Tex wishes all you bird hunting and gun dog folks a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Tag Archives: German Shorthaired Pointer
Western Bird Hunt
Lots of boot leather and tireless dogs found us four species of birds on a weekend hunt out west. Hungarian Partridge, Chukar, Blue Grouse and Sharptail Grouse all found their way into our game bags. This is big country, a sea of rolling grass and sage, and I was surprised with our success at finding birds. This is bird hunting in its purest form. No guide, no released birds, no food plots – just birds where God put them. You have to work hard, but when you find them and connect it is hugely rewarding for both the hunter and dog.
The dramatic, vast country made for some terrific photographic opportunities.
Tex on point.
Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
A Hot Time in South Dakota
The bird counts were way up over last year but so was the temperature. We had terrific weather with blue skies and temps pushing into the low 80’s. The unseasonably warm weather was great for the hunters, but pretty hard on the dogs. We had to keep a close watch on them to be sure they did not overheat.
Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
Summer Tex
I suppose I should change the name of this thing to PicturesOfMyDog.com, but old Tex is a photogenic boy and until opening day this is all I got.
Filed under Bird Dogs
Father’s Day with Tex
It was a beautiful weekend here in Colorado. Here are some shots of Tex on a perfect Father’s Day.
Filed under Bird Dogs
Some Dog on Bird Action
Filed under Bird Dogs
Spring at the Dog Park
Tex begins his third spring romping at the dog park. He has that German Shorthair drive to run and swim like he is in a race. The park is the perfect place to let him burn up some pent-up energy and wear him out for a while. At 94 pounds, he is our big moose GSP.
Filed under Bird Dogs
Two Pointers
Here are two wonderful dogs sharing a point that will never happen.
The dog in the back is Rio, a true hunting machine. She was the dog I learned to hunt with and was my hunting buddy for 6 years. We loved that dog but she was a tough animal to have in the house. At times, she was like a wild horse and did more than her fair share of damage. All things considered though, the mischief and cost were worth it. A good dog can get away with quite a lot. Sadly, we lost her to cancer in November of 2011.
Tex, in the foreground, is the sweet boy who is with us now. He is a solid hunter (but not the maniac that Rio was) and is our beloved family dog. With Tex, we get the best of both worlds. Tex was born in February of 2012 so he never got to hunt with Rio. They would have made quite a team.
Hopefully this is a glimpse of heaven.
Filed under Bird Dogs
A Day with the Kids
We took the boys on a preserve Chukar hunt yesterday. Colder and windier than we expected but the light was terrific and everyone had a great time.
Filed under Preserve Bird Hunts
Tex Turns 2
Filed under Bird Dogs
Doggy Pics
When you get old, Santa looks exactly like a UPS driver. A beardless skinny dude who wears shorts no matter what the weather is. This year Santa delivered a full frame Nikon D610 FX camera. This is an upgrade from the DX format camera that took all the pictures in this blog up until now. To test this thing out, Tex and I went to the dog park today and I snapped these shots.
This truly is a phenomenal camera. You can find plenty of reviews on the internet that tell you why this camera is awesome . . . almost as good as you can get. After a couple of days messing around with it, I believe them!
Filed under Bird Dogs
2013 North Dakota Pheasant Hunt
This year we enjoyed 2 great hunts in the Dakotas. This 2nd hunt is our standing hunt with Cannonball Company out of Regent, North Dakota. We always have a terrific time with these fine folks.
Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
South Dakota Pheasant
Tex and I took advantage of an invite to the opening weekend in South Dakota. We had the pleasure of joining a terrific group of guys from Michigan on their annual pheasant hunt. Some of these fellows have been hunting together for 30 plus years and a number of these guys have grown up making the annual pilgrimage to Pierre for the big hunt. We enjoyed a classic wild bird hunt of the best sort.
A great old truck with great old hunters!
Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
18 Months of Tex
Tex turns one and a half years old today and is celebrating at doggie day care with his pals. We have had a great summer and very soon Tex will be into his 2nd hunting season. Last year he hunted well and this year we expect him to come into his own. If the stars align, he might get to hunt 6 states this year. No matter what, it should be a great year!
Filed under Bird Dogs
Snake Avoidance Training
The only thing worse on a hunt than a snake-bit dog would be a face full of #6 shot. This morning Tex attended a “snake avoidance” event. We hope to hunt in Arizona soon and that state is chock full of Rattlesnakes. This training may save Tex’s life someday. 
This is a Bullsnake. Looks like a Rattlesnake, acts like a Rattlesnake, smells like a Rattlesnake but his bite is harmless. The perfect surrogate to train a dog to stay away. Continue reading
Filed under Bird Dogs
Mouthful of Chukar
Filed under Preserve Bird Hunts
Hunting at The Bluffs, Colorado – Part 2
Here are the rest of the pictures from our hunt at The Bluffs. Be sure to check out “Part 1” as well.
The small Shorthair is a 6 month old bitch named Roux (pronounced [roo]). This is one of the puppies from the earlier post “Cajun-German Shorthaired Pointer Pups Available” where you can see her as a newborn pup. This was her first time hunting and she was astoundingly good!
Filed under Preserve Bird Hunts
Hunting at The Bluffs, Colorado – Part 1
About an hour east of Denver, The Bluffs is one of the Colorado’s premier hunting preserves. Birds are not ordered and planted for hunts but instead the club manages and augments sustainable populations of game birds such as Pheasants, Quail, Chukar and Hungarian Partridge. The limited membership hunt on 4,000 acres for birds that seem for the most part pretty wild. I think this is as close as you can get to a wild bird hunt without going on a wild bird hunt. We recently spent a full day hunting The Bluffs and here are the pictures. To keep this from being too big I have split this into two posts so be sure to check out “Part 2“.
Filed under Preserve Bird Hunts
Birdhunter 