TRAD - Bird Break

[IRISHWISTLER]

TRAD takes a much needed "bird break" after spending some time pounding the cover to flush birds to the gun. T'was a beautiful Autumn day in New England albeit a wee bit warm. I kept TRAD well hydrated throughout the hunt. TRAD was steady to wing, shot, and fall as he has been trained - poetry in motion to me eyes.


A tired dog is a happy dog!


"THREE B's" British Labs, Birds, and a Browning makes for a fine day afield.

Cheers,
Irishwhistler & TRAD

[POPTOP]

Beautiful pictures.

[IRISHWISTLER]

Beautiful pictures.

PopTop,
Thanks Mate!

TEAM TRAD

[barry581]

A great day out! I loved my time in England, and I was probably the only American who worked a local pheasant shoot. I considered it a real honor that I was able to not only beat and pick up, but I also go to shoot quite a bit. Very good memories indeed.

[IRISHWISTLER]

A great day out! I loved my time in England, and I was probably the only American who worked a local pheasant shoot. I considered it a real honor that I was able to not only beat and pick up, but I also go to shoot quite a bit. Very good memories indeed.

Barry,
Those British "driven shoots" must be fast and furious gunning. I am sure it was an awesome experience for ye.

Cheers Mate,
Irishwhistler & TRAD

[Jollymolly]

Very nice Trad looks very satisfied with his day

[TuMicks]

As always, gorgeous pictures. It seems from second picture, the one looking at TRAD from the front, that the boy is quite muscled out, like a dog who has been doing a great deal of swimming.

I have a question, mostly from my own curiosity and hunting ignorance. When labs are used over here on upland game, they out in front of the hunter, quartering and putting birds up, yes? (Though, I think some labs may "point"... as in freeze up, and some don't.) And over the pond, they stay back with the gunners as they all move forward in a line through the field. Is that right?

[IRISHWISTLER]

As always, gorgeous pictures. It seems from second picture, the one looking at TRAD from the front, that the boy is quite muscled out, like a dog who has been doing a great deal of swimming.

I have a question, mostly from my own curiosity and hunting ignorance. When labs are used over here on upland game, they out in front of the hunter, quartering and putting birds up, yes? (Though, I think some labs may "point"... as in freeze up, and some don't.) And over the pond, they stay back with the gunners as they all move forward in a line
through the field. Is that right?

TuMicks,
Mostly right as a matter of"perspective.. If a "driven shoot" in the UK, t'is largely a matter of manning a gunning station whilst "beaters" literally move in a line making noise and beating the cover to drive the birds into flight toward the gunners (very much an upper crust hunt, proper attire required LOL). The retrieval of game birds are done by the "pickers up" using dogs from a steadied line.

In the USA, upland dogs usually quarter back and forth in front of the gunners and work mainly by scenting birds in cover, flushing the bird into flight and making the retrieve of a downed bird. Some flushers are trained to be steady to wing, shot, and fall (meaning their butt gets firmly planted upon the ground assuming the "SIT" position upon flushing a bird into flight. They must remain steady in that position through the shot and subsequent fall of the bird and visually mark where it fell whilst remaining steady until released by command of the handler to make the retrieve). Pointing Labs do point (or "flash point") but usually not holding it as tightly as a GSP, EP, or any of the many other pointing breeds.

Irishwhistler

[TuMicks]

So years ago, I hunted behind one of our labs who was amazing at this. (This was when I discovered that no matter how hard I tried, I could not hit anything that was moving...) Anyhow, old Bucky had only been trained to retrieve water fowl. Standard HT/FT stuff. But a friend convinced us that we should try to take him upland game hunting. Totally naturally, Buck quartered along in front of us, and then... you could tell when he was onto something. His tail would be going back and forth when he was quartering, but when the tail started going in a circle... that was it, shoulder the gun and put the whistle in the mouth... the bird would go up, Buck would slam his butt on the ground and then watch the bird down (when someone else busted it) and then pick it up like a champ.


That was with no training at all. It was so cool to watch. Good times. A good dog. Big sigh.

[IRISHWISTLER]

So years ago, I hunted behind one of our labs who was amazing at this. (This was when I discovered that no matter how hard I tried, I could not hit anything that was moving...) Anyhow, old Bucky had only been trained to retrieve water fowl. Standard HT/FT stuff. But a friend convinced us that we should try to take him upland game hunting. Totally naturally, Buck quartered along in front of us, and then... you could tell when he was onto something. His tail would be going back and forth when he was quartering, but when the tail started going in a circle... that was it, shoulder the gun and put the whistle in the mouth... the bird would go up, Buck would slam his butt on the ground and then watch the bird down (when someone else busted it) and then pick it up like a champ.


That was with no training at all. It was so cool to watch. Good times. A good dog. Big sigh.

TuMicks,
I always joke with those unfamiliar with Labs by referring to their tail as the "bird-o-meter", a dead give away when they are hot on the trail. LOL.

Cheers,
Irishwhistler