Michigan Grouse/Woodcock Hunting & Truck Camping--Oct, 2023. Plus, Wisconsin Wolf-Encounter Story 

Thank you for your comment... and for watching! I like having a dog trailer for several reasons. I think for longer trips that are 1000 or 2000 miles from home it makes the travel easier for the dogs than being in the truck. Plus, I can pack a lot of extra stuff in the trailer that makes camping easier for me. I can make a video more about the trailer. I appreciate the suggestion. I've also had a couple of requests to make a video about the shower/toilet tent. So, maybe after that. In the meantime, I can tell you it's a Jones trailer... made in Texas. They have a pretty good website. Thanks again!

Thank you!!

Thank you for your comment! You're right about losing old dogs that you've had so many adventures with. On another note, it looks like your channel is doing well... and growing! Glad of that! Thanks for watching!

Sounds like things are good... and with a Brittany puppy on the way. The Northwoods is one of my favorite places to hunt, but unfortunately, I only get to go to that region once a year now and have to hope for good weather when I do get to go. I hope to spend more time there when my work situation changes. Good luck the rest of this season!

Thank you for this comment! I'm so glad he enjoys the videos! The truck camping has become something I enjoy on its own, and so I'm planning on some camping trips this spring. I used to do some fly fishing years ago, and I think I might pick that up again. Thanks again!

Sounds like you had a great time with Bandit! I know what you mean about squeezing in a trip around work. I'm glad you had a good outing and hope things only get better from here. Thanks for watching and for your comment!

Thanks so much!

Thank you!

Thank you!!

Thank you!

Thanks for watching!

Thank you!!

Agreed! Thanks for watching.

Thanks Gil!

Hello from Morehead, KY! I haven't been on KY Afield, but I'm familiar with that show and think it would be fun. Unfortunately, though, I often end up traveling for my adventures with the dogs. Thanks for watching and for your comment!

LOL! That's funny. I started growing it out some this fall. Thanks for watching!

I saw that, too... in the video afterwards. Thanks for watching and for your comment!

Thanks for your comment! I'm still several years from retiring I think, but I'm definitely looking forward to it. I agree on truck camping being awesome. I really have grown to enjoy that alone... and it does make my trips more fun. It sounds like you have a nice setup if you're making your own stove, etc. Okay, so I'm using a CZ Upland Ultralight 12 gauge. I do have a nicer Browning 20 gauge, but for some reason I prefer the CZ. Part of this might be that I don't sweat it too much if the CZ gets banged up some... though I don't want to do that either if I can help it. I am using 7.5s with C/IC chokes. I'm not confident at all that this is the best combination to use, but some of these shots can be pretty close and my reasoning is that I want my pattern to be on the bigger side (especially for the first shot). I'm also using 1 1/4 oz of shot. I expect you have good birds in California. To me, California Quail are a bucket list bird I hope to get to someday. Thanks again!

Thanks for your comment! I kind of got into the truck camping side of things just to give it a try, but it has turned out to be a good match for me. I don't think it would be for everyone... it is a little minimalistic compared to a camper or RV. At the time I started figuring this out I already had the dog trailer and wanted to keep using it,, and I think that was one consideration that pushed me away from a small camper. If you decide to give it a go let me know if you have any questions. Thanks again!

sounds like a lot of custom work. I was going to start with the cot and build out from there. I would have to leave a little room for my pup in there. Campers are tough because they cost a lot, depreciate quick, and they really aren't all that comfortable. Ill do some experimenting and report back. Thanks for the reply. Love your videos and the genuine relationship you have with your dogs. @@thebirdbum9182

That sounds like a good start. I'm with you 100% on campers... probably not the best option considering everything. Looking forward to an update!

LOL! That was a pretty good shot.

Hope it went well in MI, and thanks for watching! Did you have something in mind for a product review?

Thanks for watching and for your comment! It actually sounds like Jax is off to a pretty good start if he has pointed any wild birds. He's really young still. Short answer: probably the best thing for Jax is to get him on as many birds as possible and he'll start to figure it out. Also, he'll likely become more deliberate about birds as he gets a little older... just as a function of age. On this trip, I also had a 10 month old (Junior) who did basically what you're describing--covered a lot of ground but without much purpose in terms of birds. He's been worked quite a bit on pigeons, too. My goal with him this season is to get him on birds and to give him some time mature. For me, I expect next year to be his big step up in terms of becoming a bird finder... and still plenty to learn then. Hope that helps. Have fun figuring this out with Jax, and thanks again!

awesome thank you! do you have any tips for hunting in Michigan I actually am just getting into it with my dog so we are both new. could he be flying around and those birds are just holding still waiting for him to pass? or do you think I was just in an area where there were little grouse? I was up in Houghton and Higgins lake area. seems that he was covering a ton of ground like you said but, I would have thought he would at least flush a bird by flying past it. I'm not exactly sure how brave these birds are haha. will they hold even if the dogs a few feet away and sprinting by you think? had two good days and three bad days back to back. he loves it though and so do I so im super excited!@@thebirdbum9182

Hey... thanks for your comment. Good question. Although, I think doves are actually pretty popular to hunt. Sandhills to a lesser degree but still some people hunt them. For me, I hunt birds that work well for pointing dogs... birds that are on the ground and will hold for a point. Doves and sandhills would be a little different. One might hunt those more like hunting waterfowl. Thanks again!

I would say that the most influential dog trainer for me has been George Hickox. But, there are a lot of great dog trainers out there. Thanks for your comment!

Hey... I live in the Morehead, KY area, and I'm camping in the lower peninsula of MI in the far northeast corner of the state. So, I think that would be quite a bit to the northeast of where you are going. Thanks for your comment!

That is hilarious! Yes, it is a smoke alarm with a low battery. I hadn't even noticed it in the video... probably because I've habituated to it a bit here in the house. I need to change that battery. I appreciate you picking up on that!

benefits of using headphones in videos i guess. haha!@@thebirdbum9182

I was using upland boots: the LL Bean Kangaroo boot (www.llbean.com/llb/shop/508843?originalProduct=121864&itemId=505048&attrValue_0=Brown&sku=0TUY706105&pla1=0&qs=3155274&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwmYCzBhA6EiwAxFwfgGjiNB-cM3ik7O2BaqV1PlrGL4zXIcGT04RdFQKG-Hc8IyJJS6VwvRoCorkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&SN=PDPStackedRecs_07&SS=A&SN2=eGainChat_03&SS2=B&SN3=PLPPersonalization_04&SS3=A&noaa_region=southeast). They're supposed to be waterproof, and they're pretty good at keeping water out but not perfect. No gaiters. Thanks for your comment!

Hey... I'm not the greatest at that. I look for certain types of younger-growth cover. In the last couple of years I've started using an ap called Scout N Hunt, which can get you started identifying good cover for grouse/woodcock. Good luck!

@@thebirdbum9182 thanks!