# A dog's first season.....and mine



## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

Well I took Miko out on his first completely WILD pheasant hunt yesterday and learned a few things.





*First*, The extra tall, extra thick grass is hard to walk through if you are going in the direction it has fallen. The extra tall, extra thick grass is insanely hard to walk back through when you are going against the grain. Haha. It took me twice as long, and I had to take a break in the middle. It was 5 feet tall and so thick Miko could run on top at points. I expect I'll be waiting until the snow packs it down a little before I head back to that area.



*Second*, I learned the hard way to trust and watch the dog......We walked back to the truck after a good 4 miles of walking through the above grass (three hours round trip) and I have to admit, I was a little eager to see the truck. We arrived at the truck and I started putting everything away and cleaning up to go home while Miko was running around the parking area. Looking back on it, I should have noticed how invigorated he had become....but I didn't. About 5-10 minutes later I was just putting my gun back into its case, fully unloaded and ready for travel when from right behind me I heard that unmistakable sound of a pheasant flying. I almost didn't want to turn around because I just knew I had missed my one chance for the day. Sure enough, from out of the roughage ten yards behind myself and the truck there flew a rooster! Of course Miko was so proud of himself and decided to chase it over into the corn fields while I just stood there holding my empty gun, mouth open, dumbfounded.



It all makes sense now. I am sure we pushed it as we walked towards the truck, and it ran through the parking area to the last little bit of cover before having to cross the road. It probably chose to tuck into the cover instead of head out in the open. It wasn't able to fool Miko, but luckily for it, I sure fell for it.



Oh well, the first season is about learning right! For me as much as for the dog.



I attached a photo of the small patch of trees that I was happy to find so that I could take a break from the grass.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I got news for you.
Putting the gun up, and then the dog finding a bird happens even when you've been hunting for years. It can also happen, if you release the dog before your ready to start the hunt.

Quail season opens this month.
I have no plans of hunting them, until we at least get a heavy frost. There is thigh high green weeds, and the knee high ragweed. It a walk from ****, and horrible scenting conditions for dogs.


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

Haha good to know I wasn't just being a sissy with the grass. I'll see if I can take a pic of how thick and tall it is for reference.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

MikoMN said:


> Haha good to know I wasn't just being a sissy with the grass. I'll see if I can take a pic of how thick and tall it is for reference.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It just depends on how bad you want the birds. Horrible scenting conditions, and I had surgery on a knee last year.
I'm just not as gun ho under those conditions, as I used to be.
I'll let a hard frost up my odds.
I can blame it on wanting a new dog to be successful. But truth is, it's a lot of work for a very slim chance of reward.


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

*Hunt number two!*

Well, I took him out again, and again have learned a few things.

First and foremost. I love the hunt! It had been so long since an actual wild hunt that I had almost forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

I am busy. Sometimes too busy. (Aren't we all now?) I work extra shifts, have 3 young children, I am very active in my church, I sit on the local Ducks Unlimited committee, I am a local cub scout den leader, and am currently framing, wiring, plumbing, and....well everything our 1700 square foot basement. It turns out we need another room in the house, because we are having another baby in January. Oh, and I own a Vizsla too! As we all know, it can become stressful and sometimes outright overwhelming.

But there is something about the hunt that brings it all into perspective. It starts with that excitement, nervousness, and hopefulness that comes as you get ready for the hunt. Your mind wandering to the birds you might jump, the ones that might flare into the decoys, or fly by on their way to their feeding ground. Let's not forget to mention the four legged ones that bring new challenges of their own.

Then you arrive to your "secret location" and step out into the air. It seems that no matter what the weather is like, it manages to bring new life into you as you breath it in. It could be a cold wind that forces you to bundle, or gentle rain that tends to get you wet no matter what you are wearing. If you are lucky, it is one of those serene mornings where the sun brings a sense of peace and contentment. 

As you progress through the hunt the troubles, and stress, and worries that come from just being part of society start to fade away slowly like the smoke from the barrel. It could be that it happens as you get lost in the conversation with an old friend, or sit in almost silence waiting for the prize to come to you. It is amazing how a bond between friends can grow stronger, even in those moments when hardly anything is said. I have also found it is a great way to make new, long lasting friendships. The physical demands of walking through a field of CRP, or trailblazing though the cat tails can have the same therapeutic effect.

Then there is that actual moment of adrenaline, pride and sense of accomplishment that can only come from the moment of harvest. 

I guess I could say I didn't really learn this new this year, but was reminded of it as I have spent time in the field.

Last week we found some thinner grass, and started the hunt. Miko found his first scent and ground followed that trail for around 300 yards as it ran in front of us. Finally the rooster jumped and I shot and dropped him. Unfortunately we could not find him. We searched the area for 23 minutes, but it was 7 foot cat tails, and wetland, and Miko just couldn't find the scent. Disappointed, we moved on and essentially repeated the action and jumped another rooster. This one was also shot, he folded, and then bounced and ran into the trees. Miko was able to find the trail, and a few minutes later came trotting out of the trees with the bird in his mouth. He dropped it, and started looking for another...which he found in about 5 minutes. This time it was a hen, and we didn't shoot. We finished the hunt with no other birds. It was everything described above and more. I am so glad for the chance to do it, and can't wait to go on a number more this year.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Getting away from the rat race, and running dogs is what calms me.
Clears the mind, and exercises the body. If I start getting agitated around the house, its time to hit the fields. 
Just me and the dogs, and not another person in sight.
I love hunting with other people, but some days I only want to hear the sounds of nature.
Over the years my husband has figured this out, and we both have a dry sense of humor.
Him telling me to "Go take a hike" is a good thing.
Me, and the dogs come back tired, and happy.


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

*Updates:*
Well, today was the last hunt of the year. Time to give that gun the final deep cleaning, wash the very dirty bird vest, and put away the orange. Though the actual season closed a couple months ago, we have the luxury of a local hunt club that allowed us to continue to practice our skills during this first year. Although it was a club, we hunted scratch, and Miko didn't know the difference between a raised bird and a wild. They still ran from us some days, tucked and held some days, and were no where to be found on others. We were able to get out on wild birds about 10 times, and the club another 4 or so. There are most certainly some things both he and I need to be improve upon. I thought I would add a few pictures of the hunts.


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

At one point this season it was sooooo cold that Miko's testicles started getting frost bite. Indeed they actually reached the point where I could see blood dripping from them into the snow. I let them heal for a few weeks, and started rubbing him down with Mushers Secret before going out every time. It was still cold, they still turned VERY red, but we didn't see them bleed any more. On one hunt we noticed how raw they were getting and fashioned a towel we had in the truck into a kind of shield for him. It looked funny, and we were a little off for the "potty hole." but it held and helped protect him a little bit. I think I'll call it the "Tinkle Towel" (patent pending)


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

It is cold her in MN, but seriously beautiful and peaceful while out hunting. There were plenty of pheasant to be found here in these woods, but the trees were so thick you didn't have time to get a shot off before they were out of site. You heard more birds than you ever saw.


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

We had a pretty good scratch hunt. There was another dog with us.....on a little stroll. Out of the 10 birds found on this hunt. Miko found and retrieved 10 of them. It was a proud owner moment for me. Unfortunately, he was able to catch two chukkar by breaking point....which is something we kind of struggled with all season. But this was a hunt club, and you can't win them all.


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

For the final hunt of the season, I took my beautiful wife and oldest son on a scratch hunt. It was his first hunt, and he spent most of the time picking weeds and corn (shown proudly in the picture) or stomping through mud puddles. He was the official bird carrier when we got one as well. Miko found us 4 roosters and 1 hen, but only 2 jumped in range. It was beautiful outside with temps in the mid 30's and almost no wind. My wife is not a hunter.......(yet), but i thought she should come along to see what all our money and my time had been put towards over the last year.


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

*Last Picture*

The last picture is a summary of success. I kept one tail feather from every bird that I successfully harvested from Miko's first season. I don't know what I will do with them, but I have them just in case I want to.

Note: This is the ones that I harvested, not everything he found. Obviously no wild hens could be taken, and there were plenty of times where "my gun" wasn't shooting straight.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Nice write up, and I enjoyed reading it.
Now comes the long wait, until the season starts.
Do you have any summer training plans?


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

texasred said:


> Nice write up, and I enjoyed reading it.
> 
> Now comes the long wait, until the season starts.
> 
> Do you have any summer training plans?




I don't have summer training plans yet. Really, I'm so new at this I don't know what the next step is. 

I can say what I don't THINK he did well. But, because I have never hunted over a dog before this year I don't know what is realistic, and what is my just my idealology. 

I do have permission from the hunt club to run him on the off season. 
I am pretty sure I can gain access to pigeons.

Any thoughts?


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

A good many of us use pigeons during the summer. You can't hardly get any gamebirds after March in Texas.
I just try and pick small things, that I saw needed some fine tuning during the hunting season. 
Some years it's handling in the field. Other years it's been the retrieve, or staying steady for longer.


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