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May 17, 2012
Pass Along RJ
October 07
Take Turns
by Steve Smith
ne of the hardest things there is to do as an upland hunter is the leave our gun home and just take the dog hunting. But when your pup is just getting started, or your older pal has picked up some bad habits (and we don’t mean your hunting partner – we know he has bad habits), it’s time to think about letting someone else (the guy with the bad habits) handle the shooting and you handle the dog.
Most of us know this, but very few of us actually do it – we try to do both, hunt and work the dog to correct faults. A lot of us say we shoot only over points, but do we always? We won’t shoot if the dog’s creeping, but what if he’s creeping on that rooster he’s been pointing and relocating on for 250 yards and the bird’s finally cornered? Right – if we have a gun, we’re likely to shoot.
But if you can get your hunting partner with the shotgun to play along, you and he can take turns – you work your dog while he does the shooting, he works his while you shoot, and the rules are hard and fast. That’s where your secret weapon comes in to make all of this a little more bearable – your camera.
With a camera, you can concentrate on getting shots of your dog in action, your hunting buddy in action, birds in flight, great points and retrieves – it all makes the not carrying a gun business a whole lot easier to stomach. Naturally, you are going to want him to perform at his best level – you’re taking his picture, after all, so we are unlikely to put up with any backsliding, which, of course, is the purpose of the entire enterprise.
So if your dog needs work, work you can’t give him while you’re carrying a shotgun, work him without your gun, but record the day on film (or on megapixels). You’ll find you’ll remember that day longer than some of the ones where you shot your limit. 
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