projectupland.com On The Go

Snipe shooting over decoys is a relatively obtuse technique and not widely practiced. There’s probably wisdom in that! A good shooter can kill as many, maybe more, by simply walking them. But, as a dedicated practitioner of decoy snipe hunting, and after a bit of soul searching, I’ve convinced myself of a couple of good reasons why – sometimes – it’s a worthy endeavor. 

First, I’ve found that I can introduce others to snipe hunting with the lure of a decoy hunt. A shoot from a comfortable blind with only a short walk is infinitely more appealing than a trudge through black gumbo mud with shots at twisting, rising-then-falling birds that often exit tens of yards from reasonable gun range. 

Read more at projectupland.com.

The Remington Model 10 shotgun represents a time when shotgun advancement for repeating firearms was happening at lighting speed. First developed in 1908, it was used by the United States in World War 1 as a “trench gun” with shortened barrels. It became the first pump shotgun to use a bottom-ejecting style action. A model 17 in 20-gauge was introduced soon after. The shotgun’s legacy would go on until the Remington Model 29 was introduced in 1930. The only pump-action model shotgun Remington still offers today is the Remington 870 Pump-Action Shotgun.

Today, used Remington Model 10 shotguns can range from roughly $300 dollars to just over $1000 depending on the quality and condition. Below is part of an article entitled Bottom-Ejecting Shotguns, by Willis O. C. Ellis in the Firearms & Ammunitions section of National Sportsman, October 1924. National Sportsman Magazine was a Boston-based publication edited by iconic upland and author William Harnden Foster.

Read more at projectupland.com.

The last of the St. John’s Water Dogs were living in Newfoundland in the late 1970s. They were smooth-coated and mostly black, and it was easy to see how such dogs could have been selected into the modern Labrador Retriever in Britain.

All retrievers derive from this working fisherman’s dog. Much of the speculation in discussions of retriever origin is really about how this working dog developed, and Labrador Retriever historians have very clearly posited their dog as a derivative of the St. John’s Water Dog. Golden Retrievers and Flat-coated Retrievers, which were similarly derived from the St. John’s breed, are not as well-defined as being from the same stock. But they clearly were, and they were bred by people with the same socioeconomic status as those who created the Labrador.

Read more at projectupland.com.

Understanding your dog’s body language is crucial. Appraising the direction and quality of the wind and assessing the moisture in the air and on the ground are clues to triangulate where bird smells might be coming from. Identifying surrounding cover and how that particular bird species retreats away from pressure aids in pinpointing a potential flushing location. When you can understand these practical elements of approaching a dog on point, you can position yourself more strategically.

Learning what your dog is telling you is part of what makes hunting with a dog so magical. A pointing dog’s body language communicates a ton while standing stock still.  Different breeds and individual dogs will have their own style of communication. It is also dependent on the age of the pup and its training. 

Read more at projectupland.com.

Each September, bobwhite hunters across the country wait impatiently for state wildlife agencies to publish their outlooks for the upcoming bobwhite quail season. A portion of these outlooks is determined by how many adult birds survived the previous winter. However, summertime bobwhite nest success and chick survival carry much more weight when deciding whether or not things look good for bobwhites. 

A vast majority of regional bobwhite populations turn over annually. In some cases, annual turnover reaches up to 80 percent of the birds. Bobwhites and, therefore, bobwhite hunters depend on annual reproduction success to maintain and expand populations and hunting opportunities. 

That said, what are the factors that drive bobwhite chick survival, and what can landowners do to give the little guys a boost in life?

Read more at projectupland.com.

“Chukar dog” is a title held by many breeds whose owners love the thrill of chasing one of the hardiest upland game birds in the world. These dogs brave the dangers and extremes of chukar country while traveling on average three times as far as their owners walk in a day. 

Here are some of the basics to ensure these elite athletes have a good hunt and many seasons to come. 

Read more at projectupland.com.

As you may have guessed, the steps to a better-tasting bird begin moments after you lace up your boots. As little shot as possible to get the job done is the goal, so this means understanding what shotgun choke you are running. A tighter choke, like a modified, may require you to wait until birds reach 20 yards before taking the shot as a tighter pattern at a closer range means far more pellets in your game. 

Read more at projectupland.com.

Rosie, my German Shepherd mix, loves any outdoor adventure I can throw at her. Although she’s not necessarily a hunting dog per se, I take her small game hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and camping with me all the time. 

My dog gets extra exercise and high-quality life experiences when she tags along on my outdoor adventures. Bringing Rosie camping with me also adds peace of mind. Her shepherd-like qualities mean she checks in with me regularly, stays close to me on the trail and in the woods, and cues me into noises, smells, and sounds my human senses can’t detect. 

Read more at projectupland.com.

Saying I’m into dogs is like saying Manitoba winters are “a tad chilly.” I spend most of my waking hours hanging out with, thinking about, reading about, and writing about dogs. One of my favorite reads as of late is a blog connected to the Institute for Canine Biology website run by Carol Beuchat, Ph.D. 

Dr. Beuchat’s post, “Celebrating the Preservation Breeders!” was a sort of good-news progress report on several breeding projects designed to save vulnerable breeds of dogs. Along with the report, the Institute for Canine Biology offers articles and even online courses to help breeders and breed clubs improve the odds of their breeds’ survival.

Reading those articles got me thinking about all the breeds of hunting dogs that are no longer with us today, and the reasons why they went the way of the Dodo bird.

Now is the time to break in your boots for the season ahead. Learn more at IrishSetter.com, or try on a pair of Irish Setter's Wingshooters at your favorite retailer today.

Read more at projectupland.com.

The name of the breed in Hungarian is Magyar Vizsla. The official FCI translation is Hungarian Short-haired Pointing Dog, but in English the breed is most commonly called Vizsla or Hungarian Vizsla.

“Magyar” means Hungarian. There are several theories regarding the origin of the word “Vizsla”. Some authorities claim the word is of Turkish origin meant “to seek”. Others suggest that it was the name of a village on the Danube. Whatever its origin, today Vizsla means “pointing dog” in the same way the word “braque” does in French.

Pronouncing: Mag yar VEEZH-luk (“Zh” and in “vision”)

Now is the time to break in your boots for the season ahead. Learn more at IrishSetter.com, or try on a pair of Irish Setter's Wingshooters at your favorite retailer today.

Read more at projectupland.com.