The 4th of July weekend was pretty mellow for me, and that is the way that I like it. All I really did worth mentioning is run the dogs on some pen raised chukar. The wind was blowing REALLY hard when I went out Sunday evening and I normally don’t like that, simply because it is annoying, but it was kind of a nice change and would challenge the dogs a bit. Really windy days make scenting a lot harder for hunting dogs because it narrows, confuses, and distorts the scent cone. All of you bird hunters know what I am talking about. Anyway, it was kind of a nice change because the dogs had to hunt a little smarter, and quickly figured out the most efficient way to find the birds. Sometimes I think that penned bids make the dogs a little complacent, so challenging them a bit can be a very good thing. The dogs started to slow down and little and make wide passes across the wind, as they should, and you could tell that they were really concentrating trying to find the smallest hint of bird scent. Finding the birds was no problem. I am always amazed at how quick hunting dogs, especially dogs with a lot of experience, will quickly adapt to various hunting situation, whether it be the terrain, the game, or the weather. They are pretty darn smart for a “dumb” animal. Like the bumper sticker says, and all of you bird hunters will agree, “My Dog is Smarter Than Your Honor Student”.

Jay