Illinois Central Zone Waterfowl Opener: The Off-season Hardwork Pays Off

Illinois Central Zone Waterfowl Opener: The Off-season Hardwork Pays Off

This past weekend was the waterfowl opener for the central zone.  Hopefully you were able to get out and enjoy it and maybe even harvest a few birds.  While in the blind our phones kept going off with text messages from people across Illinois telling us how their hunts were going.  Many only saw a few birds, "by the time you saw the birds that were here and went to pick up your gun, they were already 70 yards away"  said Rick Rasmussen.  Meanwhile others were shocked at just how warm it was on Saturday. "I was literally hunting in jeans and a t-shirt" said Chris Cramer. There were scattered reports of hunters harvesting a few, others were going home with their goose egg.

This wasn't just another opener for Capitol Outdoors.  It was Linc's first!  As you may know, almost two years ago we won a dog through a twitter competition from Soggy Acres.  Linc was about 10 months old for his first hunt, but we were able to put him on some single retrieves and as a puppy he did great.  With how young Linc was our goal was to make sure he knew how to heel, retrieve to hand and have a successful hunt.

Illinois Retriever Hunt Test Part 2

Illinois Retriever Hunt Test Part 2

The Illinois River Retriever Club held their annual hunt test on May 16 & 17, 2015 at the Banner Marsh Conservation Area.  Some of the best retrieving dogs from around the state, ranging from five months old to over nine years old attended  to show off their skills and ability.  Last week, Capitol Outdoors wrote about the Hunter Retriever Club (HRC) and our feelings about Linc entering his first test hunt test.  You can read, Illinois Retriever Hunt Test Part 1, here.

Illinois Retriever Hunt Test Part 1

Illinois Retriever Hunt Test

This weekend Linc has a hunt test.  Excited, nervous and anxious are just some of the words that come to  mind.   Linc is a year and four months old and has over half dozen waterfowl retrieves under his belt and that's only having him in the field three times.  His obedience is great, drive is indescribable and he just keeps improving each training session.

However, Linc does have one weakness. He may seem scared, but he is still working on his social skills and we are building his confidence. He can handle a gun shot fine, but freaks out when he sees people and runs away.  This is one of my jobs as trainer to make sure that he knows that he is OK and safe. I need to keep him pumped up and make sure he knows that he's a good dog.  Introducing him to people at places like Bass Pro and Scheels helps him adjust.

The First of Many/ Opening Day of Illinois Dove Hunting 2014

Opening Day of Dove season is always a day we look forward to. It is an opportunity for us to get out and get some shooting under our belt before waterfowl. Another major reason why we take advantage of Dove Season is to get the dogs conditioned for the season.

There is nothing like them being out in the field. Training during the off-season is definitely a good thing as it helps them stay in shape, however getting them into the field helps them adapt.

This year was especially important for Lincoln. The training started as soon as we picked him up and will continue for many years to come; however this weekend we were able to see just how he was understanding it.

The worst part of the morning was the agonizing wait of the daily draw. It would have been a huge let down to not get drawn in after the anticipation of getting Lincoln into the field. After waiting for what seemed like FOREVER, we were second to last to get picked.

Thus begun our trek to the field. Immediately upon exiting the car, Lincoln looked like a kid on Christmas morning. He was jumping around, hyper as always. Being a puppy! Things calmed down as we got to the spot and started to set up the decoys. Lincoln was following along, wondering what everything was. It was pure enjoyment watching how he was experiencing everything.

We thought the most difficult part was going to be to keep him at a heel throughout the day. However, on this particular day it seemed as if this hyper puppy took a turn. He sat at a heel only wandering a few steps off when curiosity struck him.

It was a slow day in the Dove fields. We only saw, maybe about 5 doves. However, Lincoln was able to watch the action and get used to what it is like to be hunting dog.

Overall, we learned that Lincoln is doing great on his obedience training however, he needs to work on retrieving. But, we know that this will all come with time. This hunt was more about making it fun for Lincoln and getting him out to experience the field and what hunting is about.

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Remember Enjoy the Outdoors Good Luck and Stay Safe -

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Getting a New Puppy: Building the Dog and Human Bond

"The bond between dog and human is a strong one."

Getting a New Puppy: Building the Dog and Human Bond

Almost 6 years ago Reagan, our black lab was brought into our household. I never thought that a dog could change your life in so many ways. I didn't grow up with dogs so I didn't truly understand the powerful bond that occurred between a dog and its human companion, until Reagan met Michael.

Reagan's First Goose Hunt at  3 months old

Keep it fun while Dog Training

Keep it Fun with the Dog

Five years ago, Heather and I bought a furry black dog who we named Reagan.  Reagan was bought off a farmer in Central, Illinois and little did I know that this dog would be one of the best  hunting dogs I’ve had.

Five Months to get in Shape part 1

Five Months to get in Shape part 1

It is definitely Spring in Central Illinois, rain showers every few days, the grass is green and birds are singing away. If you’re like CO you want to get into the field and do some fishing, turkey and mushroom hunting. While you’re doing this you may forget about that hunting pal of yours, you know that rug that eats and drinks and barks. That’s right your dog!!! There are only five months until the kick off of waterfowl season. In the minds of many, dove hunting kicks off the season. Five months will go by fast, especially when the summer heat arrives. Do you have your pre-season plan ready? Continue to read below to get a good understanding of how I train my dog Reagan for the upcoming hunting season

Reagan is what many in the hunting field will consider seasoned. Not because he has medals and honors from the AKC but because he is five and has been in the field for four seasons and has retrieved countless numbers of birds. He has seen a lot of different situations and has taught me as much as I’ve taught him. If you have a hunting dog it is important to know what stage they are at so that you can start thinking about your plan. I am by no means a professional trainer. I bought a DVD when I first bought Reagan and this DVD taught me the basics I needed to train my waterfowl dog. I’ve done countless hours of research on dog training and found that 5 Phases will get your dog ready for the hunting season. On to the planning!!!

First, things first, don’t expect your dog to be in the same condition as they were at the end of the hunting season, both physically and mentally. Remember the goal here is to get him ready to hunt. Your first few days should be focused on obedience. If your dog is seasoned or has at least a season behind them then this should go very quickly. In fact, this part is not fun for you or the dog. Heel, sit and come get old real quick. Make sure your dog has this down before you move on.





Phase one

Start your day off by throwing some 'fun bumpers'. Don't worry so much about having your dog, sit and stay at this point. Like you, the dog needs to stretch and have fun before the training, therefore you throw some 'fun bumpers' around to get him motivated. At the end of your training session, finish with a few 'fun bumpers', this keeps the good times in their head and keep them wanting more. Once your dog has had a few short retrieves take a good look at them. How bad are they out of shape? Are they panting really hard? Wheezing? If your dog is like this, take your time; make sure your dog is a little more in shape before moving on. Remember we have five months!

Phase Two

If your dog can handle Phase one, let’s move on. Remember there is no time limit to each of these phases. The second phase deals with piles. (If you have just one bumper you really want to think about purchasing more.) Take all your bumpers and place them in a pile about 75 yards away. This is a good opportunity to have the dog practice the heel command as you place the bumpers. Release your dog and let him retrieve your pile. What does this do? The average a person can throw a bumper is about 35 yards. The dog will easily be able to mark this but you are teaching a dog that 35 yards is the maximum that he will need to retrieve. So, when you are in the field hunting your dog will start looking for instruction from you around 35 yards. A pile teaches your dog nice long retrieves. Now using piles, work on the back command. Again put all your bumpers in one pile 75 yards away from your dog and have your dog sit and you walk another 25 yards away (you are a total of 100 yards from the bumper) and command your dog back. This will help your dog receive directions from you while in the field. I do this for about a month sometimes longer.

The first two phases is all about getting your dog into shape. Phase 3, 4, and 5 is where things get really interesting and complex. Stay tuned. Please remember that I spent an enormous amount of hours and missed several college classes training my dog. The five month training session is for the seasoned dog. If you just got a pup or are thinking about training your dog, I highly recommend two things. First, buy a DVD, there are some really good ones out there and can be purchased at any sporting goods store. Second, reach out to your local retrieving club. These groups are very welcoming, and will teach and help you with your dog handling skills. If you want your dog to be perfect the first day, then I recommend buying a dog from a breeder already trained. However, the relationship formed with your dog through the training process will transfer to the field and make for a great hunting companion.