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With kids in sports I ended up buying a fair amount of UnderArmor over the years.  I started using it for hunting when I borrowed one of my oldest son’s cold weather gear turtlenecks one December and then later on a pair of cold weather gloves ended up in my bag.  Since then I’ve really become a fan.   Weather can change so quickly and I find their gear works as advertised.

You can check out their hunting specific gear here or via clicking the banner below.

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Apparently Wicks no longer is around or no longer makes chaps. I was looking for a new set and came across these lined chaps.

We had a pretty warm day to hunt and so the dogs got limited action, but all in all it was a nice hunt. Lots of finds and some great work by the dogs – that’s the entire point of going for me – some interesting displays of shooting skills, but that’s pretty much par for the course. I swear that the dogs look back at us and shake their heads sometimes.

Ruby:

I picked up a Bore Snake at Cabelas. I have to say its one of the best inventions for a quick cleaning of a shotgun at the end of a day. I’m not suggesting that it is a substitute for a thorough cleaning, but rather that its a great way to keep a gun clean during a hunting trip.

Its really simple to use, one run through the barrel and the shotgun is pretty well clean. I’ve seen folks use some Hoppes #9 on the end to loosen things up. Its great for in the field cleaning. Comes in several gauges and the best part is its washable – though I’d be sure not to washing any other clothing with it as the little brass brushes would surely make a mess out of them.

I picked up a new 20 gauge recently on the notion that my youngest is going to start hunting soon and he’ll need a gun of his own.  I was talking with some of the guys in the barber shop (yes that still happens!) and Bob, one of the barbers, was keen on Stoeger and the overall value.  I checked out some of the guns at Galyan’s and it seemed well made and light enough.  The Condor is made in Brazil by E.R.Amantino.   I went with the 26 inch barrel on this one.

Update:  So I took this gun grouse hunting and I really fell in love with it.  I have to say that I like shooting it as much, if not more, than my Beretta.  Maybe it’s because I’m getting older but I like the size and weight and I seem to hit what I want to.

We had a couple of fun hunts this year. The first was with a few guys from town at a place out in Dundee, Illinois at the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation. Pretty amazing place, a fun morning of hunting, patient guides.

A few week later we went out to the Sugar Grove, IL area and hunted at Millbrook, a private club. We were the guests of a dad who’s son played freshman football with my oldest. There were ten or so of us, some of which were somewhat inexperienced, but we had a fantastic time. Ruby ran well, my oldest shot safely and well as usual, and the hunt was a lot of fun.

I’ve run my Brittany in some trials and I’ve hunted her quite a bit. She spent a great summer with a professional trainer and really got to the point she needed to be for one years old. Whoa, steady point, hunting targets, honoring (well that still needs some work) , etc.

She’ll be going back for a second summer of training soon and I’ve some decisions to make on what I want the focus to be. I think she’s brilliant, but there’s only so much we can fit in her head.

Lots of folks want them to heel, be steady to the wing and shot, run big, etc. All those things are great if they fit the purpose for which you own the dog. If you trial, there are skills that are a necessity, if you don’t trial then my opinion is that it’s really up to you how to finish them.

For example, obedience trainers will want to teach a dog to sit. A hunting or trialing dog owner most likely won’t want to teach them to sit because the dog may slide out of a point and into a sitting position. Might not bother you, or might be that you want the dog to sit, but many will think its a bad choice. The point is, its your choice ultimately. My preference was that she NOT learn to sit. It just makes sense to me, how I hunt with her, and the fact that we enjoyed trialing for a while.

For me trialing was an interesting (and fun) experience, but I have three sons in competitive sports and the point of trialing was to give Ruby something to do when she wasn’t hunting with me, I don’t really have time for another child in competitive sports right now. Therefore, I’ll likely stop trialing because, for me, some of the skills she needs to be successful at it aren’t necessarily how I want her to hunt. Hunting is how she and I will spend most of our time.

We tend to hunt just the two of us a lot, in a lot of varied cover and conditions. So steady to the wing and shot, or running big doesn’t always work well and to trial well she needs to do both of those well (at least from my observations.) I’ve seen in the first year that she adapts well to the situation and my choice is going to be to focus on the hunting aspect and how she and I work together.

Now certainly I want her to honor other dogs points, its just good manners. Heeling is going to be useful not only in the field, but also when she’s at home and my wife walks her. The finer points I’m not going to worry about.

There’s an awful lot of opinions on how a dog should act, and all have their merit I’m sure, but remember its YOUR dog and how you want to work with it is really up to you. (That’s really not my original thought, it comes from talking to her trainer and listening to his philosophy.)

I’d say this though; if you have any interest in trialing to start off, you should definitely try it, just make sure you teach your dog the skills that will allow them to be successful at competing. Understand the rules of trialing and the expectations of a dogs behavior in a brace. If after time, you decide not to trial, these skills are still immensely useful, even in day to day life at home.

I treated myself to an early anniversary present and bought myself a Beretta Over-and-Under 12 gauge with a 28 inch barrel. I’ve always wanted an O/U and finally pulled the proverbial trigger. Black matte finish, a meat and potatoes sort of gun. Ok well, perhaps a New York Strip and Potatoes Lyonnaise at the price point, but not something I’ll be afraid to ding up a little in the field.

Update:  The gun is a very nice one.  It shoots well, I tend to shoot poorly.  My 14 year old son borrowed it for part of opening day and was hitting doubles when we shot some trap after lunch.  Got his first bird in the afternoon.    All in all a good day!

I found this great upland vest at Orvis. Oilskin cloth with just the right amount of orange. Pockets are roomy for shells and the main pockets have the traditional elasticized strips that hold about eight shells. Hand warmer pockets that I can stuff my gloves in or big enough to hold my collar remote. I think the material will age well.