• Friday, January 09th, 2009
Category: Club Members
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• Sunday, January 04th, 2009
Latin: Dendrocygna autumnalis
Average length: M 19.4″, F 19″
Average weight: M 1.80 lbs., F 1.85 lbs.
Description: Male and female black-bellied whistling ducks are similar in size and color. In general, black-bellied whistling ducks are long-legged, long-necked and the most erect of all ducks. They have a black belly with a chestnut nape, lower neck, chest and back. A chestnut cap tops the head with a bright orange bill, gray face and upper neck, and a white-eye ring. The long pink legs are easily observed while they are perched in trees. They are vociferous in flight uttering a whistling “pe-che-che.”
Breeding: The northern race (D. a. autumnalis) breeds from southern Texas through coastal Mexico and Central America. Pairs most often partner for life and share responsibilities of incubation and brood rearing. Nests are usually located in tree cavities, nest boxes, or on the ground in grassy areas or under brush or cacti near water. Ground nesting is most common where mammalian nest predators are absent. Female black-bellied whistling ducks lay an average of 13 eggs with several females laying in the same nest.
Migrating and Wintering: Black-bellied whistling ducks are migratory in the northern and southernmost limits of their range. Large flocks are often observed in wintering areas in the lowlands of Mexico, though formerly more abundant in interior Mexico than at present. In the USA, they winter primarily in southern coastal Texas. Black-bellied whistling duck are widespread and common in Central America and South America south to northern Argentina (Scott and Carbonell, 1986).
Population: D. a. autumnalis (Caribbean) between 100,000-1,000,000; D. a. bicolor(Neotropics) >1,000,000 (Rose and Scott, 1994). Black-bellied whistling ducks are susceptible to overharvest due to their unwary nature.
Food habits: Black-bellied whistling ducks commonly feed at night on grain, seeds, some insects and mollusks, and also leaves and shoots found in fields and shallow water.
- Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
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Category: Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Waterfowl
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• Saturday, January 03rd, 2009
Latin: Melanitta nigra americana
Average length: M 19.7″, F 18.5
Average weight: M 2.5 lbs., F 2.2 lbs.
Description: Black scoters are among the most vocal of waterfowl species.
Males: Male black scoters are entirely black except for a yellow protuberance on the base of the bill and the gray lower surface of the flight feathers. The legs and feet are dusky and the iris is brown.
Females: Female black scoters are dark brown with light whitish cheeks, chin and throat, which contrast with a dark crown. The legs and feet are dusky and the iris is brown.
Breeding: In North America, black scoters breed in western and southern Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and scattered areas in central and eastern Canada, including southern Keewatin, northern Quebec, and Newfoundland. They also are found (and may breed) from southern Yukon and Mackenzie east to Labrador and Newfoundland. Black scoters prefer to nest in large clumps of tundra grass and lay 8 to 9 eggs.
Migrating and Wintering: Major wintering areas for black scoters include the Pacific coast from the Pribilof and Aleutian Islands to southern California, the Great Lakes, and the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to South Carolina.
Population: Numbers of wintering scoters of all three species along the Atlantic coast have shown a gradual, but non-significant, decline between 1954 and 1994. However, available population data are generally inadequate for reliable determination of a population trend.
Food habits: Black scoters dive to feed on mollusks, crustaceans, and small fishes found in marine and freshwater habitats. Their diet also includes small amounts of eelgrass, muskgrass, widgeon grass, pondweeds, and algae found in inland habitats.
- Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
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Category: Black Scoter, Waterfowl
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• Saturday, January 03rd, 2009
The training of a bird dog pup is something that is a time-consuming exercise that if done right, will bring you as much joy and pride in life as anything you will ever undertake. Many folks see a fine, trained gun dog in action and assume that they could never accomplish that kind of performance with a dog that they own.
I am here to tell you that I have been there. I still find myself in that frame of mind from time to time when I am privileged to witness an exhibition of outstanding bird dog work between a top handler and a great dog in the field. I am also here to tell you that when we see one of these awe inspiring teams of man and dog in action you must look at them and in comparing them to your situation, realize that there is only one thing 
that separates a good dog from a great dog or even a “meat dog” from a pot-licking idiot. That thing is time.If you will devote some time every day to working with your pup on three basic commands, “whoa”, “come” and “heel” and work toward getting to the point where the dog will unfailingly obey those three commands no matter where he is or what he is doing, you will have a fine bird dog. “Whoa” is by far the most important of the commands. It simply means, “stop, DO NOT move until I release you”. The dog must obey this command when it is given no matter how far away he is from you or what he is doing. It is useful in the yard, it is essential when the dogs are working birds and it can even save the dog’s life in traffic.
If you can “whoa” your dog at anytime, you can then go to him and correct anything else that he has done wrong. If he is hunting too far ahead, you can use it to stop him. If he flushes some birds out on his own, you can use it to stop him and train on that offense in the very spot where he blew it. If he insists on goofing around with a shot bird he has picked up, if you can whoa him, YOU can go to him and get the bird from him and if you do it right, he will get the idea that bringing the bird to you and getting stroked is better than dinking around with it away from you. You MUST use this command to keep you dog from messing up the point of your buddy’s dog when it finds birds and your dog comes up on it in the field or you probably sooner or later find yourself with one less buddy. If you can stop your dog, it is a then simple matter then to get him to come to you when you want him and most importantly if you can stop your dog and have him stand still in one place, it is much easier to go to him and stroke and love him up for a job well done.
Gun Dog Training “Whoa” Part 1
Gun Dog Training “Whoa” Part 1 German Shorthair at Willow Creek Kennels
“Come” is simply that. It means “stop what you are doing and come in where I can get my hands on you”. It’s uses are plain to see. For instance, if the dog will come unfailingly when called, retrieve training is a snap. If the pup does scoop up a shot bird and starts to dawdle off with it, if you can first “whoa” him to stop going in the wrong direction and then tell the dog to “come”, you will get every bird you shoot delivered right to hand. “Heel” simply means “walk by my side until I tell you to do something else”. It uses are also easy to see. Anytime you want to go somewhere with the dog with the dog under control, this is the way to do it. Trained properly, a dog will heel unfailingly without a lead so that you can have both hands free to carry things like your gun and all the birds he pointed for you. It is also important to remember to have a release command such as “ok!” for each of these commands. It lets that dog know that he has performed correctly and is now free to hunt for you again. Always take lots of time to stroke and praise the dog in a pleasant voice when he does perform correctly. Good dogs are born wanting to please and if you can show the dog in clear terms what pleases you and repeat that scenario over and over again many times over months and months, the dog will become positively addicted to doing the correct action if you let him know that by doing so, you think he is the greatest dog in the world.
Gun Dog Training “Come”
Dog Training - How to get your dog to come back when called
Bird dog training is really just that simple. Even the best field champion you will ever see is doing nothing more than obeying these 3 commands very well AND using an extreme amount of talent to it’s greatest potential to find and point birds for his boss. Most breeds of bird dogs today are being bred with more bird finding and hunting talent than ever before. All you have to do is spend alot of time with your dog to get him to apply that talent for YOU so that the two of you will be a solid bird hunting team. Neither of you is able to get a bird without the other, but together a team whose performance might even some day earn you honors on the field trial course, but will certainly gain you many new “hunting buddies” come bird season each year.
Gun Dog Training “Whoa” Part 2, 3 & 4
Part 2
Gun Dog Training “Whoa” Part 2 German Shorthair Willow Creek Kennels
Part 3
Gun Dog Training “Whoa” Part 3 Gernan Shorthair at Willow Creek Kennels
Part 4
Gun Dog Training “whoa” Part 4 German Shorthair at Willow Creek Kennels
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Category: Dog Training, Sporting Dog
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• Saturday, January 03rd, 2009
Latin: Branta leucopsis
Average length: M 27.0″, F 23.5
Average weight: M 4.03 lbs., F 3.57 lbs.
Description: Barnacle geese have a black chest, neck, and crown, with a cream-white face. The sexes are similar in appearance, but males typically are larger. The extension of black from the neck over the head gives the face a hooded appearance. The upper back is black, shading posterior to silver-gray. The breast, sides, and flanks are a pale gray and the belly, undertail coverts, and rump are white, contrasting markedly with the large black tail. The bill, legs, and feet are black.
Breeding: Barnacle geese breed along the northeast coast of Greenland, Svalbard, Norway, and Novaya Zemlya, and adjacent Vaygach Island, Russia. There are no breeding records of barnacle geese in North America. Barnacle geese nest in small colonies among rocky crags or on cliffs and islands and lay an average of 4 to 6 eggs.
Migrating and Wintering: The Greenland population of barnacle geese winter in Ireland and the Inner and Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The Svalbard population largely winters in the Solway Firth between England and Scotland and the Russian population winters in the Netherlands and Germany. In North America, infrequent appearances by barnacle geese have been restricted to the east, including, Labrador, Ontario, Quebec, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Ohio, and Michigan.
Population: Despite a limited range, the world barnacle goose population is stable or even increasing in some areas. In 1997, the world population was estimated at 220,000 geese.
Food habits: Barnacle geese feed on grasses and coastal plants found in salt marshes, grasslands near river estuaries, or tidal mud flats.
- Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
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Category: Barnacle Goose, Waterfowl
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