Base Camp

Feeding Time

The end of the day, and the fun continues; dogs and gear get unloaded and situated; feed pans filled and dispersed; fresh batteries installed in GPS transmitters; e-collars and tracking collars on chargers; truck gets fueled-up; ice for the coolers; more food and beverages purchased; doctoring of dogs and hunters as needed; the list goes on......
We were fortunate to be at a location where fuel, food, and accommodations are all available, and where the proprietors cater to a lot of bird hunters in the fall and winter and understand the kind of baggage we bring with us. We did make sure to clean-up after the dogs immediately, and fitted the barkers with their collars; trying to keep our presence as low-key as possible, and not taking things for granted.
The proprietors of these rural destinations are providing us with a great service and we appreciate them being there. By cleaning up after ourselves, and leaving them with a good impression of who we are, we hope they will be accommodating to us again in the future.

How we roll...

I have been refining my hunting truck set-up and thought I would share the latest iteration. I still have the 4 dog topper and will use when needed, but I liked the idea of something a bit more flexible. 

My truck is an older (2001) F350 that does great towing my Airstream or my fishing boat. But I needed to add a few things to make it convenient for hunting trips. 

As a useable base, and to provide easy access to the contents of the truck bed, I installed a full length, roll-out Bed Slide that is 48 inches wide. On top I put an ARE shell with swing up side windows. The windows provide access to a Line-X coated ply box that sits within the bed rails - over the forward part of the bed. 

On the Bed Slide I fitted a poly 35 gallon potable water tank (48" X 18" X 10") and a small electric pump. This provides a means to carry plenty of water when I need to refill the tank on the Airstream or when camping out of the truck or if I just want to douse a dog.

My excellent friend and fellow blogger, Pete, made a very nice gun and 'stuff' drawer that fits on one side of the Bed Slide - leaving room for a storage box or a sliding tray for my Engel 45L fridge/freezer. Pete built it with 'double decker' drawers that occupy the center area and, somehow, boxes of sixteen gauge loads fit exactly in the top drawers. Thank you, Pete! The wire dog crates go on a piece of carpet on top of the box - ratchet strapped securely to the Bed Slide.

This works out to be a pretty good way to carry a couple bird dogs, four guns, a generous amount of ammo, a ton of hunting crap, a lot of water and nearly anything else you need to haul along.

When you see how bad it can get ...

My wife and I just returned from a 15 day trip through China. I've practiced Tai Chi Chuan for 7 years and the trip was sponsored by the studio where I train. We spent the first week in classes with the very best Tai Ci masters in the world and then spent the second week doing the usual tourist stuff in Xian and Beijing. My overwhelming reaction: nearly all of the enviroment that I saw was was horribly damaged. During the entire time in country I saw only a handful of songbirds, a few magpies, no rodents, no hawks. Certainly no game birds. Anything that looks green is under mono-species cultivation. Most of the country is covered by a cloud of smog from the coal-burning electric plants. 5,000 years of human occupation have left a mark on the land and the animals that will not disappear until the next ice age. So, get out your checkbook and send some money to you favorite environmental advocate group. This trip really brought home to me how much we stand to lose if we do not learn to live in a balanced relationship with our environment.

Flying your bird-dog

This might have been a very different post if the outcome had been any different, but I am happy to report that Mr. Enthusiasm has arrived safely home.

After spending a month out in the White Mountains of Arizonatraining with Bill Gibbons this summer, I decided to leave my younger dog out there for another six weeks so he could keep getting regular, honest birdwork. I had originally driven out there with my two dogs -- but was now faced with an obvious dilemma.

I should point out that we invested in a Deer Creek Uplanderdogbox roughly three years ago when we became a two-dog household and it was pretty obvious we were going to be driving a lot with our two dogs. Even leaving aside how (literally) cool these insulated boxes can be, or how convenient the top storage compartment is, this was one of our best investments because of the extra protection these boxes offer our dogs while driving. Mercifully, I don't have any horror stories to tell about close calls -- but I have peace of mind knowing that my dogs can't be catapulted around should an accident befall us.

At first, because Jozsi was flying out of Phoenix, I thought I'd have to go out there and drive him back because the temperature at the airport would be too high in mid-September. I then discovered that this was largely urban myth and that individual airlines maintain their own guidelines for when and where they will fly dogs. Then, at this point in my research, of course, there were the seven puppies who died on an American Airlines flight in early August from Tulsa to Chicago. Another friend then mentioned that there was an airline that only flew dogs and cats -- Pet Airways, surprisingly enough -- and in the main cabin, to boot.

The deal with Pet Airways is that they are, I believe, a single plane operation and essentially fly out of nine regional airports across the country, all close to major metropolitan areas. So, for example, they do fly in and out of 'Phoenix' and 'New York' - but these are actually Falcon Field in Mesa and Republic Airport in Farmingdale. They essentially fly eastbound on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and westbound on Thursdays and Fridays, normally with a stop-over in Omaha. It all looks pretty slick.

They are a single-plane operation, however, with limited space and are pretty adamant about folks making reservations for the correct size crate. One thing to keep in mind before flying your bird-dog is that the USDA regulates travel crate sizes, not the individual airlines. As theirregulations state: "Primary enclosures used to transport dogs and cats must be large enough to ensure that each animal contained in the primary enclosure has enough space to turn about normally while stand, to stand and sit erect, and to lie in a natural position." (Regulation 3.14.e.1) Call me inhumane, but part of the point of a dog-box is that your dogs can't move around entirely freely (so that in the event of an accident, they don't become a projectile). In any case, keep in mind that the crate you have at home is probably smaller than the one you'll be expected to fly your dog in.

What this means with regard to Pet Airways is that, interestingly enough, in the time between when I first started researching flying Jozsi with them and now, they have changed their website reservation process so that owners can no longer choose which size carrier their dog will fly in, but have to input their dog's height (when standing erect) and weight. I presume that their policy of no refunds is still in effect if you reserve a smaller crate size than necessary to save money and there are no larger crate spaces available on your dog's flight. And there are, of course, a limited number of larger-sized crates on each plane so if you decide to go this route and have an average-sized pointing dog, book well in advance.

I did also call Continental Airlines to inquire about their PetSafe flight program and was immediately impressed by the agent who picked up my call. If she even used a computer to tell me how I could fly my dog on a direct flight from Phoenix to the East Coast, I would be genuinely surprised. It took less than two minutes for her to tell me the Phoenix SkyHarbor flight limitations (e.g. before September 15th, they won't fly a dog later than 8:00am, period), flight numbers, flight times, and cost. When I did call again, the representative who made the reservation was equally thorough and well informed. And frankly, by contrast, the representative at PetAirways sounded both a little vague and a little smug. If there had been space on a PetAirways flight that worked for us, would I have still flown my dog on Continental? That's a tough call, but I have to say that I felt a little played -- as if not flying your dog in the main cabin was somehow not doing the best for my dog.

Nevertheless, the spectre of those seven puppies nagged at me. Honestly. But this was my thought process. Since mid-2005, commercial airlines have been required by the US Department of Transportation to track killed, lost, or injured pets on its flights. As this blogarticle about that tragic American Airlines flight points out, the US Department of Transportation has records of only 122 pet deaths in five years. Again, I appreciate that if one of these 122 dogs were one of mine, I might be writing a different story. But statistically speaking, unlike those 7 very young dogs in Chicago, the chances of anything disastrous happening to my super-fit, crate-acclimatized three-year-old were slim. And I imagine that those odds are also significantly slimmer than putting my dog in a crate in a rental car and driving on the nation's highways for four days straight. I can't find any statistics for how many dogs are killed in automotive accidents, but I strongly suspect that it's more than 122 in five years.

So, I booked with Continental through their PetSafe program -- and I have to say I wasn't merely satisified but also impressed. When I made the reservation with Continental, the service rep gave me precise directions to both the drop-off and pick-up sites, complete with actual direct numbers. We joked about that fact that the drop-off in Phoenix sounds completely dodgy -- in a trailer on top of a parking garage (but as it turns out is a fully air-conditioned, dedicated pet reception where they keep all the pets till the last minute before boarding). But his directions were completely accurate despite the labyrinthine nature of Newark airport (which is still nothing compared to either of the major New York airports) and the staff clearly on the ball. While I waited for Jozsi to show up, it was clear that they were giving several dogs waiting to depart their last minute trip to the bathroom.

I can't say that I am now rushing to fly my dogs everywhere, but I think it's important to keep in mind that the media doesn't report stories like 'Healthy male vizsla arrives safely at Newark Airport!', that fear-mongers literally profit from tragedies like that in Chicago, and that there are alternatives to driving your dogs everywhere, alternatives that might actually be safer.

Meet Cody

Jerry Lewis poses Cody in North Dakota

On Tuesday of this week, I was in Beach, North Dakota at Jerry Lewis' summer training camp to look at some puppies. We put three pups down and walked them through the fields. One of them was consistently ahead of the others and to the front, handled naturally, and found a covey of sharptails, which he flushed and chased a short distance. Then he rolled back and checked the spot again and put up two more birds. "I like this pup," I thought, "he really hunts!" and after a brief once over to check for any physical problems, Jerry and I made a deal and started the paperwork. 

After leaving Jerry's camp, I headed over to see some dogs at the Montana Shooting Dog Championship in Circle, Montana. Jim Michaletz had a horse for me to ride, and I rode six braces on the spectacular course that the Big Sky Field Trial Club has on the Scott Brown Ranch. I met a number of people I knew only by reputation and phone and e-mail exchanges - Jim Michaletz (owner of my new pup's sire, CH Jetsetter), Tom and Shannon Nygard, Austin Turley, Dave Noel, Jim Tande, Doug Ray, Travis Gelhaus, and others. Everyone made me welcome and I am grateful to all there for an excellent time. After the morning braces, I remained in camp and walked the pup in a little field behind the camp. He found, flash pointed, and flushed a bevy of sharptails and, as he did the day before, went back to the spot and found three stragglers, which he also put up. I was impressed with this determination and good sense in a pup just turned five months old.

So this is Cody (CH Jetsetter X RU-CH Johnny's Jewel - and to be registered as Wenaha Code Red). I have the hope that we all experience with a new puppy - at this point all things are possible.

Goodbye and (maybe) hello

Last week I had to put one of my older setters down. A simple bowel obstruction, upon closer examination, led to a sarcoma on the spleen and a unhealthy looking node on a testicle. Rather than put him through a bowel resection, spleen removal and castration with a very dubious prognosis for short term survival, I elected to let him go. This is not easy. Every time I do this it seems that the grief is compounded by the dogs that went before. Benny was a really sweet little maniac. So desperate for birds that I could never trust him completely, and eventually quit hunting him. He was my wife's pet and favorite.

So next week I am making a trek to North Dakota to the summer camp of a well known trainer to evaluate three young puppies. I expect that I will come home with one, if they are like the others I have seen from this breeding. I will have a young dog to develop, and I am excited about the prospect of taking the youngster on my fall bird safari. 

On the way home from North Dakota, I will stop in Circle, Montana to ride braces at the Montana Open Shooting Dog Championship and meet both old friends and some people that I have only known previously through phone conversations and exchanges of e-mail. 

Pictures of puppies, dogs, and field trial to follow.

Memorial Day

Like a swarm of illuminated bees, they travel down the far left lane. Flashing brake lights and riding close , cutting in and out between the aluminum behemoths whose gravity seems to sling them forward, they ride as if they hold a papal dispensation from the consequences of their carelessness. They arrive in tight knit clusters of 8 to 10 mini vehicles, indistinguishable from each other - mini-suvs, sedans, the occasional small truck. Heading, as if down a wormhole, back to the very places they could not wait to leave on Friday.


I time my moves and target the gaps, steering back between the trucks for refuge from vehicular homicide. This is the last day of the Memorial Day weekend. Could we pause to think of who this day honors? 


After 12 hours of driving I ask myself why I choose to live in the crucible of modernity and forward motion. Eight days of traveling the backcountry of the Kaibab, camping on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and relaxing in the night time moonlight with a fist-full of distilled spirits has set my mind back to a time of more leisurely motion. 


I wonder where the real world is... and who inhabits that world.

A setter in Sweden

Several years ago I was homeward bound from a client meeting in Paris, and was seated next to a pleasant young woman from Sweden - an agricultural journalist, she said. Somehow (perhaps inevitably) the conversation turned to bird dogs and setters. She was a bird hunter and bird dogger and she talked to me a bit about the influence of the Smith setters in Norway and Sweden. She sent the the photo above by e-mail a few days later. I have always liked the photo and offer it here.

Merry Christmas!

The ground in front and that behind

I have been thinking that an upland hunter has a lot of ground to cover in North America. To take it all in - the birds, the country, the people and dogs - is a lifetime of hope, travel, and ultimately assimilation and learning.

There is still a lot of ground to cover. I hope to get to southern Arizona for Mearn's quail - I have never hunted there or even seen a Mearn's. Then there are willow ptarmigan and Alaska uplands.  And lesser prairie chickens. Some things call for a repeat after many years - hunting band-tail pigeons on the Coast Range comes to mind. 

I am not checking off items on a list, but this all leads to thinking about next season, even before this one has run out. Getting a bit older seems to sharpen the appetite for those things not yet tasted. 

Ted and Mike visit LoBank

I first began corresponding with Dale Hernden of Michigan a couple of years ago when we discovered that we had littermates from an excellent setter breeding by Craig Peters of Maryland. So we exchanged notes on Ted and Dale's gyp, Lu (Keystone's Private Dancer). Dale and I began blogging at about the same time - he blogs at LoBank. Long story short, Dale invited me to come to LoBank for a visit, and since I was in the neighborhood (Montana) I took him up on his offer. 

LoBank is a wonderful place on the Ausable RIver, and Dale was an exemplary host for the week that I was there. Unfortunately the weather was less than wonderful. But we got out for a day or two of woodcock and grouse in the Michigan woods. I had never been to this type of cover, and Ted had never hunted woodcock. But his cover dog side came to the front, and he ran the cover with his littermate Lu like he had been doing it all his life. Very cool.

Here is Ted pointing a woodcock in typical Michigan cover - thick stuff! (photo by Dale Hernden)

I flushed the woodcock Ted is pointing above, but did not have a clear shot... later Dale told me that, "If you can see the bird, that's a clear shot!" Lesson learned.

Dale also invited me to attend the Michigan Woodcock Championship - a premier cover dog trial. Since I had never been to a cover dog trial I was excited to have a chance to attend, and Dale had a dog running under the whistle of Scott Chaffee, an accomplished cover dog trainer and handler. 

The trial was held at Gladwin, MI. These are grounds set aside by the state of Michigan specifically for field trials and no hunting or other use is allowed. Amazing to a Westerner who is used to scraping for trial grounds. This is a very classy set-up, and the Michigan trialers are very fortunate to have these grounds, which includes an excellent club house and camping area.

The Gladwin grounds were an example of what is possible when the state and sportsmen can co-operate.

Dale's young pointer, "Al", was running in the 5th brace and I was able to walk a couple braces and scout Dale's dog for handler Scott Chaffee. There were many birds on the course, and grouse and/or woodcock were pointed in almost every brace. The handlers had an almost uncanny knack of knowing when and where the dog (not visible in the thick cover) were on point, and went straight to their dogs. Also very cool.

Dale introduced me to a number of people, including Wayne Fruchey, Bryan Wood, Mark and Scott Foreman, Scott Chaffee, and others who exceeded my ability to remember all their names. A terrific and hospitable group of people! I thank all who made me welcome at the trial. A fine group of sportsmen.

I hope to sample some of the fishing in the beautiful AuSable River that Dale shared with me, and to reciprocate his hospitality in the near future. Thank you, Dale!

Saskatchewan

Clair Kofoed and Dave Brown (right) heading in from an impromptu evening goose shoot in Saskatchewan.

I am posting this ahead of other reports (Michigan, Prairie Chickens, Montana...) while it is fresh in my mind.  I just returned from a week of bird hunting in Saskatchewan at the invitation of Dave Brown. Dave maintains an outfitting operation in Cabri, Saskatchewan and invited Clair Kofoed and I up for an 'end of the season' hunt - a casual event that was most enjoyable for all of us. 

The Hungarian (grey) partridge is a sporting bird, and is nearly perfect for hunting with pointing dogs. And we found Saskatchewan to be a Hun paradise - rolling wheat fields interspersed with prairie islands and brushy draws. This is the finest partridge hunting I have yet experienced. We moved as many as 10 coveys a day and in some very beautiful cover. 

We found the waterfowl hunting to be very good, even though we spent 80% of our hunting time chasing Huns and sharp-tailed grouse. We took both geese and ducks. Geese were incredibly abundant - snows, Canadas, and white fronted geese were overhead in huge numbers every morning and evening.

Dave runs a string of pointers and Brittanies, and he hunts his very stylish and capable bird dogs two at a time. They find a lot of birds, but neither Ted or Clair's setter Thorn suffered in comparison. 

We finished the hunt with a Wednesday evening game dinner of Huns, Sharp-tails, mallard, sprig, and both snow and Canada geese that Clair prepared over a smoky alder wood charcoal grill. Wine, sourmash, Scotch and cigars were also on the menu. Great times with old and new friends. Thanks. Dave Brown!

New dog topper

Shortly before I left for Nebraska in mid-September, I completed my dog topper project - a four-holer with room for extra gear. Above photo - Ted is modeling on the tailgate of the Ford with the completed topper in place. This is a Ford F350 crewcab with a short (6' 8") bed. 

This topper was inspired by the ones made by Bob Welch of WingWorks in Hailey, ID. Instead of the aluminum sheet that Bob used, I chose to make the interior of Baltic birch plywood, which was then sprayed with Line-X bed liner. This made an inexpensive, durable and stable solution to floors and dividers.

Here is Tommy trying out his new digs. He seems dubious, but all the dogs are happy to travel on warmth and comfort with hay bedding. The boxes in the bed of my F350 are each 24"W X 32" L X 27" H and the floors are insulated with 1" of styrofoam sheet under the Line-X coating - this has proven very successful.

I will make a PDF of rough plans and some photos when I get back from Saskatchewan. More updates to come in about a week.

Report from the road...

I am in northern Michigan. Got on the road the afternoon of September 19th, and drove to Valentine, Nebraska to hunt prairie chickens with Pete Houser - and Clair Kofoed was along to take photos and offer encouragement. We hunted with outfitter Mike 2

Kuchera for a couple of days on private land,  and then we tried the McKelvie National Forest lands near Valentine. We got into lots of birds with Mike, fewer on the public ground. More on this later.

Pete and I then headed to Eastern Montana for sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge. It was cool and windy, but mostly dry and we found birds and had some good dogwork every day. Pete packed up and left for home, with a blue grouse hunt along the way. He reports that he did well in his 'special' spot, and bagged a double-double - both dogs pointing and produced two birds for a double on blues, followed by a late flush, and he was limited out. Pete's shooting the Fox, and his shooting has apparently improved.

As Pete went West, I headed East, crossing North Dakota and stopping today in Clearview, MN to visit Scott and Ben Berg at their beautiful kennels. We ran some dogs, and  while Ted was wornout and had sore feet, Tommy produced an acceptable performance. Scott and Ben showed me several very nice young dogs, and of which I would be happy to have in my truck. Ben's wife Dawn provided a nice lunch of classic Minnesota chili, and we had a nice visit. 

More later, and maybe some photos... 

Launch time approaches- excuses for not posting for over a month.

I have been flogging away getting the Airstream ready for another Fall season, building an 'Bob Welch' style dog cap for the F350 (which has been sound-proofed and had new gauges added), and am heading to Baker City to pick up Tommy from trainer Mike McGinnis right after the Dove Opener next week.

I visited my friend Bob Welch in Hailey, Idaho a few weeks ago. We fooled around with a couple of projects, ran some dogs, and I was pleased to be introduced to Nancy Whitehead, the sporting dog photographer and author of a new book, about which I will post later. Bob also hosted me at some outstanding pigeon shooting south of Twin Falls. Thanks, Bob!

Pete, Clair and I will be tasting prairie chickens in northern Nebraska third week of next month. After we finish and Clair flies off for his next adventure, Pete and I will head to eastern Montana for another week of prairie birds. Pete, being gainfully employed as an expert rocket scientist, will then return to the arsenal of democracy, and I will head to Michigan to to meet Dale and hunt grouse and woodcock - never hunted woodcock!

Returning from Michigan to Montana, I will be hunting with a couple of newer friends, and enjoying some dog work, before heading to Saskatchewan where I will meet with Clair and Dave Brown for more fun on the prairies. I hope that it will be a busy couple months.

My club will be hosting the US Complete Shooting Dog Association's NW Region Championship in November at the K-Arrow Ranch near Jamestown, California. I hope Ted is ready and fit from a seven weeks of bird hunting. I also hope that he is still broke enough to place in the trial.

Note on the Garmin Astro in Canada

Use or possession of the Garmin Astro in Canada is forbidden by federal law. The bandwidth used by the Astro has been reserved for Canadian government use. If you are heading to Canada, leave the Astro home. No sense in irritating the Canadian government, is there?

EDIT: Craig over on ChiendogBlog has done the research (he's a Canadian, so they are more likely to talk with him...) regarding the exact nature of restrictions on the use of the Garmin Astro in Canada. Check it out HERE. Thanks, Craig!

Details on Bob's Dog Box

Bob Welch of WingWorks provided some additional photos of the construction of the dogbox/fiberglass cap that he built. He also sells the complete doors shown in the photos at a reasonable price. He has promised some drawings, too.

Here is the rear view with the back wall removed, allowing a look at the interior of the rear two boxes. Note the open rubber matting in the bottom of the boxes... this and an armload of grass hay keeps the dogs up off the bare, cold  aluminum floor. Easy to clean, too.

Below is the view of the internal partition showing the careful scribing and cutting for a close fit against the carpeted interior of the ARE shell...

This is the rear wall divider removed. Note the 'L' bend at the bottom that allows for attachment to the floor of the kennels. Bob built with 'L' bends and angle brackets with bolts and Nylock nuts to make assembly and disassembly quick and doable at home.

I am assembling parts and ordering an ARE shell for my pick-up. Hope to have one like this built in a month or so. I'll post some pictures.

New F350

My old Ford Expedition is getting long in the tooth with 185,000 miles under it. It required two stops at Ford dealers (Havre, MT and Lewiston, ID) last Fall while on the road. So today I bought a 'like new' Ford F350 Super Duty crew cab turbodiesel (7.3L) with 65K miles to replace the Expedition as my hunting truck. It has all the whistles and bells that the Expedition has, but has decidedly more life in it.

Next on the agenda is a capper like the one that Bob Welch built, and outlined in the post earlier. Then I will go to work on the Airstream getting ready for Fall.

Bob builds a dog box

Bob Welch of Hailey, ID sent me these photos of a dog box he has recently completed. Starting with a 'blank' ARE fiberglass shell and a pile of sheet aluminum, he crafted a very good looking and utilitarian topper for his F150. 

Since I am in the hunt for a 'newish' Ford F250/350 7.3L turbodiesel truck, I have been quizzing Bob for more information. Hopefully he will forward some diagrams or sketches along with some construction details.

BTW, the "pod" on the top of the camper is a pop-up roof top camper, complete with 3-1/2" thick mattress and electric light. Bob likes his comfort.

EDIT -- Added the photo of the rear view with the tailgate open. Lots of possibilities for this design... water tank, full drawer system, aux battery, pop-up remote control roof vent...

Remembering Texas quail hunting

In the 2006-2007 season and again in 2007-2008 I was the guest of Mr. Mark Copeland at his West Texas quail lease in the Caprock country near Post, Texas. This was my first sampling of the whole Texas quail hunting experience. Addictive adequately defines it.

The first visit was in early February and the temperature remained below freezing during the entire time I was there. But the bird numbers and quality of hunting made the days seem balmy.  The lease is about 17,000 acres and is shared by half a dozen members, but at any time there are seldom more than four or five hunters on the ranch. During the time I was there in February of 2007 we were routinely finding between 35 and 40 coveys per day. I had my setter Ted with me, and Mark ran his two shorthairs, Libby and Princess. The dogs were into either bobwhites or blue (scaled) quail almost continuously. 

The country we hunted had very tough ground cover - prickly pear and cholla cactus, and mesquite over 6 feet high. The dogs demanded frequent attention, and a Leatherman Tool was essential for removal of cactus and mesquite spines. The cholla cactus is especially nasty, since it breaks off in little clumps and clings to the dogs coat. Even a tough pair of Filson chaps was not a guarantee of safety from the thorns. With this is mind, I can find no fault with the near universal practice of following the dogs on a  Kawasaki Mule and dismounting to flush for the point. 

In Fall of 2007, Mark was our guest at camp in Eastern Montana for a week of sharptails and Huns. Both Pete and I were invited to join Mark in January of 2008 for a few days quail hunting at his lease. Texas quail country had been suffering a drought that ended with torrential rains in the late Summer. As a result of the heavy rains, the cover at the ranch was thigh deep grass with plenty of prickly pear cactus hidden below. The dogs had a difficult task getting birds pointed in the heavy cover - with plenty of cover, the birds would run out from under a point. Still, we did well my the standards of most quail hunters with double digit covey contacts most days. 

The rough cover, the variable temperatures and the difficulty that the dogs experience pales to nothing because this is wild quail hunting with numbers that are difficult to match anywhere in the United States, and the country has an engaging savage beauty that seems to fit the challenging birds. I love this hunting, and would join a lease in West Texas or the Panhandle if it was not so far from my home.

Traveling with bird dogs

Many hunters and trialers drive thousands of miles a year with their dogs. I am no exception. Some of you might find something in my experiences that you can put to good use. Some of you may have different ideas and practices – if so, please share them.

I travel in either my Ford Expedition or my Toyota Landcruiser. I sold my last pick-up truck some years ago. Traveling with dogs in an SUV has some good and bad points. Good points are that I can keep my dogs warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather. I can keep a close eye on them in the event of a problem. Bad points – dog farts, and space constraints. One requires power windows, the other careful organization.

Pete Houser built a drawer system for me to hold guns and small gear (thank you, Pete!) in the rear portion of the SUV. Guns, ammunition, stake outs, dog gear and tools are handy from the tailgate without digging through gear or moving anything.

Every dog deserves a place of his own where he is protected during emergency maneuvers and feels comfortable. Dogs should be crate broke when they are puppies and will learn to love riding in their crates. The crates go on the top of the gun box. This puts dog crates up high enough that they limit the rear view significantly. My answer is to employ wire crates that allow me to see through to the rear window. They also allow the dogs to see out and they fold up for easy storage when not in use. While traveling (and for most of the season) the crates are secured to the gun box by a pair of ratchet straps so they will not shift or tip over.

For water, I carry a 20 litre water jug made of heavy plastic – a bomb proof product from Scepter of Canada. It is similar in design to a fuel jerry can, but made of plastic rated for potable water – no weird chemicals in the water. The can sits neatly on the floor at the rear between the gun box and the side of the truck. After trying many different designs and mopping up leaking water from lesser products, I have settled on this can as the best. I also carry a stainless water dish for each dog. Offer your dogs water at each rest stop.

I have seen a number of watering systems made of PVC pipe. There are possible risks using this material... PVC should be used for cold water only, or venting. CPVC can be used for hot and cold potable water supply. Connections should be made with primers and solvent cements as required by the plumbing code. No sense in putting harmful chemicals into your dogs.

Dogs need regular breaks to stretch and do their business. I stop about every three to four hours. The interval should be regular so that the dogs can anticipate when a stop will occur. When traveling, I recommend that you avoid highway rest stops with 'doggie areas'. These spots are used by many travelers and are a vector for disease pathogens. A lonely stretch of highway with a wide spot to park is a better bet.

A check cord is essential when you stop for a travel break. A 15' or 20' check cord with a quality brass swivel snap should be handy whenever you open the tailgate. I never let a dog out of his crate without a check cord, leash or other restraint. They know this and are trained not to step out of the crate unless they have the check cord secured to their collar. There are too many things that tempt a dog that has been confined for several hours. Hazards include traffic, barbed wire fences, road killed wildlife, and rubbish (you name it... from broken bottles to used disposable diapers!) along the road side. Maintain positive control of your dog during travel stops.