Bluestem Kennels

Coon Picante

January 26, 2012

Charity Upchurch Uncategorized Leave a comment

As any reader of this blog may ascertain, versatility in the field is an attribute that I admire. Yes, the purity of working a quail off a point defines refinement and poise. However, witnessing a dog hammer a gritty furbearer plays to primal instincts. There is something about uncertainty and perhaps a little fear that makes one’s senses buzz harder than any other expirience.

My hunt last weekend covered these bases from soup to nuts.

The day started out as many. A few bird hunters rising early, linking up and embarking on a reasonable jaunt into the hinterland of Nebraska. We had access to a friend’s beautiful family farm that is a combination of crop and CRP. Regardless of what you hear, our farmers really do care about the land. The farm we hunted on Saturday could easily be pulled out of the CRP program, but Marv’s father enjoys ecological diversity. He has invested the time, energy and foregone income into insure that his place has the complexity to support wildlife. We were the fortunate beneficiaries of this truly conservation-minded attitude.

Our first push resulted in some great dog work, with points and all the excitement that goes along with them. This time they were all hens. No complaints here. It is heartening to know that next year holds promise.

As we worked through the final patches of cover on this side of the farm, the dogs demeanor changed and they became “wolfy”. There was a clump of very thick grass that border the corn that drew them in like a magnet. They buzzed into this area and semi-locked up, high headed and intense in a way that feathers can’t elicit. After a season of hunting, I knew this wasn’t a bird. Sam pushed into the vegetation and immediately squared his haunches. Now any bird hunter gets a lump in his throat when he sees this….please don’t let it be a skunk! Fortunately, it wasn’t. I’d like to think that after a particular encounter with Mr. Stinker, my lead dog has learned his lesson.

Sam lunged forward, them sprang back revealing a very irate coon. Pissed off coons have a specific screech that makes the hair on your neck stand up despite the fact that you may be packing enough heat to end things quickly. I urged both dogs to engage…and it didn’t take much from me to convince Sam and BB to set on this “mini-bear” like he had insulted their mother. After the initial round of thrashing, the coon rolled on his back, giving him more opportunities to scratch and bite his canine aggressors. BB, a 10 month pup, thrown off by this tactic, but Sam was only stimulated.

Wirehaired Pointing Griffon with raccoon

Sam and BB engage with the raccoon

The two mortal enemies went at it again. Worried that my best friend was getting more than he was giving convinced me to step in and give the coon a stomp. I did just that and Sam took full advantage of the distraction. Before the coon could square up for another round of biting and scratching, Sam grabbed him by the throat and neck. The “death shake” commenced. Sam whipped Mr. Nest Raider around enough to completely incapacited the varmit. When he was done, the unfortunate furbearer was out of commision for good. A quick slice of the coon’s throat from my Leatherman ended the encounter permanently.

Wirehaired Pointing Griffon fighting raccoon

Sam takes on the raccoon

Sam thrashes the raccoon

From that point, we moved on in search of more game. Our efforts were rewarded soon afterwards in the form of a solid point by BB and Sam that resulted in a nice rooster. Back to the “purity” of bird hunting.

Wirehaired Pointing Griffon pheasant and raccoon

Charles and Sam with the raccoon and rooster. Photo by Ira Hughey

We moved on and hunted for another 45 minutes before deciding to move back towards the vehicles and lunch. On our way back we moved a covey of quail which warranted a quick tromp through a brushy waterway looking for singles. This effort was rewarded with a set of very staunch points by the dogs and a quail in the bag for my friend, Ira.

After a nice lunch of beef soup and a grilled cheese in the nearest town’s only full-service watering hole, we hit a couple of other spots with no results other than strained tendons.

The day ended with the sweet satifaction of watching versatile dogs, in the fullest continental sense of the term, do what they were truly designed to do….point birds and engage fur.

Hunting is what you make of it.

And coon picante is on the menu at the home of the Versatile Hunter.

Use Enough Gun and Watch Where You Aim That Thing

January 18, 2012

Charity Upchurch Uncategorized Hunting Nebraska, Pheasant Hunting, Quail, SKB Shotguns, Southeastern Nebraska 2 Comments

Robert Ruark knew what he was talking about when wrote the seminal piece on big-game hunting in Africa, Use Enough Gun. Sure, you can kill tough game with light rounds, but if you want to consistently be successful in difficult situations, you need to use enough gun in order to get the job done.

While late season birdhunting in pheasant country isn’t the same as stalking the plains of Tanzania, it is a demanding business. Roosters are well educated and aren’t going to wait around to see if quartering dogs and approaching humans are out for stroll, they are going to run and break long. These birds are up early and rarely relax on the roost 30 minutes after sunrise unless the weather is foul. And by foul, I mean bone chilling cold with snow piled around them . I know this, but for some reason I thought I would be clever on my January 16^th outing and carry a 20 gauge. The allure of carrying a gun that is light, some decent shooting during the season on my part and the fact that we were heading into country where we were more likely to see quail than pheasant convinced me that I could get by without my trusty SKB 12 gauge. That decision might have also been influenced by 2 days of heavy labor digging out a terrace for a new dog kennel . Sore shoulders can certainly sing a siren song.

Whatever my motivations might have been, the decision was made and I headed out early with 2 griffs and a great birdhunting partner. As we approached the area we were going to push first, a covey of quail scurried across the ditch. I patted myself on the back for having the foresight to save my sore arms the trouble of carrying the 12 gauge.

We started in a CRP field bordering a cut corn field. Definitely a promising spot for birds. The dogs went to work, but it was obvious early on that they were on a pheasant. They moved quickly and pushed hard through a patch of sunflower that had to be 10 feet tall. No covey on the planet moves like a rooster looking to see what is happening on the other side of the county. My partner and I kept pace and as we approached the end of the field a big gaudy ditch chicken broke out past the 40 yard mark. It is amazing how such a big bird can blast out of heavy cover and move when he has a reason. Needless to say, this crossing shot was not to be had. By the time I gathered myself for the shot, he was moving at top speed and 50 yards away. Undergunned for that one. With that defeat under our belts, Matt and I headed to the next field.

The next field was considerable larger and we worked the edges where the CRP met the corn. While the dogs covered ground and indicated that birds had been there, nothing was seen. As we came to the end of the field we made the determination that this place was vacated. This was public land and there was every reason to believe that we were too late. Well, you know what they say about assumptions. With no birds and no birdy dogs, I decided to add to the soil’s moisture profile. About the time I was ready to commence relief, my partner’s shotgun barked and a lone quail sailed onto the bordering private ground. Quickly I collected myself and walked over to him. “Did you see any others?” I asked.

“Nope,” he responded. We stood there a few minutes scratching our heads. I call the dogs over but they didn’t really hit on anything. Now the wind was against us and it was a dry morning, so I’ll give them a pass. But as I stepped into the brush and resumed my efforts at irrigation, that lone quail’s covey mates boiled up around me just when I was really getting going. Guess I need to be more careful where I aim that thing.

With the shotgun broken over my shoulder and the fact that I was a bit exposed, my chance at a shot was handicapped to say the least. Missed again and this time my red face had less to do with my shooting than it did with my particular position for the shot. We moved on to the next field. These birds had been traumatized enough.

The following spot we hit was less promising, but there was a brushy creek weaving through corn, so it couldn’t be passed up. As we shuffled along, I noticed a little finger of cover weaving up an old waterway in the middle of the corn. Matt and I changed course and the dogs closed in on it. Immediately Sam locked up on the one spot of brush in this patch. BB came up behind him and locked up as well. Matt and I closed in quickly. As if out of a hunting show, we walked in on the point and a nice covey broke. This time everything worked out and I made a nice shot on a bobwhite. The covey headed for thick cover and we followed. We put up a few more, but they were in thick enough stuff that neither of us a shot.

My lone quail, with Sam and BB

The day progressed and after a late lunch, we hit one last field where we had a score to settle with a particularly wily rooster. This 80 acre piece was all CRP, with brush along the borders. We worked the entire piece and had some nice dog work on a hen. As we approached the last clump of plum brush, the dogs put up another hen. After Matt and I watched her sail away, we took about 4 more steps….now you know what happened next. Our wily adversary broke cover at 50 yards flying faster than any bird should naturally move. Undergunned again. I might have had a chance with a fast moving 1 ¼ ounce load of 4’s out of an improved modified choke, but my fateful decision at the beginning of this trip sealed my fate.

What did I learn from this trip? Always trust the advice Robert Ruark when it comes to hunting tough game and don’t take a leak in the spot where a lone quail flushes.

First breeding of year complete!

January 13, 2012

Charity Upchurch Bird Dog Training, Kennel Update, Pedigree Profiles, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Dog Training, Gun Dog, Hunting Dogs, Korthals Griffon, Nebraska Pheasant Hunting, Nebraska Sandhills, Puppies, Puppies from Hunting Parents, Sharptail Grouse Hunting, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Puppies, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons 1 Comment

We are pleased to announce that our first breeding of the year is complete between our 3 year old male, Sam, and our new 5 year old female, Mae. Sue was anticipated to come into season first, but Mae surprised us. Mae and Sam bred from January 9-11, therefore pups are expected March 13-15. Hey game birds, “Beware of the Ides of March!”, new hunting puppies will be here!

Hunting photos of Sam can be found on our “About Us” page (I have yet to load this season’s, but they can be found on the individual blog posts containing the hunting tales on bluestemkennels.com [pre-10/01/2011] and versatilehunter.com [10/01/2011-present]). His pedigree is a link at the bottom of the “About Us” page.

Mae came into our home on December 3, 2011 from That’s My Point Kennels in Wheatland, ND where she had successfully whelped and nursed 3 previous litters and was known as “Aspen” http://www.tmpkennels.com/ As you can see from the previous owner’s website, she was raised with young children. At the age of one, she successfully scored a Prize II on her Natural Ability Test from the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA).

Mae’s Natural Ability Test Results

Her AKC/NAVHDA pedigrees also spoke of her potential for us. Her sire, Marquis Georgeous George hails from French import blood and the prestigious Herrenhausen kennel. Barbara Young of Herrenhausen is an AKC and International Conformation Judge, therefore she knows and breeds good dogs. The dam, Full of Grace, is out of the famed Fireside blood. Fireside’s Spontaneous Combustion won 3rd place in the sporting group at Westminster last year and was the first Wirehaired Pointing Griffon ever to place at WKC.

Mae’s AKC Pedigree

The hunt testing results and the strong conformation background in the pedigree drew me to “Aspen”. She was the Butcher family’s companion in the home and field, therefore even though I was nervous about bringing a new member into our pack, I thought that these things put together boded well for “Aspen” being a good match for us and our breeding program.

I made the following YouTube video this morning of all my dogs running in the yard, just as a visual reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSb7jdZXPz8

Mae has thrived in our home and in the field. Not even a week after bringing her home, we had her out on planted hen pheasants for training:

(Click on any of the photos to see a larger version)

Mae working the field on December 9, 2011

One of Mae’s points 12/09/2011

Another point on 12/09/2011

Charles walks into Mae’s point

Mae retrieves on 12/09/2011

After our first training day with planted birds in a controlled environment, we felt comfortable enough to use Mae to assist in guiding at Pheasant Haven right before Christmas.

Sam (front) and Mae (back) with the hunters on 12/22/2011

Sam, myself and Mae guided a hunt on 12/23/2011 also

The afternoon following the December 23rd preserve hunt, we were on the road for the Sandhills where we busted up some cattails with the whole gang, Mae included, on Christmas Eve:

Mae on the left, with the rest of the pack, Charles, and the Christmas Eve Sandhills pheasant

Charles and all four dogs on the dunes

We spent a couple of hours on Christmas Day chasing grouse with Mae and the rest of the pack, but didn’t find any. We’ll be back for them in September!

Our last outing was on January 2nd with some chukar and quail from a game farm that we had never used before and wanted to try out. It is important for newer dogs to get individual training attention when they are usually braced (in pairs) or ran as a pack.

One of Mae’s points on 01/02/2012

Charles shoots one of the chukars over Mae on 01/02/2012

Charles walking into one of Mae’s points 01/02/2012

Closeup of Mae’s point that Charles was walking into

Double chukar flush over Mae and Charles 01/02/2012

Mae had more than one retrieve on 01/02/2012, but this was the only photo that turned out well

Even though we’ve only had Mae a limited time, we are confident in her ability to produce quality puppies for our kennel and contribute to our development of the breed.

I will close with a picture of the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon breed’s founder Edward Korthals. This was taken in 1891 when he was presented the German Kaiser’s award for breeding. I use this photograph as guide for the dogs that I will continue working to create. Mae fits into this perfectly.

Korthals and his prize specimens

To reserve a puppy from one of our spring 2012 litters, please call (402) 682-9802 or e-mail bluestemkennels@cox.net

A New Year’s Training Day

January 6, 2012

Charity Upchurch Bird Dog Training, Kennel Update Bird Hunting, Chukar Partridge, Dog Training, Gun Dog, Hunting Dogs, Korthals Griffon, Quail, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons 2 Comments

Sunday afternoon we ventured to Country Lane Game Breeders in Dwight, Nebraska and picked up some quail and chukar partridge. It was a longer drive than we usually take to buy training birds, but it took us down some Nebraska highways that we haven’t been down before.

Monday morning we set out with our two oldest children, 10 year-old Cordelia and 7 year-old Conrad, to plant some birds and get some one-on-one work with 10 month-old “BB” and 5 year old (but just finished her first month with us) “Mae”.

(Author’s Note: Please click on any of the photos to see a larger version)

Conrad and Cordelia were troopers on a cold, windy day

Charles takes down a quail in front of BB

BB retrieves the quail

Charles takes the retrieve from BB

Charles walks into BB pointing a chukar

Charles takes aim

BB retrieves the chukar

Mae on point

Charles walks in for the flush and shoots the chukar

Mae on retrieve

Charles walking into Mae's point from the side

Closeup of the same point by Mae

A surprise double flush (see the second bird getting up behind Charles?)!

Mae bringing in the retrieve

We started at the field around 10 AM and the kids lasted on the march (without a lunch even) until 1:30 PM. Charles and Mae stayed out another hour after we returned to the truck and picked up some more birds out of the woods. Monday night we dined on chukar/quail chili and Tuesday night was chukar/quail pot pie. Important work for the dogs and delicious meals to boot!

Charles is talking about taking Sue and Sam back to our training field this weekend to clean up the escapees, but other than that we are looking forward to a slow weekend around the house after the holidays and before the last push of wild bird hunting in Nebraska for the season, ending January 31st.

Hard Hunting: Sandhills Pheasant

December 27, 2011

Charity Upchurch Uncategorized grouse hunting, Hunting Nebraska, Nebraska Sandhills, Pheasant Hunting Leave a comment

Late season hunting is always hard, or at least harder than those magic days in October. The birds are educated and the dogs have to work through thinner, drier cover. You walk the same coverts, but the results are not the same.

My partner for this hunt was Charity. She’s my wife and one of the most dedicated “field agents” out there. One has fewer friends when the days get shorter and the walks get longer. You need these people if serious bird hunting is your game.

My wife Charity and our dogs Sam and Mae after guiding a hunt on Friday the 22nd

We set out on Christmas Eve with the Yule-tide hope of Sandhills pheasants. These are a different flock of bird. They are miles away of any cornfield. In fact, they have never seen a plowed acre. Nor have they ever dined on any plot of land disturbed by man. Food plots are foreign to them. These birds eke out a living on the edges of wetlands and fill their crops on the particulate matter of swamps, bugs and wild-sunflower seeds. While these birds are not robust by pheasant standards, they are wild. Very wild. They survive in a niche no sharp-tail would tolerate and no prairie chicken would accept. If one were to transverse the wilds of Eurasia their cousins would be waiting, but only briefly.

Our first push circumnavigated a popular duck hunting marsh in north-central Nebraska. I’ve sat in a duck blind here, only to have a rooster stalk me and cackle “good-morning”.

Working the frozen marsh

However, today they were sparse to the point of nonexistent. With Sam and Mae we covered every likely haunt with no results. Aside from some good dog work and a flush from a hen that was impressive in her strength and speed out of cattails that were thick as any mess you’ve ever seen or waded through, we got nothing but a good workout from this endeavor.

We moved on to another spot after crossing a frozen lake that, while populated by ice fishermen, was eerie. Moaning, popping ice is not fun to cross. But after walking 3 miles through semi-marsh, you take the most direct path to the truck if the opportunity presents itself.

Crossing the ice

Our next push was easy at first and very obvious. A strip of willows through a frozen marsh, with hawks cruising the area, can only mean birds. We dropped all four dogs. They pushed to the west and as we approached the edge of the frozen lake this slough fed, birds began to break. At first it was two hens, but then a rooster broke cover. He cleared us, but his friend wasn’t so lucky. Rooster #1 sailed a quarter mile away. His partner was stopped cold by a load of steel 4’s. After the retrieve, Charity and I swung the line by 180 degrees and followed the first legal bird of the day. This time the wind was at our backs, so the dogs had to shift their game. The ranged out and worked back to us through the thigh high sedges and cattails. We pushed a half mile, but this bird was not to be shot. He broke and sailed onto a private piece of ground.

A hard-fought Sandhills pheasant

Christmas afternoon we returned to the same spot, but decided to hit the dunes for grouse.

Searching the dunes for grouse

Over two hours we covered four miles, saw deer and a coyote, but no birds presented themselves. It was a beautiful afternoon. Clear skies and 50 degrees days in late December can’t be ignored.

Hard hunting is what it is.

Unexpected Fun

December 21, 2011

Charity Upchurch Uncategorized Hunting Nebraska, Pheasant Hunting, SKB Shotguns, Southeastern Nebraska 1 Comment

BB, Sam and I had a great morning!

Sometimes your best times in the field are completely unplanned. Last Saturday was a striking example of that semi-accurate truism.

The events that led up to one of my most pleasant Nebraska bird hunting surprises were set in motion earlier in the week when a fellow abuser of boot-leather (aka a Southeastern Nebraska pheasant hunter) approached me about joining him on a piece a private ground he had access to. Never being one to pass up access, but being of a careful nature when it comes to such unexpected good fortune, I asked a few questions. Specifically, how many other hunters would be joining us and are there any quail in the area? When he replied “None” and “We always see a covey or two”, I committed.

We met at my place well before sunrise the following Saturday, loaded up the dogs and made our way south into what is considered the worst pheasant country in NE. While this is considered the worst for large colorful roosters, it is decent quail country, if you can find coveys that have not been over-shot.

As the sun rose and legal shooting time came and went, we came upon a piece of CRP-MAP ground that looked as prime as any Dakota field. Despite having all the appearances of prime potential, fields such as this have disappointed in the past, but we decided to work this particular one anyway.

We exited the vehicle in a hushed manner. Any rooster in these parts knows that slamming car doors, big talking and sound of dogs means trouble. Within 5 minutes I saw Sam get birdy and start working his way to the waterway in-front of us. Liking the look of things, we picked up the pace and moved towards the dog who was already locking up. As we approached, a rooster flushed in my direction, crossing my line of fire at less than 30 yards. What?! That never happens in these parts. One expects to walk at least 3 hours and have flushes at a minimum of 60 yards this time of year. My partner’s discharging gun snapped me back into focus and I quickly ended this bird’s plan of escape with a round of 6’s.

The next bird was rousted in a very similar fashion as we approached the next waterway. This time Sam worked the bird, which made the mistake of heading my way. BB was also birdy and ended this bird’s escape plans. Again I was surprised to see a rooster emerge from the giant ragweed and fly in my direction. He too was dropped within 30 yards and BB moved in to make the retrieve. Seeing this made me very happy. Relative to her size, lugging an adult rooster was an accomplishment.

We moved on and put up a few hens off points, which is fun and good practice for the dogs. As we made our way along the perimeter of the field, Sam became quite interested in yet another waterway and the rest of us happily followed his lead. We were all frankly giddy with 2 birds in the bag in 30 minutes. My partner Matt and I straddled the waterway and followed it downhill. As we got to a point where it flattened out, both dogs became intense and went to work on a thick clump of sunflower. Jackpot, another rooster made the mistake flying into my line of fire, albeit behind me. My partner and I both hesitated a moment as we turned for the shot, as any shot that requires spinning around requires attention paid to one’s companions. The rooster was now directly in-front of me and the bead of my SKB. Seconds later he was in Sam’s mouth, making his way over to my game bag.

Matt and I stood there very surprised that we had taken 3 roosters out of a public field, in Southeastern Nebraska after 40 minutes in the field. The dogs made it happen, but the Hunting Gods obviously smiled on us.

We went on to bust a decent covey of quail, which broke a 2 year dry spell for me. What a morning!

: The lone quail of the day

Later that day we moved on to the private ground and saw precious little. The long breaking rooster toyed with us, but that was it. I guess those unexpected successes in the field truly are the best.

Late Season Update

December 16, 2011

Charity Upchurch Bird Dog Training Dog Training, Pheasant Hunting, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Leave a comment

BB in the snow

Now nine months old, BB has been getting plenty of wild bird exposure this season with the pack, but last week it was time to finish her solo training. When hunting in the pack setting, it is difficult for her to get a chance to retrieve with the older, more experienced dogs present. We planted a couple of hen pheasants for her to practice on at the local dog training wildlife management area.

Charles walks into BB’s first point of the day

BB looking good on retrieve

A stylish point from BB

On the flush

BB looking intense on retrieve

BB has done a fabulous job maturing into a hunting animal quickly. The most important part of successfully raising a hunting Wirehaired Pointing Griffon puppy is giving them the exposure they need to tap into their natural instincts. BB has had plenty of practice at home with basic obedience and yard work on fetching dokkens, but the majority of her hunt training has been simple exposure to situations with plenty of bird action.

Soon we will be introducing her to working as a guide dog in the hunting preserve setting, which will be an exciting addition to her experience in the field.

Sue and Sam

Our flagship working dogs have been very busy at the preserve guiding hunts. Charles has been doing all of the guide work up with me assisting, but the volume of weekday hunts has reached a point to where I will now be taking care of the weekday guiding duties.

November 24, 2011

November 25, 2011

December 1, 2011

Morning, December 10, 2011

Afternoon, December 10, 2011

December 11, 2011

Mae

Mae (AKC/NAVHDA Little Lady Aspen) is a five year old female Wirehaired Pointing Griffon who now lives in our home and kennel. She has definitely become a member of the pack and family! I will provide more information on Mae’s background and training in a future post. Welcome to Bluestem Kennels, Mae!

Mae on the move

Upcoming Events

Charles is invited to hunt some private land in Southeastern Nebraska this Saturday and currently the plan is for Sam and BB to work the fields that day. The week before Christmas, Charity and the dogs are on call at the preserve to guide a few hunts and Christmas weekend will be a Sandhills wild bird all-pack hunt. That takes us into the last month of wild bird hunting in Nebraska, with our season closing goals being to fill at least one (each hunter gets 3 annually) of our Eastern Nebraska Prairie Chicken tags and to bag some quail. We’ll be guiding during preserve season until March 31st, so the game isn’t up for us just yet.

We anticipate Sue coming into her breeding season sometime in February, so a few weeks into her pregnancy she’ll be taken out of the hunting circuit and it will be time for BB to step in. Plenty to look forward to in the coming months!

Happy Holidays and Happy Hunting from Bluestem Kennels!

The Stay-At-Home Wingshooter

November 27, 2011

Charity Upchurch Uncategorized Pheasant Bonanza, Pheasant Haven, pheasant preserves, pointing dog journal, quail unlimited, shooting preserve management Leave a comment

Charles and the dogs guided a father, son and daughter on Wednesday

The area outlying the Omaha metro may not be blessed with the best wild pheasant numbers, but there are some fine preserves to enjoy the fresh air, sunshine and shooting. For the past year, Charles and the dogs have been lucky enough to guide hunts for Pheasant Haven Hunting Acres http://www.pheasanthavenlodge.com/ just to the west of Omaha’s Elkhorn neighborhood, in Elk City.

As Steve Smith so eloquently stated in his article “The Semi-Traveling Wingshooter” in the September/October 2011 issue of Pointing Dog Journal:

We owe it to the dog, after all, because he doesn’t care. He’ll get as much satisfaction out of pointing a preserve pheasant as he will cornering a running Nebraska ringneck; the released bobwhite he nails will stir his soul like a dozen-bird Kansas covey. That dog doesn’t look down his nose at anything. He’s just happy to be out there obeying the commands shouted into his ear by his chromosomes.

A father and son team took to the field Thanksgiving morning

Preserve experiences cannot completely replace wild bird hunting for die-hards, but for many urban/suburbanites who want a pleasant morning or afternoon close to home with guaranteed flushes, the preserve experience is perfect.

Pheasant Bonanza http://www.pheasantbonanza.com/ is about an hour and a half north of the metro and was featured in this year’s production of Scott Linden’s Wingshooting USA television show. The episode has yet to air, but here is the blog post covering his visit: http://scottlindenoutdoors.com/2011/10/19/pheasant-bonanza-yes-it-is/

For those poor souls living outside of the wild pheasant zone, preserve hunting may be the only reasonable chance at a rooster. The Aberdeen (S.D.) newspaper recently published an article about how out-of-state hunter numbers are way down this year, as the cost of gas and travel is prohibitive to many in the down economy. There is no shame in wanting quality time in the field close to home with your dogs or someone else’s.

“This is the vital role of the modern shooting preserve: to maintain a tradition of quality shooting wherever that tradition is fading under the onslaught of suburbia, and where the joy of dog and gun may otherwise be lost to tomorrow’s men.” — Winchester’s Conservation Department, Shooting Preserve Management (1967)

To locate a hunting preserve near you, visit Quail Unlimited’s comprehensive directory: http://www.qu.org/main/huntdir/huntdirectory.cfm

Pupdate: Roxy at 8 months

November 14, 2011

Charity Upchurch Puppy Update Gun Dog, Hunting Dogs, Korthals Griffon, Puppies, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Leave a comment

Randy from Utah took his 8 month old female pup “Roxy” from our 2011 “B” litter up to North Dakota for some pheasant hunting with great success! Thank you to Randy and Pam for sharing the photos!

Randy, Roxy and roosters!!

Roxy playing in the yard

Here are some recent photos of our seven and a half month old female, BB, out on opening day of Nebraska pheasant season on October 29th.

BB and Charity looking for birds. Photo courtesy of Ultimate Upland

BB on the run. Photo courtesy of Ultimate Upland

We’ve had some great hunting this year, make sure to check out our hunting blog at http://versatilehunter.com/.

A busy hunting season!

November 4, 2011

Charity Upchurch Uncategorized Leave a comment

We’ve been busy hunting with our griffons this season, please check our new hunting blog at http://versatilehunter.com/ for updates. You can also follow Versatile Hunter on Facebook and Twitter @VersatileHunter.

Why the change? Versatile Hunter takes the focus of the writing away from the dogs and on to the hunting, hoping to capture a new audience for our adventures. I’ll be sure to update Bluestem Kennels in the future with a summary focusing on the dogs’ performance hunting this year with some of the outtake photos that didn’t make it on to versatilehunter.com.

Bluestem Kennels will be the primary focus of my writing once we get into puppy season, so please stay tuned!