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Hunters everywhere train and hunt over their gundogs in a manner that suits the game they pursue and the terrain in which the game is found. In North America, the way we train our dogs and hunt upland birds over them is mainly based on the behavior of native species like the bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, and North American woodcock. Even when we hunt non-native species like pheasants, huns, and chukar, we tend to use our dogs in more or less the same way. But what if more than just a few of the many programs to introduce foreign species of gamebirds to North America had succeeded? How would we train and hunt over our dogs if, instead of pheasants, huns, and chukar, other foreign game bird species had taken hold in the US and Canada?

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“We’re just really grateful that you’re here. Truly, thanks for coming.”

The sincere words of appreciation caught me by surprise for two reasons. First, I was recognized as a visitor—I’m not used to small towns and just how much outsiders stand out—and second, my presence was genuinely welcomed. 

We were at a craft beer festival in small-town Montana during the upland bird season. Having already completed our hunt for the day, we decided to check out the local brewery scene and support the event. As I looked around, I realized that the four of us stood out like sore thumbs with our out-of-state license plates and by not knowing any of the other attendees. But rather than a “you’re not from here, are ya?” glance, we were warmly welcomed at the event. Several people struck up a conversation with us and expressed their appreciation and surprise that we’d taken the time to stop by the festival and support the town.

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Anyone in the dog world has heard terminology thrown around about breeding, genetics, and the way breeding decisions affect breed populations as a whole. Coefficient of inbreeding (COI), line breeding, outcrossing, purebreds, mixed breeds, mutts, genetic diversity, health testing, color genetics, and heritable diseases are all hot topics, but what do these terms really mean? Do people in the dog world understand how to accurately use these terms? How has the dog world co-opted terms and misunderstood the scientific concepts behind genetics? Do we really understand how genes work within a population?

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Upland bird hunting is anything but easy. Numerous moving parts and thin margins for error make returning home with wild meat a challenge every time. As a new hunter, getting everything to align can feel frustratingly unreachable at times.

Appreciating the complexity of hunting and identifying your own strengths and weaknesses are the foundation for setting goals that are attainable. It took me a full season to weigh my expectations against my experience to realize that with every hunt I was, in fact, getting better; even when the scoreboard remained at zero.

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Bobwhite quail can be found across nearly one-third of the United States. This area includes Florida up to Ohio, from Texas to Nebraska, and everywhere in between. They live in a myriad of habitat types that contain a wide variety of plants across this large range. However, in its simplest form, their habitat across all the different states is fairly basic. Bobwhite quail require three core habitat components: a diversity of herbaceous plants, bare ground, and woody escape cover. How and why bobwhites use these three components varies throughout the year.

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The Lesser Prairie-Chicken was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on November 17th, 2022. Although being listed comes with additional management and financial support, “The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service cannot recover lesser prairie-chickens with regulations” according to the North American Grouse Partnership. “It is the voluntary participation of landowners who hold the key to the future of these cherished places and iconic species,” wrote Ted Koch, their executive director, in a press release.

Hopefully, strategic conservation support from the federal government along with private landowner partnerships will ensure the restoration of this iconic grassland species.

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Grassroots conversations regarding the 28-gauge feel more like the passing on of old fantasy stories rather than true, hard facts of ballistics. People smarter than me have pointed out that all shotgun ballistics apply except when talking the 28-gauge. There are myths of its origins, a collective misunderstanding of the “square load,” and a devout following by some of the greatest shotgun experts and writers.

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Heartworm disease is caused by a parasite called Dirofilaria immitis. They’re called heartworms because the worms are typically found in infected animals’ heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Commonly found in dogs and cats, our pets serve as hosts for the worms to mature, breed, and multiply. When mature, the worms look like long strands of spaghetti. Female worms can be 10 to 12 inches in length, and male worms are a little shorter, averaging four to six inches long. Heartworms can cause lung disease, heart failure, and organ damage in dogs. 

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The Gunnison sage-grouse (GUSG) is a critically imperiled sage grouse species most folks aren’t familiar with. Historically, it was lumped in with greater sage-grouse until the 1990s, when biologists began questioning whether or not it should be its own species. It was designated as a new species in the year 2000 by Dr. Jessica Young and her colleagues. Differences in filoplume length, strut rates and vocalizations during lekking season, and genetics were enough to differentiate it from other sage grouse, making it the first new avian species to be described in the United States since the 1800s.

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This summer, reports of a strange virus sickening dogs in the upper peninsula of Michigan made national news. Further testing at the Michigan State Veterinary Diagnostic Lab revealed this was not some new disease or variant, but an old, well-known foe: parvovirus. 

Parvo is widespread throughout the world and most dogs will be exposed to it at some point (if not several times) in their life. I’m not joking when I say that some dogs will see this virus daily, especially if you’re a frequent dog park visitor. Different variants exist, but the most common variant circulating in North America remains canine parvovirus-2c (CPV-2c).  

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