This is the time of year when wildlife, birds and waterfowl are producing offspring. This writer was playing golf this week at the Ellinwood Country Club and we were joined by a very frisky fawn and a doe. The fawn ran around the fairway while the mother watched, and eventually the two made their way into the underbrush. Predators are also raising young and hunting nonstop to feed them. That natural system provides an abundance of offspring to sustain the balance of nature.

Now is the time to get out your hunting equipment and make plans to replace worn gear or upgrade where needed. It is also time to do some shooting. Trap, skeet or sporting clays will sharpen your eye for upland or waterfowl hunting and time shooting your bow will pay dividends as well.

Dog training is also a great way to get ready with dogs needing time for physical conditioning and repeated execution of skills needed for the season, which will be here before you know it. Tessie, the newcomer to the Roche pack, is coming along, with trips to Hedgerow Hunt Club showing a steady growth in the young French Brittany as the pup begins to understand that she is not to chase but to hold point. The plan is to do things a little differently with Tessie. Pointing dogs are trained to point and then can be trained to be “steady to wing and shot.” That translates to the dog remaining steady when the bird flushes and you shoot. That involves considerable training and is expected of field trial dogs. For the hunting that this grouse and woodcock hunter is most commonly involved in, with thick cover and fast flying birds, my dogs have released on the flush. To me, having the dogs release made it easier for them to retrieve. Initially, the plan is to start Tessie steady to wing and shot. As the training process goes on, we will see if we stick with that as we watch her progress and work her in tandem with Laney, who has a few seasons under her collar.

The process is fun and challenging. Nothing makes a bird dog like repetition, but contact with wild birds is what really makes a dog special. That wild bird contact is suspended while young grouse and woodcock hatch and fledge. The work is now done primarily with chukars. They are a bird about the same size as ruffed grouse and were imported from Eurasia to the U.S. and are common in the high desert plains of Western North America. They are easy to propagate and are commonly used in bird dog training, as are quail and pigeons. As we transition from ‘bench’ or ‘board’ training, more bird contact is included in the training. So far so good!

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Don’t forget fishing! Locally, all trout waters are stocked with beautiful fish and bass. Both largemouth and smallmouth, are spawning or post-spawn and that means great action. Striped bass are found on the coast from Rhode Island to Canada with blues also showing up. Enjoy!

Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the MaharFish’N Game Club, Counselor and Director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, has been a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.