We don't have the fabulous wild quail here on the east coast we once
did. But you can still have fun with your dog on the meager preserve birds
before going out west for those spectacular wild birds.
To do that you need a talented, skillful bird dog that
covers the field investigating every pile of brush, analyzing ever
tree line, and scrutinizing every ditch bank, while periodically
gazing over his shoulder, keeping a keen eye on his handler. He
should be steadfast to wing and shot always delivering your
feathered prize gently to hand and regally honoring his dependable
brace mates retrieve.
I have titled several Master Hunter pointing dogs
younger than 2 years of age.
Vince the Irish setter above is the youngest Irish
Setter to receive a master hunter title! (2 years old) and has
placed in the Irish Setter National walking Field Trial for the last
4 years and 1st in open gun dog and 2nd in
amateur gun dog in 09.
Vandal the Brittany was the third youngest Brittany to
Received his Master Hunter Title at 18 months. Both of these dogs
bonded strongly with me while they were here and would get jealous
when I worked retrievers. So they started retrieving ducks so they
could do more with me. It was hard to see them go when their
training was over.
Also the young Irish setter pictured here “Cain” is the
youngest Pointer of any breed to receive a Junior Hunter Title at 6
months and 1 day (Thanks to his breeding, training, whelping date
and a double header hunt test) And was 1st in puppy in
08, and 1st in derby in 09 in the IS national walking
field trials. His sister Devin is the 2nd youngest junior
hunter at 6 months 1 week and 2nd in the 08 IS national
walking field trial.
Vince, Cain, Devin, and the English Setter Master
Hunter Liz all came from
http://mclaurensetters.com/, McLaren’s Setters Breeds the best
setters available. First they are great companions as Vince proved
by working as my personal diabetic dog; second there obedience is
confirmed by their obedience titles, third there beauty is validated
by their show champion titles, and forth and most important is their
hunting ability their titles speak for them selves, These setters
love to hunt and the worst the weather the more they like it. I have
pulled 1 inch thorns out of Vince’s foot during a Master Hunter test
only for him to finish with spectacular scores. He has run field
trials with icicles hanging to the ground from his flowing coat, and
still jumped in every pond he went by. Every Master Hunter test he
was in was poring rain and the birds could not fly but hopped in
front of the dogs, and he still preformed spectacularly. Vince was
in such good shape when he was running 25 miles a day with me on
horseback for his road work, that at the end of a field trial
competition he was ready and wanted to do a second run as son as he
was finished with the first!
A handful of people each year send me their bird dog to
be trained as a retriever, like this griffon McKenzie.
