A few dozen pheasants in a CRP field will train a dog for that game better than the best of trainers. You can do that a few times a week. I can’t duplicate that at any price. If pup will hunt close and under control, that’s the makings of a very good dog. Experience is hard to beat. I like them to stop on whistle so I can catch up if they’re trailing a runner. Hand signals are always a plus but lots of pheasant guys get along without that.
