Non traditional birds for training?

[Mr. 16 gauge]

The dog in question is a Labrador retriever.....she is a flusher (as opposed to a pointing lab). All I've trained have been flushing dogs (prior to this, an American water spaniel & two chessies). All the dogs previously would run in and flush sparrows/song birds from cover, even though I never used those species for training.....I just figured a bird smells like a bird! Don't really mind too much, either, as I figure their nose is telling them "bird", and to try and correct for a certain species might mean having them pass by pheasants for fear of correction.
I do plan on raising a few quail this summer....bird prices are going through the roof around here. Hope to have some training birds by late summer/early fall.

[fabsroman]

Originally Posted by Mr. 16 gauge

The dog in question is a Labrador retriever.....she is a flusher (as opposed to a pointing lab). All I've trained have been flushing dogs (prior to this, an American water spaniel & two chessies). All the dogs previously would run in and flush sparrows/song birds from cover, even though I never used those species for training.....I just figured a bird smells like a bird! Don't really mind too much, either, as I figure their nose is telling them "bird", and to try and correct for a certain species might mean having them pass by pheasants for fear of correction.
I do plan on raising a few quail this summer....bird prices are going through the roof around here. Hope to have some training birds by late summer/early fall.

The prices of the birds is the main reason we aren't "hunting" any game farms around here. They want $10 per quail and $20 per pheasant. Hard to think about putting out 40 pheasants for $800 to be split amongst 4 "hunters" and then to pay to have them cleaned. It is just astronomical. Might start raising game birds myself because I cannot imagine how it could cost that much. Used to be something like $5 per quail and $10 per pheasant some 6 years ago. It really is hard to believe that the cost has increased that much.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

It really is hard to believe that the cost has increased that much.

Price of everything has gone up....electricity for raising them (in brooders), water, taxes on property....but I think the most influential factor is most likely the price of corn.....it sky rocketed a few years back when everyone was on the ethanol kick as an alternative source of fuel. I haven't followed the price lately, but once prices go up, they rarely go down.
I've also noticed that there aren't as many 'little' producers out there, so the game farms that are buying additional birds are doing so at a higher cost (it's that whole supply/demand thingy) from fewer suppliers.
I'll continue to go to game farms.....what's my other option here in Michigan? There is no game on the "state game areas", and it takes birds to make a bird dog.......

.....however, I just won't be going as often as I used to.

[fabsroman]

Originally Posted by Mr. 16 gauge

Price of everything has gone up....electricity for raising them (in brooders), water, taxes on property....but I think the most influential factor is most likely the price of corn.....it sky rocketed a few years back when everyone was on the ethanol kick as an alternative source of fuel. I haven't followed the price lately, but once prices go up, they rarely go down.
I've also noticed that there aren't as many 'little' producers out there, so the game farms that are buying additional birds are doing so at a higher cost (it's that whole supply/demand thingy) from fewer suppliers.
I'll continue to go to game farms.....what's my other option here in Michigan? There is no game on the "state game areas", and it takes birds to make a bird dog.......

.....however, I just won't be going as often as I used to.

I used to go once a year, if that. Haven't been since Nitro was a puppy and that was 6 years ago. Try waterfowling. You usually don't have to pay per bird with that and I hear that Michigan is a great place to waterfowl.