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The Labrador Duck was a beautiful black and white type of sea duck considered the first species of North American birds to go extinct during modern times. The last Labrador Duck to be hunted was shot in 1878 in Elmira,  New York . It is presumed that the species went extinct shortly after.  The loss of the Labrador duck is not your typical ecological warning about the dangers of over-harvesting, m...

The English Setter was America’s first bird dog. And rightly so; they’re known for being incredible hunting partners regardless of the terrain or quarry. As a result, they have a long history in North America, and evidence of that can be found in classic upland bird hunting texts like  The Upland Shooting Life  by George Bird Evans. However, this  dog breed  was originally developed across the Atl...

Nowadays, when we think of duck hunting, we imagine scenes of wing-shooting  mallards  in a marsh or stubble field. However, before the invention of firearms, ducks were not shot on the wing. They were caught with snares, shot with a bow and arrow or driven into nets. Eventually, techniques were even developed to lure ducks into cages. So for centuries before the invention of the modern shotgun, t...

I grew up during what appears today to be the stone age of upland hunting. It’s hard to believe we could simply throw on a bell and go out hunting. Admittedly, there were plenty of frustrating days when the dogs were having a really good time without us. It was just part of the gig back then. We talked to our dogs a lot, constantly commanding to keep them close and if possible, correcting what we...

When it comes to evaluating  hunting dogs —whether for breeding purposes or bragging rights—the methods and philosophies are as varied as hunters themselves. What constitutes a “good” hunting dog, and whose opinion counts? One hunter’s ideal dog could be a terrible match for someone else’s style, and vice versa.  Non-competitive hunt tests came about as an attempt to standardize the evaluation of...

The sinkbox was effective for  waterfowl hunting  because it was flush with the water’s surface and nearly invisible ducks and geese, particularly to the low approach of  diving ducks . Its popularity began early, three decades before the Civil War, and it remained a waterfowling tool for over a hundred years. Originating on the North Atlantic Seaboard, its use eventually encompassed all the East...

As a new owner of a  versatile hunting dog , you’ve probably been asked about running in a natural ability or puppy hunt test. Some breeders may request or require that puppy buyers run in a test, while other owners may stumble into the puppy test through local club chapters such as  NAVHDA  or AKC. For owners of the German-registered breeds—such as the  Deutsch Drahthaar ,  Deutsch Kurzhaar , Deu...

I have a penchant for watching the weather. My childhood home had a large glass sliding door. It looked west across an open prairie for nearly a mile, and I would stare intently out as spring storms rolled in. My parents called for me to hide under the stairs the entire time, but I just couldn’t get enough. I still can’t, and I love to look at extended forecasts and predicted weather patterns. But...

The Superposed was the last gun designed by John Browning, according to Ned Schwing’s opus, which is aptly titled  The Browning Superposed: John M. Browning’s Last Legacy . Browning was an engineering genius, with many of his designs still in production today. His vision for this particular gun was for it to be a high quality but affordable shotgun, especially considering the price of European ove...

Water spaniels are but a vestige of what they once were. Originally developed in the British Isles for waterfowl retrieving, today only three breeds remain. The American Water Spaniel and its close cousin, the  Boykin , are joined by the  Irish Water Spaniel  as remnants of what was once a broad spectrum of water dogs.  The origin of water spaniels can be traced to Great Britain. Similar dogs were...

The two little hounds are whining loudly and scratching at the metal kennel doors. We had just pulled off the road down an overgrown two-track on a mostly forgotten plot of public land. It’s early December and most of the deer hunters have ended their season, so this little piece of paradise is all ours. Struggling to strap the  GPS collars  on the squirming beagles, I grab my single shot .410.  I...

The long-awaited   Pointing Dogs Volume Two : The English and Irish Breeds  by  Craig Koshyk  has finally hit shelves. Inside, readers can explore in-depth information about Pointers, setters, and the overall development of bird dogs across the pond. Koshyk features an entire chapter about Irish Red Setters alone; let’s take a peek inside. It’s believed that Irish Setters are perhaps the oldest br...

“Why on earth would anyone want to hunt crows?” I often get asked that question when people learn that I am an avid crow hunter during the whitetail off-season. Many hunters wonder whether or not  American crow  hunting is worth their time and if there is any benefit to it. My short answer to that is “Yes, absolutely!” But why? How is crow hunting beneficial and why should hunters spend their time...

Sprinkled here and there throughout the sporting literature of the 19th century are references to Russian Setters. Despite the references and the fact that there were a number of dogs listed as Russian Setters entered into studbooks in England and the U.S., such a breed never actually existed. Be that as it may, for a while, sportsmen did breed and hunt over dogs that they called Russian Setters....

As dog owners, we have all heard of bloat, twisted stomach, or, as your veterinarian would say, GDV. GDV stands for gastric dilatation-volvulus. This urgent medical condition occurs when a dog’s stomach fills with gas, food, or fluid and twists. This condition develops with almost no warning, can progress rapidly, and is always an emergency. Remember that “bloat” doesn’t always indicate a twisted...

The Florida Everglades represents a unique ecosystem not presently found anywhere else in the world. The subtropical wetland is the largest ecosystem in North America, a natural habitat for a diversity of species you won’t see anywhere else: countless aquatic birds; numerous endangered species such as the manatee, Florida panther, and American crocodile; and a slew of mammals that have been untouc...

The process of fitting a gun to a person and its underlying principles have, at times, been made to seem mysterious and even alchemic. As a custom stock maker and gunsmith, gunfitting is rather simple. Gunfitting is a necessary and integral part of making a custom stock for a client. It also provides the required stock dimensions for altering a client’s existing guns to fit better.   Gunfitting th...

Kids and dogs. It’s a timeless combination. Humans have had an inexplicable connection to “man’s best friend”  dating back as far as 20,000 years, according to scientific evidence revealing when domestication of wild canids began . Social media, online games, cell phones, and whatever comes next will not break that bond, though it may lie dormant at times. Let’s narrow it down to kids and sporting...

This gun has versatility and reliability for the price. That above all is why I would recommend it to any new hunter out there. This is not a specialty shotgun, but when used correctly it can be good at anything to which it is applied. If it were a  gun dog , it would certainly fall into the  versatile breed  category. The  interchangeable chokes , standard since 1986, will allow you to explore va...

Each hunting season, I can be found trudging across  public land  in  Missouri  and  Kansas  in pursuit of my favorite game bird:  bobwhite quail . Anyone who has ever had a covey rise from beneath their feet can attest to the distinct sound made by the explosion of these small brown and white birds. It’s a sound I’ve heard hundreds, maybe thousands of times, but it never gets old. For some hunter...

The Farm Bill includes the most significant investment in conservation we make as a nation. Whether we hunt on private or public land, bird hunters recognize that management on private farms, ranches, and forests directly impacts bird habitat and hunting opportunities more broadly. Because of that, groups like the  Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP)  and our partners put great effo...

Chances are, if you’re reading this during the holiday gift-buying season, someone special has a  sous vide  on his or her wish list. Let me answer the question that you’re asking yourself: Is a sous vide worth the investment? A sous vide is a must-own kitchen appliance for any hunter who brings home a bird or three, or even big game.  Let’s explore why you should add this culinary device to your...

When hunting solo on a large expanse of CRP, time-tested logic will tell you to “hunt the edge.” Pheasants are birds of edge habitat . Roosters are likely to be hiding right where tall grass adjoins a picked corn field. So when faced with a daunting quarter-section of native grass one should skirt the edge, right? Not this day, my friend! Read more at projectupland.com .

Duck blinds are both simple and complicated. They represent a combination of utility and magic, providing function in the field while also facilitating tradition among duck hunters. At its core, a  duck blind  is a tool made to hide the duck hunter, the duck dog, and the tools of waterfowlers during the hunt. First and foremost, concealment from the wary eyes of passing ducks is absolutely critica...

There are several locations where hunters can experience a multi-species outing in one day. Sometimes, hunters encounter multiple species in a single field.  Pheasants  and  bobwhite quail  are frequently placed in the same game bag during a single walk.  Woodcock  and  ruffed grouse  are probably the most common combination. But there is one combination that I have always found intriguing:  great...