The Great Hunters

October 10th was the first day of pheasant hunting for state residents.   As Riggs was only a year old at this time last year, 2015 was his first official start as an adult.  Riggs has been doing well during his training, so the hunt had been eagerly anticipated to see how well he would do, being from "champion hunting blood lines" and all.

 Before the hunt...

I wish I had an "after" picture of the boys with their pheasant limit spread out in front of them.  But, alas the birds just weren't "out" that day - they didn't see any (ODD for this time of year in this part of the country!).

Riggs needs some time in the fields in order to acquire the scent for birds.  He was mostly just really excited this time and trying to figure everything out.   Once the boys down a bird and he's able to find it (therefore understanding what it's all about), the final piece of the puzzle should fill the void of what he's been bred to instinctively do.

On an ironical note, Eric said that while they were waiting for noon to come (when they could start the great hunt), they were in a field, playing with Riggs.  Dressed in their high-vis orange, a Canadian goose flew just a few feet over the top of them, apparently not dissuaded by their bright color.   Eric said he was so close, he could see the goose's tongue as it honked at them.  But, they didn't have their guns ready, so no goose jerky to speak of just yet!  There's still plenty of hunting time ahead though.   In the meantime, I'm anticipating my jerky marinade and new wild game bird entree recipes!  ;-)

October Puppy Work-Out

It's been an exceptionally nice October, so continued bird dog work-outs have been successful with Riggs!

Here are the boys throwing the duck atop the hill near the point.

Connor thought it would be fun to retrieve too! 

 

Riggsy is a little faster than Connor... must be the two extra legs.  :-)
Ramsey just hung out the entire time, watching. 

Bird Dog Workout

Riggs is now 10 months old and weighs well over 100 pounds.  This year will be his first year for hunting.  Hopefully he'll lose some of the usual "puppy play" and get working when the time comes! 

We have a nice walking trail that starts just south of our house.  It has a new well-maintained gravel path, a grassy knoll that overlooks the water on the point (a glorious view!), and a lot of gorgeous trees along the way.  This weekend, we took Riggs to the hilltop where there is a flat plateau with ground cover and had a good workout.

Riggs was so excited.  Once he calmed down a bit and didn't jump the gun for the retrieve, he did a really good job.   We're hoping he'll be one heckuva great bird dog!  Continuous workouts will be key.  :-)