[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.