re: Getting into woodcock hunting

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yodaddyroberto

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Everything this guy said^^^

I did a little upland hunting over the past few years and enjoyed it ok but always preferred duck hunting, especially with my dog. Lost her in January after 16 years, she was a good hunter and picked up a lot of ducks but also displayed many of the traits chessie's are known for, mainly dog aggression.

My family life changed a lot over those 16 years and with 2 young kids, I decided it was time for something new. I was starting to research lab litters when the friend who got me into upland hunting told me to look into Pudelpointers. My biggest fear with the versatile breeds was the dog might be ok at a few things but not great at any one thing. With the current state of duck hunting I decided to roll the dice and picked up a PP from a NAPPA breeder. I was lucky to to find a couple great guys in BR that have been very helpful with the upland training and getting me pointed in the right direction for getting her on birds. Of course, my biggest fear with versatile breeds came true and my dog won't go near the water but it seems to be caused by some sort of unknown trauma with water and a few trainers I spoke too that are familiar with her line are confident her prey drive will eventually get her in the water. She is proving to be very birdy and her prey drive is growing but she had a split heat that caused her to miss both the teal season and a rice field hunt during the 1st split I planned on her hunting.

I have decided not to push the water work too fast and focus on upland and she is doing great.

All that said, she just pointed her first 2 woodcock this am and the one I killed she retrieved to hand. It was a great morning and would not have happened without good folks sharing their time and info to help me get to this point. I'm