Neutering Pros and Cons

Here's and article about neutering...good info in case you are thinking about it for Bubba or Manny.

http://www.huntingclub.com/Projects/Project.aspx?id=26652

Check out JB's new blog

JB's new blog http://www.usopht09.blogspot.com/



Here'ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss Manny!

looks like a dang frooooo frooooo dog...hehehe

The Questions and the Answers

Q1. Will this dog hunt? A. Mostly...he did a pretty good job.
Q2. Can you take and open beer into a bar in Podunk, Nebraska? A. Yes.
Q3. What happens when you take an open beer into a bar in Podunk, Nebraska? A. Some big dude that no one really knows will snatch your beer and throw it away.
Q4. What happens when you say, "I'll take another one of these!" A. See Q3.
Q5. What happens when you stop in the middle of a gravel road in Podunk, Nebraska? A. Nothing.
Q6. What happens when you are behind someone who stops in the middle of a gravel road in Podunk, Nebraska? A. Nothing.
Q7. How do you avoid someone who stops in the middle of a gravel road in Podunk, Nebraska? A. Scream "Stop", stand on the breaks, swerve, stop in a ditch (at a 45 degree angle), 4 wheel it out of the ditch.
Q8. What do you do after you avoid someone who stops in the middle of a gravel road in Podunk, Nebraska? A. Clean out you pants and discuss how in the heck you didn't just die.
Q9. How do you hunt pheasants in 60 MPH wind? A. You don't.
Q10. If multiple hunders shoot at a bird, who claims it? A. Jim
Q11. What is the best way to run off all of the pheasants in a field? A. by yelling "Scooby"
Q12. What is the best way to pass out hunding a field? A. Wear 17 layers when it is 85 degrees.
Q13. What's the best way not to pass out hunding a field? A. Block.
Q14. What's the last thing to go through a quail's head after being shot with a full choke model 12? A. His tail feathers.
Q15. What is the best way to keep a quail from flying? A. Steve.
Q16. What is the best way to keep your dog fresh for an all day hund? A. Let him walk behind you so you can break the weeds for him.
Q17. How do you shoot you limit in Wilbur, Nebraska by noon? A. You can't.
Q18. How do you tell if you have eaten bear? A. You butt growls all night.

That's all for now!

No time to BLOG 2

No time to Blog but look at the HUNDERS!

The Team

JB and Willie holding their Coc...male pheasants!

The first few days

Well, we made it! We made the drive to the land of corn and in the dog trailer were Scooby and Jesse and yes, the camo is a fake. The dive was pretty easy except for the 2 hours it took us to get out of Atlanta. We spent the night somewhere in Illinois and were up early Friday to finish the trip to Nebraska. But, enough of travelling. Opening day was very exciting. We had Scooby, Bubba and Jesse in the field. Scooby ranged out a bit but also flushed a few birds which was a great step for him. We did "lose" Scooby twice on opening day. The problem is that we were hunting huge fields of native grass and Scooby would follow a scent and before he knew it, he was lost and I couldn't find him and he couldn't see me. The first time he was lost, I went back to a field to look for him and finally he came busting out of the native grass and he was as happy to be found as I was to find him. The second field we were in, Scooby flushed 2 birds but both were hens...you can't shoot hens. We did shoot a roosted and let the dogs retrieve it. Scooby got a hold of it and wouldn't let it go. He finally did. We ended the day hunting another HUGE field and we lost Scooby again although before we lost him, he flushed a few birds.
Sunday was Scooby's day. In our first field, Scooby flushed a covey of quail. He started to understand what he was doing. The second field, Scooby put it all together. We drove a grass field and Scooby was pretty hot throughout the field. We neared the end of the field and Scooby was very hot...all of the sudden, Scooby locked on point...a hard point. He held the point and we flushed another hen. Scooby pointed and flushed a cover of quail in the next field and I shot a quail and he retrieved it. I was a great day for Scooby!

Dog Trailer

Here is the only picture that came through un-corrupted from your email JB. It is a good one though. You did an outstanding job. JB has painted the wheels since this picture was taken. I still don't know how JB did it and he won't give up his secret...this is a professional paint job!

Scooby - Wing on a string - "Scoob-tube"

Hi all...here is Scooby with his wing on a string training. I hope all this training pays off! He understands "Whoa" and "easy" so if we can catch him on point, we should be able to slow him down. It will be interesting seeing him get into the dog trailer!

Itinerary

The old dog proposed the following itineray for the week! Feel free to comment!

Friday, Oct. 24:
Arrive at Greenglade. Unload. Later (mid-afternoon) proceed to Lincoln to pick up beer, ice, etc. and to get steaks for later. 5 PM, happy hour at Greenglade. Cook steaks. Eat.

Saturday, Oct. 25:
Up early. Feed dogs and troops. Proceed to Wahoo. Hunt.

Sunday, Oct. 26:
Same as Oct. 25, except hunt in different areas.

Monday, Oct. 27:
Ditto Oct. 26. 7:30 PM, turkey fry feed at bar in Lincoln.

Tuesday, Oct. 28:
Recover from turkey fry feed. Hunt.

Almost time to hund!

enjoy...

Scooby Passed the Final Test

Well, maybe I should say he passed the final pre-hunting test. I went to my friends house who has about 50 acres over in Grayson and got Scooby about 200 yards away (per the gun dog book). On my signal, my buddy shot off the first round. That turned Scooby's head. I gave him a treat and called him a good boy and asked him "where's the bird?". We moved about 40 yards closer, I made him sit for round two. This time he looked up but was more interested in the horse muffins. The closer we got, the more rounds we shot off and Scooby was uninterested in the noise and more interested in the kids, a new place and a bunch of new smells. So Nate held Scooby on the leash while we shot skeet for 30 minutes. Scooby was not phased by the noise. I am excited that he passed this test. We're going to try to do it again before we leave on the trip. It was nice shooting the old model 12 again. My buddy noted that it really kicks compared to his over and under. I told him that "hopefully" my shoulder would be black and blue after the trip.
My shooting skill are about the same. I hit about 60-70% which is not bad with the full choke gun. Once again, when I let them get out a bit, my percentages go up. Nate was 1 for 2...excellent for his first 2 shots with a shotgun! He shot my buddy's son's 20 guage pump. All that BB gun training has paid off!

Soccer Wisdom

You know Soccer has been a big part of our lives for the last 10 or so years and we have traveled the eastern half of this nation from New Jersey, to Florida, Dallas, North and South Carolina.... We've met many nice folks and had great coaches (for the most part). I have taken a ton of advice from parents and coaches about soccer related issues and learned (and taught) many life lessons. So what the heck does soccer wisdom have to do with hunting? It's really very simple...Boots! Many soccer coaches call cleats "boots". They call the field the "pitch" and and 1-0 would be 1-"nil". Back to boots...One coach we had for several years would not let any of his players wear new boots until HE broke them in. He'd take their new boots home with him and he'd basically bend them in every direction possible, flatten the heals, bend the soles in half in both directions...quite a task. Soccer girl never had blisters after he started coaching her...we would break in 2 sets of cleats a year following the coaches instructions. For the last 2 days, I've been bending and flattening and distorting ONE of my LL Bean boots. I just put them on and guess what...one is basically broken in and the other is not!

Soccer rules!

Counting down!

Tomorrow, it will be 2 weeks until we leave for the hunt and everything is coming together nicely. Can you believe this blog started in July! The dog trailer is 99% ready to go...good job JB. My LL Bean boots should arrive today or tomorrow. The T shirts will be done by the end of this week or the first of next week. I bought my license on-line last week and printed it...it looks good. Scooby had another walk in the field and did well although I learned to keep him on a leash until I am ready to go. He wandered a bit and didn't want to come back...he went straight for the field. Scooby hated to ride in the car until the first time I took him to the field. Now every time I open the car door he wants to go with me. He is also retrieving very well now. He is beginning to use his nose a little better and is finding the dummy by smell instead of sight. I still need to gun check him. He isn't to Duke's level yet...I would hide Duke's eyes and throw the ball anywhere in the back yard and he would go find it. Scooby needs an area to search in for now. I am going to buy some new shells this week for the trip...I don't know all about shells but I got field load, 7-1/2's, high velocity for $5.23 a box at Walmart. Since I have the full choke barrel, I don't think it matters having 6's or 7-1/2's. I could be wrong. You over and under guys are a different story. I got a box of 410 shells on my first visit (the short ones) in case we happen upon a wounded bird in the ditch and we have to put out of it's misery. Pulled the guns out of the cases and they are clean and shiny as I left them! I need some blaze orange...I'll ask Rah Rah if he has a bandanna of that color. The count down continues!

Trailer-Boy is Da Bomb!

Well, I've seen it! OMG (for you old dogs, OMG = Oh My God)! It is SICK (previously defined)! It looks like it just came off the dog trailer showroom floor. I was a bit worried about the camo paint when it came down to painting day (I was actually worried about JB going crazy with his paint gun). I was worried that it would look like billy-bob's pick-up truck headed to the huntin camp. The pattern is very complicated. You have got to see it. Amazing is all that I can say! It looks like it was painted at Fort Benning. JB may need to be commissioned after that paint job. He said he free handed it...I find that hard to believe but I'll take him at his word (he's a liar...I bet he had it painted at his buddy's shop). Willy, bring the correct paperwork and medals/bars/leaves to elevate JB to the appropriate level. You will really be impressed! Seems that every one's digital cameras are in the shop or out of batteries. I'll blog a pic as soon as we get a good one.

ALL HAIL TRAILER BOY! HE BE DA MAN!

We Have Clergy!

Team Members! We now have clergy attending the hunt. After months of scouting, meetings and praying, we finally have clergy attending the hunt. Our Nun, Sister T (not to be confused with Mr. T) will be there to bless the fields prior to the hunt! She will be leaving the convent on the 24th to meet up with the Colonel and the old dog in Omaha. This is our good fortune as she will be able to bless the Colonel's honey hole prior to the opening day hunt. Sister T has this to say to the team: "Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me," Genesis 27:3

Shirts and bloggage...ramblings

Lars and I are meeting with the shirt guy on Monday. Everyone is sending checks so we will be good to go with the shirts prior to the hunt. Thanks to everyone for the quick response.
As I look forward to this years hunt, I am also looking forward to future hunts. I can't wait to bring my boys on their first hunt. Just thinking about that chokes me up as I'm sure it did to you old dogs. I may be blubbering when they get their first bird! I guess it's that Greek-Irish blood. The thing about being Greek-Irish is that you'll fight anyone who really pisses you off, but then you want to drink with them afterwards (as if they are your best friend)...discuss the wounds etc...I think that's also the hockey player in me. I look forward to coming up with 2009 USOPHT tee shirt. Maybe next year, I'll look into something...more formal...a sweatshirt...mock turtle neck...a polo..embroytery...finding time is the key! I look forward to seeing how Scooby and Bubba develop over the next few years. I look forward to blogging during the hunt this year so that everyone who couldn't make it (Timmy, Hugh, Nun, Lindsey...Willy's favorite) can still be a part of the experience, if only in a small way. Plus, family members can check out the days events. I hope I'm not too tired to type. You have GOT to love technology. Just today, I "Skyped" soccer girl in her dorm room while she prepared to travel to Colorado Springs and El Paso...yea, she made the travel team! Freshman, Division 1...gotta love it. Anyway, "Skype" www.skype.com is an Internet based communications program with text and video. Her laptop has a built in camera so I just ping her and she pops right up. We talk back and forth with video. It is SICK (for you old dogs, sick = cool). What makes it great is it is FREE...if you have an Internet connection and a camera, that's all you need. Actually, I don't have a camera at work (on order) so I can see her but she can't see me (we have a camera at home). Just the fact that I can set-up a blog, for free, and post all of this non-sence is amazing. Ok, back on track...I look forward to seeing the farm. Nicole was 3 the last time we were there...yikes..15 years ago. I can imagine things have changes. Now that we are getting Cisco-ized, I'm back to 4 weeks of vacation. It will be nice to have more than 2 weeks. Finally, the base coat for the camo paint is on and we're having a bit of trouble laying out the pattern. Any suggestions?

Pheasants Forever

www.pheasantsforever.org

I'm sure that you guys all keep up with the Pheasants Forever website...Right? Well...I just found it today. What a great resource!

Here's what it says about Vizsla's and Weimaraner's:
Breed: Vizsla

Type: Pointer
Hunting Style: Vizsla's are very energetic working dogs that are robust but rather lightly built. They exhibit natural abilities to point and retrieve and show a genuine love of water. They do not have an undercoat, however, and are not particularly well suited for very low temperatures.
General Appearance: The Vizsla is a medium sized breed with a coat that is generally short and smooth in a golden rust color although they can tend toward a deeper red. Tails are generally docked to a length of roughly two thirds of the natural length. They are generally lean but well muscled.
Size: Height usually ranges from 20 to 25 inches from the ground to the highest point of the shoulders and weight usually ranges between 45 and 65 pounds.
Disposition:Vizsla's tend to be very bright and social dogs that thrive on attention and affection. Known as a one owner dog because of their loyalty. They take training well but must be handled carefully as they generally exhibit sensitive personalities. They are poorly suited to be outdoor dogs but will thrive indoors provided they are sufficiently exercised.

Breed: Weimaraner

Type: Pointer
Hunting Style: The Weimaraner is a good all purpose gun dog that is able to hunt many types of game. It is a versatile hunter that was originally bred for hunting large game but became more focused on upland game as the popularity for large game hunting declined. Prey drive is strong and instinctive and training should begin at a young age to shape their general hunting instincts.
General Appearance: The Weimaraner is a large breed with a coat that is generally short and smooth in a mouse-gray or silver-grey color. Tails are generally docked early to a length to no more than one third of the natural length.
Size: Height usually ranges from 23 to 27 inches from the ground to the highest point of the shoulders and weight usually ranges between 55 and 80 pounds.
Disposition: A fast and powerful breed, Weimaraners are very active and are known for their stamina so must be kept active in a family setting. They tend to be less social toward strangers and can be very protective. They can also be territorial and should be socialized early to avoid aggression.

So, Scooby will lick you and then Bubba will bite you! Old dog, you getter socialize that dog!

Tee Shirt #2

I hope this shirt is WORTHY of the USOPHT...Note the this is for Charter Members Only!

click on the image for a larger view.

Scooby Update

Last week I took Scooby over to a new park they are working on over by the house. It is probably 100 acres or so. There is alot of pasture area with knee high grass. I have always been concerned about how Scooby would do in an expansive area. He did very well. I let him off the lead and he bounced down the hill like Tigger. We had to cross over a few strips of silt fence that were close together but with a little help, he was right over it. A dirt road, soon to be a walking path, was the next thing we saw and then, right into the field. Without hesitation, Scooby took a position about 20 yard in front of the dudes and I. He worked back and forth, never getting more that 20 to 30 yards out. We were working into the wind and he was mostly nose down, popping up time to time to check out a passing bird. One time, he did get a little far out and one quick whistle brought him back to me. That was a relief. My fear is that he will be on a bird and the whistle won't bring him back. I have told this story to dad and JB but I forgot a key piece. As we were nearing the end of our walk into the wind, that pushes toward the highway, Scooby was really birdy, then about 35 geese took off from about 50 yards in from of us. Scooby started bounding towards them and the whistle brought him back. I called him a good boy and told him that was the "bird" (close enough). I also had a cap gun with me and was shooting it all around him. It did not affect him at all. Scooby has taken well to the wing on a string technique and has been pointing and "woahing" well. I got the shock collar from Keke and strapped it on Scooby and put him in the position to fail...aka throwing the retriever dummy into the ivy which usually gets a retrieval but sometimes turns into catch me. Of course, when I'm ready to put the zap to him, he retrieves every time...I guess the last thrashing left a mark. Come to find out the battery in the collar was dead anyway.

Scoobys "field test" was a very promising experience for us. I hope our experience in the field is like this but I know that he has got a long way to go. Next the shotgun test is coming. Hopefully that will be this week.

New Team Wear

Uncle C and Aunt D Memories

I thought it might fun for everyone to post their favorite memories of our most gracious hosts. Mine, without a doubt is that Uncle C is the first one up. Getting the fire going in the wood burning stove, warming his hands on the fire or his coffee cup, big smile on his face...of course he was on vacation which is probably why he was smiling. There are not too many people who would take a week of vacation to deal with a group of muglugs (what do they call those kids in harry potter who aren't the chosen ones...but you get my drift...hunting geeks might be appropriate). So there he is, bouncing around the house, fixin coffee, makin breakfast, taking care of HB, you know, the regular morning stuff. I am thinking "its 4:something AM and I just went to bed, I'm exhausted (and probably hung over) and I haven't even hit the field yet...gotta get my boots on to let the dogs out". Then BANG! That would be the 13 degree air hitting your face when you go out the back door. There is no wind and you can look up and see something you don't see in Atlanta...stars. So the dogs do their business and you go back inside...freezing...and Uncle C lets you know the weather for the day and the fact that its a pretty MILD morning. Man, am I getting excited.

Now for you "newbies", click on the comments below the post. It opens a new window. There is a box to place your comments and if you have a google account you can login or you can leave your comments anonymously. Aunt D...I am a horrible speller and my spelling is better than my grammar...I hope you enjoy the blog if you can make it through my english (as a second language) :-)

Scooby has a "Shock" coming

JB and I were walking around BassPro yesterday and came across the shock collars. He said, ya know what, Keke bought shock collars for her dogs to keep them from fighting. Long story short, Keke is sending them for me to use through the hunt.
I was working Scooby last night and again, when I hide the retriever dummy in the ivy, he finds it but does not fetch it every time. He'll take it in the bushes and will hide sometimes. Then it becomes a game of catch me. Thrashing he has become counter productive for this issue. Ignoring him has proven effective. I need to address him at the time he first disobeys the fetch command. A shock would work in this case. The bird dog book covers the ignoring technique. Duke seemed to have been more well behaved but a dove could have landed on his head and he would have ignored it. Scooby is very close to being ready. I just need to tweak a few things and hopefully the shock collar will do this nicely. I bet it will only take minimal adjustments as he is pretty smart...just stubborn. Getting a cap gun on the way home today. The book suggests shooting a cap gun while they eat as it associated noise with something good. The book also has a great technique for the actual shotgun experience. I'll add it to the next blog if the old dog wants to use it for Bubba.

Making a list

I've been making a list in my head of all of the things I need to do to prepare for the hunt. It's been over 10 years since I have shot my 12 gauge so that is high on my priority list. Boots...I am still looking for boots but I do have my old LLbean rubber bottom, 10" high boots so at least they are a fall back. I'll probably get some on line like JB did. I'm headed to get some shells today at lunch for shooting skeet. I need a first aid kit for Scooby for the cuts and scrapes he'll get in the field. I'm looking seriously at a shock collar if I can find one at a good deal. I need to take my digital camera to the shop as soccergirl dropped it in the sand at the beach this summer. A good coat...I'm a layer guy...tee shirt, long sleeve tee, sweat shirt, jacket, vest...occasionally there is a freaking -30 degree, 90 MPH blowing sleet day where you need a big heavy coat. I have my eye on one. Socks...i like this one...I need some socks and was looking around at socks at the store. Then I had an epiphany. I have 72 pairs of soccer socks from 20 or so soccer teams my kids have played for over the past 10 years...socks covered...nice colors too. I'd like to get some video on the trip but my video camera is old and broken so anyone who has a good video camera that we could use for the hunt would be great. Scooby need a new collar...probably go with blaze orange. More to come!

When to leave, this is the question

Someone, who will remain nameless, has inquired (multiple times) about the travel schedule of this years trip. Let's have a discussion and come to an agreement.

Old school thought is to leave out of town on Thursday afternoon, late, and drive through the evening, night and morning to arrive at said destination at a chipper and crispy 10am-ish in the land of corn. My thought was to leave at 4am and drive through the day and get there in the early evening. The old dog, from the old school, is the most experienced driver of this specific route and contends that it can be driven in 14 hours. He leaves at 3am and arrives in time for dinner. Since we won't be driving at 130mph, I would think that we could make the trip in 15 hours.

At this point, I could really give a rip when we leave. Google says 16 hours...if we can't beat google time, we're pretty lame. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=30017&daddr=68502&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=50.018647,93.339844&ie=UTF8&z=5

THE BOTTOM LINE

What does everyone want to do? Does anyone have any time restrictions? I have one caveat...I will not drive the 2am - 4am shift between No-where, MO and NorthWest No-where, MO if we choose to go old school. I'm just excited to be able to go and see my new dog ruin 3 days of hunting! I hope he survives the trip!

Still calling out a Nun for the trip. No response. I guess that once you get all city-fu-cated, you forget about values like TEAM and HONOR and RESPECT and FIRST ROUND IS ON ME.

Your fearless co-conspirator!

New Picture of the dog trailer!

Looking Good!

Trailer-Boy

Sounds like trailer-boy is doing an excellent job on repairing the trailer for the hunt.
Looks good so far!



Sorry, I couldn't resist! He is getting tired of me backing out on helping him with the repairs though. I am calling myself out JB. Send some more pictures and I'll post them.
I did some early tuning up on my back yesterday (2 more cortisone shots). I will be doing back flips through the milo! It sucks getting old. Hey old dogs, did you start falling apart at 44? You know, about 40 years ago?

2008 Upland Game Forecast

Here it is:
http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/hunting/pdfs/gameoutlook.pdf

Happy reading!

For you deer hunters

No Upland Game Preview Yet

I've been watching the Nebraska Game and Parks site for the updated game preview but there is nothing so far....that is unless you want the 2006 or 2007 preview.

Looks like UGA is the pre-season #1 pick. They should be a great team. I understand that Nebraska is pre-season #162, right below Slippery Rock State.

Notice the counter over to the right...days until opening day.

Scooby says Hi!

The USOPHT Trailer

Hello All!

Looks like the trailer needs a little work although the inside looks pretty good!

JB and I are looking to get it over to his house. Hopefully we can do that in the next week or so.

We were thinking of painting it camo so the birds won't see us coming. I like the desert camo better than the deep woods camo. Maybe the General can send us the appropriate colors. Here's an example of the colors we chose:

I think it would look "sweet"! I went by Lowes and they already have those colors in a pack of spray paint. I don't want to spray paint it...it would look better with a real sprayer. I will try to get my sprayer back from the old dog.

I don't know how Scooby is going to feel about riding in the dog trailer. He may bark all the way, like D.O.G. used to do when we left him in the box. Anyway, we're ready to get started.

I exchanged emails with a Nun today who is interested in blessing our daily activities. It's always good to have a Nun with you on the hunt when you need to pray or to bless the field before the hunt. I'll give you more details from the church as they become available.

65 days until opening day!

No time to BLOG

Hi guys...Man have I been busy. Soccer girl is at school and loving Division 1 training (not), the dudes have their football jamboree this weekend, and I have been involved in 3 proposals that are all going out within 3 days. Uh, busy.

Scooby is fetching well and coming on command even outside the fence which is good. No news from trailer boy...he said his neighbor had a truck to pick up the dog trailer. Hopefully we can start getting the trailer in shape soon.

Here's an article about Soccer Girls team...and her Bio with her picture!
http://uabsports.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/081408aaa.html

http://uabsports.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/peters_sarahnicole00.html

I'm glad the weekend is here

I've got big plans to work with Scooby this weekend. Football started for the dudes this week so I've been at the field from 6:30 - 10:00 every night this week. Dude 1 has been in pads since Wednesday. Dude 2 gets in pads tonight.

I hope to start hiding the dummy this weekend and getting Scooby to start using his nose. This will be a good test for him. I also want to go to my friends house a pop a few 410 shells to see Scooby's reaction, if any. Lightning and thunder does not seem to bother him at all. The "whoa" technique in Gun Dog is pretty interesting. Something like this....make the dog stay, walk far away, then start running away telling him OK. Stop and jump wildly in the air with the stay signal (stop hand sign) saying whoa at the same time to basically scare him into stopping. This should look interesting to my neighbors. I'll let you know how it works. Duke learned whoa just by the stop sign.

Anyone know the ramifications of a fixed male hunter vs non fixed male hunter? Just wondering if I should get him fixed to settle him down a bit. I have seen no data for or against it.

I hope Scooby Works Like This

I did a little searching on youtube last night and came across this. Very exciting! Scooby will stalk birds in the yard and hopefully he can do it in the field. I've got lots of work ahead of me though. Whatever these dogs were looking for was just recently there. You should check out some of the videos on youtube.





I may be hunting with a video camera one day!





As promised, a recent photo of Bubba!

Recon Done - Nice Gun Cleaning Kit

Note from Trailer Boy..."Trailer recon has been done. Bottom line...it is ugly on the outside, pretty on the inside. Tires and a lot of TLC would take care of it. It was in a lot better shape than the chicken house it was in...."

We'll be looking into the fix up and if financially feasible, try to get it fixed for the trip. Lots of other priorities right now with Soccer Girl leaving next week!

Saw this cool gun cleaning kit in Orvis. I'm thinking of creating one that could work along side of the immortal "Gun Vice". Bass Pro has the plastic toolbox version of this (boooooring). I'm working on a design now. I thought it would be nice to put a mini-vice on the butt end but it may be too barrel heavy. I know a model 12 that will test the design! Got my table saw back from sister #1 last week. The old dog and sister #1 put a new motor on it. The 1952 motor finally burned out and I had an old motor on it that I acquired from someone. It worked great if you were cutting 1/2" balsa wood but wouldn't cut much else. The new motor is great.
JB and I are going to try to shoot some skeet in the next few weeks. That should be fun.

L8R...LP

The Dog Trailer

It was thought that "The Dog Trailer" was crushed by a chicken house (somewhere in Jackson County). The sky is falling is no strange occurrence to these chickens. It appears that we have new information it may have been a different chicken house that collapsed. JB will be going on a Dog Trailer reconnaissance to get the status. It seems unlikely that we would pull the dog trailer for one dog unless storage becomes an issue. Once JB does reconnaissance, we'll determine what we need to repair the the trailer and get it in working order.
JB lost Buck a few weeks ago. He was in pretty poor health and just went outside and laid down. I guess that's the way a bird dog would want to go. It is certainly easier than putting a dog down. It took me a long time to get over putting Duke down.
Scooby had visitors on Saturday night. We had a going away party for Soccer Girl as she heads to UAB in a week to start soccer practice. Division 1 soccer will be a new experience for her but if she can make it through 2 knee surgeries in 13 months and still play at the highest level, I think she'll do well. Scooby is so full of energy. He visited everyone, multiple times and was a bit wild at first but he settled down after a little while. Settled down for Scooby is still kinda wild but he's learning...I have to remind myself, he's still a puppy.
I hope everyone enjoys reading the "dog blog". Please comment and send me any content you want added. I have a new picture of Bubba to add soon.
Have a great day!

Bubba

We may be biting off more than we can chew but Bubba will be with us this fall too! Bubba is the old dog's new dog. He's a full bred weimaraner. The picture is when he was a pup. He's neadly 40 lbs now. I pleaded with the old dog to name him Shaggy (so we'd have Scooby and Shaggy) but he wouldn't budge. What kind of a name is Bubba? "Hey, as soon as you're done putting new tires on the house, un-hook Bubba so we kin leave!" I guess the old dog spent too many years in the south with all of his friends, Willie, Bobo, Barrack, Lenny-Sue and Bama. It just ain't right to name a soon to be field champion "Bubba". Oh well, I tried. Bubba will still be under a year but from what I hear from the old dog, he's gonna be a good one. Hopefully Bubba won't be shot (trained) prior to turning a year old. I suggest a shock collar.

I spent part of my lunch hour back at Bass Pro yesterday. I have determined a few things. First of all, you can buy ANY item of clothing in camouflage. Why would you buy a camo wallet? What if you dropped it in the woods? If your wallet is in your pocket, isn't it already camouflaged? I think a hunting wallet should be blaze orange. Secondly, do you know you can buy skunk scent removing shampoo? I remember bathing one of the dogs in tomato juice and he smelled like a skunk dipped in tomato juice. I'm not going to buy any because if I do, I may have to use it. Finally, there sure are many kinds of shotgun shells. The Old dog is going to give me the 411 on shotgun shells.

L8R...LP

Some Random Thoughts

I got a late start this morning. Scooby was ready to go outside. I bought him a new bed at Bass Pro when I was there the other day. The dog seems to like eating his beds. Eating is not the right word, he likes pulling all of the stuffing out of them. It's just puppy stuff. JP is about to kill him because he also likes to pull up azaleas and play with them. He also chewed the arms on 2 Adirondack chairs and a table...and a deck board...and the trim in the laundry room...and he's eaten a little sheet rock from my never ending basement project. But back to getting a late start. I followed him outside this morning and as he walked off the deck, he went on full point. I told him easy and walked up right behind him, told him OK and he went tearing off across the back yard...never saw what he was pointing. If you look at the bottom of the screen, I have a news link that searches for "Pheasant Hunting" articles. These were a few good ones yesterday.

Here are some useful links for the upcoming campaign:
Nebraska Game and Parks: http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/hunting/hunting.asp
Bass Pro Shops: http://www.basspro.com/

Cabellas: http://www.cabelas.com/
JB sent a link about a good deal on some LL Bean boots: http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?qs=5801412&langId=-1&email_id=515906&categoryId=33170&quantity=1&catalog_id=TA&feat=&productId=452945&jspStoreDir=llbean&attrName_3=23486&attrName_2=23485&attrName_1=23484&catalogId=1&storeId=1&display_id=43753&attrValue_3=Brown%2FCamouflage&attrValue_2=10+1%2F2&attrValue_1=Wide+EE&ddkey=ReturnProductEmail

If this doesn't get you fired up, nothing will!


Be on the lookout for the old dog's new dog! Have a great day!

Planning Planning Planning

Welcome to my blog. For you non-techie folks, it is a place for me to spew my thoughts about the USOPHT 2008 campaign to surround and kill the wiley ring necked pheasant. This will be my first trip back to the land of the corn in over a decade and the first time that a dog of mine will play a part in this fun. Hopefully he will play a good part. Why the name "Will This Dog Hunt"? It's not only about a canine. It's about getting together several old dogs with some new dogs and creating some new stories to tell. I must say that I am excited about the the opportunity to hunt again. I went to Bass Pro and looked at weedless pants and boots and shotgun shells and shock collars...for the old dogs. My hope is that we will all be able to get together this year!

Meet Scooby. He's about 10 months old...just a pup in the picture...he's a full breed Vizsla born in the land of corn. Field champion parents and he's been pointing dove, blue jays, cardinals, leaves and butterflies since he was 4 months old. He almost lost his life last night as I bought a retriever dummy for him, covered it in pheasant scent, and threw it for him to retrieve. Now this dog brings back sticks, limbs, tennis balls...you name it. He took that dummy and went straight into the bushes and wouldn't come out. Needless to say and according to Gun Dog, he received negative reinforcement (aka a thrashing). I had to go inside until he came out of his hiding place after the attitude readjustment. We tried it again with the dummy on a training rope (the retriever dummy, not the Vizsla dummy) . He got back on track and retrieved it several times. Well, that's all for my bloggage today. Check back often and comment!

Son of old dog!