My wife, Lisa, and I went on a nice camping/Grouse Hunting trip this last weekend. It was the first bird hunting trip of the year and it was a welcome adventure. We took all of our camping gear in on our ATV, found a perfect place to camp, and spent two days in the mountains having a great time. The evening were nice and cool, and it was very relaxing to sit next to a small campfire, sipping on a cocktail, with tired legs after a day of hiking and hunting. Just about perfect, in my book.

For whatever reason the hunting was not as good as it was in the past, but it was still good enough to keep things exciting and shoot limits of Blue Grouse on each of the two days. The dogs had a great time, and hunted very well. They only hunt grouse a few days a year, but they sure remember what it is all about, and they have it pretty dialed in. I could not have been happier with them.

All in all it was a great weekend. It was the official kick off to my bird hunting season, and I am looking forward to all the great adventures awaiting me this year. At the end of the day all I really hope for is happy healthy dogs. After that, all the fun will take care of itself, and there is plenty of fun to be had.

Jay

Remember, as hunters we can be very proud that the biggest conservation groups in the world are made up of people just like us; other hunters. People who are not only passionate about hunting, but who also have a genuine desire to protect and enhance the lands and habitat that these animals live in, preserving these opportunities for future generations.

If you have the opportunity, please introduce someone new to the outdoors.

Jay

This last weekend was the Ta-hoe Nalu Stand Up Paddle Board Race. This is one of the largest races in North America, and many of the top competitors from all over the world were on hand to race. This year we experienced some really strong winds that combined with the wind direction made some of the hardest race conditions that most competitors had have experienced.

I personally did not have a very good race. Normally the first mile of the race is when I really try to push the pace, but because of conditions that were very unfamiliar to me, I was pretty slow over that first mile. After that I was able to pick up the pace and really started passing people, but a lot of the damage was already done. The turnaround point was 5 miles into the race, and at that point we would then have a long 5 mile down winder back to the finish. I had just passed four people right before the turn around and thought there was no way I was going to get caught by them, as I was finally paddling in a good rhythm. So, I made the turn, started paddling hard and was quickly passed by three people. Honestly I was very surprised, but I quickly realized that they were surfing the swells far better than I was, and spending less energy doing it. So, I spent the rest of the race to the finish line trying to go as fast as I could while learning how to be better at surfing the swells.

Overall I just wrote the race off as a learning experience. I have been so focused this year gaining better conditioning and a more efficient forward paddle stroke that I totally neglected the fact that I also need to learn to be good under all weather and water conditions, not just the conditions that I am comfortable racing in. So, back to the drawing board.

The next race is a month away. It is a 22 mile race across the length of Lake Tahoe. Hopefully I will get back on track and will have a better result this next time.

Jay

I ran the dogs on some wild birds early Saturday morning and it was a great time. We got into three separate coveys of quail, and the dogs got some good work in. I flushed each covey one time, then we left that covey alone.

I have been noticing a lot of people out running their bird dogs, getting them in shape and tuned up before bird season. It is always fun to see other guys running their hunting dogs because it’s like without saying a word, we are all speaking the same language.

Jay

Paolo and I spent the last week in Salt Lake City at the Outdoor Retail Show. This is my favorite show because I get to see so many people that I have known for many years. I always have a great time catching up with friends, former business colleagues, and with many of our great retailers.

We got back in town late Friday night and for me the weekend was surely going to involve two things; Running my dogs and paddling, and I did a lot of both. The dogs were excited to get out and put in some miles on the dirt, and I was excited to get out and put in some miles on the water. Saturday I put in a really hard paddle board workout, which I am oddly still sore from, and Sunday Lisa and I went up to Tahoe for a paddle. I stopped by and visited Phil at Tahoe paddle and Oar http://www.tahoepaddle.com/home and he was nice enough to send me out on one of his race boards. It was a great weekend, and was definitely needed.

For me this is going to be my last hard week of training before the next paddle board race coming up in two weeks. I will be happy to get this week over with so that I can relax and recover a little next week in preparation for the race. I recently got a waterproof case and headphones for my iPod from H20audio http://www.h2oaudio.com/ and am now even more happy when on the water. Sometimes working out can be painful and honestly not a lot of fun, so having good music with me one the water has definitely helped make those moments much more enjoyable.

Best,

Jay

Jay

This is the time of year to get your hunting dog(s) all tuned up, in shape, and ready for bird season. In most parts of the country dove and grouse season are just around the corner, with many of the other upland bird seasons opening up soon after. Don’t be that guy who puts his dog on the ground opening day wishing that they would have done some offseason dog training. Don’t be that guy who puts an out of shape dog on the ground expecting it to hunt all day. Don’t be that guy who gets mad at his dog for not hunting well when you had all off season to train, but did not. Don’t be that guy. It is not fair to your dog, and it is not very fun.
Join a dog club... Do some yard work every evening... Take them on morning runs or mountain bike rides... Just remember that as much as you like to hunt, your dog likely enjoys it many times more. Give your dog the opportunity to learn and be successful, and it likely will be.

Jay

Paolo and I spent last week in Las Vegas for the annual ICAST Show. Shows like this are always a good time as it is a great opportunity to see many of our dealers, reps, and friends. We had some new product to show and everyone seemed really excited about it.

Now back in Reno it is time for me to continue to get in better shape for Stand Up Paddle Board racing. I have had a pretty good season so far, but the biggest and most important race of the year for me is just under a month away. As a result I have been working out extra hard, and hopefully all the pain that I am putting myself through now will pay dividends during the race. Fortunately I have felt more fit and comfortable in each of the races this year, but only with more training can I expect to continue to improve. So for now it is time to find comfort in the pain of hard work.

I am going to get up the lake (Tahoe) this weekend and am going to paddle the race course. It will be nice to paddle the course a couple of times and start making a race plan based on times and landmarks. This should help remove any guess work on race day, and should generally make the race more mentally comfortable, even if physically it hurts like hell.

Jay