Most certainly looks like amazing habitat for just about all wildlife. Keep the pheasant pictures coming, reminds me of my youth.
Brock/Mason 2018-2019
- Thread starter brock ratcliff
- Start date
I'm a little late to the party, but nice buck, Brock. congrats. your Ruger American is .450 Bushmaster? that is some fine looking pheasant cover. sorry to hear about Ruger dog. my two getting a break today. crusty frozen shit on the ground was pretty hard on their feet yesterday.
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Yeah it’s chambere in 450. I would have thought I showed it to you last year. It’s my favorite gun. I show it to me st everyone. I must have determined you to be untrustworthy riffraff or something. Lol. Ruger is on the mend. We took out two new beagles out today. I think they will be good one day, but today was not that day. Dang pups. Hard to start over when you’re used to hunting with really good beagles.
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Yeah they are Mason’s. He was really aggravated at them today. Of course he was never along with me training beagles before so he’s only seen them after they know the game. These two hunt well they just haven’t figured it out yet. They will I think.
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Brock... Just saw this.. Great looking buck. . CONGRATS... Are they natural birds or stocked??
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They are wild. My buddy Clint went without me this morning.
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The pups are starting to come along. It’s taking longer than I’d like, but I think they will be decent hounds eventually. We are starting over by taking one at a time. Tonight we took Molly. She did well once we found a couple rabbits. Her manners are coming along too. We killed one for her and she was thrilled to finally have something at the end of the trail. Lots of fun, a little mess.
Knowing a couple of our phone conversations. . . I am smiling. I knew you would cave and buy him those beagles. How could you not? And not let him experience the thrills (again)? Hope their bad habit is disappearing. (For a minute I thought the dogs might "run off".) You guys flat out get it done in the outdoors. Keep it up Brock!
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The next one that runs a deer will have an experience they won’t soon forget, or perhaps they won’t be able to remember. Lol. Anyway, that habit will end. With just one in the field at a time, it’s much easier to manage their impulses. I’m having to re learn this dog training business too. The last pair we had seemed natural, but they had the benefit of running free with two or three other rabbit chasers from birth. These pups are kenneled and have no mentor dogs to run with. It’s a process, they will get it eventually.
both of mine went through the deer chasing phase. it really only took one hard correction under the right circumstance to make them stop for good. emphasis on the "right circumstance". took an entire season to finally get Lefty to stop. all happened in two days for Slick. electric current is a powerful ally.
Also getting caught up around these parts. I always love reading this thread. One of the best going!
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Mason and I sat in his natural blind tonight on the edge of a wheat field. We saw a doe, two fawns and a small 8 point buck. They cane out at last light and by the time they were in range, it was too dark for an ethical shot If it weren’t raining, maybe
Here’s a pic of Mason checking lanes and stretching out a bit as we settled in.
Here’s a pic of Mason checking lanes and stretching out a bit as we settled in.
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We took one of the pups out for a short hunt today. This is the better tracker of the two, though both will be good given a little more time. She had two good chases but she lost both before we were able to kill them. I guess it’s just because these pups did not have the advantage of chasing rabbits when they were wee little. They are learning.
Just before getting back to the truck Mason kicked a brush pile and a rabbit bounced out. We put the pup on the track and she lit up. She only went 75 yards or so to the head of a drainage ditch and the rabbit holed up in a pile of grown over rocks. She didn’t give up. I walked over and found her digging her way in. Mason tried to move some of the boulders but it was pointless. The pup just kept digging in. I was holding Masons gun along with mine when the rabbit suddenly popped out the opposite side with the pup buried to her hips trying to get to him. I shot the rabbit with Masons gun with mine slung over my shoulder. Lol.
That pup is learning, but she has as much desire to get the bunny as any I’ve ever seen.
Just before getting back to the truck Mason kicked a brush pile and a rabbit bounced out. We put the pup on the track and she lit up. She only went 75 yards or so to the head of a drainage ditch and the rabbit holed up in a pile of grown over rocks. She didn’t give up. I walked over and found her digging her way in. Mason tried to move some of the boulders but it was pointless. The pup just kept digging in. I was holding Masons gun along with mine when the rabbit suddenly popped out the opposite side with the pup buried to her hips trying to get to him. I shot the rabbit with Masons gun with mine slung over my shoulder. Lol.
That pup is learning, but she has as much desire to get the bunny as any I’ve ever seen.
Love this thread. Good ol fun chasing critters. Keep em coming!
going in the hole after the bunny, now that's a pup with some heart! I'm diggin' that. 
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We took Ruger out for the first time in quite a while. He has been feeling better but I think I should have let him rest longer. He was feeling pretty bad by the time we quit. I need to get him to a dog chiropractor.
Masons buddy, Richie, had never seen a bird dog in action. He told Mason he had a patch that held birds so we met up with him and his dad this morning. Ruger pointed a rooster and later, a hen. That was the only birds we saw. They were apparently opting to run I took Richie with me to flush the rooster. He was amazed how all that worked, and if you’ve never seen a pointer locked down, it is impressive! He had never seen a rooster up close
and the boy was genuinely impressed with the pheasants plumage. They are gorgeous!
Mason found a dead buck too. It had dropped one side already. When he picked it up the other side popped off in his hand. Shame. It was a dandy buck!
Masons buddy, Richie, had never seen a bird dog in action. He told Mason he had a patch that held birds so we met up with him and his dad this morning. Ruger pointed a rooster and later, a hen. That was the only birds we saw. They were apparently opting to run I took Richie with me to flush the rooster. He was amazed how all that worked, and if you’ve never seen a pointer locked down, it is impressive! He had never seen a rooster up close
Mason found a dead buck too. It had dropped one side already. When he picked it up the other side popped off in his hand. Shame. It was a dandy buck!