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Gunner - SH and Sally - SH are now 3 years old and seasoned veterans of duck & dove hunting here in South Carolina. From the beginning the goal was to learn to train a "good gun-dog" and, ultimately, chase the dream of many duck hunters - HUNT ARKANSAS. This endeavor recently came to fruition as a result of an invitation by Don Stroud of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Don is my Irish friend with a wonderful sense of humor. He is the proud owner/trainer of a nice yellow lab named Queen -SH. Don and I met while running hunt test competition a few years ago. We have stayed in contact via email until our recent trip to Blytheville, Arkansas. Over the course of many email messages, I had often told Don that my best friend, Mack Tyner (owner of Polk Swamp Sally SH) and I wanted to fulfill the second part of our initial goal: hunt ducks in Arkansas. Surely this would provide a challenging test of our beloved canine companions’ hunting abilities. That long awaited chance came in the form of an email message... Don had arranged a trip to Blytheville, Arkansas. Don said that we needed five people to fill the blind and requested that I bring three. This posed no problem, as Mack was eager to go, as was my 21 year-old son, Joey. The plan was to leave St. George on Tuesday night, January 8th and meet up with Don in Asheville NC, spend the night, and travel on to Blytheville on the 9th. We were scheduled to meet Robert Lee of Hunter’s Heaven. He was to be our guide. Upon our late afternoon arrival in Blytheville, we immediately went to the home of Mr. Lee who directed us to Hawk’s Outfitters to purchase the required licenses, permits, and stamps. We received our wake-up call at 4AM Thursday. We met at Robert’s house for breakfast, and off to Big Lake we went. Big Lake is a huge public management area. It is flooded soybean fields and is dotted by over 300 blinds canvassing tremendous acreage. The weather on this January morning was overcast, 39 degrees, with only a slight northeast wind. Upon arrival at the management area, Mack, Joey, and myself, along with Gunner and Sally, teamed up with Ernie Malloy and his hunting partners Doug, and Danny. Don, Queen, and Don’s friend David Miller would be hunting with Mitch. I think this is a good time to apologize for my failure to remember last names, and to plug Ducks Unlimited for making this hunting connection possible. Don became acquainted with Mr. Lee through a DU friend. As Ernie, Doug, and Danny launched the camouflaged rig in the darkness of the pre-dawn hour, Mack, Joey, and I were instructed to get ready for our first Arkansas duck hunt. After a 13-hour road trip days before, Gunner and Sally needed no encouragement to leave their kennels. To say these Lab siblings were immediately aware of an imminent hunt is grossly understated. Tails wagging and walking at heal in the chilly darkness, they quickly took their places in the boat, as did we. Time was getting short. Ernie deftly motored through the quiet water that was often illuminated by Q-beams of many other hunters in the area, each teeming with hopes of that "one" duck hunt of all duck hunts. Arriving at the blind, being true Southern gentlemen, Ernie and Danny placed us in the "hot spots." Ernie and Danny would do the calling and we would be afforded the first shots. Of course, we knew that if we missed, we would have backup. Joey was in the blind with Doug. Ernie and Danny walked a short distance away, standing in the water well hidden by the canopy of the trees. Mack and I stood in the chest-deep water in front of a well constructed blind shielded by natural habitat. Sally and Gunner were immediately As the morning light chased away the last remaining hint of darkness, the sound of duck calls filled the air. Shortly, across the trees came 7 mallards. As promised, we were afforded the initial shots. Ernie hollered "Take em’ boys" Collectively we managed only bagging 2 drakes. In the Deep South shooting so poorly is jovially referred to as "metal fatigue" or "gun stress." We graciously accepted the friendly bantering from our Arkansas friends. However, more importantly a most poignant realization occurred... a realization that Mack, Don, and I would later agree is the ultimate hunting experience. "The kill is no longer the thrill!" When Mack and I are asked about our Arkansas hunt, invariably the number of birds killed is the preponderant question. But our response centers on the joy and reward of hunting with our canine companions coupled with meeting some really great people; not the number of birds harvested. This was our Arkansas experience. Our "puppies" had now come full circle. Mack Tyner and I became involved with retriever training almost 4 years ago. Granted, training one dog hardly qualifies us as professionals. It was never our intent to become professional trainers. We only desired to gain a solid foundation for training our personal gun dogs. To those of you who have not known the joy of hunting as a "team" with your personal retriever, parts of this article may seem a little melodramatic. To those that have, you understand. As an amateur retriever enthusiast, I encourage you to develop your own "team." Perhaps noted professional trainer Woody Thurman says it best: "Going hunting without a dog is like going on a honeymoon without a bride!"
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To many duck hunters, a trip to Arkansas is like a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Maybe better! Any way you cut it, the Mississippi River Flyway provides many unforgettable experiences for the "team retrieve".
Main top photo (L to R): Don Stroud, David Miller, Mack Tyner, Butch Byron, Joey Byron. |
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Our anxiety had been increasing at an enormous rate as the hours until hunt time dwindled. This heightened anxiety level seemed to go unnoticed by our hunting partners:
behind us in a box built specifically to accommodate one gun dog. Gunner and Sally stood shivering shoulder to shoulder, seemingly totally oblivious to the other’s presence. It was time for business. They now shared our excitement. They had begun running junior hunt tests at 7 months of age, with each receiving a senior title around 2 years of age. The many hours of training and testing now seemed to have had a purpose. With their eyes fixed on the wintry shy, the retrievers anxiously anticipated that initial command to retrieve.
The thrill is watching trained retrievers leap from the shelter of the blind upon command and swim confidently towards their mark, being handled if needed. Then, upon returning with the downed bird, there is a proud gleam in their eyes reflecting a job well done. Final confirmation comes with the words "Good dog!", along with a concomitant pat on the head with a command to "kennel." This experience was repeated many times over the ensuing few days thanks largely to the superb duck calling ability of our friends, Ernie and Danny. They afforded us many opportunities to work Gunner, Sally, and Queen on multiple marks and blind retrieves.
Gunner and Sally demonstrated talents to be considered "good" gun dogs. Perhaps better than good! Don could echo these sentiments about his "yeller" dog Queen.
