Illinois Central Zone Waterfowl Opener: The Off-season Hardwork Pays Off

Illinois Central Zone Waterfowl Opener: The Off-season Hardwork Pays Off

This past weekend was the waterfowl opener for the central zone.  Hopefully you were able to get out and enjoy it and maybe even harvest a few birds.  While in the blind our phones kept going off with text messages from people across Illinois telling us how their hunts were going.  Many only saw a few birds, "by the time you saw the birds that were here and went to pick up your gun, they were already 70 yards away"  said Rick Rasmussen.  Meanwhile others were shocked at just how warm it was on Saturday. "I was literally hunting in jeans and a t-shirt" said Chris Cramer. There were scattered reports of hunters harvesting a few, others were going home with their goose egg.

This wasn't just another opener for Capitol Outdoors.  It was Linc's first!  As you may know, almost two years ago we won a dog through a twitter competition from Soggy Acres.  Linc was about 10 months old for his first hunt, but we were able to put him on some single retrieves and as a puppy he did great.  With how young Linc was our goal was to make sure he knew how to heel, retrieve to hand and have a successful hunt.


During this off-season we've been working really hard with both our dogs.  Reagan has 7 years of hunting under him and has been a great hunting companion during that time.  However, its Linc time now.  Lincoln, as a matter of fact, got a portion of his Started Title during the Illinois River Retriever Hunt Test out at Banner Marsh early this Spring.  Just another moment where we were so proud of him.

Linc at his first hunt test

It didn't stop there.  We kept working with him on certain areas of his training and kept at it. We trained every other day and took the hot days of summer to work on basic obedience and having fun.  It wasn't until September when we really picked up with our retrieves during training. Linc also gained experience by going on a dove and teal hunt with us.  When we weren't hunting, training sessions would run two or three times a day. Now you have to remember each session usually only last about 10 - 15 minutes. This helped the dogs with endurance.

Now, these training sessions did not always go as planned, there were times of frustration and even despair.  You see, we're like you, just average people who want their hunting dogs to retrieve game and be the best they can be. One day we called my uncle, who is a judge for hunt tests and has worked with dogs for years, in order to get some advice.  "I'd say 95% of the time if the dog is doing something wrong it's not the dog its you" he said.  That got me thinking.  I adjusted my training and kept plugging along.

Finally, opening day was among us and there was a strong southwest wind.  Needless to say the training all paid off.  Everything clicked.  Granted he is still a pup and we still are working on all his casting and directions, but he did great.  He retrieved the birds like a champ.  We were so proud.

A Successful Opening Day for Linc in 2015

You see, Linc is one of those dogs that has an intense drive.  He never stops, always running around, jumping, wanting to play.  He now understands why Reagan comes home from a hunt and sleeps.  Linc slept for hours after we got home, not moving.  He got his introduction to hunting and is a true hunting dog now.

Remember, your dog may never be a grand champion like the ones you see on DU or any other hunting show.  If he does what you want him to do and you have a bond with your dog, that's all that matters.

How did you and your pup do?  Share your story in the comments below.