 The newsletter of ... 
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From the blog: Is it a sign?
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I was beginning to wonder how the long, wet spring had affected hatch rates on our local valley quail population. For weeks, I'd been woken up
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Should I read anything into these signs?
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by their calls, from every direction around the house, and watched pairs coming for the water in our backyard. But no chicks.
Here's where it gets eerie: our monthly gabfest of guys was that night, and I was marinating some valley quail breasts taken from that dark corner of the U.S. I can't tell you more about. Buddy's turn to run, so the gate opens, he lights out, and ... vanishes! As I get clear of civilization, the telltale pitt-pitt of a panicked covey breaks the silence. Read more here. [Have you been to the blog? How about our FaceBook page? Discussion, videos, inspiring photos, controversy, useful gear and helpful advice - why not join the fun?]
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What it looks like.
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Got some great advice? Want to be on national television? Okay, want your name to be on national television? On many of our TV networks, we get an extra thirty seconds at the end of the program to run a tip ... I call it the "Upland Nation Insider" and much of the advice comes from you! Go here, submit your tip and then watch Wingshooting USA this fall. You might just become famous!  | |
Like us! Click here.
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| In the Author's Voice, literally | |
You know Dave Carty from his Gun Dog magazine column ... heartfelt, personal observations about training, dogs and bird hunting. Well, in person, he's just as amiable. You'll be surprised at what trips his trigger in, and out of, the field.
Or maybe your tastes are more "literary." Author Guy de la Valdene explains to me why Fragrance of Grass will be his last book about hunting, and hunting dogs. For both interviews, and others, listen here.
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Boot Camp, southern style
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We're headed for Seattle and Atlanta
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Are you going to the EPIC Game Fair? I'll see you there, as I'm doing twice-daily "Bird Hunting Boot Camp" seminars at this exciting new event near Atlanta. Get more information on the event, here. And see a video preview of the type of ideas, suggestions and insights I'll share here.
And if you're near Seattle, come to the two-hour version of Boot Camp I'm doing at the Filson flagship store Saturday July 23 starting at noon. Make your reservation here: rsvp@filson.com. Buddy will be "assisting" at this one, so come on down and meet him!
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Fellow citizen of the Upland Nation ...
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It may be sweltering, but fall is not that far away. Lots of online talk about the upcoming seasons - even a countdown of sorts on one FaceBook page I visit - and the joyous promise of broods of chicks starting to show themselves.
It's a time of preparation: guns repaired, pups trained and older dogs tuned up, gear sorted or purchased, maybe some clay target shooting. (Have you downloaded the new version of my Ultimate Upland Checklist?)
What trips your trigger this time of year? Maybe it's not hunting-related, say an upcoming fishing trip (high on my list), or a family vacation. But all are merely stepping stones to the first day afield with a good friend and loyal dog. The hair is standing up on my neck just thinking about our opening day!
If there's a lesson I've learned - the hard way - it's that every day is precious, whether in the field or the backyard with family. Don't waste any of them.
See you in the uplands,
Scott
Scott Linden Creator/host Wingshooting USA
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"TruckVault Cares" conservation spotlight
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I've got a confession to make. Ever since my first South Dakota hunt, my heart - and soul - have been stolen by prairie grouse. Sharptails,  pinnated grouse (prairie chickens) and sage grouse ... they inhabit the wildest canyons and coulees of our great nation and thus, stir our most primitive instincts to walk the same plains our forefathers did.
Someone needs to protect the habitat and future of these mystical birds. So I've committed significant television and promotion effort this broadcast season to support the North American Grouse Partnership as part of our
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Voting starts in Sept.
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"TruckVault Cares ... about conservation, canines & kids" initiative. You'll have your chance to vote and raise funds for any of six groups including NAGP, starting in September. Until then, get to know this great organization here.
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Hey, you really can win just by watching!
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We return to South Dakota for more vistas like this, with our winners this time.
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Frank Luksa and his daughter will join Wingshooting USA host Scott Linden at South Dakota's Cheyenne Ridge Signature Lodge in October, "starring" in an episode of the show that will air in fall, 2012. Luksa, from New Jersey, entered sponsor National Shooting Sports Foundation's "Take YOUR kid hunting" sweepstakes after seeing an announcement on Wingshooting USA last fall. He is a field trial and hunt test judge and owns English Setters. Luksa's daughter recently completed her hunter education course and Cheyenne Ridge will be her first hunt. Luksa was chosen at random from of thousands of entries from throughout the country. Four other entrants won $500 hunts at nearby preserves listed at www.wingshootingusa.org. Located near Pierre, South Dakota, Cheyenne Ridge is the first hunting lodge in the world to ever receive a Beretta Trident rating. The family-owned operation was recently awarded its second Beretta Trident.  |
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Covering the country on this fall's shows
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We crossed this pass in Montana on the same date Lewis & Clark did!
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My director Tad Newberry and I are having a great time putting the finishing touches on this fall's new Wingshooting USA episodes. Along with our second camera operator Lynn Berland (and of course, Buddy and Manny) we traveled all over the Upland Nation last September through November in search of birds and camaraderie.
We found both, and you'll share the experiences starting in late September. From sharptail grouse in North Dakota, to valley quail and chukars along the Idaho-Oregon border, there is a variety of bird, dog, and scenery for every wingshooter. For more on our broadcast schedule, go here. |
"HOLD" everything! There are a lot of ways to encourage a strong retrieve.
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The (hopefully) end result of all these antics and anguish.
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One of the many challenges in teaching (and re-teaching) Buddy to retrieve is ensuring he holds the bird until told to release. I use "thanks" for the release command, (just a quirk, but it works). I also use "get it" rather than "fetch" just because. So sue me.
Anyway, getting back to the task at hand (or paw): Buddy is reliably steady to wing-flush-shot-fall. He'll even bring virtually everything almost all the way back to me most of the time.
Birds are a bit of a challenge because they're odd-shaped and still alive and kicking, literally (watch the show and you'll see how bad a shot I am). But he's just ... about ... there. Mostly. I hope.
To get us across the finish line, I'm adding a buffer, or cushion, literally, at the end of each retrieve.
Many trainers suggest running away from the dog as he returns with the bird, sparking the "chase" instinct. I see it as extending the "buffer" between handler and dog indefinitely. It works but eventually you'll have to quit as field trial and hunt test judges will mark you down, once they stop laughing. Read more.
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