Liza first grouse point

 Nov 26

+5C

light breeze

I was north of Rober's farm and walking a gravel road, Liza pointed the brush 

and 3-4 m from me came out grouse! She was nice and solid, I guess she came across air scent w/o trailing the ground scent so she didn't have a chance to bust it. Great job!

2023 WC season summary

 Early in the season it was very hot up to 27C, so we didn't hunt.

It was very dry all season.

I only hunted Robert's farm. Hunted the next property to the north (the big lake), as it was sold and there were no people there, except a few guys trespassing and fishing. Hunted there with Evan a couple of times. He shot a goose on the shore.

We put 15-17 birds there in under 2 hours.

Hunted Liza couple times, she limped harder after that, so I left her at home.

He lameness started around May, seems better now in the end of November, we'll see.

Took Ivy 1-2, she's really slow moving, no luck finding birds for her.

I think the most I shot in one day was 3 for a few outings.

Luna is a machine, she ranges (a bit too much early on and when hunted with Liza), finds birds and points steady.

Liza was pretty good, may be she could hold the point a bit longer.

Hard to say how many times I went out between early Oct and early November.

Evan seemed to enjoy it, didn't hit a bird (we hit a bird firing at the same time, may be it was him)

2021 woodcock season summary

 as posted on OOD

Looks like I hunted about 16 days and moved close to a 100 wc with 2-3 dogs on the ground (the old one stayed home half the time).
It was a good year in my books, but doesn't approach the one when we moved 250 wc with one dog, although about 50 of them were in one crazy, crazy day.

I went to Holland marsh twice. Went to Tiny 1-2 times didn't find any wc.

All other hunting was in Rob's place and it was good. Most of the time moved around 10 birds.

Missed a lot. Most I shot was 3, I think, still have plenty of birds in the freezer.

Dogs worked well.

I can't recall if I shot any from Ivy, but she did point something. She's sticking to me and sometimes I left her home. She's getting tired quickly, her legs are shaking a bit (like tired muscle), I first noticed it last year.

Luna is a machine, she ranges, finds birds, many more than Liza. She points well etc

Liza really hunted better this year. I hunted her alone a few times and she watches me, stays close, doesn't range far, but hold the point better. When she's with Luna, she's watching her and break point when I approach, but not close enough for a shot sometimes. May be it's jealousy/competition....

November 2020 - wc season

 It's been unusually warm fall and Liza pointed a wc a couple of days ago (Nov 16) on a morning walk at the 'new trail' in the hood.

She found 1-2 birds almost daily in November.

Overall the season hasn't been great. I made 2 trips to Tiny and found zero birds.

Other than that hunted Rob's farm and moved 4-9 birds most times.

I think I shot 2-3 birds on the best day.

Ivy pointed some which was nice and one was after LL run the area for a while and left.

Ivy was staunch, I hit the bird and Ivy picked it up. Good for her. She gave the bird to Liza when she ran back for the shot.

Luna finds birds.

Liza started to point, which is nice. She's not as steady as other dogs, but at least she's pointing.

Ivy stays close to me, but still finds some. Another bird she also found behind me after LL both ran forward.

June 2020 - wc, turkey, swimming

Liza pointed woodcock a few times, probably nesting birds or with a clutch.
She holds point until I say "Liza, what's there?" then she moves in and flushes.
Took her 3 years to become a bird dog!!!
She searches well, independently from Luna, who at almost 6 begins to slow down a bit.
Liza found and flushed a large flock of turkey chicks two days in a row at Kirby park on a hill.
There were at least 15 pigeon sizes chicks and two hens. They all fly. The first day Liza caught a chick, it was dead, so I dropped in on the trail and it was gone the next day, coyote must have picked it up. I took the dogs away, so they don't catch more chicks.
Liza swims a bit, she would swim not far from a shore just for fun. She swims after ducks and or a stick, no problem.

April 8 2020 - wc train

Kirby
windy
+10

Liza pointed very nicely, I approached from the front, she relocated when I said LIZA!
pointed again and flushed!!!

Luna pointed one as well.

March-April WC training, winter injuires.

Walking the dogs near the hours and in Kirby park
flushed a few single wc over the last few weeks.
Liza started to point. She pointed 3 wc so far and today was the record day -
she had 2 points, the second one was a double - wc and a rabbit.
2 more wc were bumped today, so a record day overall.

She lets me come pretty close, I tell her to stand while approaching.

Couple times she honored Luna's points very nicely.

Ivy didn't point any birds so far. She slowed down a lot, still enjoys going out, but stays close to me most of the time.

Liza had a metal "hook" in her right shoulder about a month ago, I took it out, flushed with a lot of water with a bit of povidine and stapled with one staple. I made the mistake of taking the staple out on day 7 and running her on Robert's farm, first she completely ripped the t-shirt she was wearing, by the end of the run the wound was a bit raw, but then I made the second, bigger mistake of leaving Luna and Liza in a crate for a while and I think Luna licked the wound completely open.
I decided not to staple again, it healed fine, but took more time and the scar is bigger.

In the winter both Luna had a broken nail it was bleeding pretty good.
Liza had a bleeding abrasion or cut on one pad. So had to rest both of them.

Found lump on Ivy's belly, Dr Seager said lipoma.
She wasn't eating well, the only thing in the blood work was high liver enzyme (AST or ALT?)
gave her Zentonil for 30 days, didn't repeat blood as it was a snow storm on the day.
She seems to be better, but slow to get up in the mornings, however eats her 2 cups per day of Royal Canine Satiety food. She looks pretty trim, the coat looks better.