Pheasants can still be found!

Here is gunner at 10 months old on his first pheasant hunt. I will admit, he stumbled on his first bird. After I shot it, he did know what to do though. He brought that bird to me just as proud as a peacock! There are public hunting areas around the state where birds are released. These two birds held pretty tight, like hunting wild birds in the old days. What a great way to get my young dog back out hunting between the split duck seasons. I had not hunted pheasants for several years, but the ODNR has made that possible again for all Ohioans. Pheasants used to be plentiful in our state until wiped out by some horrific winters back in the late seventies.

Matt, who is one of our duck hunting buddies, is responsible for getting us back on the pheasant trail. Here, Matt, Gunner and Apollo are posing with a fine harvest of ring necked pheasants. On this day we traveled to Delaware, Ohio. Matt took us to a place called Lone Oak Pheasant Preserve. I was really impressed! The fields at Lone Oak are planted and sprayed. We hunted for for three hours and neither dog nor hunter had a single burr! The fields are beautifully laid out with occasional strips of corn. Awesome! I liked it so well we went back several times. It was at Lone oak that Gunner showed his prowess as a pointer! Yes he points! We theorized that since he has only hunted pheasants with Apollo, he learned it from him. But where ever he got it from, he became a pretty darn good peasant dog by the end of the season.
If you ever plan to check out Lone Oak, be sure to call well in advance. Check'em out on their website:  loneoakpreserve.com

While waiting for duck season...

 Gunner and I have found many ways to enjoy the outdoors as we wait for the next waterfowl season, not the least of which is bass fishing! Gunner still thinks he can track anything. He hasn't figured out that bass are not as cooperative! He has to sniff them before I throw them back in. If I forget, he barks to remind me.

 Camping is loads of fun! Especially when you can combine it with a Lake Erie walleye trip! Randy was never a boy scout. He lights his campfires with a torch! I can't complain too much since he owns the boat AND cleaned all the fish! Gunner is getting the heck out of his way though! Smart dog!

 Ahh yes! Success! The master (me) shows off two nice big walleyes 26 and 24 inches! Walleyes are great  tasting fish. This time, I was the master chef. We had a big fish fry back at camp.

Yes, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors while waiting for duck season! Hang in there Scotto, it won't be long! It's even true for a yellow lab named Gunner!

SEVENTY ONE DAYS TO EARLY GOOSE SEASON!

Of course we are assuming that early goose season will be September 1, 2012. I don't know why they would change it! That is Randy's dog, Lacey, sneaking in from the right. She is Gunner's mother. The shadow that you see is that of our buddy, Matt. He is a rookie camera man, but a pretty fair shot.  Matt has added much to our small hunting group. He might not be much of a photographer, but he has sparked the fire for pheasant hunting again. Wild pheasants have all but disappeared, but there are a number of well run pheasant farms in our state that keep the sport alive.

Kiddy Pool for Dogs

A kiddy pool is a great way for dogs to "beat the heat"! You don't have to be a water dog to enjoy a nice cool dip on a hot summer day! Our neighbor dog hates to swim, but he loves to share the pool with our yellow lab, Gunner!We have a pond behind the house that we use to train Gunner. Swimming is the preferred exercise on hot days but only in the early morning or evening hours. In the middle of the day, a little fresh cool water in the kiddy pool is the ticket.