One of the reasons I've stayed with spaniels, although I've considered other flavors of hunting dog, is that they are so versatile...not versatile enough to be in the NAVHDA ( and not that I'm bitter, but it's because they don't point). Having had the opportunity to train with some of those folks, I don't hold that against them! Mostly people that love dogs, that love working and training their dogs, don't care what flavor you bring so long as you bring dedication.
To the point...it's not rabbit season. It's spring and the rabbits are...breeding like rabbits. Combining this with the record woodcock return migration and this has been a very good year to be a puppy and have a puppy to train.
Between mixo and the simple fact that EVERYTHING eats a rabbits, there's an ebb and flow regarding rabbit populations. From what I've seen, it seems to be a 3 year cycle; but that's so unscientific a conjecture that it really only rises to the level of "maybe".
I am not seeing the number of raptors I was and I AM seeing more rabbits than I was. Make of that what you will...it's a situation like 'which came first: chicken/egg' I'm sure.
I do wish there were more on my lease but I'm hopeful it won't be long before they find all the brush piles from the latest timber-thinning and get busy doing their business of being rabbits. In the meantime I'll do my part and continue to cull predators as I can.
The latest was a 4 1/2' rattler found on the closing day of turkey season. No pic as it was night so you'll have to just imagine a smoking 870 barrel and a rattler with no head.
In the meantime I try to get the pups on the areas where I know there are rabbits.
No flushes in this vid and don't judge my videography too harshly:
To the point...it's not rabbit season. It's spring and the rabbits are...breeding like rabbits. Combining this with the record woodcock return migration and this has been a very good year to be a puppy and have a puppy to train.
Between mixo and the simple fact that EVERYTHING eats a rabbits, there's an ebb and flow regarding rabbit populations. From what I've seen, it seems to be a 3 year cycle; but that's so unscientific a conjecture that it really only rises to the level of "maybe".
I am not seeing the number of raptors I was and I AM seeing more rabbits than I was. Make of that what you will...it's a situation like 'which came first: chicken/egg' I'm sure.
I do wish there were more on my lease but I'm hopeful it won't be long before they find all the brush piles from the latest timber-thinning and get busy doing their business of being rabbits. In the meantime I'll do my part and continue to cull predators as I can.
The latest was a 4 1/2' rattler found on the closing day of turkey season. No pic as it was night so you'll have to just imagine a smoking 870 barrel and a rattler with no head.
In the meantime I try to get the pups on the areas where I know there are rabbits.
No flushes in this vid and don't judge my videography too harshly:
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