Wild Willie

[Mayfly]

When is Glendorado operational. I look forward to getting Luci out there again.

[Wild Willie]

Mayfly - Not exactly sure but I think some time around the middle to the end of September. I think that's when Rick traditionally picks his corn.

I'm anxious to get Buddy back out on some birds. We finished last season on a good note by getting him under control with the e-collar. What a difference that made! I'm glad I waited until he was a year old. It was worth all the aggrevation of having him drag me around for five months with the checkcord. We had three really nice hard points that day and he was very steady to wing. One missed bird and two decent retrieves. I was able to keep him back on the flushed/missed bird. He marked the bird and wanted to take off after it but I was able to hold him back with the e-collar.

Recently my son and I have been playing wiffle ball in the backyard using Buddy as the utility infielder/outfieder. He does a pretty good job of fetching the ball back to the pitcher since he has a hard time throwing the ball in from centerfield.

I have taken him up to the park a couple of times with the e-collar to let him run and to work on the HUP - left/right/quartering command as well as WHOA. He seems to have a pretty good grasp of what to do when I give him the HUP command with a hand signal and body motion indicating to him which direction I want him to go. He still gets real birdy when he sees a tweety bird. I can tell he does his dead level best not to chase.

I have also been working with him on HEEL, WHOA, STAY and COME when we go for walks around the neighborhood. Towards the end of our walks I can acturally take the leash off and he will stay in the heel position (most of the time).

What sort of yard work have you been doing with Luci? How is she progressing?

I 'm really looking forward to next season. I hope to experiment with some grouse hunting. Me and Spinach would like to make at least one trip to South Dakota for pheasants. I'm going to make as many trips to Rick's farm as I can afford. Hopefully we all can get together for a second annual FM pheasant hunt in Princeton again.

[Wild Willie]

Discovered that Rick has opened the farm in the past as early as the middle of August for hunting restricted to noncrop areas.

[Mayfly]

Well as soon as you find out he is up and running let me know. Luci and I have some work to do before the season begins!!

Recently I have just been enforcing all the basic comands. She still loves to jump up on people, its gotten better but she is just so high strung and gets overly excited she just can't help it. I have also been working on heel and she is getting better. Control is the main theme this summer. She is doing great at retrieving. She is also learning to use her nose more too. I just want to get out on live birds. After getting out this spring it was so much easier to see what we actually had to work on. So until then I will continue to strengthen what we have and hopefully have a couple months to work after I get her onto birds again.