124 BREAKING A BIRD DOG 
veloped a shooting companion as if you give 
him enough work to keep him tuned up to it. 
You should work your dog afield from Sep¬ 
tember through March—not burdensomely, 
but at least every once in a while. It makes 
wonderful recreation to take your dog for a 
stroll where you know there are birds, and 
work him on them. What fun it is to seek 
for game—then find it! To match your wits 
and your dog’s judgment and nose against 
the wary birds seeking to avoid you—and 
finally, having stood the test, to be rewarded 
for all your efforts by that ever thrilling 
picture of a pretty point. What matters it 
if you kill or not—except just enough so that 
the dog doesn’t forget what it’s all about. 
I have almost as much fun just working my 
dogs out of season as I do shooting over 
them when the law permits—not quite as 
much fun, of course, but enough to make it 
amply worth while. Certainly there is 
plenty of thrill when quail take to wing! 
And when it comes to pheasants—man alive! 
We had Byrd out just yesterday getting 
“oiled up” on them and words fail me to 
describe the fun. You sportsmen, whose 
