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Chicago
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 10:28 am  Reply with quote
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Location: Northern Illinois

I picked up Cedar from Charm school in late December and I got him out to my hunt club for his first hunt on the 29th. The birds were running hard and he did well for a youngster. You could see him starting to figure out the running birds by the end of the hunt as he would reposition as the scent cone moved away from him. He only managed to pin one bird and he bumped a few and we had lots of unproductive points but my older son and I had a blast watching him learn.

Good Hunting,
Mike

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Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 10:41 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
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Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

Chicago,

Sounds like you had a great time with the new pup and your son!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
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skeettx
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 10:55 am  Reply with quote
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AWESOME!!!

and

Happy New Year

Mike

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Riflemeister
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 10:59 am  Reply with quote
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There's nothing more fun than watching your young dog developing and learning, and doing it with your son along makes it extra special. Congrats.

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waggo71
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 12:07 pm  Reply with quote
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Glad to hear that a good time was had by all.

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wj jeffery 16
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 12:30 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 18 Aug 2010
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Brilliant Mike glad to hear it went well for you and Cedar
I got to hunt with my longest standing hunting partner and his young Labrador Nellie today and she is turning into a very good dog , it is great seeing them develop and learn their trade . We put up eleven Woodcock today and bagged four , my partner got two I got one and Nellie came back with one still living, there was someone Shooting down below us so maybe it had been hit but who knows .
Glad all is going well for you and Cedar
Happy New Year WJ.
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Brewster11
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 11:37 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 08 Feb 2009
Posts: 1301
Location: Western WA

ELEVEN woodcock put up! That’s a great way to bring in the New Year, lads! I thought I heard some celebratory 16 ga rounds coming from your direction!

Cheers
B.
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Chicago
PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 11:30 am  Reply with quote
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Location: Northern Illinois

Thanks for the comments

WJ,
Sounds like your friends new pup is coming along really well, with 11 woodcock put up. I am out of season tomorrow for pheasant so I will have to live with the club birds for Cedar’s development. He goes back for graduate charm school in June. I would rather work him on wild birds but that just isn’t an option where I live. The woodcock are in Louisiana until they migrate north in late March or April. The grouse season is closed in Michigan until next September 15th.

Good Hunting,
Mike
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Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 11:43 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2786
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

Chicago,

Mike I am having the same problem here in Pa and I really do not want to train Maggie Mae my new Ryman Setter pup, on planted or released birds. Our Grouse are way to spooky for the pup to get use to violating their safety zone, using the planted birds. I need the wild bird contact for her. Some of our hold over Potter County Pheasants are pretty wild, might give them a try, but more than likely not. I really do not want her spurred, on her initial training.

Good luck with your training

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
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Chicago
PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:37 pm  Reply with quote
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Dave,
I find the planted birds work it just takes them a little longer to figure out the grouse. If they are smart they pick it up pretty quickly.

When I lived in Marquette, I would break them to the gun on quail and then start them on woodcock in the fall. However, back in the 80’s in the U.P. there were lots of woodcock and the season opened on 9/15 along with the grouse. In their first year you could get a couple of hundred contacts on woodcock and grouse just hunting the weekends and a few weekdays here and there. They developed really quickly, or that is my recollection. It just takes longer now and much of that may be me not pushing the pucker brush as much as I used to. I also only hear about 1/3 of the birds I used to hear. When I hunt with my kids they will ask “you didn’t hear that flush”.

So, if I hunt with one of my old buddies and we move 12 grouse in a day we probably moved more like 24 to 36. Yet we find ourselves saying “there just don’t seem to be as many birds around anymore. I think they are there, we just don’t hear them go.

Good Hunting,
Mike
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3birddogs
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:58 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 07 Sep 2011
Posts: 567
Location: wheeling, wv

Mike, he is off to a great start. I went back up to The UP Dec 11th to the 19th--cold but little to no snow, maybe an inch in southern Marquette county, mostly brown elsewhere. Found birds in the same areas as in October, did very well with my 3 setters.

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Chicago
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2021 1:39 pm  Reply with quote
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Location: Northern Illinois

Good news on your December hunt and I would have gone north but I had no dog. We are still waiting for the latest pathology report on Birch, but the inflammation has finally pretty much subsided. I hope to get him in for TPLO in February or maybe later this month.

My hunting partners in Marquette did well this December and being able to hunt in December in the U.P. is a rare event. Usually by mid November they have 12”+ on the ground and that snow doesn’t melt until April.

Good Hunting,
Mike
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3birddogs
PostPosted: Mon Jan 04, 2021 10:51 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 07 Sep 2011
Posts: 567
Location: wheeling, wv

The lack of snow has shut down the snowmobile tourism industry. Little motel I stayed at said they were usually full this time of year, but I was the only one there. wouldnt be able to plan on this as a regular trip, but will certainly will pay attention to the weather next year.

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Chicago
PostPosted: Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:26 pm  Reply with quote
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Location: Northern Illinois

Also keep an eye on the weather from Traverse City north in the lower peninsula. Most years you could hunt that area in early December. There is actually pretty good bird hunting in the northern lower. There used to be good hunting in the Manistee National Forest, but that hasn’t seen much logging in 50 years, although the scrub oak can still be productive.

Good Hunting,
Mike
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