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To each his own I guess. For some people they feel about this type of ummmmmm hunting as a true sport, and how I feel about watching a fine bird dog doing what he was bred to do in the field. Also known as Canned Hunting in many parts of the country, this so called hunting sport has grown popular with some hunters.

What is politically correct, is this referred to as hunting or killing? Is this an ethical way to take a big game animal considering hunting is, or at least supposed to be a gentleman’s sport. A way for friends and family to share quality time in the outdoors. As far back as I can remember, making a kill was never even close to the most important or best part of any hunt.

My dad taught me what he felt was the most important parts of the hunting experience and I think he was correct. Fair chase is definitely in the equation for me and my father when he was alive, but most often just being in the outdoors together and enjoying a nice fall day was by far more important than getting off a shot at a pheasant, partridge, duck, goose or whitetail buck so big his name was sure to be “Bullwinkle” was always the best part of an afternoon hunt.

For me and most people that come to our pheasant hunting lodge, they may think they are there to hunt when they get to the lodge. Almost everyone will tell you after they have been hunting pheasants for three days and spent four nights in the lodge, the best part of the hunt by far was watching the work of real quality hunting dogs. They were actually there to enjoy the bird dogs. Taking a pheasant here and there was only a bonus.

Most of these are people that have never owned or even seen a quality hunting dog. They have been through terrible experiences with friends or family’s bird dogs and hated the thought of paying for a hunt which certainly was going to turn into the worst bird dog experience of their lives. Dogs that were terrible in the field only because their owner didn’t either have the time, sense, knowledge or resources to train the dog or send it to a trainer.

When customers see me load up sixteen dogs in the trailer, their eyes are larger than silver dollars, LOL. After 30 minutes of hunting, the dogs have completely stole the show and everyone’s eyes are glued to the six pointing dogs working the Conservation Reserve Program acres.

This property was set aside only for the purpose of people enjoying an honest day’s hunt in the field, sharing time with friends, family and fellow hunters, and increasing the pheasant, duck and whitetail deer populations. It has been truly one of the best programs if not the best for our hunting game, and all animals to date. Whoever came up with this program, all hunters and fisherman owe you a big thank you.

These fields are generally a half mile long and a quarter mile wide. We run four of these on different parts of our property just for the wildlife. There are also tree lines, corn, sorghum, sloughs, hillsides with natural prairie grass and natural slough patch’s that were once full of water. People understand in a hurry, if they didn’t have these well trained and very experienced bird dogs out in front of them, bringing any birds back after the hunt would be a small victory. There would be little chance of harvesting a limit unless you are there the first week of the season.

After one week goes by these wild ringneck pheasants are already a lot smarter than most of us hunters when it comes to avoiding our expected meeting somewhere in the field. They are definitely masters of their universe and can disappear with such little cover between you, a person absolutely knows  there is no chance a field mouse could elude you. For all your certainty, more times than not this small area is just that, nothing but a small patch of cover with no pheasants. Where did he go? How could he possibly escape with my abundance of field experience.

Without these “TAIL WAGGING, HUNTING MACHINES AND FAITHFUL FRIENDS” enjoying the hunt with you, we would simply be at the mercy of the Wiley South Dakota Ringnecks. Wild South Dakota Pheasants are no easy challenge, especially when you are a few weeks into the season, the air is crisp and high winds hitting your face. You are not going to be dumb enough to spend even one more day in the field when the weather is like this. Any job must certainly be better than this. But then you see a tail pop up in the air like a tip-up when ice fishing, and a bird dog frozen in time. One of these fantastic hunting machines and faithful buddy has once again won the battle between bird dog and pheasant, is on point, then another backs the first up, and another and another. It is a sight to see. If you have never seen a pointing dog, no matter which breed go on point and backed by one, two or several others behind him, you really need to find a hunting operation that will just let you walk with them to see this incredible performance. It is an experience most hunters will never see in their lifetime.

Many operations will let you go with one of their guides in the field especially if they raise and train their own bird dogs. If you are interested in purchasing your own hunting dog and having them train it, if you lack the knowledge, skills and experience yourself, most of the time they are more than happy to show you what their dogs, or even the actual parents of the puppies can do in the field.

Without knowing I was going to witness this endless, top rated bird dog action in the field, I wouldn’t even want to hunt anymore. To be honest it has been ten years since I have taken a shotgun into the field and I don’t miss it at all. I have not harvested a rooster for as many years, and yet for some strange reason, I have cleaned tens of thousands during this time. I think I have something mixed up.

Yes I am a hunting guide and it is a great job until your hands hurt so much you can’t clean another bird, the weather is so cold and windy that you would welcome a fireplace, easy chair and watching your favorite football team getting beat to miss the playoffs. Guiding for pheasants or whitetail deer, which is what I do, does have a lot more great things about it then negatives.

Working and controlling five or six dogs at one time is not easy, I can confess to that. Thank goodness they are all well trained with the exception of one or two young dogs in the field just to learn what it is all about and to understand what it is to hunt in front of fifteen or twenty hunters in a group if necessary.

Generally I prefer three or four people and the dogs. No blockers and just enjoying a great day in the field whether we run into any birds or not. This is paradise to me. Other than my family I can’t think of a single thing I enjoy more, and all without even taking a gun into the field.

Harvesting game is not the most important part of the hunt. For me it isn’t anywhere close to the top of the list. My hard working bird dogs and friends that have come from all over the country are what the hunt is about for me.

Back at the lodge, even before supper is on the table, we always have a few customers asking if we can bring two or three dogs into the lodge. Of course, I have been waiting for you to ask. They are the main topic of interest for most people the rest of the evening. Whether someone is playing a game of poker, watching TV, or just sitting on the couch enjoying football, the fantastic bird dog action most of these people witnessed for the first time in their lives is all that can be discussed. Most didn’t even know this kind of ability was possessed by a dog. Now they understand what the fascination most hunting dog owners have and the reason they simply cannot enter any bird hunting situation without their faithful hunting companion and lifelong friend.

A well trained bird dog is one of the most ethical things any hunter can invest in. The price of great hunting dog is unimportant in retrospect to crippling many birds without any chance of recovering them. If you do decide a bird dog is in your future, please don’t let pricing be any part of your decision throughout the process. It is also the least expensive part of owning any dog when considering the next twelve plus years.

Good hunting this year and don’t be so hard on your buddy the next time he takes his new, ten month old puppy on his first hunt with you. Just enjoy the day and think of better times to come when this same puppy that you consider ruined a hunt, saves countless birds for you and makes every day in the field even more enjoyable!