Charlies Chatter - Mk.2

[trekmoor]

I'm not always right ..... but I'm right this time !

Wullie

[Ghilliegumdrop]

I have to say that he is right this time Judy.........mind you I am trying hard not to say it

[Judy]

GGD, men are always right, even when they are wrong, you know that. Don't encourage them.

[trekmoor]

Forth Estate - 11.10 A.M. - bright wall to wall sunshine and a light but steady wind.

Dogs - Dax, Dixie and Rosie.

The two spaniels were left in the car while I hunted Rosie into the wind up a cover strip of which only the tall stalks and dead leaves remained. Rosie went dead slow and stop so when she punched out into the wind I let her go in an effort to get her to "go !" By doing this she failed to quarter the ground and inevitably she missed a pheasant which I kicked up behind her. She saw it however and woke up a bit ! With only 30 -40 feet of the field left I saw her begin to go "birdy" where the rough grass and small bushes bordering a little country road brought the field to an end.

She pointed into that roadside cover and - hallelujah - this time she didn't just point for a couple of seconds before charging in to self flush, she waited for me. I finally got what I think was my first chance ever to praise/stroke her while pointing under completely natural conditions. I kept her on point for about 10-20 seconds before commanding the flush. She was now so settled in to her point that I had to repeat the flush command to get her to move in . That's not like Rosie !

Up got a pheasant which she chased for about 15 feet before she stopped to whistle right on the road verge where yet another pheasant got up. I blew stop again but she didn't continue the chase anyway. I got her back to me and praised the hell out of her.

We went to the far corner of the cover strip to hunt it back towards the car but now the wind was blowing more or less up her tail. I had to let her go well out and then hunt her way back to me. One bird flew off as she ran out but that wasn't Rosie's fault , she didn't have any chance of wind scenting it and in order to hunt a tail wind correctly a dog has to run over ground untested by it's nose. I blew stop to prevent a chase. She didn't sit but she didn't chase either. Rosie is going to be one of those dogs which prefers to stand I think.

She began to hunt her way back after this 40 yards or so forward cast of hers and the wind was now in her favour so I stood still to let her nose do the work and not my feet. We were now in a strip of rather tired looking old turnips and I could see Rosie through them. She went on point just 25 yards from and facing almost directly towards me. If I had walked straight to her point it was very likely that I'd have kicked the bird up myself.

The safest thing to do in this situation is to take a slightly abbreviated route that mirrors the route the dog took to get to where it pointed. If the dogs feet and then it's nose didn't flush any birds along that route then it should be safe for the handler to walk along it too. I followed Rosie's own route which took a while but Rosie held her point. I made as little noise as possible through the crops as I got nearer to Rosie and again I got to praise /stroke her. I sent her in to flush after 20 seconds and the bird had moved during this time but I already knew that as Rosie's head had slowly swivelled to match the birds sideways movement. Rosie flushed the bird 20 feet from me and when I blew stop , she stopped with no chase other than a 7-8 feet continuation of her headlong flush movement.

I was as pleased as a cocker with two rabbits to bite ! I praised Rosie so much that she got a bit wound up, jumped up , wrapped her paws around my neck and shoulders and nearly bit off my ear ...... I've got the bleeding mark to prove it !

There was another cover strip on the far side of a nearby wood. To get the wind into Rosie's favour without disturbing any birds in the cabbages and turnips I decided to hunt to the far end of the wood on a tail wind before entering the crop to hunt it back down again.
Rosie decided within 30 feet that the wood had no pheasants so she just trundled up the path 30 feet in front of me. She didn't hunt an inch ! About 70 -80 yards into the wood Rosie went nose down and left the track and I soon saw why. A cock pheasant was running not far in front of her. Rosie accelerated and so did the pheasant but not fast enough ...... Rosie caught it.

She brought me the bird which felt a bit thin ..... pricked during the shooting season maybe ? It had some scraped skin on it's back from which a little blood was seeping. It could have been in a fight with another pheasant or it could have been Rosie as she grabbed the struggling bird. I don't think that bird could fly and if Rosie came onto an injured birds blood trail then she was right to follow it and to bring the bird to me. I wondered if I should kill this bird but just in case anyone saw me with it and thought I was poaching I let it go. During it's release I sat Rosie 3 feet away from me and let her watch the bird run away again..... it still didn't fly.

She was then put on the lead for the rest of the walk to the game crop field . She'd have went straight back for the bird if I hadn't ! I think she thought it would be a memory retrieve !

With the wind now in our favour again I hunted Rosie down the turnip and cabbage crop. Some of this stuff came up to my chest ,especially the dead thistles growing thickly among it all. Rosie still wasn't hunting either fast or wide however so for once I didn't get left a hundred yards behind !
She pointed 3 times in there but I failed to take my own advice which is to watch the pointing dogs tail and to urge it on if the tail is still wagging more than just a little bit. Each one of these points I got to and praised but when I sent her in the birds had long gone. I think they'd begun to run even as Rosie approached them , hence the "iffy" point with the moving tail. I was pleased she'd held her points but displeased with myself for praising them.

We moved onto another game crop strip alongside a large pheasant release pen and again I hunted the woods of the pen on a tail wind in order to have the wind in Rosie's favour coming back through the game strip. Not far into the trees and with Rosie again just trundling about up ahead I saw her suddenly go nose down and pick up speed. I got ready with the whistle for when a bird flew off ...... or got caught ! Then 40 yards in front of Rosie 4 or 5 roe deer ran for their lives ...... and they needed to ! Rosie went up to about mach 9 in 2 seconds flat ! I got her back to me after an 80 yards chase through the trees.

The hunt back through the game crop was disappointing . She hunted them for 300 yards and still nothing was pointed or even bumped. Just 3-4 yards from where the game crop ended and a grass field began Rosie went on point and once more I got to her and stroke praised the point ...... but only after a good look at her tail ! This time only the last few inches had any movement. I sent her in and up got her last pheasant of the day. She was steady to that too ..... after I'd blown stop. She once more stood to the stop whistle but I praised her anyway. It's kinda difficult for a dog to sit with a turnip under it's bum !

Her hunting was crap today but I saw a big improvement in her holding the points she got. I could have easily reached her to shoot any of the birds she produced. If I can get another couple of days like today with her it will be time to cease to praise the point and to praise only the flush and the steadiness that follows it..... or which should follow it !

The spaniels got far less hunting and all of their hunting was woodlands stuff. I didn't see any game and they didn't find any but the scent of game was there and both dogs were a nightmare to keep within reasonable hunting distances. Even Dixie wanted to do 30 yards + out from me ! ...... I had "words" with both of them ...... several times !

Bill T.

[Ghilliegumdrop]

GGD, men are always right, even when they are wrong, you know that. Don't encourage them.

Yes I know that but in this case he is having fun being right [or wrong] as the case may be..............and I am enjoying watching him do it

[Rascal]

Well I reckon he's forgotten who he is on this forum coz he doesn't normally sign himself Bill T.

Rascal

[trekmoor]

OOPS ! that's the trouble with arguing ....sorry , discussing fings on so many different channels. I'm only "Wullie" on this one.

Wullie ( I fink ?)

[WGD]

Bill T must be for when he is talking to his integi... intelij... intelug... clever pals!

[Ghilliegumdrop]

Well they think they are clever over there

[trekmoor]

U.F.O. Hill - 2p.m. - Very cloudy , strong winds , colder.

Dogs - Dax , Dixie, Charlie and Billy.

Charlie and Billy needed a good run around so they went with me on this little training session that was really meant to improve Dixie's directional retrieving and not much else. Dixie was her usual co-operative but not very clever self. Among the cockers Dax was making the best job of all the retrieves. Charlie was O.K. but lacked a bit of concentration ..... I think he needs his anal glands squeezed out but much as I like Charlie I ain't about to stick my finger up his bum ! Billy was his usual self with dummies. O.K. on the first two and then he started yawning.

At least they all got a nice walk.

Wullie