The quail recall pen is getting good use now that the quail are getting the hang of using the funnel and getting back in the pen each day. We made the mistake of letting quite a few go the first day and then we flushed them scattering them quite far. After 2 days only 2 had recalled out of about 12-14 that were released. We hit the books and learned that there is a training period for the birds to learn to recall and use the funnel. The key during the first few days is to let them out and not flush them so they stay close and figure out the entrance. After about a week of this you can start flushing the birds and begin using them for dog training.

After the mistake these are the 12 or so bobwhite quail that were left in the recall pen. We have more quail to restock the pen with and think about 25 is a good number for this size of pen. We will be finding a more permanent home for the recall pen for the summer months as the farmer will be wanting to cultivate this ground soon. We hope to use the quail recall pen for dog training during the summer months on private property.

This is a client dog making a pretty nice water retrieve at the pheasant hunting preserve today. The property has a river running through it and many times the birds flush across the river and sometimes when shot, drop in or on the other side of the river. Shorthairs are usually quite good at water retrieves but as quick as Sadie was to get across to the downed rooster, it took a little coaxing to get her to come back. The water was running pretty swift and very cold with the winter run-off. My Brittany dog Annie was the first one across the river but she didn’t mark the bird and had trouble locating and returned empty handed.

Ace is coming along a little better with his bird work this week. I work him for 5-10 minutes alone or until he points a bird and then I let Annie out and run them together on a couple more birds. Each point is getting better and better. He is backing well and with our quail recall pen up and running smooth I am able to get 3-4 points and flushes before the birds scatter. Annie is so soft-mouthed that if she catches one of the quail there is no damage besides dog slobber. I just put the wet quail right back in the recall pen and they are ready to go again the next day.

One of my favorite things about training dogs is sharing with others, especially young people. I invited a couple of friends the other day to come and watch my dogs work and to be my shooters. My neighbor and avid hunter John C. (left) with his son had a fun time chasing pheasants while I worked with Annie on being more steady on point. My other friend Aaron came up from SG with his son to see the cover and tour the pheasant hunting preserve where I work as a guide. Aaron raises and trains german shorthairs and is the breeder of the dog Ace that I am currently working with.

Chris Colt of cove mountain kennels was out working with his new english pointer “Max”. It was his first time to watch Max working around birds and he was anxious to see where to start the training. Max seemed to have plenty of bird drive and not much problem with guns and noise sensitivity. It was fun to be the bird man for Chris and to watch him work and train the dogs from his kennel. Chris has been looking for a new pointing dog since he lost his wirehair Aika this past year to old age. This new english pointer just might be the ticket. Watch the video of Max’s first pheasant on YouTube.

Ace did well and had a fabulous back with Annie pointing a covey of wild valley quail that live on the property. We are trying to grow the quail population on the pheasant farm as they are a nice addition to the game birds. We use bobwhite quail for training but the valley quail are much more beautiful. I wish I could have got a picture of it but I was proud of Annie and Ace for their solid bird work.

Planted a few quail today and ran both Annie and Ace. Annie set up on point a few minutes into the field and Ace was right there with her. Not sure if we was backing or pointing but I was excited to see him point his first bird anyway. I tried to get my camera out for a shot but my hands were full carrying a shotgun, ecollar transmitter and gloves. He held the point for about 4-5 seconds and jumped in on the bird when Annie flinched. The quail didn’t fly so good and he ended up chasing it and then catching it. While he was chasing I fired my shotgun into the air to get him more used to the gunfire. After he did catch the quail he brought it right to me.

The dogs ended up pointing a rooster pheasant as we pushed down to the river but I couldn’t get a shot off. Then we found this hen and Annie pinned it against the canal. The pheasant start to run a bit more as we move towards warmer weather and spring so it was nice to start out with the quail that hold a little better. Ace has been doing good with his ecollar conditioning and is learning to check back with the command “back”. I try to pet him down real good when I call him all the way back to me periodically while we are training. It would have been nice to have an extra pair of hands to help out, but my training buddy went south to chase chukars for the day. I didn’t dare take an all day hunting excursion on the weekend of Valentines Day. Gotta keep momma happy!

This is an American Brittany puppy I am looking at out of Texas. The litter was planned and whelped by Laura Wilder and David Downing of Blue Ridge Kennels. I was looking for a strong male dog with the liver coloring. The other thing I was looking for was a puppy that had dual champions on both sides.  To me it was important to have a dog with the conformation and looks as well as the bird hunting and pointing instincts. Now I don’t plan to field trial this year but I can appreciate the skills that are required to win in both field trials and dog shows.

Speaking with Dave today he said that the Dam (CH T’Kalis Feel The Wind)  just received her last field trial points needed to earn her the DC title. The Sire of the litter (DC TC’s Match Boks Racer) earned his DC title at just 3 years old. The only drawback with an older puppy is that you miss out on some of the crucial socialization period when they are 8-12 weeks old. I like the breeding and am leaning toward getting a puppy from the next litter. The only problem is figuring out how to get a puppy from Texas to Utah, might have to take a little road trip.

On the subject of naming a new puppy I decided to go with a WWII theme for the dog, specifically about airplanes from that era. I am hoping to stick with this theme for any future males in my dog kennel. His official AKC registered name will be “Annabella’s B-17 Flying Fortress” and his call name will be “Bomber”.  You can check out his complete pedigree here.