Below is a story of how or program was involved with to other Veteran Programs. The weekend of 9-22-18, with photos.
On the weekend of Sept. 22nd, Desert Point Kennel, and Shorthairs For Love, hosted two veteran's programs. Both the “Hunts for Heroes”, and the “Dogs 4 Vets”. We had Tony the Hero, and Gerad Claseman also a Hero too many. Gerad is the president of Dogs 4 Vets. Both Gerad and Tony arrived on Friday and were set up in the guest house. We talked late into the night, or late for me. I got a chance to listen to Tony who is disabled after three tours of deployment. After listening, I could understand (at least in part) the PTSD part of his disabilities, that went along with major injuries. I must say I was humbled and moved by not only Tony's story but the stories of our Heroes that Gerad and his group helps. Dogs 4 Vets is one of if not the nations largest service dog training facilities for veteran's and their dogs. They just started a new class of 65 teams, and we are proud to say one of the puppies is our very own Holly and Bajenks girl.
We were very much blessed by Dustin Ward, a young hunter that knows the area. Even though Dustin himself has never been lucky enough to draw on one the 25 pheasant tags for the Yuma area, which is the only area in Arizona to hold wild pheasants in a huntable number he knows the area, and the farmers. He was able to get us permission to hunt on two pretty good spots.
Another plus is Dustin has two of our dogs. Drake a Rob and Bella boy, and Kirra who is out of Jack and Jill. Dustin loves these dogs and hunts everything from Dove, to duck with them, and I have to give him credit, both dogs are trained extremely well, and both have a tremendous amount of time in the field. I did not even, at least the first day feel the need to bring any of my dogs. Feeling in part since Dustin was going out of his way to help us, then at least we could use his dogs. All the dog people out there know that watching their dogs work is the biggest joy of all.
Saturday morning we were out early looking over the areas, and decided to try the cotton fields where a number of pheasants had been seen. I must take the time to thank Barkley Farms and their foreman Alejandro. Alejandro made himself available to us, and was of course a huge help.
Saturday morning we met two brothers RJ, and Cory who were hunting the same area we were. Sometimes in pheasant hunting the more help to make drives in a field the better. RJ and Cory decided to join us, and we made a few drives through the cotton fields. There were a number of pheasants in the cotton field and they were put up in part because of Dustin's dogs Drake and Kirra. A few clean misses got the morning started. Then RJ made a good shot, and it seemed a down pheasant would be soon retrieved. I got some good photos, and it sure looked like a good solid hit, but anyone who has ever hunted pheasants knows that pheasants are extremely tenacious, they are strong and known to recover well from a shot. They often hit the ground recover and run. We all searched the area with the dogs but no pheasant was found.
Tony missed a nice cock pheasant, the male being the only ones that can be harvested. We all moved over to the Olive grove. Right off I saw 4 hens and a nice roster and knew we had a very good chance of getting them up. Tony, Cory, and RJ were placed near a drainage that broke the grove in half. Dustin, Drake, and Kirra did an outstanding job of working the olive grove pushing a nice cock up, however he broke low, and Tony decided to play it safe. Always thinking of his team mates, and not taking an unsafe shot is just who he is. A second one broke on the second half of the olive grove, and no clear shot was given. A very nice, beautiful roster flew just over the tops of the olive trees giving me a shot with the camera.
It was getting hot as we approached noon. The day would be 106 degrees and was already headed in that directions. Dustin was drenched in sweat, and had been working his butt off. Drake and Kirra were also ready for a break. Lucky there was plenty of water for them to jump in. We decided to take the middle part of the day off and meet back at the olive grove at 4 pm.
Tony was having a little problem with his knee as well as the PTSD and was ready to call it a weekend. At one point when it was just him and I, he was telling me how beautiful the dogs were and how he loved the work they had done in the hunt. Gerad had place the seed of a working service dog in Tony's life because Gerad being the kind of man his is does such things. All expenses to Tony would be free for the service dog training. Tony asked me how much a puppy would be, and I of course told him there would be no charge. I mean I give puppies to service men and women I have never even met, so how could I charge someone that has become part of my life, especially someone who made a profound impression.
Gerad needed to attend to a family matter and decided to head home as well. We headed home and said our goodbyes, knowing we would see each other again.
Dustin, his friend, RJ, Cory, Drake, Kirra, Kirra's mother and father Jack and Jill, Kirra's half sister Bella and Charlie, Drake's mom Bella, Lady, Bajenks, Sophie, Dusty, and I met back at the olive grove at 4pm. It's was pretty hot but the 9 Gang members I brought made the trip well. The truck is designed for shade and ventilation. Both Cory and RJ were impressed to see all nine gang members jump out of the truck, and jump into the canal for a swim and then returned when called and return to the back of the truck. Cory and RJ said a number of pheasants had been seen flying over the canal to the date farm. Dustin called and got permission to hunt the date farm, but we had decided to return to the cotton field after we ran the olive grove. Only one hen pheasant has been in the grove. The dogs had done a wonderful job and were very well mannered.
At the cotton field I had let the dogs searched the area of the morning's downed pheasant. No pheasant was found. We had to research the area, because no hunter likes to leave game on the ground, and most will go to great lengths searching for game that they have shot.
We were making a push through the southeast side of one of the cotton fields and the dogs got up a pheasant and RJ made a good shot. Another push got up a cock on the northwest side of the same field but the shots proved to no avail.
That was it for Saturday, Cory and RJ thanked us for all our help, and RJ said he would be contacting us later for a shorthair, being very impressed by all the great dog work. He had been thinking of either a Lab or a GSP, and this weekend had closed the deal for a GSP.
The next morning, Dustin would go out with Cory and RJ, and Drake and Kirra would get up 5 birds and the second pheasant would be harvested. Dustin had invited Tony, Gerad, Cory, and RJ back for some duck hunting with Drake and Kirra on the Colorado River. Nice of Dustin.
And there my friends is how one might hunt Arizona's only wild huntable population of pheasants. Olive groves, and cotton fields might not seem the best place to work pointing dogs, but without the dogs there would have been little chance of getting up pheasants.
We were very much blessed by Dustin Ward, a young hunter that knows the area. Even though Dustin himself has never been lucky enough to draw on one the 25 pheasant tags for the Yuma area, which is the only area in Arizona to hold wild pheasants in a huntable number he knows the area, and the farmers. He was able to get us permission to hunt on two pretty good spots.
Another plus is Dustin has two of our dogs. Drake a Rob and Bella boy, and Kirra who is out of Jack and Jill. Dustin loves these dogs and hunts everything from Dove, to duck with them, and I have to give him credit, both dogs are trained extremely well, and both have a tremendous amount of time in the field. I did not even, at least the first day feel the need to bring any of my dogs. Feeling in part since Dustin was going out of his way to help us, then at least we could use his dogs. All the dog people out there know that watching their dogs work is the biggest joy of all.
Saturday morning we were out early looking over the areas, and decided to try the cotton fields where a number of pheasants had been seen. I must take the time to thank Barkley Farms and their foreman Alejandro. Alejandro made himself available to us, and was of course a huge help.
Saturday morning we met two brothers RJ, and Cory who were hunting the same area we were. Sometimes in pheasant hunting the more help to make drives in a field the better. RJ and Cory decided to join us, and we made a few drives through the cotton fields. There were a number of pheasants in the cotton field and they were put up in part because of Dustin's dogs Drake and Kirra. A few clean misses got the morning started. Then RJ made a good shot, and it seemed a down pheasant would be soon retrieved. I got some good photos, and it sure looked like a good solid hit, but anyone who has ever hunted pheasants knows that pheasants are extremely tenacious, they are strong and known to recover well from a shot. They often hit the ground recover and run. We all searched the area with the dogs but no pheasant was found.
Tony missed a nice cock pheasant, the male being the only ones that can be harvested. We all moved over to the Olive grove. Right off I saw 4 hens and a nice roster and knew we had a very good chance of getting them up. Tony, Cory, and RJ were placed near a drainage that broke the grove in half. Dustin, Drake, and Kirra did an outstanding job of working the olive grove pushing a nice cock up, however he broke low, and Tony decided to play it safe. Always thinking of his team mates, and not taking an unsafe shot is just who he is. A second one broke on the second half of the olive grove, and no clear shot was given. A very nice, beautiful roster flew just over the tops of the olive trees giving me a shot with the camera.
It was getting hot as we approached noon. The day would be 106 degrees and was already headed in that directions. Dustin was drenched in sweat, and had been working his butt off. Drake and Kirra were also ready for a break. Lucky there was plenty of water for them to jump in. We decided to take the middle part of the day off and meet back at the olive grove at 4 pm.
Tony was having a little problem with his knee as well as the PTSD and was ready to call it a weekend. At one point when it was just him and I, he was telling me how beautiful the dogs were and how he loved the work they had done in the hunt. Gerad had place the seed of a working service dog in Tony's life because Gerad being the kind of man his is does such things. All expenses to Tony would be free for the service dog training. Tony asked me how much a puppy would be, and I of course told him there would be no charge. I mean I give puppies to service men and women I have never even met, so how could I charge someone that has become part of my life, especially someone who made a profound impression.
Gerad needed to attend to a family matter and decided to head home as well. We headed home and said our goodbyes, knowing we would see each other again.
Dustin, his friend, RJ, Cory, Drake, Kirra, Kirra's mother and father Jack and Jill, Kirra's half sister Bella and Charlie, Drake's mom Bella, Lady, Bajenks, Sophie, Dusty, and I met back at the olive grove at 4pm. It's was pretty hot but the 9 Gang members I brought made the trip well. The truck is designed for shade and ventilation. Both Cory and RJ were impressed to see all nine gang members jump out of the truck, and jump into the canal for a swim and then returned when called and return to the back of the truck. Cory and RJ said a number of pheasants had been seen flying over the canal to the date farm. Dustin called and got permission to hunt the date farm, but we had decided to return to the cotton field after we ran the olive grove. Only one hen pheasant has been in the grove. The dogs had done a wonderful job and were very well mannered.
At the cotton field I had let the dogs searched the area of the morning's downed pheasant. No pheasant was found. We had to research the area, because no hunter likes to leave game on the ground, and most will go to great lengths searching for game that they have shot.
We were making a push through the southeast side of one of the cotton fields and the dogs got up a pheasant and RJ made a good shot. Another push got up a cock on the northwest side of the same field but the shots proved to no avail.
That was it for Saturday, Cory and RJ thanked us for all our help, and RJ said he would be contacting us later for a shorthair, being very impressed by all the great dog work. He had been thinking of either a Lab or a GSP, and this weekend had closed the deal for a GSP.
The next morning, Dustin would go out with Cory and RJ, and Drake and Kirra would get up 5 birds and the second pheasant would be harvested. Dustin had invited Tony, Gerad, Cory, and RJ back for some duck hunting with Drake and Kirra on the Colorado River. Nice of Dustin.
And there my friends is how one might hunt Arizona's only wild huntable population of pheasants. Olive groves, and cotton fields might not seem the best place to work pointing dogs, but without the dogs there would have been little chance of getting up pheasants.