This week on the program, co-host Becca Aceto and Michigan hunter Sarah Topp talk about training their first bird dogs. Sarah's dog, Timber Doodle, is named after her favorite quarry, the woodcock. Training a high-energy dog has its ups and downs, but Becca and Sarah are each finding that it adds a richer dimension to their time in the field. (Disclaimer: Listening to this episode may cause you to Google bird dog breeds incessantly.)

1:30 "Northwoods Unleaded" video

2:00 Artemis Great Lakes Instagram and Facebook

4:00 You can cook/eat woodcock whole... entrails included!

7:00 No bone saw? No problem! A Sawzall works for breaking down those big roasts

8: 20 Michigan United Conservation Clubs – NWF’s Michigan Affiliate!

9:30 "Rabbitat" - rabbit habitat improvement lingo

11:00 Michigan elk populations. Yeah! Elk... in Michigan! They've been there for a hundred years now.

15:00 Harvesting an animal as a kid versus as an adult

18:00 Woodcock in Michigan, aka "timberdoodles"

19:00 Let's talk bird dogs: Upland game hunting versus waterfowl hunting with a dog... and flushing dogs versus pointing dogs

20:00 #coronapuppies... did EVERYONE get a bird dog this spring?!

22:00 Training a bird dog starts with basic obedience... next is to spend a lot of time outdoors picking up scent. Then you can graduate to working your dog on specific bird scents, using wings from previously harvested birds.

24:00 Bird dog groups and clubs = priceless

25:00 "Water Dog" by Richard Wolters

29:00 E-collar training at six months, Garmin and Sport Dog collars

34:00 Dog training blunders (and wins!)

38:00 The pointing instinct... how 'there' is it? Plus, puppy's first point! 

41:00 Finding the right dog breed for your flavor of hunting (or, perhaps, for the degree of hair-shedding you're willing to manage)

44:00 "GSP" in birddog-speak is German Shorthaired Pointer

45:00 That moment you realize your 4- to 6-mile daily runs aren't enough to wipe out your dog's energy, so you invest in a pair of rollerblades and let the dog pull you six miles in 25 minutes. 

48:00 Woodcock = "they fly like drunk birds"

50:00 Favorite shotguns for birding

55:00 Hanging with your bird dog: Leisure vs. work. For one dog, it's a catch-phrase, "Find the birds."

56:00 Gun sensitivity training 

1:00:00 Cabin fever fix? Campgrounds with cellphone service, baby!

1:08:00 Follow Sarah on Instagram @trisarahtopp3