After the second day of a three-day judging assignment, TJ and I set down for a beer and swap tales of bird hunting, raising daughters and all things in between.

Very good conversation with Stephen Faust and his life with Gordon Setters. Not only does he guide in several states, he has been mooching birds right in my backyard!!  great final story on his favorite double gun. And some old soul stuff as well. Enjoy

We catch up with Meadow right after her week-long competition. Matching her skills against the top women of the outdoor world. Along with some stories of her adventures with her sister Maggie, around the globe. And of course, we touch on Wirehairs..opps Dratharrs

Lars is a man that wears many hats. Lars Jacob Wingshooting could be your one stop shop. Whether you are looking for a new destination, a new gun or some help in learning how to use your gun effectively. They say form follows function, but in the wingshooting world, it's fit first, then form and then applying both to your favorite game bird. 

Jared Wiklund is the Public Relations Manager for my favorite conservation organization. We catch up on some of the latest PF&QF projects around the country. We also touch on the 2018 farm bill. Along with the usual tall tales about our great dogs.

Mike Thurman is our Knight in shining armor. This group is largely responsible for keeping our rights to hunt with dogs in Michigan. Listen close and learn a lot. Please share this info with your friends and family. if you love your dog,you owe the MHDF a debt of gratitude.

Ken Dalton is a man with a mission. Remembering the good old days of pheasants in Michigan, he is determined to create hunting opportunities for family's to get back in the field, chasing the iconic Ringneck pheasant. By modeling after states like Pennslyvania and Wisconsin and at least a dozen other states from coast to coast.

 The Michigan Pheasant Hunting Initiative is getting closer to becoming a reality. Lets get behind this movment. Building hunter numbers back is crucial. This program can help put a finger in the Dam.

Jason works for USA High School Clay Target League. You won't believe how big this program is. 22,000 school age kids are swinging scatterguns as part of their schools sports program! Wish I had this back in the day. 

Ken is one of my early connections to NAVHDA. He also has a long history with VDD GNA ( that's German Wirehairs registered in Berlin) We just touch on his 40 plus years of hunting,testing, and judging the versatile breeds. I will be having Ken on again, to get even deeper.

Chris and I talk ammo, some do's and some donts. We also talk about great waterfowling around the country. His best and worst dog tales from the blind.Along with some of my worst dogs ever.

Larry Brown is a well known writer, for more years than I have been hunting. His backstory is as interesting as his life with dogs,birds and shotguns. Shooting over pointing dogs while stationed in the middle east, and bringing that passion back to the states, and eventually to the pages of GunDog and Pointing Dog Journal magazines. Larry shaers some stories and secrets on pheasant hunting and espionage.

Ben's new book is getting printed as we recorded this interview. We talk about his training days as a college student. and how it shaped his future hunting. The up and down cycles of birds, His slightly odd way of using dog training collars. And much more. including his favorite drink at the end of the day.

I met Dale almost 20 years ago. He pulled into training grounds with a breed that not many hunters were willing to try. Yet he went further with those dogs than most hunters ever do. listen up as we go down memory lane.

Glen Blackwood in a Michigan grouse and woodcock addict. So much so, that if he isn't out swinging a double gun or fishing, he is reading, collecting and selling books about hunting and fishing. With a stockpile of 4000 books on the shelves of his fly shop in Rockford MI. Get a pencil and pad before you hit the play button.

Besides running Walker hounds on bobcats and lions, running a brewery and winery, Joe is running to the aid of the African Rhino. Joe has been training an elite pack of Texas hounds to live in Africa and help track down and apprehend poachers!!! That's right, stopping poaching under the threat of being run down by a trained pack of hounds may change the face of wildlife in Africa.

Justin is back on the show to answer listeners question about their dogs. do and don'ts, right and wrong, and especially what not to do with your first bird dog!!! There isn't a better dog trainer this side of Big Cabin Oklahoma. We dive into some great listener questions, and come up with some solid advise from a trainer that I respect. Justin's secret is (if there is one) Don't be in a hurry, dogs like children all progress at different speeds. And much like my foramtive years of Kindergarten thru High School, some dogs only learn so much.... Bringing out the talents of your dog can be more rewarding than training to a level that could be out of reach. Get a pencil and take notes.

Alex Brittingham is a dog trainer from Texas, you might think that is common, but she dialed it up a notch when she decided to train her Jack Russel "Gator" to hunt ducks and geese. This young women is driven to show the world what you can do with a dog, any dog. We have a great conversation about her start and her future in the dog world.

Jon Keehner earned his PhD. in Carnivore Ecology. We talk about the reintroduction of wolves in the lower 48. My background in wolves came from Google and Grimm's fairy tales. Jon's background is just a little bit deeper, ( like comparing a puddle to a lake) we talk about the reality of sharing the landscape with wolves and what it will take to truly to keep them managed. We also talk a little duck hunting, conservation, and hunter perception in the public eye.

Kris Hill is a mainstay of the Small Munsterlaner. 20 years of staying with a (then minority breed) have paid off in spades for her and the breed. We have all heard the term "this dog hunts"  Kris and her pack have gone to the pinnacle of training,testing and hunting. She owns Hunting Hills Kennel,and has dedicated a good portion of her life to the Small Munsterlander.  We catch up on old times, NAVHDA testing and some of our favorite common friends in the dog world

I swear I will start plucking my birds from here on out!!  Hank brings a career of cooking wild game to the pages of his new book. Besides belonging in the kitchen, it feels like it should spend time on the coffee table as well. Check out all of Hanks wild game creations and his book tour. 

@https://honest-food.net/about/classes-events-appearances/

Franks book "Fifty-Five years a Grouse Hunter" is possibly the best book I've ever read. It comes from a true dog man, and sportsman. We talk about the old days and the present. His travels across the country with his dogs and his passion for the grouse. If we can learn anything from another hunter, we can learn what it takes to be a true sportsman and bird lover, yet still take a few birds for the table.

Roger has a deep history with hunting in the UK and we compare that to his years here in the States. And of course we talk about his favorite breed of dogs.  The field bred English Cocker.  And we talk about why I need one!!

Sam Wiest is a long time bird hunter, that opened his heart and mind to hunting with dogs that other people abandoned. His journey is one of true love for the dog. Sam purchased dogs when he started out, but when his wife started helping find homes for dogs that no one wanted, a few bird dogs were thrown into the mix. He has stepped up to the plate and hit some home runs with his adopted companions.

You cant argue with results. NAPPA (N.American Pudel Pointer Alliance) is without a doubt, a formula for sucess. I can only hope to bring my favorite breed up to this stantard.  We also go down memory lane about our years in NAVHDA and some of our favorite characters.