on a hunt, but only send her on simple retrieves that she is capable of doing, that she will enjoy doing. Don't take shots where duck lands 100 yards away, pick your shot, or retrieve the duck your self. Teach your dog early on, they do not have to retrieve every bird. Dove hunting, in the Texas heat, when I know my dog is over heated and needs a rest, she watches me retrieve a dove or 2. They see this and know Daddy knows best.

 

[Tex]

They never seem to lose interest. The mind is strong but the body gets old. It is incredibly difficult to watch. I haven't hunted with my new dog (she's 4) yet because I know my old dog (she's 15 1/2) will know where we've been.

Andy I say get that young girl out there, just before you leave hunting go back inside house to let old girl know she is a "good girl", and needs to watch the house and bark at mail man and stuff.

 

[VickieH]

Thanks, @Tex and @Andy Mink.

My father had an English setter when I was young. He trained her to stand, flush, and retrieve quail. I have a few memories of the training. I was probably 5 or 6 years old. She lost her job when the quail population decreased to the point where hunting was unproductive. Sweet dog.

I admire your work with your dogs. During hunting season, these dogs reach Self-Actualization on Maslow's hierarchy. All of their needs are satisfied and they're out there doing what they were born to do, living the dream for a retriever. Few of us ever reach that point.

I remember reading an article many years ago -- in, maybe, Scientific American -- about bloodhounds and how they are built for the task of tracking human scent. IIRC, a day-old bloodhound puppy would try to follow the trail left by a human finger moving across a surface. They went into detail about the physical traits of the bloodhound and the purposes they served. Their drool moistens the ground to help with the scent. Their long ears flop from side to side and create an updraft of air to bring the scent up. The extra skin around their mouths forms a cup when their heads are down ... the cup helps hold the scent near their nose. It was fascinating and gave me an appreciation for how dogs are built for purposes.

 

[scott43]

Andy I say get that young girl out there, just before you leave hunting go back inside house to let old girl know she is a "good girl", and needs to watch the house and bark at mail man and stuff.

They just want a job to do.

 

[Andy Mink]

Thanks, @Tex and @Andy Mink.

My father had an English setter when I was young. He trained her to stand, flush, and retrieve quail. I have a few memories of the training. I was probably 5 or 6 years old. She lost her job when the quail population decreased to the point where hunting was unproductive. Sweet dog.

I admire your work with your dogs. During hunting season, these dogs reach Self-Actualization on Maslow's hierarchy. All of their needs are satisfied and they're out there doing what they were born to do, living the dream for a retriever. Few of us ever reach that point.

I remember reading an article many years ago -- in, maybe, Scientific American -- about bloodhounds and how they are built for the task of tracking human scent. IIRC, a day-old bloodhound puppy would try to follow the trail left by a human finger moving across a surface. They went into detail about the physical traits of the bloodhound and the purposes they served. Their drool moistens the ground to help with the scent. Their long ears flop from side to side and create an updraft of air to bring the scent up. The extra skin around their mouths forms a cup when their heads are down ... the cup helps hold the scent near their nose. It was fascinating and gave me an appreciation for how dogs are built for purposes.

Animals (dogs, horses) that are doing what they are bred to do are happy animals.

 

[Tex]

This was a pic from this past Saturday. She is so focused looking for ducks, drool running out both sides of her mouth, it gets gross I have to wipe her mouth so I do not have to look at it, lol. But I will just sit and watch her all morning, and I can tell just watching her and her eyes when she missile locks on a duck.

 

[Andy Mink]

This was a pic from this past Saturday. She is so focused looking for ducks, drool running out both sides of her mouth, it gets gross I have to wipe her mouth so I do not have to look at it, lol. But I will just sit and watch her all morning, and I can tell just watching her and her eyes when she missile locks on a duck.

View attachment 158456

Nothing like laying back and letting your partner keep an eye out. They are WAY more focused than I ever can be!

 

[Tex]

Nothing like laying back and letting your partner keep an eye out. They are WAY more focused than I ever can be!

Yeah it is easy to flare ducks if my head is moving looking, so one head moving is better than 2 heads moving. Plus I like just watching her.

 

[Tex]

I tell you another thing Andy, if she is looking one direction, sometimes/manytimes I will look the opposite direction (behind her), I can see her, and behind her, that way we got 360 view, and less head movement.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Ok, but don't let MasterChief see you, or he will yell at you.

You had to pick out the video with the butter. I love a pan fried steak.

 

[scott43]

You had to pick out the video with the butter. I love a pan fried steak.

I hate cooking steak in a pan because it's.. Smelly. However, you can get proper heat and flavour that way. I need to do this in the back yard....