National Dog Day 2024
*Rules For Owning a Gun Dog*
1. Spend time with them each day. You are their everything.
2. Don’t hide your excitement, let them see the kid in you.
3. Your expectations of a bird dog are high, but their expectations of an owner should be higher.
4. Don’t sleep on it, take them to the vet.
5. Go hunting with them at least one time just the two of you.
6. Tell your new friends about your old dogs.
7. Their weaknesses aren’t the only ones in the field.
8. Judge your hunting friends by how they treat their dogs.
9. Always stop to pet them.
10. Stop walking and sit down. You will see how much they love you. Enjoy it.
11. Treat puppies like puppies and treat your 12 year old like he still is one.
12. Know when to retire them and give them everything they want. They gave you everything they had.
13. Have patience when they are hard of hearing. It comes from years of hearing everything.
14. Show your kids that there are reasons to be gentle in this world. Bird dogs are just one of them.
15. You helped them down the stairs when they were young. Help them up the stairs when they are old.
16. Take the picture every single damn time. It’s worth it.
17. Enjoy their determination, even when it’s not after a bird.
18. When it’s time to say goodbye don’t leave their side. Hold them. They know what’s happening and they’re happy you are with them.
19. Remember them, visit the places that made you both so happy. Think about them while you stop walking and sit down with their protégé on an October afternoon.
20. Understand that you can not fill the hole they left in your heart, but remember them and they will be with you every step of the way. ... See MoreSee Less

While the longtime averages are still down for our mallards 🦆 … this year is looking up folks!🚨 The 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝘄𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) results are in!

Our team of experts weigh in on the data collected by the USFWS earlier this May and provide valuable insight into what duck hunters can expect in their flyways this fall.

Along with analyzing the year-to-year and long-term averages for several waterfowl species, our team reviews the May pond counts and Eastern Survey results and makes predictions about how the hunting season will unfold.

deltawaterfowl.org/annual-breeding-waterfowl-population-survey-estimates-33-99-million-ducks-up-5... ... See MoreSee Less