Journal and Pictures from Hunting Trips (some training)
                       September, 2004 - March, 2005

   Sept  10 road five miles at Macktown & do two dog walking singles with Kooly,
                 pick up a dozen quail at 2:00 pm
   Sept  11 planted some quail at Macktown, heavy cover, dry & warm plus weak flyers
                 make for a poor session, turned last five loose and let them walk away as
                 a "steady" test, maybe the 12 will covey up and stay around for awhile 
   Sept  12 day off
   Sept  13 road three miles at Macktown, too warm for much more
   Sept 14-19 six days off, yard OB and play and outside kennel time  
   Sept 20 road three easy miles
   Sept 21 day off
   Sept 22 Taffey, Kooly & Lick did five miles of "roading"
   Sept 23 day off
   Sept 24 trip to Rockcut State Park to check out the duck boat & ramp design, retrieved
                several marks (Dokken) off the front deck & back in via the ladder/ramp, Taffey
                went first, airborne into lunging water first and then moved to deep water (used
                tie-ups for both dogs to avoid "congestion")  
   Sept 25 ran some fun bumpers with Kooly (she does not like sharing time with him)
   Sept 26 Taffey and Kooly went to Horicon Marsh (1 hour 45 minutes) for a scouting trip,
                narrow boat ramp (one at a time) should be interesting with a 12:00 noon opener
                     note: not sure we'll go for the opener 
   Sept  27-28 days off, yard OB
   Sept  29 road five miles at Macktown (ran really well - mostly on grass and off into cover)
                 reviewed "sit, whistle, shot, flush" chain for steady to wing and shot 
   Sept  30 road five miles at Macktown, review "whoa" training in the yard
   Oct     1  hunt/train on pheasants at Blonhaven, cover very thick and still lush green, dry
                 warm conditions made it difficult, got up about a dozen roosters and three hens,
                 shooting was best described at "see you again" (very bad)
   Oct     2  decided to pass on WI duck opener, day off
                     note: decided to switch Taffey's breeding to FC AFC Calumet's Super Sonic            
   Oct     3  Taffey goes duck hunting at Horicon, saw a few teal early, but no shots fired
   Oct     4  hunt/train at Blonhaven, eight bird special set hens out in one area for Kooly to
                 start with, walked cover (heavy sorghum) first with Kooly, then Lick, Taffey went
                 next, found three roosters and two were runners that she trailed, made a nice
                 blind retrieve, went out after a short rest and a fourth rooster was pinned nicely
                 with a point, all three dogs are rounding into shape
                       note: the cover is tough, Taffey's nose is raw and there is blood on a small
                              area below each eye, last year she did this the first few weeks then
                              the skin toughened up
                 Interceptor heart worm pill  &  Frontline Plus
   Oct     5  day off  
   Oct     6  trip to Madison, WI for yearly CERF - Dr. Link's clinic has a special day for
                 many dogs to have this done, at $25 it's a great deal 
   Oct     7  the dogs need more conditioning and it will be just too nice a day to go
                 duck hunting (low in the 50's, sunny day with little wind & a high in the 70's),
                 trip to Blonhaven for some more upland, did eight bird special under very
                 tough conditions with running birds, Taffey's nose is raw 
                         note: Lick did a great job finding two cripples, she may have a few
                                  tumors, a heart murmur and a very low tolerance for heat, but
                                  she sure knows pheasants
   Oct     8  day off
   Oct     9   "Euro" shoot at Blonhaven - 600 bird release and as tough as it gets,
                  see Kooly's training link for more details
   Oct    10-11 two days off - three very tired dogs
   Oct    12 "roaded" five miles and Taffey seemed aware of the fact that Kolly is now
                 much faster than her, still no signs of coming in heat, thought about
                 returning all puppy deposits to see if that would work - ha!
   Oct. 13-14 couple of days of resting up
   Oct. 15 upland guide day for clients at Blonhaven, slight mist, cool breeze and cloudy
               Taffey went first, got all her birds up in range - pointing those that held and
               pushing birds at just the right speed to keep them in range with nervous,
               flushes, next came Roxie (she is the club owner's four year old GSP that
               I did FF with this spring) on her first bird (a rooster) it dropped in the middle
               of some very weedy sorghum and she went right out, found it and came up to
               me with a nicely held bird with a front delivery, don't mind saying I was
               visibly and vocally excited (she wouldn't retrieve birds last year),  Lick was
               not patient, but she took her turn and did a nice job = total birds put up 13
                        note: dogs did well, birds in range and it was a nice morning
                        note: got to use Taffey on a long blind retrieve, bird flew as if not hit
                                 and suddenly died in flight, cart wheeling down at least two
                                 hundred yards away, moved forward to have a clear line of sight
                                 and she handled right to the bird (that is always fun!)
    Oct. 16-7 two days off
    Oct. 18 upland hunt with Brent and his dog Chance, eleven bird release, cool &
                cloudy with a stiff breeze, birds were running and the first hour was very
                slow, switched tactics and did much better, ended up with nine birds and
                the dogs Chance, Taffey & Lick had an excellent work-out, Kooly went out
                again later by himself (did really well)
    Oct. 19 day off
    Oct. 20 went duck hunt at Horicon Marsh, went farther back in than the first time,
                but hunting pressure has pushed most ducks into the tiny pockets that
                only mud motors and those experienced with the marsh are reaching, not
                many areas doing much shooting and we had zero ducks to shoot at, a boat
                came close around 10:30 am ans flushed up a coot that circled out blind,
                didn't shoot at it, but thought differently when it came around the second
                time and Taffey was staring a hole in it, she didn't care if it were just a coot
                            note: spent a couple hours scouting before going home, and next
                                     time we go deeper into the marsh
   Oct. 21 did guided hunt at Blonhaven for a father and 12 year old daughter (she
                came along to watch), eight bird release and we had to change tactics as the
                birds were really moving around, got up 14 birds in range and he shot 9 (none
                lost), the cover is really tight and brutal most of the time, a bell is absolutely
                necessary and beeper collar helps a lot, turning it on and off is ideal to locate,
                but most of the time, location is done by watching for moving cover, Taffey
                trapped two running birds in the thick sorghum (first time in two years of
                guiding, still not good), made some great points and retrieves, Lick spelled
                her for about forty-five minutes and was pointing nicely (health issues have 
                slowed her down and she operates at "grouse speed" = very effective on
                downed cripples or running birds)
                          note: with exception of the two birds that got hung up in cover,
                                   Jim's birds flew extremely well (very explosive and fast), the
                                   tactic which seemed to work the best was to hunt into a piece of
                                   cover about half way and then jump over to another area which
                                   caught & surprised birds that switched, those that stayed in the
                                   original were caught off guard by us then coming back into the
                                   other end, also, hunting in a spiral seems to confuse birds that
                                   like to run down along and around the edges of cover, there are
                                   quite a few birds that have made it through a few days on the
                                   preserve and with CPR areas on the border have become very
                                   adept at avoid hunters, they come back in for food and learn
                                   all the little tricks necessary to make it seem as if they were
                                   never there, it is very common for them to come into areas
                                   in which hunters just vacated
                          note: client was an excellent shot (made some looooonng ones!)  
                          note: Taffey's face areas which have been bleeding from the sorghum
                                   are now getting tougher (only one small spot is showing blood),
                                   but the edges of her nose are still taking a beating
                          note: hunting two different dogs seems to produce much better results,
                                   getting the "second wind" seems to carrying a dog very nicely
   Oct. 22 day off
   Oct. 24 worked on deer stands with Steve, Taffey and Kooly spent most of the day
                on the truck
   Oct. 25 went duck hunting with Brad & Jeff - early morning river hunt with only
               his dog, day off for mine, did get five mallards with opportunities for more
               had a good time 
   Oct. 27 guided hunt at Blonhaven, kind of different = client 70 years old and hadn't
               hunted for several years, this was his last hunt, took our time and Taffey
               did a good job of keeping close, got up eight birds in range and he shot 
               three, Lick worked well and we had a very pleasant time, a couple of other
               birds got the best of us and flushed out of range, everything was running
               except for one bird that Lick pinned down (pointed) as we were finishing
    Oct 28 day off with yard OB
    Oct 29 fun bumpers in the yard
    Oct 30 day off with yard OB
    Oct 31 several easy doubles with orange bumpers
                     note: tons of drive and power
    Nov  1 rained all day & cold
    Nov  2 went duck hunting on the Pecatonica River, saw a few ducks and geese, none
               were working, Taffey still has that "jump to attention" motion from the duck calls
               of a hunt test, working on that and showing great improvement  
    Nov  3 introduced Kooly's KRD with Taffey as "mentor" at the Rockton Road TA,
               "in front of the gunner" - established pile #1 out to 179 yards, this was done by
              placing a pile of 16 bumpers at the destination while Taffey & Kooly sat 25 yards
              away, Taffey was sent to the pile while Kooly watched, then Kooly was sent for
              "his turn", backing up in seven more increments each was sent with Taffey first and
              Kooly would wait his turn,  Taffey crushed her "easy" job and Kooly did fine all the
              way out to the 179 yard total distance - first day!
                     note: Interceptor and Frontline Plus
                     note: distances measured with range finder 
    Nov  4 continued work on first KRD pile (using pheasants) placed stickman gunner station
               at the position of the mark area (bury piece of PVC with next size up cap into which
               the stickman re-bar can be inserted after freeze-up, establish same PVC inserts for
               the four phase & definitive casting drill areas)
                      note: Taffey has elevated her skill level so much that she just crushed this
                               pile drill. In doing so right in front of Kooly.....he watches intently.  This
                               instills steadiness, patience and a competitive attitude in him.  Taffey
                               is, also, "gaining" in these areas.  It is a bit more work at first, but
                               why have a dog sitting in the truck when they can be getting some
                               very valuable time "waiting" their turn?
                               (fun........productive........short session)
                      reminder: next time at Macktown pull orange surveyor stakes to use in above
                               area
    Nov  5 Blonhaven "Euro" tower shoot = 300 bird "presentation" (took all three dogs & they
               were a handful, picked up 70+ birds and worked very hard (the dogs, too), Taffey's
               intensity continues to be exceptional (or compulsive)......What a bear!
               before shoot established a pattern blind along with Kooly 
    Nov  6 ran KRD drill with a 75 yard mark (before Kooly on honor)
    Nov  7 day off 
    Nov  8 morning training/conditioning hunt at Blonhaven (all three dogs separatel
              Taffey ran very hard and fast, got up four birds and was given a break,
               finished in a "group" hunt with all three dogs and got up 15 more birds
               the dogs were into the "rush" of birds everywhere, the pheasants were
               mostly running, but very confused with three dogs pressing the issue - neat!
    Nov  9 day off
    Nov 10 roaded all three dogs 8 miles, Taffey handled it easily
    Nov 11 early nearby duck hunt with Taffey only (home at 10:30 am), five mallards
                in the dekes at 6:12 am and another single at 6:25 am = managed only
                to drop one, and this was all that showed = what a beautiful morning - cold,
                windy, overcast (early) and no one else around

    Nov 12 worked guided hunt at Blonhaven - 25 bird release, Taffey hunted very well for
               the four gunners, got up birds in range and made all the retrieves (a few very long
               marks), cool & breezy morning with lots of birds running = Taffey's score 27 birds
               up in range with at least a dozen points, Lick came out for a little work and did
               her usual "vacuum cleaner" job and got up six more birds, final score = 33 birds
               in range and 20 in the bag (only one out of range all morning), clients passed on
               two low flying birds for "dog safeties"  = good "stuff"!
                        note: biggest release we've ever done before was 12 birds, both dogs
                                 were physically ready for the action and looked good
                        note: duck hunt yesterday with a great job on the retrieve of a diving
                                 cripple in a swift river current and today's heavy duty effort with
                                 four gunners in the upland emphasizes the flexibility & fun of a PL
    Nov 13-14 two days off, Sunday was Kooly's day at a Blonhaven Tower shoot, he is
                 one year old on Nov 14th
    Nov 15 steady rain all day
    Nov 16 another day off, things to do
    Nov 17 worked another 10 bird guided hunt at Blonhaven, afternoon, breezy, cloudy
               and almost too warn for November (short sleeves?), Taffey did really well on
               the running birds (could shut her down to keep them in  range), Lick did a nice
               job with her short stint at the end
                         note: need to review handling of birds with Taffey (a bit sticky and
                                  jumping up after), she switched once (first time she's done that
                                  in a long time) need to review that rule!, made two extremely
                                  nice blind retrieves = one on a sailing pheasant and the other on
                                  a chukar that flew across some tough cover breaks before falling
    Nov 18 day off - drizzle all day
    Nov 19 fun tight two sided doubles in yard with handler selecting mark plus diversions
    Nov 20 day off - handler deer hunting
    Nov 21 day off - handler deer hunting
    Nov 22 repeat of Nov 19 with stick pressure on delivery
    Nov 23 early morning duck hunt = no ducks, some scouting and home by 10:00 am
    Nov 24 upland guide job at Blonhaven with a man and his grandson, 34°, wind
                20-30 mph and partly cloudy, needed to hunt slow and easy, the birds were
                running and tough to pin (had about 6-7 nice points), when they got up the
                wind "took" them quickly, it is so nice to have a dog that can adapt to what
                is needed, things went well, client said he'd never heard of a pointing Lab
                before (liked the dog work), plenty of shots and enough in the bag, hardly
                noticed the bad weather when focused on the dogs' performance 
                           note: day with pay 
                           note: bird handling showed a crisper delivery today 
                           note: Taffey's hunting pattern for multiple gunners is super & control
                                    on row running pheasants is almost perfect
   Nov 25 day off
   Nov 26 concept doubles  - working on selection, two "sidedness" and delivery
   Nov 27 rained all day
   Nov 28 all three dogs "roaded" eight miles at Macktown DTA, Taffey is sharp! 
                            note: she and Kooly played the whole time (raced, wrestled and
                                     generally tried to beat each other up)
   Nov 29-30 two days off
   Dec  1 guide hunt at Blonhaven - 25 bird release, 3" of snow blanketed everything,
              snow filled the beeper collar and muffled the sound, difficult to keep track
              of her in the tall cover, birds were running & doing a lot of back tracking,
              Taffey had several very nice points and she worked the runners quite well
              as the snow slowed them down, the gunners were always able move up
              into range for their shots
   Dec  2 day off, very icy out (guided hunt cancelled)
   Dec  3 day off, icy again
   Dec  4 last minute guiding job at Blonhaven, 12 birds in area seven went well,
              warmer weather had the birds moving, ran Lick with Taffey last forty-five
              minutes and it seemed like the two were everywhere, clients really liked
              the their work, very relaxing to run dogs that "do it right" 
                             note: Taffey's marking on upland shot birds is fun to watch,
                                      all birds retrieved quickly
   Dec  5-8 couch potato days
                  Interceptor & Frontline Plus
   Dec  9 seven marks in heavier cover at Macktown (north west area)
                             note: very, very sharp
   Dec 10-12 bad weather and things to do days
   Dec  13 last duck hunt of the year, no ducks,  excellent in the boat, next year
                we add field hunting and lay-out blinds 
   Dec  14 multiple honoring no-no drill over the asparagus patch with Kooly & Lick
   Dec  15 repeat of yesterday (two miserable windy days)
   Dec  16 guide hunt at Blonhaven, 20 bird release - pheasants, chukars and huns
                windy day and the birds were moving (a lot)!, Taffey had several very
                stylish points and worked the runners nicely, Lick did a solid job with
                some very nice extended hunts ending in points as Taffey's sub, all birds
                shot were retrieved and the hunt went extremely well  
                          note: the clients were very impressed with seeing a pointing Lab
                                   for the first time, one comment "the best of both worlds" 
   Dec 17-8 off. coach potato
   Dec  19 Blonhaven "Euro" shoot retrieving & honoring with Kooly, wind chill below 0°,
                Taffey was not at her best today & would not settle down until the last three
                rounds, picked up birds well and handled on a few blinds OK,  yet she was
                very "out of her tree" and edgy, corrections were a waste of time, but in
                retrospect.....as this journal entry is being written, her behavior indicates
                she may be coming in heat soon, wishful thinking or FINALLY????  
   Dec  20 it's official we ordered a breeding contract for Taffey's upcoming breeding
               Taylorlab Downtown Dusty Brown - pedigree, pictures & stats  (Link)    
   Dec 21-25 very cold and windy, a few bumpers in the yard to stretch
   Dec 26 worked on short doubles & delivery
   Dec 27 fun bumpers in the yard
   Dec 28 day off, trainer deer hunting, bunch of fun bumpers late
   Dec 29 road at Macktown - easy 4 miles after dropping Kooly off at Brian's
   Dec 30 guided hunt at Blonhaven - 12 bird release, 40° with 20 mph wind,
               overcast very high humidity and every thing was wet, birds were
               running and difficult to contain, used some blocking techniques and
               changed direction a lot, dogs did well and tracked some runners a long
               way in and out of cover, made for a fun two hours and the clients really
               trusted the dogs (went to them), Lick did a solid job and Taffey made a
               neat, one whistle 100 yard cold blind to finish up with  
   Dec 31 hunted two difficult CPR areas in south central Wisconsin for wild pheasants,
              last day of the season and they were tough (warm and windy), after four
              hours.....two dogs and three hunters had two roosters  
   Jan  1-13 short walks and lazy days, Taffey has got to come in heat soon, the idea
              of not pushing the hunting and slow down is in hopes of reduced activity
              bringing in on, nothing so far and last time she was in heat was the middle
              of January one year ago
               Interceptor
   Jan 14 cold walk at dusk on the golf course, 8°
   Jan 15 short conditioning "hunt" at Blonhaven, ran Taffey and Lick together in area
              # 7 which has a large CRP field across the road, walked for 45 minutes and 
              didn't carry a gun working on steady to flush (after points), worked 13 birds
              up in range, temperature a chilly 9°, the snow was melted a few days ago
              and now has an icy crust which produced some bloody feet, the areas where
              the nail and pad join were raw, Taffey was much worse than Lick as she
              probably covered three times as much ground as Lick did
                        note: drove to five different stores looking for some Tuff-Foot to help
                                 their paws, settled for Remington Foot Prep (easy to apply)
   Jan 16 morning tower shoot at Blonhaven, 500 hen pheasants, Taffey and Lick
              picked up 60+ pheasants, Taffey made some really long marks for a tower
              shoot, paws were about the same as yesterday & Lick's seemed a bit
              more tender
                 note: had to get on Taffey about whining the first two rounds and her
                          blinds had a lot of "ping/pong" in them (coming in heat soon?)
                 note: Taffey's feet were bleeding again and Lick (being black) didn't
                           appear to be as bad  
   Jan 17 guided hunt at Blonhaven, both dogs' paws were sore last night & this
              morning, high of 6° predicted, the snow was still deep with crusty ice on
              top, Taffey would suck it up, but I'm not sure about Lick, we loaded up
              and left, shortly afterwards got a phone call, clients cancelled = music to
              my ears
   Jan 18- 21  "pause to heal paws"    
   Jan 22  snowed in = 12+ inches on the ground, high winds and drifting,
                     electricity out for eight hours
   Jan 23 dig out day
   Jan 24-25 deep snow
   Jan 26 hunt/conditioning at Blonhaven, released three - got up 12 pheasants,
              sunny, windy, 20° & deep snow made it tough walking, dogs had to do
              a lot of lunging in the tall blue stem (drifts), shot six birds for the dogs,
              Taffey was strong to the finish, Lick was very tired
   Jan 27- 30 not much doin'
   Jan 31 Lick and Taffey ran a couple miles at Macktown forest preserve
                    note: paws seem better
   Feb  1  day off
   Feb  2  ran in the deep snow on two fairways at the Ledges golf course,
               picked up a few walking singles (Taffey & Lick)
                    note: no sign of bloody paws
   Feb  3  repeat yesterday
                    note: slight swelling, hint Taffey may be coming in heat (or not)?
                             now that I have two guided hunts, a three session dog
                             seminar set for next Wednesday plus several meetings to
                             attend - go figure!
   Feb  4  guided hunt at Blonhaven - 60 bird release (split) in area #9, 45°, slight
               breeze out of the south, 6" of wet snow and ideal scenting conditions,
               Taffey was really on her game today, reeling off beautiful points and
               retrieves one right after another, hunted fours with a slight break in
               the middle, Lick did a nice job the last hour and the snow was tough
               for me
  Feb  5  supervise morning "Euro" shoot, because of snow cover and questions
              about possible paw problems, Taffey & Lick were not used in the tower
              shoot. good choice because both dogs had tender feet at the end of the
              day, area #11, 50° had pheasants more on the move, Taffey was just as
              effective as yesterday, but the birds had trouble getting up out of the
              snow, the corporate two day "event" hunt had everyone tired walking
              the second day in the snow cover
                     note: Taffey's paws are swollen and tender (no blood)
                     note: first time event - Taffey was retrieving a chukar and locked
                              up pointing a pheasant while still holding the chukar - Neat!
   Feb  6-8 rest & relaxation time
   Feb  9 dog trainer/lecture career day sessions for the Albany School District (WI),
              Taffey was a big hit with the high school students and her manners were
               perfect, the OB demonstrations went well and she's a real ham
                     
   Feb 10-11 couple days off
   Feb 12 short notice guided hunt in the afternoon - 45°, slight breeze, still snow on
              the ground, 10 bird release = easy day for the dogs & home by 4:30 pm,
              Taffey has a couple of areas on her paws that are still tender, Lick is fine
                     note: Taffey never seems to pay any attention to the tender paws
                              when working - very tough in the field, but at home her front
                              paws look like something I couldn't tolerate, very painful when
                              doctoring (ouch!)
   Feb 13 Blonhaven "Euro" shoot  - 500 bird "presentation", mostly honor for Todd's
              dog Libby, Taffey did not like that, got some good work in on watching,
              handled poorly as she is really getting loose with all the hunting
                     note: paws need a week off
   Feb 13-17 nothing going on except a few walks around the block  
   Feb 18 45 minute run on two fairways at the Ledges Golf Course with a few
               hand thrown "poorman" marks
   Feb 19 guided hunt at Blonhaven (morning), 10 bird release,  30°, slight breeze,
               patchy ice (to slip on), but a beautiful day, father & son (teenager) had a
               great morning with 14 pheasants up in range, Taffey worked especially
               well and Lick put in her usual solid 45 minutes with good energy
                      note: so far this season, Lick's age and heart murmur have not
                               been any problem.......using the 45 minute window  
   Feb 20 rain, sleet, snow & windy (good day to rest) 
   Feb 21-24 easy days
   Feb 25 forty-five minute run in area seven at Blonhaven Hunt Club (no gun)
               Taffey and Lick got up seven scratch birds & got a good leg stretch
   Feb 26  guided hunt at Blonhaven (morning), 9 bird release in area 12 East, this
                is a huge steel shot area,  clients had 19
                pheasants up in range, Taffey did well (except no points as the birds
                were extremely edgy (running), the coyote population is at an all-time
                high which keeps them either alive or food
  Feb 27-March 4 easy days
  Mar  5  trained at Brian's with group of owners, three field trial singles with a long
              shot flyer of 250 yards of the middle, can you say "RUSTY"
  Mar  6  afternoon hunt after Blonhaven "Euro" - 8 bird release with Steve and Zeus,
              60°+ with a good breeze & the birds were running, did some blocking and
              spent time changing directions, bagged 8 birds and Zeus got in his prep
              sessions for the upcoming HRC Upland Hunt Test, Taffey hunted hard &
              fast and didn't seem to be bothered by the huge temperature change
                    note: Taffey did not run the tower shoot
  Mar 7-9 three days off
  Mar 10 guided hunt Blonhaven (25 birds) - 20 mph wind, 30° & snow,  worked four
              solid hours with four gunners & covered a lot of ground, most birds were
              running & did well in the pine trees, Lick & Taffey hunted together the last
              hour
                                 last year's calendar info (2004-5)  
                         Career Day - dog trainer seminar at Albany Schools
                                     February 9th (three sessions for students - take Taffey)
                                     Taffey was a big hit!
                         Blonhaven Hunt Club
                         Guided hunts fall/winter 2004-5 - 18
                         "Euro" shoots attended - 8     
  Mar 11 day off
  Mar 12 see Kooly's training session - Taffey ran all four marks fine
  Mar 13-17 one mark and a blind on the 16th, but pretty much backed way off
              with her, focus on eventually breeding letting her "chill"
  Mar 18 day off
  Mar 19  Stickmen Training Day (Link) 
  Mar 20-21 off
  Mar 22 had an appointment with vet to do some checking for any reasons Taffey is not
             coming in heat, but this morning she came in heat !!!
  Mar 23-25 wait for trip to Kansas for surgical implant
  Mar 26 Abilene, Kansas at 8:00 am