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THE
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         they do it well. They’re ready to hunt   several dogs on the first day, including   ness, getting it done with the fewest
         when I get them. They all know the same   Sophie. I quickly learned that my initial   number of steps, and that comes with
         commands, and have had the same    impression of her being mostly a pet was   experience,” says Chuck. “She’s already
         training.”                       a seriously flawed assumption. When it   a star around here.”
                                          was time to hunt, she bolted out the   Dog handlers Jake Ekert and Hunter
            HUNTIN’ DOGS                  door like greased lightning, and worked   Louden brought dogs in and out of rota-
         So, how did they hunt? In one word—  the strips of milo like the seasoned pro   tion on drives, so the dogs were always
         spectacularly! Our group hunted with   she is—never working too far ahead,   fresh. They included Sammy, a nine-year-
                                          and never failing to deliver a downed   old yellow Lab that made a 150-yard
                                          bird to hand.                    retrieve at one point, and Kaia, a five-
                                            “She absolutely goes about her busi-  year-old yellow Lab. Also along were a

             A young black Lab makes
               an enthusiastic retrieve,
             bringing a rooster to hand.











































         60  GUN DOG MAGAZINE  |  November 2019                                              gundogmag.com               gundogmag.com                                                   November 2019  |  GUN DOG MAGAZINE  61
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