projectupland.com On The Go – Details, episodes & analysis

In this article, wildlife biologist Frank Loncarich writes about the history, adaptability, and accessibility of North America’s most charismatic and popular game bird.

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In this article, Dr. Dan Breuer, DVM writes about the decision-making associated with deciding to stay in the field or seek immediate veterinary care when experiencing a hunting-related dog injury.

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In this article, gamebird biologists and private land management consultants Kyle Hedges and Frank Loncarich discuss best practices for supporting upland bird habitat in the heart of row crop country. 

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Like most parents, I hope my children will share my interests so we can enjoy them together. As a passionate upland hunter, I dream of days spent in the field nurturing their curiosity, instilling a desire for conservation, and fostering a profound respect and appreciation for the game birds we pursue. There’s a special kind of magic and responsibility involved with welcoming young children into the world of upland hunting. 

I often get asked, “When is the right time?” I believe it depends on many factors, primarily age and maturity, but it’s important to understand there’s no one-size-fits-all introduction to the uplands. 

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Vintage shotguns can be particular with the kinds of shotgun shells you put through them. In a world filled with high-velocity, heavy payload shells, the difficulty of finding lighter loads can take away some of the allure of owning a classic. But it shouldn’t stop you. There’s something warm and cozy about hunting with a 50-, 75-, or even 100-year-old shotgun. 

Only a handful of ammunition manufacturers really make loads like they used to. With the right load, classic guns can work just as well, if not better, than some modern guns today. Whether you’re considering buying one or you’ve inherited an old shotgun from a family member, it’s important to shoot the right shells through it so it will keep working for the next generation. 

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“Suddenly into the middle of the coterie of breeders a bombshell was flung, so startling as to cause a violent upheaval of all the old theories, and a complete revolution in setter breeding, the effects of which have lasted to the present day.”  —Walter Baxendale

Walter Baxendale’s “bombshell” was a man named Edward Laverack, now universally regarded as the father of the modern English Setter. Little is known about his early life, but as a young man, Laverack was apparently a shoemaker’s apprentice, but where he worked and for whom is not clear. According to Robert Armstrong in All Setters, Laverack “spent his youth in Hawick, a town in the Southern Uplands of Scotland, but at the age of 17, not liking it after he had been there some time, he ran away.”

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In May of 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced new rules governing dog imports into the United States. The rules are aimed at standardizing the process between countries and preventing the introduction of canine rabies into the U.S., but the broad-sweeping changes will have lasting impacts on breed clubs that depend on imported puppies for genetic diversity as well as dog owners who regularly cross international borders—including Canada.

The CDC differentiates between countries considered to be high-risk for rabies and those that are low-risk or rabies-free. Currently, the rules and requirements for importing dogs from high-risk countries are much stricter than they are for dogs coming from low-risk or rabies-free countries. Starting August 1, however, the rules will be broadened to essentially apply the high-risk protocols to every foreign country regardless of their rabies risk status. 

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I can’t help but stare through the conference room’s glass curtain wall, in awe of some of the world’s most productive wetlands on Earth. This morning, the frozen wetlands are blanketed in snow after this winter’s biggest storms pounded the area, which is great for recharging those wetlands later in the year. During spring, summer, and fall, these Great Salt Lake wetlands are so valuable, that they’ve been recognized as being globally important and critical habitat for millions of waterfowl and shorebirds.

But we aren’t here to talk about wetlands or shorebirds. It’s the sagebrush landscapes beyond the Bear River Delta that this group of researchers, biologists, and ecologists are discussing. As I watch a meadowlark hide under snow-laden cattails, my attention snaps back to the conference room when I hear, “Pinyon jays are where greater sage-grouse were 30 years ago.”

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My first-ever interaction with an English Springer Spaniel was when my wife, Emily, brought one home. When considering which dog breed our first hunting dog should be, we ultimately landed on the one with which Emily was most familiar. She grew up with Springers, and consequently, that is where we landed. At that time, we weren’t aware of the differences between bench and field bred dogs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, as our involvement in bird hunting deepened, so did our knowledge of the breed.

Our first dog, Dixie, was most likely a bench bred dog. Bench bred dogs are those who are bred with the goal of placing in the show ring. I say most likely because she came from an inconspicuous farm litter but was physically more similar to a bench dog (we’ll get into that in a bit). 

As Dixie got older, we got on a list for a field bred Springer Spaniel. These dogs are bred with the rigors of field trials and hunt tests in mind; hence the term field bred. Our first field bred dog, Timber, died from a gastrointestinal fungal infection before her second birthday. At that point, we got Fern. Then, roughly a year later, Wild, who has the same mother as Timber, joined our family. 

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“Where were you last night?”

These words strike fear in nearly all adolescent children. Is the parent simply curious? Was it an ambivalent conversation starter or a knowing and accusatory set up? The answer always lies within the subtle tones, expression, and body language of the parent.

The same is true when thinking about the delivery of a command in dog training. It is very important to be cognizant of how we present information to our dogs because they, too, are always studying what we are saying. Know that you can’t hide your emotions within a command, no matter how hard you try. Always try to remain clear, calm, consistent, and absolute when commanding.

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