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Except when we have food in hand. I guess by now, my Heidi dog figures she's entitled to about half of every donut or sandwich I have. You know something? She is. I'm that well trained.

Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Somerset County, NJ

My older Llewellin setter, Booker, developed a kidney infection this past spring after a bout with Lyme disease (yes, he was vaccinated, but the vet claims it is only 75-80% effective). He was put on a low protein, high carb diet. Part of his daily regimen for the next 3 months was daily medication. We all know what fun it is to give pills to a dog, especially one who wants nothing to do with the deal. He does, however, love toast. So, every morning while I have my coffee and toast, Booker has a slice of 12 grain bread, toasted and buttered, cut into 6 bite size pieces folded in half. Along with the butter is his pills which he wolfs down like there is no tomorrow. He has also developed a taste for linguine with olive oil and garlic. I kid you not. If I cook a pound of pasta for dinner for my wife and myself, I will guarantee you there are no leftovers. But there is no way I'll share my cannoli with him. Smile

JCM

Only a guy with a last name like Morella would feed his dog pasta with garlic and olive oil; don't take offense, my last name is Fassi.

Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Somerset County, NJ

None taken. The only problem now is that he looks at me sideways when I put tomato gravy on my ziti, and drools for a piece of semolina bread. Laughing

JCM

PS: Actually it was my mother that started him on it. He just picked up from there

Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 14

My setter loves pasta and tomato sauce. They know fine food even if their hunting partner's names don't end in vowels! My wife's maiden name does though.

Member Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 1522 Location: NH

My 4 Jack Russels love any type of food. They don't care if my name ends in A or not. As long as we share.

The Drahthaars aren't allowed table food. Sad

My Heidi dog was given to me by a now deceased and very much missed friend named Tony Belmosto. She has a fondness for pasta fasoli. However, you could not stand to be in the same room with her after. She also likes any and all Italian cooking.
I learned how as a kid to survive my mother's Irish diet. I figure there ain't much difference between boiling potatoes or pasta. The secret is always the sauces, and the seasonings which I learned from watching PBS. Heidi appreciates my talent. So did the rest of my family.

Member Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Posts: 14 Location: Boone, NC

I received my first 16 when my mom's uncle "beansy" died my sophmore in high school. It was an old Model 37 (forend simlar to the Model 12). I had a good summer job my junior year in college so I bought my first o/u 20 and promptly traded the 16 to my roomate for a Marlin 30-30. I thought I needed a brush gun for deer hunting. Twenty some years later, I still hunt with my old roomate. He never lets me forget the mistake and uses the gun when he wants to rub it in. Since then I have tried to right the wrong with my Citori Upland and Sweet 16...history has taken care of the rest:

Have not deer hunted in about 18 years, I spend all of my hunting time on birds.

The 20 O/U was stolen from my truck about 10 years ago (although everybody accuses me of driving away with it sitting on top of my truck, in the case)

16 ga. shells are no longer a rare find.

I will get the gun back, it's just a matter of negotiating the right deal...he won't live forever.

16gaugeguy: rooming with two gassy, pasta-eating Wirehairs; life doesn't get any better than that! I've always enjoyed being an oddball- that's why I shoot a 16 and fish a 7wt. flyrod; anyone know where I can get an Edsel?

Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Somerset County, NJ

16GG

I'm glad my dog's eating habits spurred such vivid conversations. Laughing

The part I left out is that Booker's younger partner, Elvis, a 15 month old Llewellin spurns table food. He's been on a Purina Pro Plan diet since I got him at 5 weeks old and will eat little else. He even had the audacity to turn his nose up to Mom's alla olio. Needless to say, he's not her favorite. On the other hand, he can spend a fair amount of time in the house on a regular basis since his system does not send aerial bombs to foul the air. These two setters have two very different personalities, but damn, can both of them find birds.

JCM

Joined: 06 Jul 2005 Posts: 17 Location: Florida

PT,
My best friend is a GWP. She, while mostly on Purina Pro Plan, will eat anything including ice cubes. She knows the sound of the ice dispenser on the refrigerator and comes to heel at the sound while waiting for a cube. Her favorite is an ice cube from her master's bourbon glass. You can tell she is a true southern versatile hunting dog.
Jodie

Member Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 1522 Location: NH

JCM,

What areas do you hunt birds in being from Basking Ridge?

TJC

Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Somerset County, NJ

TJC,

Ah, the challenges of bird hunting in NJ.

I am lucky enough to belong to a private club up in Warren County whose membership I received via my grandfather who was one of their charter members back in the 1920's. The have a quickly dwindling number of farms (but not members) in Sussex and Warren Counties that provides some decent hunting. The areas in Sussex border a couple of WMA's and provide a pretty good day's walk along with a day's limit. I've hunted these areas since I was a kid (walked many a mile with Grandpop and his Brittanies) and have just started (over the past 2-3 years) to see grouse making a comeback. One outing last November brought home my first two ruffed grouse in many years. Even the dog was surprised.

On weekdays after work, or for a quick jaunt on a Saturday afternoon, I'll walk the Clinton, Black River or Wittingham WMA's. They stock on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. By the noontime, the meat hunters with their 12 gauge, 3" magnum autoloaders, but no dogs have driven the fields, leaving me and the Setter Boys to seek out and work the birds smart enough to elude the drivers. It certainly is not the best of circumstances, but one has to make due with what one has available. There are very few hunters walking around after 1:00 which makes it my time of day. I laugh like hell when they tell me "There ain't no birds left in that field" and one of my setters goes to point on a cockbird in a bush about 30 seconds later.

The real treat in hunting for me lies with taking my wife to visit her family in western Minnesota. We try to get out there every year. She has a brother and a number of cousins that live out in the Madison, Mn area. It's within spitting distance of the South Dakota border and pheasants are fast, wily and plentiful. It is hunting heaven for the dogs and they need a vacation after we come home. 3-4 solid days of running after an uncountable number of pheasants will do that.

This coming year, a group of us that shoot trap together are contemplating a ride down into eastern Burlington and western Ocean/Atlantic counties to chase bobwhite quail. Apparently there are a couple of areas where stocked birds have been able to hold over after the season, breed and become established in some areas where they used to be plentiful. As a kid (back in the 60's), I remember hunting in areas out behind Fort Dix and McGuire airbase where taking 15-20 quail per day with 2-3 guys was not unusual. You just have to watch for the Pineys and the Jersey Devil. Laughing

JCM

Member Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 1522 Location: NH

Yes, NJ birds or finding a place is a challenge.

I hunted 2 different clubs on Sats and Suns last year as well as the Flatbrook WMA on Tues and Thurs. Sometimes I would go up for a leftover on Fridays.
One club is in Mt Olive, the other was on Somerset County parklands that we leased. Unfortunately we got out bid this year for that property. They are now leasing a piece of property in Alpha, NJ. That's a bit of a ride for me so I dropped that club.

I'll hunt the Mt Olive/Long Valley property as well as the Flatbrook area again.

I believe one of the areas that has quail stocked and leftovers is in the area of Collyiers Mills. I think I remember a friend of mine going down there to chase "old Bob" around with his dogs.

Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Somerset County, NJ

TJC,

Colliers Mills is one of the spots that I heard about. Another spot is the Peaslee WMA and the third is down off County Highway 539 below the McGuire gunnery range. I believe that one is called Stafford Forge. The only problem with the gunnery range is weekends. When those National Guard flyboys get out there with F-16's and A-10's, anything can happen. That school that got hit by stray cannon fire from an F-16 last year is not too far from there. I've also heard tell of abundant quail hunting down off US Route 206 in the Batsto area (Wharton State Forest, I believe it's called). It's about 1 1/2 to 2 hours away, but might be worth a ride on a Saturday anyway.

JCM