Mountain K9 LLC

As students of animal behavior and dog training, it is always a wonderful exercise to work with other species. In my case, being a falconer, raptors are almost equally as interesting as canines, albeit quite different. Raptors think completely differently, but they respond to training very similar to the way dogs do!

The inspiration that many of our great outdoor writers have taken from setters pointing grouse is easy for me to understand. For me the image of a setter on point on a southern Appalachian hillside with the king of gamebirds holding tight in front is one of the most amazing sights the Good Lord has ever put in front of me. Pictured is my Daisy Mae Bondhu pointing an Eastern Kentucky grouse.

There is something about walking in on a point that is just magical. It’s like, for a moment, time stands completely still and you feel completely in tune with everything around you. The dog, the bird, and the country around you, for one brief second, all line up to create this scene of beauty and tranquility amidst the adventure of a day afield.

Nothing like a solid point on wild birds!