About this time of the year, I start seeing more fires in chukar country. This year is no different, and there are plenty of fires burning right now. Just a quick reminder. If you hunt specific places, you might spend some time looking at fire maps to make sure your area hasn’t burned up before making that long journey, just to be disappointed. There will still be millions of acres to hunt chukars in Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada, but not everyone has the time to scout for new areas, so beware.
Those keeping up with Layne, she went to snake avoidance class this weekend. It was a different way of training avoidance with real defanged rattlers. It’s not the traditional way of teaching snake avoidance, but I’m fairly confident that it worked. I’m the old timer that thinks pain is the best educator, and this gentleman doesn’t apply much of it. I hope to give the process a thumbs up by seeing Layne avoid a snake soon.
As I mentioned in my last post, the birds are here. I’ve seen even more while driving the roads. Most of the young are older than I expected. That’s good news, but it blows a hole in my theory of how late most chukars hatch. So, any thoughts you might have about how knowledgeable I am about chukars, let them blow away with the wind. I’m just a guy with a shotgun, and luckily, I have had fine dogs that know how to find chukars.
I’ll just keep typing about what I see and the many blunders I have during the hunting season. I’m sure I’ll have plenty. Grady, Layne, and I love to be on those mountains when conditions allow us.
Looking forward to hearing some stories from you guys when the season gets going.
Glad Layne is doing well.
What program did you pick for your snake training?
I used to do it with a friend but he is no longer conducting it, so any new options would be great to know. Thanks for the updates.
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I took Layne to a TV Navhda snake avoidance class in New Plymouth. The instructor was very educated on snakes and dogs and did a great job, but it wasn’t the traditional method I have been to before or used myself. Layne and I sat with the other dogs and owners while he explained many things about snakes and why dogs react, and so on. Then he put a round piece of carpet out that had much rattlesnake scent on it. In the middle of the piece of carpet was a rattlesnake under a metal garbage can lid. Each dog was walked up to the carpet with a leash and let sniff around some. Then the assistant lifted up the lid and exposed the snake. If the dog reacted, he gave a light stimulus and prompted the owner to run to a safe zone. He did that two or three times with each dog while the rest of the people and dogs looked on. He then did the same thing at a different location in the shop without the carpet. Then one more time in the field by a brush to hide the snake. It was somewhat similar to the traditional method I have seen and done. The huge difference for me is that the stimulus was so light that the instructor had to let you know when to take off running with the dog. The dog didn’t yelp and take off much itself. I’m used to the dog yelping with pain and about to drag the owner away about the third time he saw or knew there was a snake close by. I do have to say that Layne knew the snake was there the last time and wanted to avoid the area. So, I believe it worked. Also, this guy has a great record of success with his method.
I’m just a little leary because most lessons of avoiding certain things have usually come with some pain involved for me. Hopefully, his method will be confirmed by me when I can walk Layne with no leash on her towards a snake.
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Thanks for the info, hope it works well. NAVHDA usually gets pretty reputable trainers. Have a good one.
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these fires are bringing me back to 2014&15 when we lost lots of ground
definitely will push hunters into other areas . The Juntura fire is almost to Harper with zero containment
other popular spots are 100 percent gone. We will see some ramifications
these big ones are all in very popular areas . And it’s just getting started doggone it!
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Sooo! Right. We need some rain badly. Not only to put out fires but to help germinate these burnt areas. It’s amazing how the chukars will come to those newly sprouted areas for feed. You can’t get close to them, but it gives them some great nutrition.
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