Bird Dog In Training

Winter arrived in January, and the cold temperatures were just in time to provide some upland quail hunting time for my new bird dog. Chester is an English Setter, and is named for his roots in Chesterfield County, which is where I acquired him from Moree's Sportsman's Preserve. At age five months Chester is pointing birds just fine - in fact he has yet to take a normal "dog walk" as every walk turns into a hunt, with Chester locked up with excitement about all manner of avian life. No doubt this bird dog will be the focus of many upland hunts to come. Quail hunting for wild birds is extremely rare in the Lowcountry, although I do know of at least a few notable exceptions. These exceptions prove that if you work on your habitat and keep the faith that gentleman Bob can make a comeback, then anything is possible. Upland songbirds and the bob white all benefit from prescribed fire, which is also an economical land management tool, so if you have any opportunity to conduct or promote controlled burning, then by all means 2009 is the right time to get started. The photo shows Chester with his first quail, being handled by Trainer Scott Edwards of Bayville Shorthairs.