Foster Dogs? Absolutely

What do you do when you own thirty Labradors that you absolutely adore, and have 40 weeks per year when you aren't hunting?  Leave them in the kennel? No. Absolutely not.

If you want truly great pheasant hunting you need truly great dogs.  As most of you know we are not very particular about breed.  We'll use black, yellow, or chocolate.   We own 30 of the finest Labradors anywhere.  One of the things we have learned being lifetime Lab people is that Labs love people.  In fact, that eagerness to please is one of key reasons our Scattergun Retrievers make our place most memorable.  But what do you do the rest of the year? 

Answer, Foster Parents.  Our Foster Dog program is unique in the industry.  When we aren't hunting our Labs live with families all over the country.  If you play golf at Medina Country Club you might see one riding shotgun with the course superintendent.  You could see one trotting the campus at Northern State University.  There is even a Scattergun Retriever running around a certain country music legend's home place in Alabama.

We know first hand that the more time our dogs spend with these great dog people the happier they are.  And the happier they are the better they hunt.  We don't want robots.  We want dogs that are hunting with a smile on their face.  Those who have experienced both know the difference.

We will never allow someone else's dogs to run our hunt.  We will never allow our dogs to sit in the kennel for ten months a year.  So thanks to all of our Foster Parents.  We couldn't do it without you.

2012 Farm Plan Taking Shape

Winter is about over.  I think we had about 2 days of it.  Now it's on to execution of our 2012 farm plan.  Things are different for us.  We plant habitat.  Make no mistake, sometimes it's difficult to ignore those corn prices but we know pheasant hunting requires pheasant habitat.

Our investment in trees and grasses in paying great dividends.  Those walks in the tree groves between food plots are amazing now.  Along with more grass, we'll be planting more food plots, changing some planting direction, and trying some new things. 

We must look ridiculous to a normal farmer.  Remember, though, our goals are different.  We are building a pheasant population, we plant so that your wing shooting experience is the very best possible.  We also want you to hunt South Dakota the way we did as kids.

We're Back

We're back.  It's been a nice off season with a wet Spring, a late hatch and time spent with family and friends.  The dogs are home, and guests will be here within the week.  Off we go.

Wow

We are headed to the Safari Club International Show this week in Reno.  We can't wait to see old friends and make some new ones.  We'll have some interesting things to share when we get back.

I wish I had a wider lens.

Just getting ready to head home and we looked out the window.  I wish I
would have had a wider angle lens, there were 103 deer all within 150 yards
of the back deck.  Florida or Arizona might be nice in the winter but for us
South Dakota is pretty nice too.

 

So here I sit looking at maybe an inch of fresh snow (it really is pretty). Like me, Rip is looking out the front door. He does that a lot this time of year.  Out my office window I have seen a couple hundred pheasants, three or four coveys of grouse, eleven whitetails and one eagle, and it is only 11 o’clock. 

It is after our hunting season and before family Christmas at ScatterGun.  Like a lot of folks I am not exactly sure what we are waiting for.  The kids, presents, turkey, I am really not sure.  But then I remember “Santa is coming.”

You know, come to think of it, maybe, just maybe he has already been here and we just didn’t take the time to notice.