HUNTING With bird seasons largely wrapped up, now is the time to reflect on what worked – and more importantly, what didn’t. That way you’ll be better prepared to serve the needs of your gun dog and keep it comfortable and healthy on future hunts. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
SEASONAL REFLECTIONS By Scott Haugen
A
s I write these words, it’s a bittersweet time. Not because of all that’s going on in the world, but because January has passed. Not only has the first month of the new year come and gone, but so too has duck season, along with chukar, Hun, quail, grouse, snipe, crow and fall turkey seasons. At the end of every bird hunt I like to reflect on what went right for the day, but especially what went wrong. I’m not much for dwelling on success; rather, I spend more time evaluating faults and mistakes in order to become
better at what I’m doing. It’s no different when hunting with my dogs.
ECHO, KONA AND I went on more bird hunts this past season than ever, and I learned a lot along the way. I reaffirmed that dogs are far better hunters than humans will ever be, that they mark more ducks and geese than we do, that they know what we’re going to do before we even make a move, and that they have noses so incredibly powerful, we’d be hating life if we took in all the miserable smells of the world the way canines can. I also learned that by being prepared in the field, I can ensure my dog’s safety
and comfort. In last month’s column I wrote how I made a couple mistakes this past duck season by not covering up steel posts that secured my blind, and failing to cut heavy-stalked brush close to the ground, both of which my dogs suffered for. I reaffirmed the importance of keeping a knife handy on duck hunts, too. I only used it once, but it was a necessity, as Kona got his foot so tangled in my jerk cord when chasing a duck, I had to cut him free. Again, it was my fault for not lifting the cord out of the water in the first place, but it could have been ugly had I not had a knife.
calsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2021 California Sportsman
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