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March 2009
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03/24/09
Where Has Joe Been?
Filed under: General, Site Updates
Posted by: The Gundogdoc @ 7:23 pm

In typical Gundogdoc fashion I had hoped to bring a stream of consistent new content, only to have my real responsibilities take over, causing the website to take a back seat. I’m still planning on making regular updates; however, I think they will be more sporadic over the month rather than weekly.

I don’t want to give the impression that it’s been all work and no play around here. Earlier this year I mentioned that I was going to take up decoy carving, which I did. The new hobby is not progressing as quickly as I had planned, but I am hoping to have a few decoys to hunt over this fall. Here is my first attempt, from start to finish, on a mallard:

I had grand plans to chase the snow geese this spring, and the snowline to the north and conditions around here were setting up to make that seem like a productive proposition. Unfortunately just as the birds were starting to show up, Mother Nature delivered one last burst of subzero weather, which send the geese back south. When they finally had the weather to allow them to move north they just kept going, beyond the areas I typically hunt.

All was not lost, as I kept the vacation time and used it to train Lily and Belle for five straight days. Andy Schoeberl of High Caliber Labradors recently relocated to the area and we’ve been helping each other out with the dogs. Lily has been progessing unbelievably well, and as a result I haven’t been carrying the camera when working my dogs…it’s been another story when the Labs are in the field though:

If all goes as planned, and the weather cooperates, we’ll be back out this week and hopefully with pictures of my girls. Until then stay tuned to the site, as I’ll try to get back on track before the end of the month.

1 comment
03/09/09
Lily Scores A Double
Filed under: General, Hunting, My Dogs
Posted by: The Gundogdoc @ 6:11 am

Mother Nature hasn’t quite decided whether it is still winter or the start of spring. We started yesterday with around 3-4 inches of snow and by evening the temps were near 50. While the weather sorts things out the snow geese have decided to start their migration through the state. It is just the leading edge, but with cabin fever firmly in place I loaded Lily up last Friday and headed out to attempt a pass shoot after work.

I’ll admit I was impressed by the little dog’s ability to sit still:

Thankfully we had to walk about a half-mile to the spot which allowed her to burn off some energy. Having had no experience with “watching” birds she was a little confused as to why we were just standing there in the tall grass. Occasionally she would excuse herself from Hup and start exploring. After a couple of quick toots on the whistle though she’d return and resume her post.

We were on a hill overlooking a small lake that was holding a few birds out on the ice. My hope was that those birds would draw some of the birds in the area in and afford us a couple of opportunities. After about forty-five minutes something startled the birds on the ice and they began to circle over the lake, gradually widening their path as they contemplated sitting back down or heading out.

As the birds circled wider I was pretty certain I was going to get a shot. They were going to be a bit high, but well within gun range. I had not shot the 12 gauge around Lily yet so I decided to fire twice and see how things went. When the birds were in range I fired, and promptly missed. I quickly looked down to my left and no Lily. My heart sank a bit as I worried I had startled her.

Immediately I caught movement to my right. There was Lily with the front part of her body down and her butt up in the air, tail wagging like she had caught something in the grass? She looked ready to pounce so I released her with a “Lily” and she dove into the grass and quickly returned with an empty shell. She was so incredibly proud as she wiggled with excitement. I graciously took the shell and because she was so excited released her again with “Lily” and she swung around and grabbed shell number two. Not exactly what I had in mind for her first double, but I wasn’t going to disappoint the happy little dog.

Needless to say we have a bit of waterfowling work to do with the hopes of her understanding that we’re out there for birds. I relayed the story to a good friend whose comment was that she was just being a “green” dog worried about the environment. Nonetheless the adventure has begun as I transition Lily from the training field to the real world. She is at a crucial point for me to reinforce steadiness. Far and away she is the calmest, most steady dog I’ve ever had but a couple of unrestrained instances like last week and I can see how that would quickly come undone. I’m hoping this is the first of many spring reports with the little white “goose” dog:


2 comments
03/03/09
Save the Wetlands — Sign the Petition
Filed under: General, Musings
Posted by: The Gundogdoc @ 6:48 am

As a hunter and lover of wildlife I’ve never been wildly passionate about gun rights as an important component to protecting my pursuits. I know to many that may be considered blasphemy, but at the end of the day for me it has never been about the gun. Certainly the gun is a vital part of what I enjoy, but in the end I don’t think the loss of my gun rights will be the limiting factor in my continuing to be able to enjoy my outdoor pursuits.

In my mind our focus has to be on conservation, plain and simple. We lose an alarming amount of wildlife habitat in the name of economic growth and modern farming. Some of the statistics are mind-boggling really. My home state of Iowa has lost 98% of its prairie potholes. What would the Iowa landscape and quality of life be like if just a fraction of those acres were returned? That is just one state; what if we returned, just small amounts, of lost habitat in every state?

I’ll often hear the argument that hunters are conservationists simply to raise more birds to shoot, or in the case of wetlands, ducks. Anyone who has spent time in the marsh knows the matter is not that simple. Wetlands are the lifeblood of the environment. In addition to many recreational opportunities they help to control flooding and erosion, serve as a reservoir for water, and most important play a vital role in cleansing the water.  While performing all of those tasks, they also provide habitat for literally thousands of species of plants, fish and animals.

In veterinary practice we see a lot of sick patients. Many of these patients, as part of the disease process, are dehydrated. A hallmark of medical care for nearly all illness is fluid therapy. Sometimes we never accurately diagnose the cause of an illness but simply by placing an IV catheter and administering fluids the patient will get better. To put it simply, and somewhat esoteric, by restoring the water balance we correct the problem. Throughout man’s history water has served as arguably one of the most important literary and religious symbols we have. Why is that? Because without it we cease to exist.

My intention is not to start a discussion about Global Warming, Climate Change or Religious Symbology. That being said I think we would all agree that our planet is not as healthy as it should be. We certainly do not have the wild places we once had, nor the crucial habitats that serve to balance our planet’s health. Unfortunately our patient’s condition continues to worsen and these changes are being accelerated by dramatic changes to the Farm Bill and Clean Water Act.

Enter the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership’s petition drive “We Are Wetlands.” The group initiated the petition drive in April of last year with the goal of 80,000 names (one for each acre of natural wetlands that our country loses each year).  The group has collected over 50,000 signatures, which is impressive, but still short of the goal.  Please visit their site and add your name to the growing list and send a message to Congress about the importance of our wild places. Our patient needs fluid therapy and that has to start with the preservation and restoration of our wetlands.

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