JJK

Get more dekes, you can mix shells and rags in with fullbodys. Are you calling at all? Using a Layout Blind? These are also worth considering.

Now, I haven't hunted waterfowl the last few seasons. And none of my field hunting has been blind. We scout, find fields the birds are using, and try to get permission to hunt. If not we try for somewhere close, and then put out as many dekes as we can find. Where the birds are comming from plays a part in the whole scheme.

However, I'm a fan of massive spreads. When we'd duck hunt during mid season, our dccoy count would top 200 some days, and 12 Doz was normal. This is open water hunting, not field. Massive spreads have major advantages over Joe Blow with 3 Doz dekes, 200 yds down the way. I also believe it's tough to get big flocks to commit to lesser spreads.

When I was hunting waterfowl we had a system. IMO, goose hunting in a field, that the birds are not using for feeding, requires more decoys. And we'd space them out, to make the spread look bigger. But bigger numbers were a plus, also add some flags. I've hunted Fergus Falls area with guides in December, and they put out medium sized spreads. But the geese were already using these areas, so scouting and getting permission, was more important than spread size. If the birds are already eating there then very few decoys and calling should be needed. This is what I've observed, and hope it helps.

How did 2010 compare to previous sesaons?

We may have different views,ideals, and goals for the use of e-collars. Todd, you are talking about very advanced e-collar training, probably not for novices. Most folks SHOULD NOT use a e-collar on a 6 month old pup. If you can't read your dog/puppy then don't use an e-collar, period! We can't forget or ignore that OP doesn't even really know what brand to buy. For some reason this topic just popped into my head.

Thats a good one? Maybe just use some of that stuff the deer hunters use.

From what I've been reading 15 months shuold be the earliest. So when your vet says 6 months, it's time to find a new vet. Is running a FemaleDog in heat really that smart?

Coats all over the place is to be expected with any wire coat breed.

I second the Joan Bailey book, good read.

Are you talking about green weinie? I did have a springer years ago that had this problem. I bought him as a started pup 11 months old, but he was gun-shy so I returned to the breeder.

Thanks JayinMN. Where is that info from?

What type of dripping are you talking about? I have 2 intact male dogs in my house and have never seen any sort of dripping. I've always had males and never neutered any of them. None of them have been sires either. It's my responsibility to keep my dogs from breeding.

I've read some same things that you've described. And it seems like vets are changing their opinions.

Other than not being able to breed, what are the advantages of neutering? At what age should dog be neutered?

I'm all for improving. When breeders are working toward goals, us average hunters end up with fine working dogs.

Also a Vom Britt Bird Dawg should be nice, I tried to contact him last fall, early Sept. He wasn't home b/c he was out in ND hunting. That's a plus in my book. He did return my call, but I didn't speak with him.

If I were looking to get a pup it would be DD. And I'd check out Ned Sorley, Dan Ritter, and Jack Wilson. You'd probably be happy with any and all of the DD's within your driving distance.

Do you want a pup shipped to you? Are you looking for someone local? How far are you willing drive? Congrats.

Me too all 3 inch or less 12 guage shells. 3" #3 or 2 steel for phez, and 2.75" 7.5 lead for ruffs and doodles. I will switch to 2.75" #6 lead shot for grouse after the woodcock season closes.

Maybe I'm way off track here, so correct me if needed.

How to NAVHDA and Hunt Test guys have only one definition? What is the definition? From what I'm seeing. Some of the newer versatile dog folks want more point out of the dogs. The breed clubs say with most versatile breeds the pointing can take longer to develop. First time owners don't really understand what they're in for. And it will take more patience from them to get results. Those results might not be close to what they expect. I think this is why we really work on pointing. I believe German Versatile breeds don't have the pointing instinct like EP's or Setters. It's the retrieve ducks in the morning then point phez or grouse afternoon type thing we're attracted to. And the die hards would love to have the same dog blood track an arrowed deer in the evening on the same day. Then you add the retrieve of both fur and feathers aspect to the mix. Versatiles are intended to be fine hunting dogs but that's it. Seems like most the breeders take pride in their dogs, and do the best they can. They don't produce many litters, and there's some thought and selectiveness behind what they're breeding and who they sell to. They seem very dedicated to their breed, training, and testing to produce sound family oriented foot hunter, hunting dog. If you look at the standard for some of the Versatile breeds you will see theres some grey area and this is by design. There are many that will argue why improve top notch dogs. Just maintain them. My "means" reply was mainly for humor. But my observations and what I witnessed are truth.

I did some checking and life92 you're right. The 3.5" were a bit faster, a difference of about 25 to 50 fps was the norm. I'm not sure if I could notice a difference in the field. The difference I could notice, is a lighter wallet. 3.5" were about $6 more per box. You guys shooting these shells are paying more than $1 per shell. Ouch!

Regress toward the mean very rapidly. That's interesting. When I was out in west central MN I came across hunters with dogs. One guy had 2 and another guy had only 1 dog. All 3 of these dogs were snappy with my dog. He couldn't even get close to them or they'd show teeth. From what I saw they were decent with humans but not other K9's. Even the young FemaleDog showed these traits. These 2 guys weren't in the same hunting party, but their dogs exhibited the same behavior. Thank God the one guy had a little common sense and warned me about his dog. Is it suprising that these dogs were labs?

WOW, thats some good stuff. Thank You.