Getting ready for Pheasant season

Mosby

WKR
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
Messages
1,910
What are you guys doing to get ready for the fall bird season?

Here is what I got:

- Getting a new battery for my Yamaha Grizzly so I can start roading my GSP this week.
- Updating my dogs first aid kit.
- Bought new water bottles for my upland vest.
- Bought extra set of dog food dishes. 1 set to leave in truck and 1 set to take in hotel room.
- Bought a Ruff Land tray for the top of my kennel, so I have a place to put dog stuff.
- Pulled out some old Nalgene bottles to use for my dogs Glycocharge mixture and extra water.
- Experimenting with flavoring morning water. I don't feed in morning before hunting and I am experimenting with kibble, soft food, chicken stock, etc., to soak in water for flavor. Also thinking about buying some Dyne to put in morning water to add some calories and fat. Sort of a liquid breakfast. I want to see what my GSP will drink the most of and if I can see a difference in morning workouts. The more water I can get in her the better, during hunting season.
- Getting my GSP "finished" in June and also working on heeling, retrieving and recall to a whistle.
- Planning a couple trips to South Dakota. A scouting trip to find places to hunt and stay and later a training camp trip in late summer to run my GSP on wild birds, when allowed.
 

IsThisHeaven

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 12, 2017
Messages
100
Location
Iowa
I have a routine I follow every year. In the spring I run through all my equipment and replace or add as needed. That includes first aid kit, shotgun shells, collars, etc., pretty much anything. I try to take a minimalist approach to bird hunting, which is part of its appeal to me, so I try to keep things simple. Early to mid March, whenever it warms up a little, we start regular off leash runs.

Then from about now (after turkey season) until mid to late July my main focus is the dogs' health. They both have their annual checkups. I run my dogs off leash year round, but I bump up the frequency to 5 or 6 days per week and bump up the length of the runs.

Starting in mid to late July I start running my dogs on wild birds. That lasts through hunting season until late winter. I have a couple of spots within 10 minutes of my house to get them off leash runs. If I want to get them on wild birds its about half hour. I try to get 1 or 2 wild bird runs per week until we are hunting wild birds.

After the season we take it easy for a few weeks to a month maybe, then start the process over.
 

KurtR

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
3,534
Location
South Dakota
living in south dakota its just the nightly walk after training. have a one year old lab I am going to run hunt test with this year . So other than being in shape pheasant hunting just comes natural hardest part is working on sit to flush to get ready of the upland test next spring
 

Vandy321

WKR
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Messages
2,424
Not to hijack, but can someone send me a good link to everything to consider for a good doggo field first aid kid...I have what I consider the basics, but curious what everyone is buyiny/carrying
 

KurtR

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
3,534
Location
South Dakota
Not to hijack, but can someone send me a good link to everything to consider for a good doggo field first aid kid...I have what I consider the basics, but curious what everyone is buyiny/carrying
this is the one i have keep it in the pick up all the time.

 
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