RicBin - OOOPPPS sorry about not looking back at this topic sooner. (Never want to tick off the "administrator") <IMG SRC="https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubb/images/icons/blush.gif"> I hunt over my 2 1/2 year female GWP. She is a real pleasure to have in the field and she represents everything I value in a hunting companion. After all my years of dog training I finally have what I like. Bird sign in my area is also limited by water but feed also plays an important part. <P>Wore out a perfectly good male Springer in my younger days and it only took 8 years. He developed arthiritis but never lost the desire to hunt. He was pretty good on the pheasants but the dry hot desert was too much for him. Most likely the fault was mine and I should have carried more water for him. Best retriever of all the dogs I've owned.<P>F&G have put in some guzzlers but the ones I saw had been trampled by cattle or burnt up in fires. <P>Quail hunting was wonderful this year. Good enough to allow for time to stand and watch the covey break from the cover and not shoot. It adds a special feeling to stand there and have a large covey zipping past on both sides of you, dog on point, and both tubes full! Of course we hunt down the broken up covey and blast them.<P>Late season chukar hunting was like a dream and my dog was working wonders. She made a retrieve down a steep hill side (more like a canyon wall!) and dropped the bird at my feet but it started to tumbled and rolled all the way to the bottom again. Without any resistance she released on the fetch command, climbed to the bottom, and carried the bird back to me although this time she made sure to put the bird in my hand. What more can a dog owner ask for? <IMG SRC="https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubb/images/icons/cool.gif"> Boise
Last edited by RickBin; 01/22/02.
