October SettersGetting dogs into wild birds is important to their development so we make an effort to show them as many as possible, whether the season is opened or not. This morning we had a chance to get out and show some Sage Grouse to Iris prior to the actual season opener.
She handled great and saw several coveys. It was her first exposure to these birds and it was fun seeing her figure it out. After seeing some flush and getting familiar with their scent she knew what she was looking for and slowed when she smelled where birds had flushed.
Later on she found a single that flushed right in front of her. The change in her attitude was immediate and dramatic; she tore it up for the rest of the morning, searching with purpose and slowing to check scent several times.
She was obviously trying to locate and point so I can’t wait to get her out and give her another chance.
For added excitement we flushed a few birds near a patch of Aspens so I took Iris over to look for stragglers.
Right after this shot was taken I heard a funny sounding squeeky call I didn’t immediately figure out. As I realized it sounded like a calf Elk call I heard hooves stomping the ground way too close for comfort. Not running away, just stomping the ground, like a cow protecting her calf. Needless to say I got Iris out of there and beat a hasty retreat.
It’s hard to think of a better way to spend a September morning in Idaho.
Cliff
Sounds like a fun morning, watching young dogs develop just might be my favorite thing. How lucky are you guys to have sage grouse for training, wow.
Well, I found a better way to spend a September morning. Today I took Iris back out for the opener on Sage Grouse and the tune up day paid off. We had several groups of birds flush wild (kind of unusual on opening day) with one group getting up reasonably close but before she had a chance to locate them. The last bird we found was a single adult Iris found and pointed. Luckily I actually hit it and she made a nice find and retrieve. ‘Tis the season…
Cliff