There is no real way to tell this story—and it would be a disservice to these women to do so—without stating the obvious up front. This was a Casting for Recovery retreat, the first of its kind for . . .
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Before I start on this interesting topic, let’s establish that I’m talking about field bred dogs here, not bench bred dogs. There’s a difference, but I’m not about to get into that thicket, so I’ll just stick . . .
Read MoreClick here for more information on this TED talk.
There are two reasons many of us love fish. The first is the enjoyment we receive from pursuing and catching them. That is, in fact, the defining reason the Orvis Company has existed for. . .
If you’ve ever stood at the fish counter in the grocery store or the seafood market wondering what to take home dinner, has it ever occurred to you where these fish come from and how they keep. . .
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I love to hunt game birds in the fall, but I enjoy feeding songbirds almost as much (not quite, but almost). There are few things quite as serene as a quiet snowy morning and a bird feeder. . .
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There is a myth out there that the loss of a great hunting dog is psychologically as devastating as the loss of a spouse. Unquestionably, this originated in a posturing haze of scotch and. . .
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A Labrador is an easy dog to fall for. I know, as I have two and am pretty partial to them. When I stumbled across Claire Norman and her Labradors, I instantly began to follow her, if for no. . .
Read MoreIllustrations by James Daley
This week, I want to talk about achieving steadiness. I’ve already talked about this a lot, but that’s because it’s the foundation of a well-trained dog. A dog that does what it wants on its own is not going to be a satisfying hunting companion. It may do the right thing by instinct, but if it does the right thing at the wrong time, that’s not going to work out too well in the field, particularly if you happen to be. . .
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We recently added a new endorsed hunting lodge in northeast Alabama called Dream Ranch. It’s located on a hill overlooking Lake Guntersville and that in itself is significant; I’ll tell you why in a minute. Dream Ranch is a family-owned operation and I called manager Austin Ainsworth to see what they have to offer. It was a bit more than I expected. While they offer great quail hunting, there are some unique opportunities there that make made it stand out for me.
Read MoreAs I promised I’m going to keep a blog journal on Murph’s progress. Murph is the black Lab puppy I picked up at Wildrose Kennels over the holidays. That trip was chronicled in Picking up Murph Part 1 and Part 2.
I’m lucky enough to be able to bring Murph with me to work. It’s cold up here, but we get at least three good walks in a day (a good walk for an eight-week-old is about 100 yards). Since day one, his training is part of the walk. It doesn’t last long, nor does it need to, and mostly it is just reinforcing the things he does naturally.
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