Y drill

Started running the Y drill with Idgie yesterday morning, and combined a send back to the line as part of the deal. She caught onto it pretty quick although she didn't catch onto the drill.

If you don't know what a Y drill is, you have a thrower sitting about 80 yards away from the dog and handler. First throw is a flat throw with an orange bumper 90 degrees to the dog's right. Send dog on the single. Next throw is almost straight angle back to the dogs left (bird boy's right shoulder. Send dog. next throw is a 45 degree angle throw IN, to the dogs left, bird boy's right.

I had to help her on the angle in throw and she over-ran the flat throw. All three times I sent her back to the line which was the top of a mound where I put a white bucket.

Repeated the same thing today in a different field. She again over ran the short bird but did well on the other two. She was looking over her shoulder on the send back to the line on the first one and then popped. I called her back and forced her with a back Nick back with a number two momentary. She quit looking and picked up speed! Excellent!

Did it with Jefe and he overran the short in bird also. This was his first time with a send to the line and he was hunting all the way on the first time, but quickly caught on and lined fine for the second and third time.

I will continue to do this each morning for the summer, as it gives them a little marking drill, is quick and limbers them up. I'll transfer to many locations and then to water as part of the process.

Later....

In the Off season

I train the dogs for AKC Field Trials. Our last trial of the spring is this Saturday with Arcadia's Senor Jefe entered in the Amateur and Open. Jefe needs a win to qualify for the 2010 national Amateur. No pressure! HA

Going to try to train Wed night at our 35 acre pond near Loyal, Ok which has a brand new dam and water control strucutre on it. Should produce another six acres of shallow water which i plan to plant milo to. Ducks should love flooded milo!

Duck season over, but it was a good one.

We had one so/so hunt this year and the rest were good ones. We can't limit out every hunter every day, but if we get close we feel we have done our job.

We opened up three completely new areas to hunt, all within 25-35 miles from our home base. Made some very good contacts with landowners that will pay off next year.

There is always an "if" and this year it was the freezing temps that destroyed our water chances. However, field hunting gets real good when that happens, and that's why we had a good year; we were able to adapt to get our hunters into birds.

Now it's time to get some more points on Senor Jefe and get his AFC (he has 8.5 amateur points and he needs 6.5 including a win. A win would also qualify him for the National Amateur! Little girl Idgy needs to be trained so she can run AA stakes, but that's a ways away at this point!

Bad weather, cold, equals ducks

Off tomorrow for the last weekend of duck season. I will have four hands on deck and son in law Mitch. Hope to find a field if God will allow me to make it there. Should be good hunting but you never know. Stay tuned!

It's been a very good year.

The season is almost over but all in all, it's been very good. Extremely cold weather locked up all of our water from Dec 21 until last week, but field hunting opportunities saved the day.

Our marsh on the river was wonderful early, then froze up. That season is now closed, and my landowner called me last night to report a duck tornado was appearing on it, around 300 mallards bombing in. Maybe they will imprint on it for next year!

Our bookings were off a bit from previous years, but save one group, all were extremely successful in their duckin in Oklahoma.

We will be out there come Friday, and cold weather should do nothing but help our chances.

Over the weekend we shot 34 on Saturday with seven hunters, all in the field. After watching our clients shoot birds for most of the season, it was good to bang at em. I'm pretty sure I shot my limit!