# quail wings and things



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Where would one purchase quail wings?? Or birds?? For training purposes, of course.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

In the beginning I got mine from some of my training partners who had birds in their freezers. I now get them from tests I attend. I clip the wings from birds that are too badly wounded to be reused at a training session. At the end of tests the host clubs will sometimes offer birds to workers and participants.


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## gabbys mom (Apr 23, 2008)

I wish I knew- I am going to join a hunting retriever club this spring, so hopefully I can get ducks or quails through them. 

I've heard there is a place called Whistling Wings in Hanover, IL that hunt tests order from, but I haven't had a lot of luck reaching them.


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## fuzzbuzz (Aug 3, 2008)

Just a thought, contact the hunting retriever club now and ask if anyone has birds or wings available. Most HRC members are very helpful.


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## olik (Apr 13, 2008)

in the hunting store.If you have one around.We have "Great outdoors" i believe the name.They have a lot of hunting stuff.Internet is a source.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

They would be very close to me, if they do exist. I'll see if I can track them down, pardon the pun.




gabbys mom said:


> I wish I knew- I am going to join a hunting retriever club this spring, so hopefully I can get ducks or quails through them.
> 
> I've heard there is a place called Whistling Wings in Hanover, IL that hunt tests order from, but I haven't had a lot of luck reaching them.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

*well I'll be doggoned...*

Cabela's has them! They're freeze dried, is that what I would have expected to fine??
Now THAT was sure easy enough.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t.../search-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1



olik said:


> in the hunting store.If you have one around.We have "Great outdoors" i believe the name.They have a lot of hunting stuff.Internet is a source.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

well man oh man, cabela's has all kinds of stuff I probably can't live without. My husband gets every cabela's catalog ever printed, don't know why I didn't think to look there. How about "dead fowl injector kit"??? Available in either duck or pheasant. I probably need to own that! If nothing else, I can use it when I cook chickens, to fool my guests into thinking it's pheasant under glass.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

We get ours from hunting birds!  My Spinone pal always has a freezer full, too.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I need to live closer to that freezer !




Pointgold said:


> We get ours from hunting birds!  My Spinone pal always has a freezer full, too.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

hotel4dogs said:


> I need to live closer to that freezer !


The freezer is good, the Spinones are better. Hunting over them is just a blast! They are awesome.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

sorry to say, that's a breed I've never boarded or encountered. I get some unusual breeds, but not that one. Yet.




Pointgold said:


> The freezer is good, the Spinones are better. Hunting over them is just a blast! They are awesome.


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## Tatnall (May 20, 2008)

If you are looking for game birds--especially live ones, this link is helpful:
http://www.mynaga.org/Members.asp#

Click on your state or province and see if there are any near you.


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

Funny - but relevant story. A friend of mine is an avid hunter - spends a great deal of the fall out going for pheasants, ducks, geese and also helps out a few farmers by removing pigeons from their barns. In other words he's got some birds. He knows I use and need birds for training so he'll bring me a couple of deliveries for my freezer  Well one day I wasn't home when he dropped off the birds so he left them on my front step. A couple of ducks, some pheasants and a goose - I think there were some pigeons too. Anyway, they were all neatly stacked on my front step and when I came home my neighbor (who doesn't understand the whole "dog" thing anyhow) came running over to tell me about the "carnage" on my front step and asked if they had run into the glass on the front door...I laughed, snorted and then said, they must have - but they had the good sense to stack themselves in a nice neat pile too! LOL.

It was almost as funny as the time I sent my dear mother out to the chest freezer in the garage for something. She goes out and a moment later I hear this blood curdeling scream. We all run out there and she's at this point no longer surprised - now rather pissed actually - and matter of fact tells me that I should have told her that there were faces in the freezer. They're all in clear freezer bags - at this point probably 30 birds in there. My own frozen horror show!

As to source, some came from my friends, some came from hunt tests (after the dogs have run) and some I purchased from bird breeders in the area. As you'll soon find you get more use out of some birds. Pigeons for example are maybe good for two sessions then they start to fall apart. Do not throw anything that's been thawed (other than ducks) in water - I lost a chuckar that way - it sunk like a stone and confused my dog when I sent him to mark and there was NO bird.

Erica


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

MurphyTeller said:


> Funny - but relevant story. A friend of mine is an avid hunter - spends a great deal of the fall out going for pheasants, ducks, geese and also helps out a few farmers by removing pigeons from their barns. In other words he's got some birds. He knows I use and need birds for training so he'll bring me a couple of deliveries for my freezer  Well one day I wasn't home when he dropped off the birds so he left them on my front step. A couple of ducks, some pheasants and a goose - I think there were some pigeons too. Anyway, they were all neatly stacked on my front step and when I came home my neighbor (who doesn't understand the whole "dog" thing anyhow) came running over to tell me about the "carnage" on my front step and asked if they had run into the glass on the front door...I laughed, snorted and then said, they must have - but they had the good sense to stack themselves in a nice neat pile too! LOL.
> 
> It was almost as funny as the time I sent my dear mother out to the chest freezer in the garage for something. She goes out and a moment later I hear this blood curdeling scream. We all run out there and she's at this point no longer surprised - now rather pissed actually - and matter of fact tells me that I should have told her that there were faces in the freezer. They're all in clear freezer bags - at this point probably 30 birds in there. My own frozen horror show!
> 
> ...


 
HAHAHA! Poor Mom. I can relate. It's just WRONG on so many levels that when I would grab a carton of yogurt, I'd open it to fine leeches. Or crickets. A cottage cheese carton full or crawlers...WHY on earth can't fishing bait be packaged in something else??? :yuck:
I don't have any problems with game, but creepy crawlies are NOT my thing (also why I salmon fish with downriggers and lures vs any kind of bait...)

I finally got a second fridge for the garage, CLEARLY tagged "BEER AND BAIT".


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

> I should have told her that there were faces in the freezer.


This story made my day. Your poor mom! It's a funny story, for sure.

Gus& Finn's breeder nurses pens of live game birds at her own place. It is really something to see a litter of tiny pint-sized golden pups crowd around the bird pens electrified by nature.

Some Maine animal rights people are trying to outlaw this now, though, along with restaurants who keep birds for foie gras. Not sure about the future of hunt tests/training with live birds here. . .


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## dannyra (Aug 5, 2008)

I got lucky, my brother-in-law has a college kid working for him who's parents own a hunting ranch and they raise quail, phesants, and chuckers. So I asked him to bring me back some wings the next time he goes home.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

If you're just looking for a bird or two once in a while, check with the professional retriever trainers in your area. They may have an extra bird or two they can sell you or they can order a couple extra for you when they purchase birds. If you're near a rural area check with the area farmers to see if they'll let you trap or shoot a few feral pigeons.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks everyone, for the answers! Erica, I've had a crappy day and when I came home and read your funny story about the birds stacking themselves in a neat pile on your doorstep I laughed and laughed ! It was just what I needed!


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

As a newbie to the sport who does not hunt, I ordered some wings from http://www.gundogsupply.com/wings.html. You can also order pheasant dummies (basically a freeze dried pheasant on a canvas bumper) which I have found useful. Of course if you go to a training group or a test/trial you can pick up some birds there. One thing to be careful of is getting birds from hunting buddies and training on public land. In our area you are not allowed to train with wild birds. The birds need to be farm raised and identified by a birdband or a clipped toe.


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## John G (Dec 27, 2008)

Shooting Preserves are a great source of live birds or wings. I would tend to avoid using quail wings as being too small and also less scent. Chukar, pheasants and ducks are all good. Goose wings are good too but you won't find them at shooting preserves or from hunt tests or field trials.

Pro dog trainers (field) are also a great source for a few birds.

Hunt tests and Field trials in your area are also a good source. They will alomost always give birds away at the end of the event. Often they also have leftover live birds that they will sell at a discounted rate.

Go to entryexpress.net to see most of the field events held around the Nation.

Plenty of folks that raise birds around the midwest. Fred Rohrer in E. Kansas is one. Several in Wisc. and Minn. Hopewell Views is a little South of Quincy and has really nice birds but I'm not sure about ducks.

Ducks hold up the best and have the most scent. Lots of folks trap pigeons around bridges and from roofs. Very easy to buy or build a pigeon trap. Fairly easy to catch them.


John


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks for the answer! 
Now....what am I supposed to be doing with these wings once I get them? That was really the 64K question, I just buried it in here...




John G said:


> Shooting Preserves are a great source of live birds or wings. I would tend to avoid using quail wings as being too small and also less scent. Chukar, pheasants and ducks are all good. Goose wings are good too but you won't find them at shooting preserves or from hunt tests or field trials.
> 
> Pro dog trainers (field) are also a great source for a few birds.
> 
> ...


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## John G (Dec 27, 2008)

If its a puppy, you can just toss the wings a few yards. They won't go far as they don't weigh much. For dogs more than a few months old I would tape them with duct tape or athletic type tape to a bumper. After the dog is retrieving the "winged bumper" I would try to switch to pigeons if at all possible. Chukars if they are not. These both work well on land.

Next I would progress to small ducks, meaniong ducks raised for training or field use. They are not as old and therefore not as big as those raised to be consumed.

If your dog does not like retrieving ducks on land you can often get them started by retrieving them first in the water. Just be sure to greet the dog at the shore as the waterlogged birds will be very heavy and many dogs don't like to carry them very far ou of the water.

Keep it positive!

To store birds after you obtain them (dead) first make sure they are as dry as possible. hanging them up by the head or neck in a cool dry place with wind if possible is best. Wrap them with newspaper to dry them even more and then place in plastic bags. 

They can be kept for a couple of weeks in a fridge for several weeks and used daily if they don't get wet too often.

You can also put them in the freezer and leave them in there for years if you would like. To thaw simply get them out the night before training and let thaw in your garage, etc. if it's above freezing. Adjust time depending on how warm/cold is is outside.

John


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

thanks! I can't wait to get at a few birds!!




John G said:


> If its a puppy, you can just toss the wings a few yards. They won't go far as they don't weigh much. For dogs more than a few months old I would tape them with duct tape or athletic type tape to a bumper. After the dog is retrieving the "winged bumper" I would try to switch to pigeons if at all possible. Chukars if they are not. These both work well on land.
> 
> Next I would progress to small ducks, meaniong ducks raised for training or field use. They are not as old and therefore not as big as those raised to be consumed.
> 
> ...


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## FishinBuddy (Nov 20, 2008)

Interesting thread....I could imagine my wife's face if she saw me throwing dead ducks around my yard.....hahaha....it's bad enough I want to teach my pup to catch fish for me.


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## John G (Dec 27, 2008)

Wifes are generally more understanding than neighbors! BTW if getting ducks or pheasants is tough, you can find a farmer willing to part with chickens that are not too big. White birds can sure help a young dog use hits eyes to mark. They won't work too well in the water though!


John


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## Tatnall (May 20, 2008)

FishinBuddy said:


> Interesting thread....I could imagine my wife's face if she saw me throwing dead ducks around my yard.....hahaha....it's bad enough I want to teach my pup to catch fish for me.


I have never taught one to catch fish for me--they just wade behind me or sleep in the drift boat, but a friend who was a guide in MI had a golden that was a great grouse and woodcock hunter. He taught his to fetch fish. Came in handy if he dropped one or if he just wanted to amuse us by having him pick up one he had spotted.


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## Avery'sDad (Jan 7, 2009)

Man, this thread got me psyched up for spring. Of course, we're getting 2-5 inches today .

Avery's worked a bit (to a good degree of success) tracking and retrieving a grouse-scented bumper, but I really can't wait to get her out in the field this spring and start flinging wings. I'm planning on either attaching them to a bumper and tossing them or using a fishing pole to "cast" them - she doesn't have that strong a retrieve yet.

If I'm primarily going to be hunting Grouse with her, and I'm training with Grouse/Chukar wings, should I be re-scenting them? Should I avoid using Duck or Pheasant wings?

So excited :hyper:


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## John G (Dec 27, 2008)

Avery'sDad said:


> Man, this thread got me psyched up for spring. Of course, we're getting 2-5 inches today .
> 
> Avery's worked a bit (to a good degree of success) tracking and retrieving a grouse-scented bumper, but I really can't wait to get her out in the field this spring and start flinging wings. I'm planning on either attaching them to a bumper and tossing them or using a fishing pole to "cast" them - she doesn't have that strong a retrieve yet.
> 
> ...


I would tend to use pheasant wings then. Duck wings have much more scent.

John


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