While “Sprig,” my now 3-month-old English cocker pup, has been getting healthy doses of basic obedience and plenty of play time, I’ve been looking for signs that I’ll have a legitimate hunting dog on my hands. I like her energy, willingness to explore new environments and a nose that’s constantly “on.” When I picked her up, the breeder – who also trains, trials and hunts extensively – gave me one piece of advice that I’ve held above all else: “Make retrieving an addiction.”

Starting with a glove in the apartment and graduating to a tennis ball, Sprig has shown natural retrieving instincts and, most importantly, seems to enjoy it. Next we’ll move outside with a dummy and, since it’s been an unseasonably warm winter in the upper Midwest, some light grass.

What did you see in your pup early on that got you excited about your future hunting buddy?

Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:

• Puppies: What the Training Manuals Don’t Say
• Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
• What I’m Looking For
• Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
• Just Show Me the DOGFAX
• Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
• What Was Your First Bird Dog?
• Stuck Between Two Litters
• Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
• Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment
• When everyone’s a Dog Expert
• Meet My First Bird Dog!

Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.

The author has found "Sprig," an English cocker spaniel, to be heckuva lot of work and a heckuva lot of joy.

“Is a puppy more work than you thought it’d be?” This is the most-asked question of me since “Sprig” arrived in my household one month ago.

I’d read the books on puppies and watched some videos, but in hindsight, they’re remarkably desensitized. A few examples:

The manual said: Pup may whine his first night or first few nights away from his littermates.
In reality: Bellying her size, pup will let out primordial death howls. She will not sleep, nor will you, and you’ll wonder about the sincerity of neighbors who say they “didn’t hear a thing.”

The manual said: Encourage pup to play with his own toys.
In reality: You will go to the pet store and spend $50 on toys. Pup will spend five minutes playing with each, a buck per minute per toy. Pup will find socks, stocking caps and empty yogurt containers much more to her liking. Pup will not reimburse you the $50.

The manual said: Pup may nip hands and fingers as he’s teething and learning to control the power of his jaws.
In reality: Reality bites, and there will be blood (it will not be pup’s… )

The manual said: Pup may “eliminate” on the carpet. They don’t yet have the ability to hold it.
In reality: Your carpet will be eliminated. You didn’t need that security deposit anyways, right?

So is a puppy more work than I’d originally thought? Yes.

But would I trade it for anything? No.

Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:

• Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
• What I’m Looking For
• Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
• Just Show Me the DOGFAX
• Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
• What Was Your First Bird Dog?
• Stuck Between Two Litters
• Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
• Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment
• When everyone’s a Dog Expert
• Meet My First Bird Dog!

Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.

The quest for "Sprig," the author's first pup, was chronicled in Pheasants Forever's "My First Bird Dogs" series.

The serious search for “My First Bird Dog” began at Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest* earlier this year. Initially, I’d zeroed in on an English springer spaniel, but after seeing my first-ever English cocker spaniel up close and personal at National Pheasant Fest, I knew. And just before the holiday break, I picked up “Sprig,” a lemon and white female field-bred English cocker, from Thunderstruck Gundogs in Balaton, Minnesota – my first bird dog!

*Speaking now from personal experience, Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic is the must-see event for bird dog owners or soon-to-be owners. While I didn’t purchase a pup on the spot, I gained first-hand info from an exhibiting professional dog trainer and his valuable reference on a quality breeder closer to my home. This year’s show is in Kansas City on February 17, 18 & 19.

An English cocker is the perfect fit for me: A close-working dog – check; adept in the grasslands and wetlands – check; a small breed that’s sized for my small apartment – check; and good looking to boot – check. The breeder, Mark Mercie, said, in his experience, he found females a bit easier to work with, so I heeded his advice. In fact, in the six-month lead up to getting Sprig, Mercie took many questions from Kaily, my significant other, and I on an all-too-regular basis – I can’t overstate how important this was to us. We picked her up at her seven-week mark, and didn’t have to dangle a pheasant wing or practice puppy psychology as she was the only female in the litter.

As I type this, Sprig is sound asleep on my lap. An hour before, she was treating the flesh of my hands as a chew toy. These are the highs and lows of puppy ownership, but she’ll age so quick – my day is her week, seven times faster than me – that doing anything other than simply enjoying this time is silly.

The “My First Bird Dog” series will now shift gears to the training process, with sights set on the pheasant hunting opener in 2012. The thought of this teething, 6-lb. peanut ever flushing and retrieving a pheasant is a near-foreign concept right now, with dog training like a foreign language. My puppy passport has been punched – know any good translators?

Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:

• Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
• What I’m Looking For
• Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
• Just Show Me the DOGFAX
• Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
• What Was Your First Bird Dog?
• Stuck Between Two Litters
• Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
• Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment
• When everyone’s a Dog Expert

Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.

Pheasants Forever's "My First Bird Dog" series follows a pheasant hunter's journey into bird dog ownership.

This weekend is pick-up day for my first bird dog, and excitement is paired equally with a dose of “Am I ready for this?” After months of digesting all dog-related material I could get my hands on, picking the brains of dog trainers and soliciting insight from dog owners and Pheasants Forever members right here online, I announce myself as…fully unprepared for my first bird dog as I was six months ago.

That’s not quite true, but the path to a bird dog is one filled with questions – What breed? Pup or started dog? Male or female? Pick up at seven or eight weeks? Use a pheasant wing to select your pup? Pet insurance? – and consensus answers that are about as slippery as a dog on kitchen tile.

So you look for some direction, some sort of dog compass, only to find too many dog owners, every one of them with their own expert advice – your co-worker says pickup at eight weeks, your hunting buddy says the magical 49^th day is the day, the breeder says he can go either way and the latest issue of Gun Dog magazine has an article about a new fad of waiting 10 to 12 weeks. It can leave a lot of head scratchers while waiting for that new, little head to scratch…

While I’ve come across few certainties in the process, I’m sure of one thing – I’m ready to learn by doing…and maybe that’s when you know you’re really, officially ready for your first bird dog.

Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:

• Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
• What I’m Looking For
• Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
• Just Show Me the DOGFAX
• Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
• What Was Your First Bird Dog?
• Stuck Between Two Litters
• Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
• Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment

Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.

Pheasants Forever's "My First Bird Dog" series follows a pheasant hunter's journey into bird dog ownership.

Pheasant Blog reader Jeff posted recently: I am surprised that only 65% of (Pheasants Forever) members own a dog. Who hunts pheasants without a dog? Who’d want to?

Probably not many, but circumstance and desire don’t always match up – just ask any apartment dwelling pheasant hunter such as myself. My last two weeks included a phone call informing me dogs would no longer be allowed in my apartment building (evidently someone’s unapproved dog had bitten someone else), to a lengthy conversation with the apt. owner going over every detail of my upcoming pup to earn an exception to the newly instituted “no dogs” rule. With just five weeks until my pup is in my hands and a week-long Rooster Road Trip in the mix, moving just wasn’t an option.

The first question from my apartment owner was “What breed are you getting?” A valid question, as when it comes to an apartment, not all dogs are created equal. Recently, Kyle Wintersteen from the NRA’s American Hunter wrote about Five Bird Dogs for Today’s Suburbs. In addition to his solid list, here are five more (and yes, the breed I’ve selected is on either his or my list) worthy of consideration in the tight quarters of the concrete jungle:

American Water Spaniel. This small (25-45 lbs.) sporting breed is obedient, a good family fit and the State Dog of Wisconsin, where they must have lots of apartments.

English Springer Spaniel. Their breeding stock learned the Queen’s manners before crossing the pond.

Golden Retriever. Very adaptable and eager to please, which pleases other tenants.

Poodle. With its hypoallergenic coat, can accommodate almost any living situation. Perfect if you want a hunting dog with the look of a city dog.

Weimaraner. This breed is known for getting along easily with children, which urban areas are usually full of.

What do you consider the best breed(s) for an apartment or urban area?

Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:

• Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
• What I’m Looking For
• Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
• Just Show Me the DOGFAX
• Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
• What Was Your First Bird Dog?
• Stuck Between Two Litters
• Rationalizing the Sticker Shock

Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.

Anthony Hauck, PF's Online Editor, left, and Ryan Diener, PF Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist with a Kansas WIHA rooster.

Kansas

Just northeast of Oberlin, Kansas, is a property that was cropped as recently as a decade ago. The local Sunflower Pheasants Forever chapter won the lease agreement, and planted native warm season grasses, as well as some food plots and small trees and shrubs. The area has been enrolled in the Kansas Walk-In Hunting Area (WIHA) program (#149), and management will continue with summer prescribed burning and native grass restoration.

Nebraska

The goal of the state’s CRP-Management Access Program (CRP-MAP) is to improve upland habitat and provide public access for walk-in hunting. CRP-MAP is funded jointly by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission from Nebraska Habitat Stamp funds and grants from Pheasants Forever chapters across the state. The program is being restructured and transitioned into the Open Fields and Waters program.

Local PF chapter contributions have helped upland habitat at Iowa's Schnepf Wildlife Management Area.

Iowa

The Venenga Wildlife Area near Little Rock in Lyon County was actually the first donated property Pheasants Forever ever received in Iowa, and is open to public hunting. The Schnepf and Swalve Wildlife Management Areas near Ocheyedan have Blizzard Buster food and winter cover plots contributed by the Osceola Pheasants Forever chapter.

South Dakota

More than 50,000 acres are already enrolled in South Dakota’s new Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in the James River Valley. Private landowners have signed a lease agreement to protect habitat and open the areas to public hunting. Every CREP contract has been worked on by a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist, thanks to “The Habitat Organization’s” unique partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Minnesota

Eight Minnesota Pheasants Forever chapters, plus individual and corporate donations through Pheasants Forever’s Build a Wildlife Area program, helped purchase the Roger M. Holmes Wildlife Management Area in Douglas County. The 1,017 acre unit features grasslands, wetlands and timber that provide habitat for pheasants, wild turkeys, waterfowl and many nongame species.

As seen on just the 5-day Rooster Road Trip 2011, Pheasants Forever continues to be the driving force for upland conservation. Thanks for your support of Pheasants Forever and wildlife habitat conservation, and if you’re not yet a Pheasants Forever member, consider joining PF today.

Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11). 

Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.

Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 concludes today in Minnesota. It’s the 35^th day of Minnesota’s pheasant hunting season, and we’ll be hunting in the west central part of the state, including Stearns and Douglas Counties.

Shooting Hours: 9AM to Sunset

Daily Limits: 2 rooster pheasants per day / 6 in possession (changes to 3 and 9, respectively, on December 1 through the remainder of the season)

Minnesota PF chapters, like the Wright County PF group, have been actively in public land purchases for almost three decades.

Public Hunting Land

Minnesota Pheasants Forever chapters have put a premium on purchasing lands for permanent public protection, and the Rooster Road Trip will be checking a few of these out. Last year alone, Pheasants Forever in Minnesota participated in 14 land acquisitions totaling 1,312 acres (all land acquisitions are accomplished in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and/or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and opened to the public for hunting and outdoor recreation), and the organization expects to eclipse that mark in 2011.

Nonresident Licensing

Minnesota’s nonresident small game license is $84.50 and is good for the entire season. Residents age 18-64, and all non-resident hunters, must have a Minnesota Pheasant Stamp validation. The $7.50 pheasant stamp – Pheasants Forever’s first organization goal which came to fruition – is required of all Minnesota pheasant hunters. Since 1983, stamp sales have generated more than $15.5 million for habitat enhancement efforts on both public and private lands in the pheasant range of Minnesota.

Pheasants Forever’s Impact in Minnesota

Pheasants Forever Chapters: 77

Quail Forever Chapters: 2

Pheasants Forever Members: This will be today’s Pheasants Forever trivia question on Facebook

Quail Forever Members: 103

Habitat projects completed by Pheasants Forever in Minnesota: 24,277 wildlife habitat projects

Total habitat acres improved by Pheasants Forever in Minnesota: 214,812 acres

My Minnesota Memories

Born and raised in Minnesota, this is where the bulk of my pheasant hunting has taken place. I bagged my first rooster here, and hope decades from now to bag my last one here too (not that I’m in a rush). This won’t happen for me or other hunters from my generation without the continued support of Pheasants Forever.

Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11). 

Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.

A dirty truck, the mark of any good Rooster Road Trip.

Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook ,YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11). 

Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.

Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 rolls into “The Pheasant Capital” that is South Dakota for the fourth day of the five-day public land pheasant hunt. It’s the 34^th day of South Dakota’s regular pheasant hunting season, and we’ll be hunting in the central to northeast part of the state.

Shooting Hours: 10AM to Sunset

Daily Limits: 3 rooster pheasants per day / 15 in possession

Pheasants Forever's Farm Bill conservation program work has led to 50,000 acres of conserved habitat in eastern South Dakota, acres that are also open for pheasant hunting.

Public Hunting Land

With state Walk-In Areas and Game Production Areas, and federal Waterfowl Production Areas, South Dakota has more than 1 million acres available to public land pheasant hunters. Despite this gaudy number, South Dakota Pheasants Forever chapters are working harder than ever to create publicly accessible, protected habitat as even South Dakota has experienced significant losses in habitat acres and a subsequent plunge in bird numbers. In addition to contributing to land acquisitions, PF chapters have helped fund Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist positions, which have led to 50,000 acres enrolled in the state-sponsored Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in the James River Valley. These acres are protecting pheasant nesting habitat and opening additional lands to upland hunters.

Nonresident Licensing

A nonresident small game hunting license is required. For $110, you are allowed to hunt two 5-day periods. In case you’ve never been to South Dakota, here’s a bit of clarification on these periods: For the first 5-day period, you will obviously select the dates of your hunt. If you aren’t sure of your second 5-day period dates, or if you’ll be back, the standard recommendation is to select the last 5-day period the calendar system will allow, the reason being you can always move your 5-day hunting periods up (earlier in season), but never back (later in season). If inclement weather or a spur-of-the-moment road trip cause plans to change, you’ll be ready. Also, if late season pheasant hunting is your thing, consider purchasing your license on or after December 15^th, as this allows you to use your first 5-day period for that particular hunting season, and your second period in the following hunting season.

Pheasants Forever’s Impact in South Dakota

Pheasants Forever Chapters: 34

Pheasants Forever Members: That is today’s Pheasants Forever trivia question on Facebook

Habitat projects completed by Pheasants Forever in SD: 17,920 projects

Total habitat acres improved by Pheasants Forever in SD: 220,688 acres

My South Dakota Memories

I’ve been visiting South Dakota for annual pheasant hunting trips since I was a teenager, almost all of them December, late-season hunts – some of the coldest days of my life, and at the same time, some of the warmest. Any self-respecting pheasant hunter owes it to themselves to visit South Dakota at least once in their lifetime . . . or perhaps once a year.

Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11). 

Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.

The day began in Lyon County at the Venenga Wildlife Area near Little Rock, which was actually the first donated property Pheasants Forever ever received in Iowa. A beautiful parcel, but no birds today.

Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist Jared Elbert with an Iowa public land ringneck from Rooster Road Trip 2011.

With a tip and a little man and dog power boost from Jared Elbert, Pheasants Forever’s area Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist, and Ann Byers, the local Resource Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service – both avid pheasant hunters – we headed east to try a few public wildlife areas in Osceola County.

What we found was great public grassland habitat, interspersed with food plots provided by the local Osceola County Pheasants Forever chapter, and more ringnecks than we expected. A lot more.

Unfortunately for us, it was one of those afternoons that drive dogs wild and pheasant hunters mad. With a 30 mile per hour wind and the home habitat advantage, these pheasants made herding cats look like a more worthwhile endeavor. Birds poured out of thickets, they poured out of the food plots and they poured out of the grass all at safe, check that, extremely safe distances.

After a couple hours of being put through the ringneck ringer, we headed back to the truck. With the northwest wind pounding our backs on the mile walk back to the truck, we’d put our proverbial tales between our legs. And wouldn’t you figure, that’s when the last rooster put his tail in the path of Andrew and Jared’s guns.

While Iowa has seen very unkind weather for pheasants the last five years, where exceptional habitat still exists, birds can be found…distances, however, may vary.

Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11). 

Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.