projectupland.com On The Go
Episodes
Chukar Hunting Gear List: Clothing, Shot Sizes, Chokes, and Vests
02 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The "glamorous" life of a chukar hunter is like no other. You will spend nights away from your family, sleeping in your trailer, tent, or in...
The Fabarm Autumn: A Shotgun Overview
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you have been searching for that "one," that Holy Grail gun, don’t overlook the Fabarm Autumn; it will likely surprise you. Although my...
Duck Hunting Tactics for Low-Action States
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I've learned why West Virginia isn’t a bucket list state for waterfowlers. Still, I learned a few things from those mistakes and few successes...
A Beginner’s Guide to Dressing for Upland Hunting
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Wearing an oversized camo jacket, a generic blaze orange hat, and awkwardly carrying a borrowed youth 20 gauge, I walked into the lobby of the local t...
Lesser Prairie-Chicken ESA Listing Proposal Highlights Unmet Goals, Need for Voluntary Private Land Management
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's one of the most dreaded announcements a North American government agency can make: a species has been proposed to be listed under the Endang...
How to Choose a Pair of Hunting Gloves
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hunting gloves are, perhaps, one of the less considered items in our kits. I’ve personally been on a quest to find a solid, all-around glove and hav...
Trying it on for Size: The Tom Beckbe Tensaw Jacket
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In many ways, that day set me on a course for what has become the obsession of my middle years. The Tensaw jacket lodged itself in my mind as a symbol...
Expansion of CRP Will Support Upland Bird Populations
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A staple of American conversation is likely to see a resurgence in the early years of Joe Biden’s Administration, as U.S. Department of Agriculture ...
21st Century Access: The MAPLand Act Looks to Revamp Archaic US Mapping System
03 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are a few pieces of legislation making a comeback in the early months of the 117th Congress, but one particularly holds a significant amount of ...
Safe Air Travel with a Firearm and Ammunition
27 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With spring in full swing and summer just around the corner, many hunters are planning their fall and winter hunting trips. While most excursions wil...
USFWS Releases Largest National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Proposal in U.S. History
20 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a new proposal to expand hunting and sport fishing opportunities on 90 National Wildlife Refuges (NW...
How to Acquire Furred Animals for Dog Training
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you own a bird dog, you’ve heard the adage that “it takes birds to make a bird dog.” Regardless of advances in technology and training device...
A Puppy Buyer's Guide to Finding a Bird Dog
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are a lot of dogs out there. It doesn’t take a master internet user to find someone, somewhere that has a litter from which they’d love to s...
The Sage Grouse Crisis has Reached Critical Mass
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout the rural sprawl of the American West, the sagebrush ecosystem has slowly been disappearing, replaced by invasive annual grasses and conife...
Truffle Hunting With Your Bird Dog
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Training and conditioning are top priorities for the off-season, but it can be fun to mix up the routine a bit to avoid boredom and to continue devel...
Defining a Gun Dog
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hunting dogs are as old as the hills and guns have been around since the 1300s, but the idea of hunting with dogs and guns together didn’t really c...
Irish Water Spaniel: A Versatile Dog Breed Indeed
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is that a Doodle? …No, it is an Irish Water Spaniel. I thought water dogs were from Portugal? …It is a spaniel. Oh, a Portuguese Water Spaniel! …...
From the Invention of Gunpowder to the First Shotgun Cartridges
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The earliest recorded reference of gunpowder was in the Taishang Shengzu Jindan Mijue during the Tang Dynasty in China; it was discovered during an al...
Introduction to Keeping Pigeons for Dog Training
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Congratulations! You just brought home a new bird dog puppy and among the many preparations you made in anticipation of this new family member was bu...
How to Hunt Squirrels with a Dog
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The close relationship between dog and hunter is ancient. Even in what is now the United States, squirrel dogs have been helping us fill the game bag ...
One Dog to Hunt Them All: The West Siberian Laika and Other Laika Breeds
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Boreal forests of Europe are not very fertile places and, until recently, people who settled there found it hard to support themselves with either hun...
Preparing for the Next Bird Season
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s never too early to start planning for the next hunting season. You’ve heard the old adage that people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan...
Why Shotguns for Women Matter
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you’re chasing birds through the woods, across the prairies and grasslands, up and down mountains, or sitting behind a blind, it’s importa...
Etiquette of the Spring Turkey Hunting Season
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Adhering to the etiquette of the turkey woods will give you an experience that is safer, more enriching, and still rewarding by behaving as a good nei...
Squirrel Hunting Methods Without a Dog
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Squirrel hunting—real squirrel hunting where you pursue wary game in the wild—will make you a better hunter. Every year as squirrel seasons open a...
Understanding Bobwhite Quail Behavior
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes the biologist and naturalist sides of my brain collide with the bird hunter side. That alphabet soup of brain waves used to annoy me until I...
How to Pattern a Turkey Gun
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the middle of winter. Hunting seasons have come and gone, the holidays and election cycles are behind us, and we’re left looking forward to w...
How to Hunt Sooty Grouse During the Spring Hoot
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Springtime sooty grouse hunting in southeast Alaska is nothing like traditional grouse hunting. It takes place in the spring months, there may be no d...
12 Things to Add to Your Canine First Aid Kit
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most important roles we take on as gun dog owners is that of field veterinarian. Sooner or later, your dog will get hurt and rely on you to...
How to Identify Chukar Habitat
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve never hunted chukar before, it’s hard to describe its habitat. Well, kind of. They like dry, tortuous, and rocky slopes, but there’s o...
Cheatgrass: Grass Awns, Hunting Dogs, and Climate Change
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Grass awns are sharp, barbed seeds that are dropped by annual grasses like cheatgrass, Canada wild rye, and foxtail that work their way into animals’...
The Flatlander’s Guide to Hunting Desert Quail
13 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We had walked about three hundred yards from the trucks when I heard, “Lexi’s on point!” My breath formed a small cloud as I exhaled. The temper...
How to Run and Gun in Turkey Hunting
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Running and gunning means actively moving around a property and calling at intervals to find a wandering turkey. Hunters rely on natural cover and las...
Reasons to Consider Carrying a Backup Shotgun
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Besides having a shotgun go down due to damage, malfunction, debris, or other reasons that render the shotgun unsafe to use, there are other reasons w...
A New Hunter's Road from Skeet Shooting to the Dove Field
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
My hunting journey began right there in that rain-soaked moment a little over two years ago. As a woman and a first-generation hunter, my journey thus...
Gear Review: Orvis Pro LT Hunting Vest
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The upland community has seen a surge in vest innovations in recent years. The primary innovation seems to be the ability for the end user to configur...
Hunting Road Trip Packing List
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Full disclosure, this is not intended to be the end-all/be-all road trip list for every hunter. My hope in sharing my list and the rationale behind it...
Practicing Good Upland Hunting Etiquette
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While there are no formal rules to regulate our behavior in and out of the field, it’s worth considering how our actions and mindset may be perceive...
How the Boxlock Shotgun Became a Standard
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever fired a side-by-side or over-under, there’s a 99.9% chance your hands have touched one of Westley Richards’s patents. Westley Ric...
Hunting Mid-Season Stale Ducks
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We have all been there before. Duck season is at the halfway point. Opening day excitement has worn off. That sweet spot we call “mid-season” is ...
Florida's Battle for Public Land Hunting
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt created the first National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Pelican Island, off the coast of Florida. Seventy-three years...
History and Overview of the Spinone
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Discover the origin story of the rugged, versatile Spinone and how it has developed into the modern, versatile hunting dog growing in popularity with ...
Upland Hunting by Back Country Skis
13 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many things in Alaska have a uniqueness all their own, and ptarmigan hunting in the winter and spring is no exception. The ever-present challenge with...
Duck Blinds on a Budget
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Your pursuit of ducks this season doesn’t have to break the bank. While duck hunting does require a few unique investments such as a good pair of wa...
Dog Training With Mo Lindley
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the West/Gibbons method of training pointing dogs through the eyes of a novice bird dog handler who attended a training seminar with Mo Lindle...
A Beginner's Guide to Hells Canyon
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For the uninitiated, a healthy dose of preparation—both mental and physical—will go a long way toward making the most of your efforts. Going to He...
When Anti-Hotspotting Goes Too Far: Hunter Suppression in the Age of Social Media
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's a shame, really. The future of hunting hangs in the balance, and some folks would cut off their nose to spite their face. It's as if th...
How to Use a Call for Hunting California Quail
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The purpose of imitating the quail assembly call is to make the birds think that you are just another quail strolling down the block looking for your ...
Hunting California Quail Without a Dog
24 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There are many reasons why you may be looking to hunt upland birds without a dog. Maybe you can’t afford a hunting dog, let alone the time and train...
Working British Labs in America
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
No matter how you slice it, the Labrador Retriever is British. Putting the word “English” or “British” in front of its name is like putting “...
Plain Chachalaca: An Upland Game Bird Profile
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Its name may sound like a fun catch phrase or dance move, but the plain chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) is actually a tree-dwelling desert game bird. It i...
On the Merits of Plucking Game Birds
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s start with the obvious question: is plucking worth the time? The answer likely depends on what kind of hunter you are. So, let’s evaluate: d...
A Guide to American Woodcock Hunting
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It comes as no surprise that the popularity of American woodcock hunting has risen with the decline of other upland game species in its flyway. In man...
Wing Works: Redefining the Strap Vest
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One thing hunters have in common is that we love our gear. And why not? It follows us into the field right along with our dogs and our passion for the...
How to Hunt Northwoods Ruffed Grouse in the Rain
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s face it, the hunting season is too short to miss a day due to unfavorable weather. If you wait for the perfect day to come, you may shorten yo...
Most Popular Game Birds By Access and Generation
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Will the future of upland hunting look different? I always ponder that question and I know, no matter what, things will change. There is no doubt the ...
Targeting Mountain Ash for Ruffed Grouse Hunting
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mountain Ash is a native deciduous tree that is found throughout the cold climates of the northern hemisphere and as far away as Tibet. It yields a ri...
How to Get a Hunting License
12 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t be fooled by what you hear—getting a hunting license is actually a very easy thing to do. Amidst all the changes and difficulties that 2020 ...
Finding Sharp-Tailed Grouse Habitat
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The sharp-tailed grouse is one seriously charismatic bird. If you’ve ever seen videos of sharp-tails doing their telltale dancing competitions, you...
Cooperation in a Dog Fails at the Handler Level
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The young wirehaired dog lets out a happy yip as it wraps the jager lead around the handler’s legs who spins to unwind himself, tugs on the lead, an...
Why an Animal Lover Gave Up on Industrial Agriculture for Hunting
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine the sappiest bleeding-heart animal lover you’ve ever met. Got her pictured? Now multiple that by ten and you’ve got me. As a kid on a wor...
A Guide to Youth Shotguns
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I remember like it was yesterday when my grandfather took me to the local gun shop at the age of ten to look for a youth model 20-gauge shotgun. My go...
Wild Hungarian Partridge in New York
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most upland bird hunters know the Hungarian or Gray Partridge was successfully imported and thrived in several Western states, such as Wyoming, Monta...
The Three New Upland Strap Vests: Upland Evolution
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It seems the only thing we American sportsmen and sportswomen love more than a good starter kit is a vest. The ubiquitous fly-fishing vest, tactical v...
Off-Season Maintenance for Leather Hunting Boots
22 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On a fine spring day I tackled a task that had been nagging at me for months — treating my leather hunting boots. It never fails that I put away a p...
Woodcock Shooting - Edmund Davis's 1908 Classic in Audio
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lazy days spent in the uplands inevitably bring a closer connection with nature. Especially when your sport is seeking that game little bird, the wood...
Single Shot Shotgun - The Original Starter Gun
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this day-and-age the single-shot or single-barrel shotgun is quite possibly the rarest gun carried in the upland fields. To see one carried by any ...
Scouting Quail While Dove Hunting
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hunters have been waiting all summer for September 1st to finally show up on the calendar. Opening day of dove season is one of the most anticipated d...
Small Game and Bird Hunting in Alaska, Seasons, and Licenses
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Endless wilderness in every direction. I had taken the only road that went into this area and parked where it ended along the banks of a winding river...
The Theory of Positive Reinforcement in Training a Dog
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I eventually landed on was a positive reinforcement training approach. At the time I did not understand the model, which I will describe below. I...
Browning A5 Shotgun - The Legacy of Browning's Auto 5
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Developed in 1902, Browning shopped the design around, Winchester refused his terms and an agreement with Remington came unglued when their president ...
Glassing for Upland Birds
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Somewhere out there in all the trees, tall and short grass, rimrock, and hillsides, there are birds. Nearly every article a hunter reads concerning bi...
Bird Hunting Does Not Have to Be Expensive
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Upland hunting gets a bad rap for being an expensive hobby. Certainly, the idea that upland hunting is expensive is perpetuated by the industry. Flip ...
The Juxtaposition of Pride in Hunting
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
By most standards, I was a spoiled kid. I was blessed with upland and waterfowl opportunities from the onset. My first memory in the field was in the ...
Recovering America's Wildlife Act (RAWA) and Sage Grouse
21 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's no secret that sage grouse populations have been declining for decades. Between climate change fueling hotter, longer wildfires and the expa...
Choosing the Best Length Barrel for Pheasant Hunting
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
To back up a little, a query for the perfect barrel length for ring-necked pheasant shares the same answer as a similar question, “What is the best...
Gordon Setter - Breed History, Standards and Hunting Dog
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dogs with black-and-tan and black-white-and-tan coats predate the various setter breeds. They occurred in the root stock of dogs imported from the con...
NAVHDA Natural Ability Test - A Complete Overview
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Often when purchasing a pup from a breeder within the contract is a list of commitments the owner is agreeing to. These can range anywhere from what k...
How To Plug a Shotgun in the Field and at Home
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Forgetting to replace the plug is a dilemma many hunters face after a long off-season of upland hunting where there are no restrictions to the use of ...
Scouting Upland Birds Using Trail Cameras
09 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The idea of scouting with modern game cameras started one fall during college when an unexpected event triggered a need for a change of tactics. Earli...
How Much Does it Cost to Have a Hunting Dog?
03 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
To break down the cost of a hunting dog, for the sake of discussion, let’s assume a scenario with a single dog living in a household as part of the ...
A Beginner’s Guide to Buying a Used Shotgun
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“What do you have in a good, used, lightweight, nice shotgun for quail?” If I heard that question from a customer once I heard it a thousand times...
The Evolution of Whoa Training Bird Dogs
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Whoa has not always been an important part of training, but a quick historical peek at how bird dogs developed helps give it perspective. As far back ...
Hunting Ruffed Grouse in Alaska
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Autumn has long passed in Alaska. Like many upland hunters, I live for the golden leaves and crisp air of fall and mourn its passing as the snow and c...
Hunting Opportunity is Not Always Equal - The Stormy Present
20 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When I cross a border, knock on a farmer’s door, visit a gun shop or meet another hunter in the field, I feel no angst. Because as a white man, I’...
The Unfortunate Story of the Heath Hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido)
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The heath hen was yet another member of the grouse family. But sadly, this grouse was last seen in this world back in the 1930s. Its closest living r...
The History of the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon and Eduard Korthals
16 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most interesting - and frustrating - challenges I faced when writing my book Pointing Dogs Volume One: The Continentals was trying to come...
A Complete Guide to Dove Hunting
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you are new to wingshooting, then dove hunting is the perfect introduction for first-timers wanting to get into bird hunting. It lays the basic fou...
The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Controversy in North America
09 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In North America, despite a very early start—the first wirehaired pointing griffon arrived in the United States in 1887—the breed has always playe...
Ambition to Tradition - Georgia-Florida Shooting Dog Handlers Club
05 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The missing element is the foundation laid down by black bird dog handlers who stood humbly in the shadows of many of the greatest white dog men and f...
The Etymology of the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The word griffon (or griffin) can be traced back to the Greek and Latin roots meaning “hook” or “claw” or even “hawk” ( i.e., a bird with ...
The Importance of a Dog's Intestinal Health
29 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As dog owners, we often look at our dog’s bowel movements as a messy inconvenience that creates work for us. And while I do not enjoy picking up sto...
Beretta A400 Upland - Shotgun Review
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Using a new shotgun is always an exciting feeling but also somewhat unsettling when putting ol’ reliable aside. For over a decade, I have been cha...
The Development of the American Pointer
25 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The pointer itself is not coincidental, but rather the result of strategic breeding in an effort to accomplish a particular set of goals: to defeat th...
The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association - A Look at NAVHDA
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What do you see when you look into the eyes of a hunting puppy? Aside from the looming weeks of house training, teething, laundry, midnight trips to t...
Tungsten Super Shot - The Evolution of TSS Shotgun Shells
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
More than 25 years ago, the federal government banned lead shot for waterfowl hunting. In the years and decades that followed, old-timers ranted and r...
A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing a Bird Dog - The Pointing Breeds
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I have watched double-nosed Spanish pointers hunt quail in the arid hills of Guadalajara, and I’ve seen Old Danish pointers seek partridge under the...
A Love for the Fox Sterlingworth
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fox’s target market for his guns was the well-to-do and his first guns were based upon a graded system. The company advertised his guns as “the f...
The Three Main Obstacles for New Upland Hunters
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Being a novice is tough. Barriers exist for any new hobby, but the barriers to hunting can be extensive for someone looking to try it out for the firs...
Six Ways to Die in Chukar Country
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I recently came across an article written by Chuck Adams titled Eight Ways to Die in Elk Country. It was his clever spin on the TV series “1000 Ways...