Fishing the "Holy Waters"

In late June, fishing buddy Doug invited me to the 2010 annual “Trout Camp” weekend on the banks of the Au Sable River. The Au Sable, which in French literally means “with sand,” drains the northeastern basin of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and empties into Lake Huron.  The river and its tributaries boast some of the best brown trout fishing east of the Rockies. Special regulations placed in many areas along the Au Sable River system protect Michigan’s trout populations. A few miles east of Grayling the river flows past Burton’s Landing, marking the fly fishing only, catch-and-release section also known as the “Holy Water.” This area extends for nearly nine miles downstream to Wakeley Bridge.

We were fishing during the tail end of the hex hatch and did not experience the numbers we were hoping. In fact, we brought in a small number of 6″ to 8″ brook trout. The only real luck I experienced was using Caddis flies, which hatch all summer.

The Trout Camp crew consisted of a number of guys, but only three of us were angling. Some action shots of Pancho and Doug…

There is not much more relaxing than standing in the middle of a beautiful river, feeling the flow and compression of the water around you.

While the Au Sable trout were too crafty for me, I’m looking forward to my next visit…

Twenty Days At Bird Camp

After twenty long days (well, for us anyway) our 16-month-old Weimaraner Stuka officially graduated from “Bird Camp” today and our pack is reunited. The additional week of training was beneficial and we noticed a marked evolution in his hunting skills. After the experience, one conclusion was clear; Stuka is developing his own unique style of hunting game birds.

A clear difference between himself and my German Shorthaired Pointer (Elsa) is Stuka’s penchant for stalking his prey. But we’ll need to refine this trait and find balance between stalking and creeping too close to force a flush. Through the use of bird launchers, and experience on wild birds, he will begin to understand when to remain steady. But Stuka’s stalking prowess should prove useful when tracking wild pheasants who try run rather than flush.

This past week brought on another distinct change in his hunting style. He’s gone from almost entirely nose down to hunting with his head up. He’s testing the wind, not just following a trail. While his nose will always be his strongest asset, he’s learning to add other tools to his hunting arsenal and with experience, he’ll figure out what works best, and when.

I was pleased to see his progress in honoring other dogs’ points, even if the dog happened to be fake. In the coming season Stuka and Elsa will have some controlled, simultaneous experiences in the field. Elsa’s stronger prey drive, larger area of ranging, and overall bird-finding experience may result in Stuka choosing to simply follow Elsa around. Stuka will spend time with her in the field, but we’ll watch that he doesn’t get lazy and let her find all the birds. He must also find his strengths and refine his own methodology.

In the images below, Stuka can be seen honoring the remote backing dog. He remained steady as a training pigeon was released as seen in the upper left corner…

…the bird veers off to the right, and Stuka continues to hold steady.

A memorable part of the day was seeing Stuka nail a solid point on a loose chukkar. Although the bird flushed weakly, only flying a few feet, fluttering in the grasses right in front of him, Stuka didn’t charge the bird. His point remained steady.

The shotgun report didn’t faze Stuka, and he made a beautiful retrieve.

With the bird in his mouth, he trotted right past Justin and I and headed straight for mom (who was operating the camera) and brought the bird to her hand. After seeing this, I suggested that perhaps Kay should start carrying a shotgun this fall, to which Justin commented that perhaps just a game vest will do.

Bird Camp Update

With a welcome respite from the hot, humid weather, I paid a visit Justin at Pine Hill Kennel & Sportsman’s Club to visit my Weim Stuka and evaluate the results of his work over the past two weeks. I was pleased that Stuka is further along than either Justin or I had anticipated. Considering this progress, we have decided to sustain his momentum and keep him at Pine Hill for another week. These are some of the advances Stuka has made in his training:

• One of the most noticeable improvements has been his responsiveness to quartering and “come-when-called” whistle commands. On most single whistles, he changed direction quickly, and on drawn-out whistles he returned to our side.
• Stuka’s progress in steadiness on point and wing was impressive. An important aspect of this training has been the use of single and multiple birds via remote launchers. Varying the volume of birds released helps strengthen his steadiness in real-world conditions where he may likely encounter multi-bird flushes. It was satisfying to see this development, which was in part due to the whoa-work we’ve been doing in the backyard.
• He is now fully acclimated to gunfire. As a result, the next week will include birds being shot overhead in order to start connecting the concept of steadiness to the reward of retrieving downed birds.
• Speaking of retrieving, his skills in this area have been very good. This does not come as a surprise, since he has typically enjoyed the process of retrieving bumpers.
• When he was a puppy his bird interest was moderate; he wasn’t quite sure to make of all the fuss about birds. But the consistent bird exposure over the past two weeks has sparked a keen interest in seeking them out, and it was exciting to see him working scent.

Throughout the summer months we will continue working the fundamentals in order to reinforce good habits and behaviors. Since bird dogs may disrupt spring nesting of wild birds we’ll resume working the fields after mid-July. We’ll also spend some time running the nearby woods in preparation for grouse and woodcock season, an altogether different style of hunting compared to open fields. To round out their training, in early September both Elsa and Stuka may visit Pine Hill for a pre-season tune-up.  During which time we’ll meet up with Justin and head to the northern Michigan forests for some “off-site” training.The following images were taken seconds apart and shows Stuka settling in on a point:

Pine Hill’s training grounds…you just have to love a training facility whose barn rooftop has an image of a pointer made of shingles:

Bird Camp: Weimaraner Edition

In May 2009 Elsa went off to Bird Camp at Pine Hill Kennel & Sportsman’s Club for four weeks. Today, I dropped off Stuka for the same program. This time we are trying two weeks in the spring and two weeks in the late summer/early fall. While I was reluctant to part with Elsa for a month, she left only two weeks after Stuka joined our family.  Although we certainly missed Elsa, we were somewhat occupied with an eight week old puppy in the house.

Stuka is gregarious, animated, and possesses a ready-for-anything attitude. His absence will be noticeable in our home, even if it’s only for 14 days. In the meantime, I remind myself that 1) I don’t have easy access to birds for training, and 2) putting a dog on birds several days in a row is far better than only on the weekends. Nonetheless, it will take some getting used to, but I know he will be a better bird dog for the experience.

Above: This past April we started putting Stuka out on planted Chukars.

Afield: American Writers On Bird Dogs

Just pre-ordered what appears to be a terrific read… “This collection features stories from some of America’s finest and most respected writers about every outdoorsman’s favorite and most loyal hunting partner: his dog. For the first time, the stories of acclaimed writers such as Richard Ford, Tom Brokaw, Howell Raines, Rick Bass, Sydney Lea, Jim Harrison, Tom McGuane, Phil Caputo, and Chris Camuto, come together in one collection.

Trout Fever

Kay and I headed to Kalkaska, Michigan with friends Doug and Caroline to celebrate the Michigan trout opener last Saturday. Kalkaska hosts the National Trout Festival each year with five days worth of activities. On the way, we got ourselves primed with a stop at the Old Au Sable Fly Shop in Grayling. The festival was not as “trout-centric” as we had hoped, so we decided to check out the hatches on the Pigeon and Black rivers within the Pigeon River Country State Forest.

The Pigeon River Forest and surrounding land is home to the largest free-roaming elk herd east of the Mississippi River. The nearly 100,000-acre state forest contains native hardwoods and pines. The Pigeon River headwaters are located a few miles northeast of Gaylord. The river then flows in a northerly direction to its mouth at Mullet Lake, a distance of 42 miles. The Pigeon River system drains a surface area of approximately 88,000 acres and include 80 linear miles of stream.

Although temperatures were a bit lower than normal, the Mayflies were drifting along the currents and we saw a few anglers on the water. Needless to say, we quickly started planning a weekend camping and fishing endeavor.

Glamour Shots

Good friend and professional photographer Tom Gennara was kind enough to recently invite Stuka and I to his warehouse studio. Stuka seemed rather comfortable in front of the camera while posing for a number of shots. Below are a few of the results… certainly not the usual field-oriented photographs we normally capture. More like “doggie glamour” shots, eh? Don’t worry, we’ll eventually get back to posting pictures of dogs with birds in their mouths…

Fox Sterlingworth Deluxe

I recently visited with Jay Shachter, owner/operator of Vintage Firearms, Inc. to see his extensive collection of shotguns, which included a number of classic American doubles. I was originally in the market for an American-made 20 gauge side-by-side to be used for hunting upland game (versus sitting in a closet or hanging on a wall.) When I first met Jay at last February’s “Antique Arms” show, he suggested I consider a 16 gauge. While some may believe the days of the 16 are long past, it is considered by many to possess superior ballistics compared to other gauges. This is because 16s produce a “pure” or shorter shot string. For example, a 1 ounce load in a 16 has the same pellet density as a 1-1/4 ounce load in a 12 gauge. Additionally, 16s are generally lighter than 12s, are more readily available, and reflect a competitive price in the marketplace. I was intrigued. But what about ammunition? A little research revealed a number of shell manufacturers including Bismuth, Estate, Fiocchi, Winchester and Remington all provide a variety of 16 gauge cartridges including non-toxic options. Plus, online vendors make ordering simple. So the logistics angle was covered.

I shouldered gun after gun. Parkers, Foxs, L.C. Smiths, Ithicas. This was shotgun nirvana. I found myself gravitating towards the A.H. Fox/Fox-Sterlingworths. More shouldering and many questions later I settled on a 1936 Fox Sterlingworth Deluxe. (The Deluxe included twin ivory beads.) The fit of this gun was perfect…with each mount I saw a figure eight with a “snowman” hovering in the center. For me, this shotgun shouldered as well as guns triple the cost. The search was finally over, and I had myself a damn fine upland gun.

Generally speaking, collectors tend to place value on as-is condition, while shooters may be more apt to restore an antique gun to out-of-the-box condition. I fall into the latter category. While I appreciate it’s value and history, this gun will get use in the field and at the sporting clays range. Taking this into consideration, along with the existing condition of the gun and overall budget for the project, I decided to have restoration work done. Over the course of the next five weeks the barrels will be blued, the receiver will have case color hardening applied, and the wood will be refinished.

Here are a few shots of the existing condition. It will interesting to re-post some images when the restoration is complete.

Purchasing an antique shotgun brought about a number of questions and concerns. Jay’s extensive knowledge of double guns was matched by his patience and willingness to help. If you’ve ever considered a classic double I strongly recommend contacting Jay, or visit him at any number of gun shows he attends.

Vintage Firearms, Inc. / Jay Shachter (FFL Dealer) / shachterj (at) aol.com

Field & Stream Covers 1930s - 1960s

I have always been impressed by those with a talent for painting. In this day of high resolution, photo-retouched, airbrushed, hyper-realistic imagery, it’s great to see magazines like Pointing Dog Journal and Gray’s Sporting Journal maintaining a more traditional, artistic approach to their covers. Original art on magazine covers is reminiscent of an ideal, it’s not perfection… it’s like a memory of a scene or event from one’s past.

Spring Training

It was Stuka’s turn today to get out for a run in the woods, and perform some ground work. We started with a short walk in the woods to help expend some energy. The temperatures were a bit warmer than yesterday, however it was more overcast. Stuka was very active…and frequently found sticks to carry. Interestingly, he is a very “nose down” kind of dog. Continuously sniffing the ground, whereas Elsa tends to be a little more “heads up”, even looking in the trees at times. The exercise worked out well as it allowed him to focus on training exercises later in the day. A few hours later we drove Stuka over to a local high school practice field that was entirely fenced-in. This provided a good environment for him to simply drag a 12′ check cord with limited distractions. We focused on drills involving 1) quartering, 2) whoaing, and 3) retrieving.

When quartering, Stuka was worked left-to-right on the check cord and instructed to turn at a single blast of the whistle. This exercise was eventually done hands-free. If Stuka did not comply, he received mild stimulation from the collar. The moment he turned properly the stimulation ended. This provides him an impression that he turned off the stimulation, and reinforces the conditioning.

Stuka’s been whoaing very well since a puppy, so I focused on increasing the distance and duration of his whoas. To do this, he was put into a whoa, then I walked in large circles around him occasionally changing direction or approaching him, then walking away again. During this exercise, I tried not to pay too much attention to him, and if he took a step he received a mild “nick” from the collar.

Retrieves were done with a wing covered canvas bumper. The retrieves were kept short…the distance does not matter at this stage. The focus here was on returning the bumper versus running away or simply chewing on it. Keeping the retrieves short also lets me grab hold of the check cord if necessary and reel him in.

All the exercises we performed during the training session were mixed up and kept relatively short to ensure boredom did not become an issue. The point was to keep each task fun…and why shouldn’t they be? These basic exercises will eventually build upon each other and come together in “real world” hunting situations. One more important step…when Stuka did something incorrectly, we calmly repeated the task. Getting angry, frustrated, or yelling only enforces negative conditioning and does not support the teamwork that will be necessary later when presented with unplanned events in the field. Of course, when things went well, Stuka received ample praise.