The very unpredictability that makes wild birds a fascinating quarry makes them very poor candidates for dog training. Dogs require repetition under controlled circumstances to learn their lessons well and wild birds tend to be here one day, somewhere else the next.
How, then, to get your dog the frequent contact with birds it needs? One answer is to visit one of 2,000 commercial shooting preserves operating in the United States.
At a preserve you can train a dog on live birds and shoot them for the dog to retrieve, just as you will during hunting season. The difference is, you know the birds will be there because you've paid to have them released.
Says Larry Statler, who conducts hunts for wild and pen-raised birds at his Safari Iowa preserve in some of the nation's best pheasant country: "My customers understand that time is money. They know they can do more with a dog in one afternoon on released birds than they can in several weeks in wild fields."
Preserves have two more compelling advantages for dog trainers: a long season, running from September 1 to March 31 most places, and bag limits determined only by the customer's pocketbook.
"Most of our regulars come because of the long season dog work," says Statler, "They start in September, and visit frequently up to opening day. We don't see them much during pheasant season, but after the holidays they're back, keeping their dogs in condition."
While finished dogs can use the preserve as a place to tune up before the season, Statler cautions: "The average amateur thinks live birds are a solve-all, but until a dog knows his ABCs of obedience, live birds are a mistake in my opinion. Once a dog is broke and answers basic commands, then he's ready for birds."
"I like to start a dog out on one bird at a time, then move up to a field of placed [rocked] birds. When you know where the birds are placed, and you can watch the dog study the scent cone and the wind direction, you can get a good idea of how ready he is."
Some trainers believe that dogs can tell the difference between wild and pen-raised birds, and that they won't treat them the same. Statler agrees, to a point. "I think dogs can tell a difference with planted birds if they've been mishandled, or left in cage too long. All kinds of scents can contaminate a bird, not just human hands; smoke, gasoline grease and so on. If the guides handle and release the birds carefully, and the birds are well cared for, then they smell very much like wild birds."
Most preserves offer pheasants, quail, and chukars as their staples. In choosing a bird for training, cost is one factor to consider. While prices vary from place to place, generally speaking a pheasant costs the most ($20-$30), chukars less, quail least of all.
In terms of bird for the buck, quail would seem to be the best choice. Statler, however, likes chukars for training. "They sit tight and fly well, and they're a bigger bird than quail, easier for the dog to scent and bigger to mouth on the retrieve, too." Dogs that will be used primarily for pheasant hunting can be started on hen pheasants--legal on preserves--thereby eliminating the chance of their being spurred by a crippled bird.
While buying birds at a preserve can get expensive in a hurry, sometimes there's a way around the cost. Many preserves need guides and, if your dog is well-enough trained, they may hire you. A friend of mine ran up a big bill at a preserve last season, then worked it off guiding other customers. By the end of the year, his young wirehair had had more pheasants shot over it in a few weekends than most dogs do in two or three full seasons. That is the way to finish a bird dog.
Retriever owners might look for a preserve that offers driven or tower shoots for ducks and pheasants. The dog will have to stay steady through a noisy barrage, then work on a season's worth of downed birds in a morning. No, it's not hunting, but it is some of the best pre-season practice for hunting a retriever can possibly get.
After the hunting season, go back to a preserve to continue training.
"Follow-through training after the season is very important," says John Mullin, who has run Arrowhead Hunting and Conservation Club in Goose Lake, Iowa since 1952. "In the heat and excitement of hunting season, you may not want to pass up a shot, or stop to correct your dog. After the season, with your dog's mistakes fresh in your memory, you can correct them at a preserve in a controlled environment."
Before you visit a preserve at any time of the year, adds Mullin, "call ahead with your needs. Dog handlers at preserves get to see dogs at their best and worst. They work dogs every day during a seven-month season and almost all are excellent trainers who will be willing to help you plan your visit to get the most out of it."
Finally, when you do go, your attitude is important: keep in mind that you're there to train, not to try out a new gun or shoot dinner. Go alone, or bring a dead-eye friend to do the gunning while you concentrate on the dog. Then, when it does come time to hunt wild birds with wild abandon, you'll both be ready.
Thanks to Larry Statler and John Mullin for their help with this story. To arrange a visit, contact Larry Statler, Safari Iowa, Box 151 Parnell, Iowa 52325 (319)-668-1080 or John Mullin, Arrowhead Hunting and Conservation Club, Goose Lake, IA 52750 (319)-577-2267.
Copyright (c) 1997 Philip Bourjaily. All rights reserved.
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