pokerface

I have relatives and friends in both Dakotas and have hunted in both states. I talked to the one in North Dakota sunday and he said it would be tough hunting if I came out. Three very harsh winters in a row and they had 12" of snow in late May that decimated the young chicks. They have excellent habitat and food. Shelterbelts, wetlands, grass, and brush. When the populations were high about 5 years ago they had 8-10 real mild winters in a row with little snow and cold. The friend in So. Dak bought his 160 ac. 4 years ago which was primarily ag. land. He planted trees, shrubs, and grass for the birds. This year he said his land held many more birds than his neighbors because of the cover and food although the harsh winter did take a toll on some of the birds. I think over all the harsh weather may play a bigger factor in pheasant survival, however without shelter many morebirds would have perished.

Use to have that problem. Cant run that fast, and dont want to run with a gun. Took him to a trainer who pretty much solved the problem and got him to quarter. Initially when we start my dog is super excited, especially if he picks up a scent right away. If he takes off fast and starts to get out of range I will give him a nick on the e collar. Nothing harsh, just a reminder to tone it down. That usually all it takes and he pretty good the rest of the day.

talked to some friends who are SW of Dickinson and they have been doing well there and seeing some, but they said its definitly down. Not as much corn there as around central Nodak.

Keep trying. Mine took a while. Get his crate or cushion and put some food up there and say a command like "truck" or "up'. Make it so its something he likes to do. Eventually they get it. Now when I say truck he cant wait to getin.

I didnt get my lab trained until he was 2 years old with good results. I did obiedience training on my own, but not much else. I would recommmend watching several trainers and see how they go about training. Most trainers should have no problem with that. The training turned out very good and hes a pretty good hunter and retriever now.

My lab will consume just about anything that has a scent. Have given him beef bones, smoked bones, knuckles, rawhide, pig ears, etc. One day when walking him he found fresh deer leg (front). Couldnt get that away from him to save my butt, so he chewed on it until it was completely gone hoof,fur, bone, everything. Made sure he took a dump to see what came out. It looked perfectly normal and he appeared well the next couple of days as well. My point is all dogs are not the same. I dont think wolves and coyotes are all that picky about what food they eat, its just natural to them. But I suspect they get some indigestion occassionally.