
A Bird Hunter's Thoughts
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This BLOG is a way for Randy Schultz to document his fun with bird dogs and bird hunting. He can also look at products and test them on the road, under actual hunting conditions. He enjoys doing that and have found some real gems in equipment and techniques.
A Bird Hunter's Thoughts
1M ago
Love the Hunt
If you can learn to love the hunt, you'll hunt longer, happier, with more contentment, and with more energy than if you only love the covey rise ..read more
A Bird Hunter's Thoughts
1M ago
Red Hat
Christmas is over, New Year celebrations are finished, and my season has about a month and a half to go. That is only because I'm willing to drive to New Mexico and Arizona to chase (and I use that word literally) Gambels and Scaled Quail. While I was perusing catalogs for potential gifts for the spousal unit, I came across an ad for the Red Hat Beanie. Intrigued, I delved into the advertising, then I went to the website (https://redhatfactory.com/) and read about the product and the history behind it.
My Westcoaster Cap
I had to laugh at some of t ..read more
A Bird Hunter's Thoughts
1M ago
The Good Place
There is a place. Sometimes, when I’m driving or daydreaming or thinking about places to visit again, this place pops into my head. It’s in the mountains, about 7500’ elevation. It’s a mix of Aspen and conifers and sage and grass. The Aspen hide springs, water for the cows, deer, elk, and, best of all, Dusky Grouse. The grass is knee high in places, other places the grass is barely ankle high. Always the conifers are close by. There is not too much sage at this place. Other nice places ..read more
A Bird Hunter's Thoughts
2M ago
Digging Holes
If you have bird dogs, many or just one, eventually time will run out. It’s a sad fact that from a tiny puppy to digging a hole in the pasture is a span of time measured in “not long enough”. When they start hunting for you at a year old, until they are the senior dog asleep in the front seat awaiting the call 12 years later, they work their hearts out, and they deserve a good ending. “A good death” is the phrase. My Germanic ancestors call it “dying well”.
We have a dog cemetery, here on the farm. I picked a co ..read more
A Bird Hunter's Thoughts
3M ago
Snakes
“Cheh... Cheh………Cheh.”
“That’s a weird bird noise,” I thought to myself. Cheh..Cheh..Cheh, Cheh. “It must be some sort of Prairie Dog, or bird, or something.” I noticed the volume and frequency both increased just a bit while I was thinking about it.
This was Grouse Camp. I was in the high, hill country in Wyoming with six other bird dog enthusiasts. We were in a great area for Hungarian Partridge, but still in the grass so there were no Sage Grouse (no Sage) and no Dusky Grouse (no ..read more
A Bird Hunter's Thoughts
4M ago
Chukar
“So, down this hill is a bench. Along that bench, there is usually a covey of Chukar. Once we get down there, we can walk along the bench and let the dogs find the birds. Easy, peasy!”
The day was sunny and cool. A perfect day for bird hunting in Wyoming. My friend, a resident of the Cowboy State and bird hunter, was driving me around in his 6X6 and pointing out places he found birds in the past. In the past few days, we found numerous Hungarian Partridge coveys and even a large grumbling of Sage Grouse. It was a bird ..read more
A Bird Hunter's Thoughts
4M ago
Friends
One beautiful Fall day I was working with my dogs along the Snake River in Idaho. When I could find access to public land, I would hunt down to the water’s edge. Valley Quail and Hungarian Partridge were having a great season that year. The issue wasn’t finding numerous coveys but finding them on accessible land. Generally, we hunted between the Snake River and the access roads or canals that followed alongside the big river. I love the Snake. There was occasional ice in it, due to a cold snap, and the big, deep river was impressive. My dog, Ace ..read more
A Bird Hunter's Thoughts
9M ago
The Doldrums
I don’t have any use for summer. Except for an hour after sunrise, it’s too hot and humid to train dogs. The pasture grass is too high, and the ticks and fleas are nasty. Unfortunately, we have plenty of summer here in Georgia. The dogs get a few months off. Shaded kennels and a huge shop fan keep them happy and cool. On really sweltering days, they have “The Condo”, an insulated room with air conditioning and a dog door. But I think that may have been a waste of effort. They really don’t use it much, and prefer to lie ..read more
A Bird Hunter's Thoughts
9M ago
Baron
Some pretty good dogs I have known
By Scott Linden
I am the luckiest guy on the planet. I get to hang around bird dogs. Some are mutts, others are refined canines of the highest order, with pedigrees boasting an alphabet’s-worth of capital letters.
Some have entrenched themselves in my memory, become the stuff of campfire stories or inspire subtle smiles during business meetings. I’ll bet you have sigh-inducing recollections of dogs that shared a field with you. Maybe they’re like mine …
Missy was a mutt, half Lab, half Brittany. A pint-sized bun ..read more
A Bird Hunter's Thoughts
10M ago
It’s the eternal problem of bird hunting all over the country from September to February. Not only can you not expect good roads, you should plan on mud, snow, sand, and rocks.
Let’s go over some items I carry and a few things that are just part of the truck.
First, 4-wheel drive. I know you could drive all over dirt and gravel from Montana to Arizona in your 2WD vehicle. I’ve done it. I had a 1989 F150 with a positraction rear end that went everywhere. Until it didn’t. I met a nice Georgia farmer with his tractor that day. Every truck I’ve had since then was 4WD ..read more