March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Now is time to start preparing dogs for fall hunting

Dog Days: No doubt you’ve noticed the fields are gilded with goldenrods and spattered white with the clutter of Queen Anne’s lace. Fireweed flames along the edges of country roads and, here and there, a scattering of scarlet-leafed swamp maples glow like embers in the smoldering green of summer growing old.

Although the fishing season is far from being over, those and other signals are reminders that the time for replacing fishing vests with shooting vests is fast approaching. With that in mind, many upland bird hunters and waterfowlers already have directed their attentions to working experienced dogs into shape or, perhaps, priming a pup for its first whiff of wild game.

Anyone who has been owned by bird dogs won’t hesitate to tell you that puppies become bolder as they grow older. Fact of the matter is, you can see the attitude of a pup changing as it gains hunting experience. Once its nose is stuffed full of bird scent and its mouth gets the feel of feathers, you can almost hear a pup thinking, “OK, sport, I don’t need you and your whistle to find birds, I’ve got it all figured out.” Then, of course, is when bad habits develop and you soon find yourself hunting for the dog instead of birds.

Needless to say, it takes time and training experience to transform, say, an English setter pup into a polished field performer. But as you well know, time is scarce in the lives of most people. And sad it is that many novice bird hunters think a pup should run a ground pattern, hold a point, and fetch with unerring accuracy just because of its breeding. You can imagine how many well-bred dogs never reach their hunting or field trial potentials as a result of such ignorance.

Perhaps it was that realization that prompted Robby Graham of Georges River Outfitters in Warren to schedule a Delmar Smith Bird Dog Seminar. The dates are Aug. 9-11; and if you’re unsure of how to introduce a pup to a gun, or you have an older dog that has become – for reasons unknown, of course – a “blinker” or a “bumper,” you’d be smart in drawing a bead on Mr. Graham’s offer.

Delmar Smith brings 50 years of dog-training expertise to the three-day seminar, which will be held at the Augusta Civic Center and Frye Mountain. This will be Smith’s second seminar for Georges River Outfitters. Robby Graham calls last year’s event “a great success – a truly `hands on’ seminar.”‘

Classroom presentations include: Field trials – preparations, handling and care of dogs during a trial, handling a dog from horseback, scouting. Breeding and Marketing – dog conformation, shipping, handling of bitches and studs, whelping and care of puppies. Kennel techniques – feeding and watering methods, kennel maintenance, sanitation control, parasite and insect control.

In-field training includes: Training techniques – yard training, field training, preventing and correcting faults, bird work. Retrieving – natural and forced, water and land, hand signals. Bird propagation – habitat establishment, raising and conditioning, stocking, release and recall methods.

Offhand, I’d say you won’t find any “false points” on those training grounds. Remember, watching a bird dog perform is a privilege, bagging a bird is a bonus. For further information and registration brochures, contact Robby Graham, Georges River Outfitters, R.D. 1 Box 14, Main Street, Warren 04864. Phone: 273-2824.

Special Delivery: Recently, a letter arrived here from Herb Shirrefs, who camps on Clark Island at Spruce Head. Mr. Shirrefs inquired about the status of “walleyes” – wall-eyed pike, if you will – in Maine.

“The July issue of `Outdoor Life,”‘ he wrote, “has an article on how the walleye is a strong contender for being the most popular game fish in America, possibly displacing the black bass. Not to be outdone, `Field and Stream,’ for the same month, has an article on the technique for effective walleye fishing. Is Maine missing something?”

A check with Dave Locke, superintendent of hatcheries for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIFW), revealed that walleyes were indeed imported into Maine from Swanton, Vt., in 1906 and were raised at the Belgrade Hatchery located near Great Pond. These fish were to be introduced to Androscoggin Lake as part of an experimental program. Shortly thereafter, however, walleyes – escapees from the hatchery – were discovered in Great Pond.

Because of concerns that the perch-like fish were competing with the pond’s salmonid populations, the DIFW implemented a walleye-control program in the late 1930s or thereabouts. The program allowed spearing the fish on their spawning beds. Because walleyes are fine table fare, that approach was carried out enthusiastically. The result was that spawning activity and reproduction eventually ceased.

Apparently, the experimental stocking of walleyes in Androscoggin Lake was unsuccessful. Dave Locke also said the DIFW has no future plans for stocking the species in Maine waters.


Have feedback? Want to know more? Send us ideas for follow-up stories.

comments for this post are closed

You may also like