Since 1971
Here’s the latest magazine article we were interviewed for, in the July 2021 issue of Northwest Sportsman Magazine. It’s also running in California Sportsman Magazine. It’s on a great topic many people overlook or think won’t happen to them…dog fights. Read on to see what we have to say about helping prevent fights with hunting dogs.
Wild turkeys are some of the best eating game birds out there, be it in the spring or fall seasons. As with all upland game birds, turkeys are born to run, so are nothing like that farm-raised, fat, fluid-injected, store-bought bird. The key to optimizing the flavor of a wild turkey–or any upland bird–is to properly clean it and not overcook it.
If cooking wild turkey is new to you, for the best results break the turkey into parts. Once the bird has been skinned, position the carcass on its back, press down on the legs until they pop at the ball and socket joint. Keeping the knife blade close to the carcass, remove each leg and thigh. At the joint, separate the leg from the thigh. Though both are excellent when slow cooked, separating the two parts ensures they’ll fit in your slow or pressure cooker.
Next, remove the wings at the large joint where they attach to the carcass. Cut the neck off at a joint close to the carcass. The wings and neck can be added to the carcass, gizzard, heart, and liver, for a tasty stock.
With the bird still on its back, run the knife blade against the keel, filleting away each breast. Gently pull the tenderloin away from the breast meat. Don’t worry about bits of meat left on the carcass, as it will lend more flavor to your stock.
Here’s a breast recipe you’ll love:
Depending on the time of year you choose to cook your wild turkey, this recipe can be varied to include different herbs and spices. The key ingredients are butter and Parmesan cheese but even the breadcrumbs could be changed to crackers or cornbread.
Butter Parmesan Stuffed Turkey Breast
1 3-pound skinless, wild turkey breast
1/2 cup butter, divided
1 onion, diced
1/3 cup grated carrot
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
5-7 fresh sage leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
3” fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt & black pepper
Clean any silver skin, fat or sinuous tissues from the turkey breast. Lay a wooden skewer on each side of the turkey breast, preferably on a cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut 1/2” cross-grain slices in the turkey breast. When making the cuts, the wooden skewers will stop the knife from cutting all the way through the breast. This should leave about 1/4” of meat attached at the bottom of the entire turkey breast, allowing the stuffing to fit in the “pockets” you are making. Discard skewers and place turkey breast on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet.
In a large skillet, caramelize onion and carrots in 1/4 cup butter on medium heat. Add garlic, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme and orange zest, and sauté a few more minutes. Remove from heat, let cool slightly. Stir in Panko, orange juice, beaten egg and Parmesan cheese, mix until combined.
Divide stuffing equally in between each slice of turkey, tuck any leftover stuffing under the turkey breast. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup butter over stuffed turkey and sprinkle with salt, pepper and additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
Bake in a preheated 350º oven 35-45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160º. Let turkey sit 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
As for the tenderloins, here’s a tasty burger idea. This recipe also works great with pheasant, chukar, quail, grouse, or any upland birds.
Start by filleting the meat off the tendon that runs the length of each tenderloin, then chop the meat into small pieces. Each tenderloin yields one burger. If desiring more burgers, simply cut strips of breast meat to the approximate size of the tenderloins, then chop into bits.
Tenderloin Turkey Burger
Ingredients for 2 burgers:
2 turkey tenderloins
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Olive or coconut oil for pan frying
Salt to taste
Remove the center sinew from each turkey tenderloin and roughly mince the meat. In a small bowl, mix spice ingredients. Rub spice mixture through meat and let sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Divide meat mixture and form into patties.
Cover the bottom of a non-stick pan with a thin layer of oil and heat on medium-high heat. Gently place burgers in the pan and cook 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Salt to taste. Flip burgers and finish cooking on the other side.
Serve on a toasted bun with Burger Sauce or your favorite condiment, lettuce and tomato.
Burger Sauce:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon chili sauce
Here’s the latest magazine article where we were interviewed by outdoor writer, Scott Haugen. This is appearing in the May 2021 issue of Northwest Sportsman Magazine and California Sportsman Magazine.
At Cabin Creek Gun Dogs we train year-round. There is no offseason when it comes to dog training, as this is the only way to keep dogs in top physical shape, mentally stimulated, challenged, and obedient.
Enjoy the article and your training time with your canine hunting partner. Life goes fast, have fun out there!
Check out the latest magazine article in Game & Fish Magazine where we offer summer gun dog training tips. Longtime outdoor writer, and owner of two our our pudelpointers, Scott Haugen, did the interview and took the photos. Enjoy, and good luck during your spring and summer dog training sessions!
Here’s a concise article capturing the importance of offering your gun dog a range of hunting opportunities. Pudelpointers are a unique breed, able to do a lot in the field. In this story, two of our pudelpointers are referenced.
Be sure to get out hunting with your gun dog as much as you can because the years go by oh so fast. And, like you, your gun dog will thrive with all the experiences there are to share with one another. Enjoy, and good luck out there!
Here’s the latest magazine article we were interviewed for on dog training, in American Shooting Journal, a nation-wide publication appealing to a range of hunting enthusiasts. Enjoy, and good luck in your dog training!
Here’s part two of the off-season dog training tips we were interviewed for by Scott Haugen, to run in his Gun Doggin’ 101 columns. This dog training article is in the April 2020 issue of both Northwest Sportsman and California Sportsman magazines. Thank you to both magazines for including us as part of this monthly column. It’s a pleasure to share what we’ve learned as professional dog trainers at Cabin Creek Gun Dogs, here in Lakeview, Oregon, and we hope it helps fellow dog owners out there!
Here’s the latest magazine article we were interviewed for. The topic is on offseason training tips for your dog; the things you may need to start fixing now that hunting seasons are pretty much over. This is part I of a two-part series that Cabin Creek Gun Dogs was interviewed for. This dog training article is running in the March 2020 issue of both Northwest Sportsman and California Sportsman magazines. Thanks to both magazines, and to Scott Haugen, for including us as part of his monthly column, Gun Doggin’ 101! It’s a pleasure and honor to share what we’ve learned as professional dog trainers at Cabin Creek Gun Dogs, here in Lakeview, Oregon, and we truly hope it helps some of you fellow dog owners out there!
Hunting for shed antlers is one of the fastest growing pastimes of deer and elk hunters. If looking to take your shed hunting success to another level, train your dog to search for them.
While picking up antlers, or any bones, comes natural to most breeds, there are things to teach a pup that will help it become more productive in finding sheds. The important thing is that, #1, the dog is successful, and #2, we convey our desires to the dog in a manner that allows them to be successful as quickly as possible.
That said, I typically encourage the pup to pick up the horn or I’ll give it to them and encourage them walk with it. If they want to lick it, mouth it, play with it, I don’t care, I just want them exploring and engaging with the antler.
I introduce antlers while the pup is on a leash or in a confined area such as a hallway, just as I would do when teaching a young pup to retrieve. This is so there are no distractions, and ensures I’m in control of what the pup is doing. When it’s just the pup and I in a hallway, communications–both verbally and through eye contact–are easy for me to convey, and for the pup to understand.
If you watch a litter of pups and one of them finds something interesting like a feather, wing, or bone, what’s the first thing they typically do? They grab it and want to run off so they can enjoy it without their litter mates stealing it from them. I try to culture this behavior into picking up the object as a young pup but I do not let them run off with it. I’ll let them have it and pet them to reassure them they are doing something good that pleases me.
When introducing an antler to your pup, it’s not a bad idea to saw off a piece to give them. Avoid giving the pup a big shed with multiple points, eye guards and burrs, as you don’t want it to get poked and have a bad experience. Encourage it to bite, lick and chew on the antler. This will get it excited and know that it’s okay to behave in this way.
After a minute or two, take away the antler. If the pup starts to lose interest sooner, take the antler and move it around, getting the pup excited about it. Let the pup play with it for a few seconds, then take the antler away. The goal is to take the antler away from the pup when it’s excited and wanting more. This will help build a desire.
A few days later, repeat the session. After six to eight weeks of doing this, introduce larger sheds to the pup. If your pup is sensitive to the shed, you may want to saw off the tips of the antlers so the pup doesn’t get poked. At this time, before the pup’s baby teeth start falling out, it’s good to encourage the pup to pick up a shed, rather than handing it to the dog.
As the pup gets used to the larger shed, give it a shed with the tines fully intact. Even a shed with burs around the bases and eye guards can be introduced. Some pups are ready for this at three months, some at six or seven months. Some pups, as their baby teeth start falling out, may quit picking up a shed for a couple months, which is okay; don’t force it. To keep them excited, give them a fake shed–rubber or plastic–so they retain sight recognition, then reintroduce the real shed at six or seven months of age, when their adult teeth are firm.
Throughout this whole process, never let the puppy chew on the shed for more than two minutes. Always take the shed away when the pup is fully engaged, making certain to praise the pup. This will let the pup know it’s doing the right thing, and keep it wanting more. If you want your dog to retrieve sheds, refrain from buying any of the antler chew toys on the market as you don’t want antlers to be chew toys.
Once the pup is comfortable walking around with the shed in its mouth, maybe even fetching it, wash the shed of any human odor, handling it only with rubber gloves from that point. You want the dog to recognize the antler by it’s natural smell, not your odors which are transferred to the antler when handling it with bare hands. Roughing it up with abrasive paper will help freshen the antler’s scent. Now hide the shed in the yard, taking the pup on a lead, and guiding it to the area where the shed was placed, approaching from downwind so the pup can smell it.
Get the pup excited to find the shed and praise it for picking it up. Walk a few steps with it, then take it away while giving a command like “hand” or “release,” whatever word you’ll use when the dog is retrieving to hand and you want it to let go of the object when it’s delivered it to your hand. The purpose is to let the dog know their job will be to find and give you the shed they find in the woods, not run off or lay down and chew on it.
As in all training, be positive with your pup. This is all new to them and they have to be taught what’s good, bad, right and wrong. With a little time, consistent training and positive feedback, the innate ability of dogs to locate sheds can be greatly accentuated, taking their level of success to an impressive level.
At Cabin Creek Gun Dogs, we get to hear a lot of great hunting reports from around the country. Many of the great stories come from owners of our pups, others, from friends and fellow hunters.
While many upland bird hunters focus on ringneck pheasant, chukar, and quail, don’t overlook forest grouse. Last fall marked one of the best seasons in decades for forest grouse hunters throughout the West, all the way up to Alaska. Productive brooding and stable weather resulted in booming blue grouse and ruffed grouse numbers last years, and this season could be just as good. If looking to get your new gun dog on it first forest grouse hunt this fall, here are some tips.
Concentrate hunting efforts for forest grouse along gated logging roads early in the morning. Gated logging roads that allow only walk-in or non-motorized bike access are prime habitats for forest grouse. These roads are less pressured by hunters and due to the level of inactivity on them, foods like grass and clover thrive on the edges. Logging roads are also where grouse congregate to gather grit for their crop, to aid in digestion.
Hunt these gated, limited access, roads early in the morning when dew is still on the ground. Doing so will allow your pup to pick up the smell of grouse on the ground and more easily follow their tracks into the forest’s edge, where they can get on point.
As morning thermals increase, be sure to hunt into the wind. Doing so will allow your dog to pick up bird scent more easily, resulting in more points. With the morning wind increasing and temperatures rising, a bird’s scent evaporates more quickly, so hunting in shaded areas is where you’ll want to concentrate your time, as this is where the scent of the bird will remain strongest for the longest period of time.
While ruffed grouse can be found from creek bottoms to high in the Coast Range and Cascades, blue grouse are typically located at higher elevations. Spruce grouse can also be a blast to hunt with your dog, in areas where this subspecies of bird thrives.
Be sure and save the wings, or the entire skin, of the first grouse you kill. These become great training tools to use in training your pup how to hunt these challenging birds.
Make certain your dog’s feet are in shape when setting out on the hunt for forest grouse, and that they’re in good physical condition, for a lot of miles can be covered hiking in the grouse woods. Take plenty of water for both you and your dog, as well as a high-protein snack for your dog. The more prepared your are and the more ground you cover, the greater the odds of filling that bird pouch with limits of forest grouse.
Be sure to inspect your dog’s pads throughout the day, making sure there are no open wounds. At the end of the hunt, check for grass seeds between the toes and in the ears of your dog.
Have fun in the grouse woods, and be sure to share any success stories with us at Cabin Creek Gun Dogs. We love hearing reports from you, and especially enjoy seeing photos of our dogs in action!
