20 Nebraskaland • December 2020
By Todd Mills
LET 'EM HUNT
PHOTO
BY
JEFF
KURRUS
IN THE FIELD
Enabling others is a natural action
for many, and much like we can enable
our children, we can also enable our
hunting dogs. We want the best for
them. Why not try and help them by
doing some of the work? I will tell you
why. Your hunting dog has been bred
to hunt. Let 'em hunt.
Growing up in a small northwestern
Iowa town, upland hunting was my
first love. And unlike Nebraska, Iowa
allows hunters to hunt the road sides
and ditches. The shooting hours
also close earlier in the day, at 4:30
p.m., and each day before that time
we would drive dirt roads looking for
birds as they came to the road for
gravel.
Even when we spotted roosters,
the birds would often slip us, either
by running out into the corn field or
just sitting tight. Many times, I would
leave the ditch and quickly get to my
truck, wanting to get on to the next
spot while the dog would mysteriously
stay in the ditch. I would yell at the
"undisciplined" dog for not coming
to my side. Moments later, a rooster
would explode from underneath while
I stood there with no gun and my
mouth wide open.
It was in those early days that I
learned my lesson on paying close
attention to every detail in my dog's
body language. Here are a couple of
tips that might help you understand
what your dog is trying to tell you.
Water Dogs
Put your dog in a place where she
can see the bird fall. But if you can't,
then she must be able to take direction
from you. If your dog has been trained
to take hand signals in water and land,
allow her to work the area thoroughly
before giving her any direction.
Dogs that have been enabled are
constantly looking back, hoping you
can provide some help when all they
really need to do is hunt the area
they've been sent. And if at all possible,
don't walk to the area the bird fell
without allowing the dog to search.
Field Dogs
Pretty simple rule here. Stay on your
dog's tail. Regardless of where you
think the birds might be, your dog
always knows best. Learn the body
language and cues your dog gives
when she's on a trail.
Training dogs is time-consuming,
repetitive and rewarding. Remember
that just like children, they have to
find their way. Patience and a firm
belief in the process will allow a good
gun dog to prosper in the field.
