[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Matt Valinsky

This past weekend my bird dog club along with Pheasants Forever and The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources hosted week three of a four weekend course designed to help new hunters get involved with the sport. The first weekend was classroom time on safety, ethics and general info on hunting along with a lot of time on the trap range. Second weekend pretty much the same as the first weekend with a birddog demo thrown in.

Last weekend entailed a heavy dose of the trap range and a hunt using liberated birds. The students were paired up with members of the club and their dogs. The birds were set out on the front 40 acre area a couple hours before the hunt to give them time to settle in. The hunt was great for the students and they really had a good time. I believe they all came away with an appreciation for hunting over a dog and watching them do what they do.

A couple pictures.
1. The young lady I was charged with and her first bird, she was a happy camper.
2. Maggie waiting to get released to hunt.
3. Maggie having fun and looking for birds.
4. Maggie having more fun.
5. Maggie retrieving to hand.

Matt, Time well spent! (And Maggie looks like a natural!)