Preseason 2015-2016

[Darren]

Our tentative regular season dates will be set at today's LDWF meeting, with our early teal season set to kick off on Sept 12. In the meantime, been gathering up stray pieces of wood that may be useful for blind building as I come across them as well as giving dog training a fair shot.

Harrison is my first dog, and certainly first training effort. Having made 8 months yesterday, he's got some promising natural abilities, but admittedly I haven't been regimented enough to date to have him as sharp as he might otherwise be by this point. That said, he has what seems to be a tremendous nose and desire to pursue and retrieve. Will he bring whatever is thrown right back to hand every time? Nope, sometimes has his own agenda on return; but he always finds whatever "it" may be in very short order with nose to the ground.......be it ball, dummy (with or without scent) or holdover duck from last season.

He also loves to swim and make water retrieves from elevated platforms. Won't likely have much application in our particular hunting situations but at least further supports that he seems to go full bore for the water, and I'd figure that to be kinda important, right?

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We'd been working with the Avery GW teal dummy to this point, something we started with early for its small size but yesterday moved up to a Dokken woodduck, injected with scent. Harry's mouth isn't the biggest at this point so he had some trouble getting it situated in the mouth. Hoping to continue working with the bigger bird here on out until we can get some more real ones, hopefully, in September.

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Moved up yesterday 8-5-2015

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In the meantime we've also got to do two critical things.......introduce gunfire and decoys. Though I figure I'm late on the former, I was encouraged to see his response to some serious fireworks during July 4th festivities so hoping that will go smoothly. Just little opportunity for shooting guns here in the big city so need to wait till I'm over near our hunting grounds in a couple of weeks. Open to any suggestions on that effort.......

[Rick]

If you want to see folks do back-flips through their bungholes, mention "gun range" in the same sentence with "gun conditioning" on the gun dog forum of one of these boards. But I don't think you can beat a gun ranges for gun conditioning, if you have one within reasonable drive. The "trick," as if it really were one, is simply not take Pup to the firing line and start banging over him but, rather, to start out far enough away from the range that it's scarcely background noise and do thing that Pup enjoys doing to begin associating the distant shooting with good times. If Pup seems a bit put off, pack up and move even farther away. And when Pup's cool with the distant gunfire gradually move your play or walks closer until you are eventually very near or at the range.

Don't worry about the shooting not being associated with birds, neither are the fireworks or thunder it's also best that Pup not worry about. And if Pup doesn't very quickly make the association between guns and birds when you start shooting them for him, take him back to the store and demand a refund.

[Darren]

If you want to see folks do back-flips through their bungholes, mention "gun range" in the same sentence with "gun conditioning" on the gun dog forum of one of these boards. But I don't think you can beat a gun ranges for gun conditioning, if you have one within reasonable drive. The "trick," as if it really were one, is simply not take Pup to the firing line and start banging over him but, rather, to start out far enough away from the range that it's scarcely background noise and do thing that Pup enjoys doing to begin associating the distant shooting with good times. If Pup seems a bit put off, pack up and move even farther away. And when Pup's cool with the distant gunfire gradually move your play or walks closer until you are eventually very near or at the range.

Don't worry about the shooting not being associated with birds, neither are the fireworks or thunder it's also best that Pup not worry about. And if Pup doesn't very quickly make the association between guns and birds when you start shooting them for him, take him back to the store and demand a refund.

thanks Rick, figured you'd have some helpful insight. I'm thinking of a day out along our hard bottom lakeshore where I secure Harry in the boat (along shore with a few dekes out for a mock up) and wander down a ways on foot with my .410. Fire one shot at a time, beginning with pointed in full opposite direction of him and just kind of gage his reaction from there and move closer if his demeanor allows. There is also a gun club about 20 minutes from us I can surely take him out to, so maybe both these approaches are in the making over the next few weeks.

[Rick]

Not saying your approach won't work, but it puts Pup's focus on the gun right off the bat, as he's surely going to be concerned about what you're up to when you leave him behind.

[Olly]

I did the 2x4 method while mine was eating, I started him really young and I never even had to worry about gun conditioning when he was older and actually in a hunting setting.

[Darren]

Not saying your approach won't work, but it puts Pup's focus on the gun right off the bat, as he's surely going to be concerned about what you're up to when you leave him behind.

I could see that. Perhaps give the gun range visit the priority before the field day. I need to visit the local range for a story soon anyway. Could also try the 2 X 4 method Olly mentioned in the mean time

Yesterday he seemed to have an improved handle on the new bigger bird. Will work him in the marsh this weekend by the camp with both birds

[Rick]

I need to visit the local range for a story soon anyway.

I would most definitely NOT take him "to" the range with you until you're certain he's fine with it, first from afar and then gradually closer.

[Throbbin Rods]

I started Kibo with the Retriever Trainer as soon as he was crazy to retrieve. .22 cal blank was perfect and he just got more excited. Thunder and fireworks? He waits at the door to see whether there is anything out there to retrieve!

[Darren]

Thunder and fireworks? He waits at the door to see whether there is anything out there to retrieve!

He's a go-getter!..literally. Hoping to get some noise introduced here very shortly, only so much noise you can make here in the city without some clown calling authorities........

[Darren]

Harry continues to come along a bit with the bigger Dokken bird, and even took to water retrieves with it over the weekend without issue. He continues to drop it a good bit while on land retrieves but quickly picks back up and continues on. Guess at end of the day my priorities are 1.) find the bird! 1a.) bring it back to me; the former being the primary feat that's most difficult for me at times without use of a nose. There's plenty of times I don't mind going to get a bird, so long as I can find it.

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Also had our first go of doubles while working from the fishing camp dock and happy to see him attempt both birds on same retrieve. Bigger bird was slipping from grasp but made it back nonetheless

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Other than that, was a good camp weekend enjoying the spoils of S. Louisiana with fish and crabs

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[Rick]

Your weekend beat crap outta mine.

[Darren]

Our now-daily routine of work in the backyard is showing some marked results, with Harry coming back to hand almost all of the time, and showing impressive recollection for non-blind double retrieves. Since I'm unable to put him in a real hunting scenario until the weekend of the 29th, this week's backyard agenda is to include decoy introduction.

Any suggestions on how to discourage retrieval of decoys is appreciated. So far my early plan includes spraying the decoys with a sour-apple spray the wife bought to put on furniture to discourage chewing, while coating the "real" birds/dummies with the bottled blood. Guess I'll have to walk him through the spread to sniff them all at once, as his curiosity will be off and running. Can't blame him for finding it difficult to ignore the "wrong" plastic ducks for the "right" rubber ducks to be retrieved.

No credible teal sightings over on our end but hopeful my marsh visit in a couple of weeks will show a few.

[Rick]

Forget the scents, "good" and "bad," Harry has plenty of nose to smell bumpers without it and has learned to retrieve them. Just put some decoys out in the yard and discourage him from messing with them if need be, but don't make such a big deal about it that he comes to fear them. Then work him with the bumper as if the decoys aren't there, beginning well away from them and eventually working near and through them. Nothing to it, and moving that process to water should go pretty smoothly once he's viewing them as a regular part of the landscape. Has always worked for us.

[Darren]

Forget the scents, "good" and "bad," Harry has plenty of nose to smell bumpers without it and has learned to retrieve them. Just put some decoys out in the yard and discourage him from messing with them if need be, but don't make such a big deal about it that he comes to fear them. Then work him with the bumper as if the decoys aren't there, beginning well away from them and eventually working near and through them. Nothing to it, and moving that process to water should go pretty smoothly once he's viewing them as a regular part of the landscape. Has always worked for us.

Thanks! I'll give it a shot, maybe starting today if rain allows.

[Weston81]

Forget the scents, "good" and "bad," Harry has plenty of nose to smell bumpers without it and has learned to retrieve them. Just put some decoys out in the yard and discourage him from messing with them if need be, but don't make such a big deal about it that he comes to fear them. Then work him with the bumper as if the decoys aren't there, beginning well away from them and eventually working near and through them. Nothing to it, and moving that process to water should go pretty smoothly once he's viewing them as a regular part of the landscape. Has always worked for us.

X2, I was worried as well the first time I tried but the dog didn't seem to care one bit.

[Darren]

Forget the scents, "good" and "bad," Harry has plenty of nose to smell bumpers without it and has learned to retrieve them. Just put some decoys out in the yard and discourage him from messing with them if need be, but don't make such a big deal about it that he comes to fear them. Then work him with the bumper as if the decoys aren't there, beginning well away from them and eventually working near and through them. Nothing to it, and moving that process to water should go pretty smoothly once he's viewing them as a regular part of the landscape. Has always worked for us.

X2, I was worried as well the first time I tried but the dog didn't seem to care one bit.

As an update to this, I did manage to get a small spread put out in the yard yesterday for some work. Happy to say that, through 1 day of it, the dekes were a non-issue. On first encounter he gave each a thorough sniffing and that was that. Glad to have that behind us, now just gunfire on the to do list.

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[quackhead]

Why don't you just start off shooting a cap gun around the house. Either while he's eating or while he's distracted when retrieving? The gun shy thing is usually not as big of a deal as most think. Good luck

[Weston81]

Does anyone else have a seperate command from "no" when they want their dog to leave something alone? I've always used "leave it" for things such as a dead bird the dog is nosing etc.

[Rick]

Sometimes "no," sometimes "leave it".

[Darren]

Got first confirmed report from a buddy riding some known "tealy" waters this morning on our end, said they saw about 100 or so in total, cruising around in wads of 8-15 or so. St. Bernard Parish shallow marshes, little bit south of me but I also often make a hunt or two down that way so good to hear. Dying to get back in the flat boat and out and about in our marsh this weekend.

[Darren]

Harry and I hit the launch around 7:45am for the first of a two-day marsh weekend just to be out there. Got in some dog work, some habitat assessment, and even our first joint pirogue operations. Had lots of fun with the great weather.

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Got the right one but juuust keepin' an eye on those others:

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After the training session decided to go poke around in one more area to see if our holes had been closed up and this also being the most likely of teal sighting areas, and we managed to put eyes on our first bluewings of the season.

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No teal seen in any other areas, then again this particular area has types of grasses and very shallow floods at higher tides not found in the other areas. Overall, though, the marsh is in stellar shape, knock on wood, just unfortunately at the expense of some of our teal season honey holes that have now closed in.

[DComeaux]

Nice outing for sure.

I'm so ready to get out in the field. NEXT WEEKEND I will be working on the blind.

[Darren]

Johnny, Harry and I headed back out again this morning but a bit earlier with hopes of seeing some kind of flight, launched just after what would be shooting time. Didn't see much flight but bumped a few here and there while we eased around the marsh, seemingly a few more than yesterday.

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Found a few in some really shallow stuff, Harry had a ball flushing them out

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Took a few photos and marked a few setup locations before bailing out the marsh for some dog work with Harry, finally introducing gunfire with Johnny's help. Toted along a Remy 870 20-gauge that did the trick and didn't seem to bother him. Will hope to get in at least one or two more gunfire training sessions before opening day.

[Rick]

Sweet weekend. Whole lot more teal in your marsh than ours.

[Darren]

Sweet weekend. Whole lot more teal in your marsh than ours.

But you've got woodies so thick they're crawling in the blinds! Just hope there's more teal than hunters for Sept 12. Hoping to check back on our birds next weekend to see if they're holding at all

[Darren]

From our work Saturday morning. Could have scooped a nice dozen crabs while standing here tossing dummies, and also had redfish busting mullet not 30 yards away. Gotta love south Louisiana

[Rick]

Was waiting to see a sow trout blow up on the bumper.

[Darren]

Made it back out to the marsh this AM on a quick solo trip just to see if by chance a few birds might still be around. Hit the area right about shooting time and started flushing a few here and there in similar pattern as we saw last week. Hope they stick with us just a few more short days. Pretty nice out there with a NE wind blowing today, and also seems we've had an influx of squealers in the area as well.

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[DComeaux]

Nice!

Looks like we may get a little front at the end of the week. Hopefully it brings some birds with it.

[Darren]

Nice!

Looks like we may get a little front at the end of the week. Hopefully it brings some birds with it.

.......and doesn't push these out