7758 HASTINGS ISLAND ROAD, RIO VISTA, CALIFORNIA 94571-1026 PHONE (707) 678-3325 E-MAIL: CLUBMAIL@HIHP.COM

AUGUST 2015

First Day to Pick Up Bird Cards Club BBQ / Trap Shoot Pre- Season Rooster Shoots Pre- Season Rooster Shoots New Member Orientations Pheasant Season Starts Last Day to Pay - Off Bird Cards Early Season Card Ends

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

September 5th

September 12th September 9, 10 & 12

September 16, 17 & 19 See Article

September 26th September 30th December 18th

H I H

Start Hunting September 26th!

Pheasant Season begins on September 26th. We are looking forward to seeing everyone t for another season of excellent hunting. We want to remind you of a few pointers that will greatly speed up your check-in process and get you hunting as quickly as possible. Every hunter must have a valid Hunting License and Upland Game Bird Validation in order to pick up your Bird Card to hunt Pheasants or Chukar at the Club. Since we do not to sell Hunting Licenses, Upland Game Bird Validations or Fishing licenses, make sure you get them before you arrive to hunt. Visit our website at www.hihp.com under links page and you can find a list of businesses in the surrounding area where you can buy your licenses and validations. You must have a valid 2015 - 2016 Hunting License and 2015-2016 Upland Game Bird Validation in order to pick up your Bird Card.

Regular Bird Card Prices are in effect now, until September 30, 2015. The Early Season Card remains deeply discounted at $575.00 for 20 pheasants. Please

remember this Card’s hunting season ends December 18, 2015 and you will not be allowed to hunt Pheasants after that date, even as a Guest; although you are more than welcome to use the Club facilities for Trap Shooting, Fishing or Chukar hunts. Bird Cards must be paid in full by September 30, 2015. If your card is paid in full, it will be available for pick-up beginning Saturday, September 5, 2015. After September 30, 2015 we will only be selling the 20 Bird Late Season Card any unpaid cards will

automatically transition to the Late Season price.

HASTINGS ISLAND HUNTING PRESERVE

Welcome to all our new and returning members! The entire crew is excited about the upcoming season and getting to see everyone. The roosters are cackling, the fields are well-covered, and we look forward to opening day. We have a new litter of English Pointer puppies born this summer to greet the new season as well. If you are interested in viewing the pups or their pedigrees, please call the Club office for more information. Danielle Earl

New Member Orientations

RUTH PARCELL AND HEIDI ENJOYED A DAY OF HUNTING

Welcome New Members! As a first-time member of Hastings Island (or if you have not been an active member in the past two years) you must attend an orientation prior to hunting at the Club. We provide these orientations to familiarize you with the Club, our employees, and the rules and regulations that you will be expected to follow when at the Club. While attending an orientation, we hope that you will take the opportunity to ask questions and familiarize yourself with all that the Club has to offer. Orientations will be held on Saturday’s and Sunday’s from September 5th to October 18th, starting at 8:00am, and will last 45 minutes. Workday orientations are held the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month through November 19th.

Pricing

2

On a crisp fall morning at the Club, I watched my puppy, “Jake”, quartering through the bunchgrass field ahead of me. The young German Wirehair Pointer devoured the wide open space in long casts, searching f o r t h a t intoxicating scent of a Pheasant. Whenever Jake showed symptoms of dashing off into the horizon, I blew two sharp blasts on my whistle, and he would turn gracefully to re- work the ground he had just hastily combed over. Jake was growing up, and that made me proud. I was watching my first fully trained bird dog do what bird dogs are born to do. We made our way towards an area of the field bordered on two sides by water channels. Often, a rooster will hide in the wild rosebushes, tule stalks, and tangled grass along the banks, making this a favorite place to hunt. Many birds had come out of this place and into our pouches with our family’s older pointer, in seasons past. Soon, Jake caught a scent of something in the tangled grass. With his nose outstretched, his torso frozen in time, and tail directly in the air, he had zeroed in on a running bird that had suddenly stopped. Knowing that the king of Upland Gamebirds has a chronic case of “won’t sit - itis”, I quickly caught up with Jake on the ditch bank. The unexpected explosion of a rooster and a sudden burst of color into the air scared the living daylights out of me for a second. Upon flushing, Mr. Rooster uttered his arrogant parting cackle that sounded like a taunt. The brilliant feathers rose into the air with the rooster’s oaths, and I brought my gun up. Looking down the barrel at a fleeing rooster head and neck region, I fired. The Rooster folded and fell. “Fetch, Jake!” - I called, and off goes the pup, retrieving up a stone - dead Pheasant. Pride swelled into his chest and punctuated with every prancing step back to me. He paraded in front of me with his prize, the multi - colored rooster. Bright sunlight glinted off the Pheasant’s feathers like burnished gold. After I paid due reverence to the fallen bird’s splendor, Jake presented the bird to me. I took it from him and placed it in my blaze - orange vest. With our first bird in the bag, Jake gleefully headed out to find another. This article was reprinted with permission from The Pointing Dog Journal. For more great stories about pointing dogs, please visit www.pointingdogjournal.com.

First Rooster for “Jake” by Sarah Riensche

Why Hunter Educa on?

The first mandated hunter education program began in New York in 1948 to reduce hunting incidents. As hunter education programs spread across the country, safety coordinators formed what is now the International Hunter Education Association to create a core curriculum, which is the basis for the course. Hunter education strives to instill responsibility, improve skills and knowledge, and encourage the involvement of beginner and veteran hunters. Responsible, ethical behavior and personal involvement are both essential to the survival of hunting. Responsibility: A knowledgeable and skillful student of hunting will never be a true hunter unless he or she also behaves responsibly. Responsible behavior includes courtesy, respect of others and wildlife, and involvement. Responsible hunters do not poach or act carelessly. Responsible hunters obey hunting laws, hunt fairly, practice safety rules, and wait for a clean kill before shooting. How you behave and how other people see you will determine hunting’s future. Safety Skills: Hunting-related safety skills are gained through hands-on training and practice. It is most valuable to learn these skills from an experienced hunter. Knowledge is learning and understanding the basics of safe gun handling and hunting. Before being trained in the skill of firearm shooting, you should know how the firearm operates and how to handle it safely. Involvement: Part of the process of becoming a true, responsible sportsman is becoming involved in efforts to keep hunting a respected sport. That includes teaching others, working with landowners, and cooperating with game wardens. It also includes joining conservation organizations, which will help preserve habitat and promote wildlife management.

Brooke Cresalia, with her very first pheasant. Brooke’s dad, Tom Baily, has been a member at Hastings since 1978. While Brooke was always interested in shooting she didn’t become a hunter until this year, when she gave her husband Joe a membership at Hastings as a wedding present. Tom now gets to enjoy days in the field with his daughter and son-in-law.

Sarah & Jake 

3

The Club will continue to offer smoked pheasants for exchange, during hunting season. The pheasants are smoked over alder wood, for a delicious and unique flavor. They are a great treat for

family gatherings, parties and holiday’s. They are always in high demand, so make sure you pick them up while they last!

Pre-Paid Cleaning You might consider our pre-paid bird cleaning service. The convenience of not needing to remember a few extra dollars for the cleaning each time you hunt is a great convenience.

The Club, Operations and Coffee Shop will change its hours on September 26, 2015 to hunting season schedule: Club Office 7:00am to 4:30pm. Field Hours 7:30am to 4:00pm. Trap Range 7:30am to 4:30pm Coffee Shop: Mondays: 7:00am to 1:30pm (grill closes at 1:00pm) Wed. to Fri. 7:00am to 2:30pm (grill closes at 2:00pm) Sat. & Sun. 7:00am to 4:00pm (grill closes at 3:30pm) The Club will remain closed every Tuesday for all activities

Saturday, September 12th we will hold our annual Club Barbeque and Trap Shoot Competition. We will begin at 10:30am. Station assignments will be drawn by lot at 10:15am at the Trap Range. All competitors must use a firearm capable of legally hunting Upland Game, (i.e. no release triggers, any pump action firearms require a magazine plug, etc). The competition fee is $20.00 per shooter, and will include a barbeque lunch. Please refer to the Club website for a list of past Club Champions and the complete rules for this competition. We will also be conducting New Member Orientations on September 12th, so our new members can attend the Orientation class and then participate in all of the day’s activities. Assuming that you are paid in-full, you are also welcome to pick up your bird card(s). The Club will be having a barbeque hamburger and hot dog lunch with potato salad, chips, and soda for $5.00 per person. If you are participating in our Trap Competition, the price of your lunch is included in your entry fee.

A C B C T S

The Club is proud to again host BOW of California with their Annual Pheasant Hunt to be held the weekend of October 2, 3, and 4, 2015 This event is open to all women (not just members of the Club) and offers them the opportunity to earn their Hunter Safety Education Certificate, get a hunting license and hunt pheasants in an action packed weekend at the Club. If you do not already have a valid Hunting License, you will need to complete the online/home study portion of Hunter Safety prior to arrival at Hastings. This year’s event will have a fast-paced action-packed itinerary. Participants will be camping out at the Club on Friday and Saturday night. Friday evening the ladies will have a social hour, dinner and meeting in the Clubhouse. Saturday, morning those who need to complete their exam for the Hunter Education will have an opportunity to do so. The women requiring Hunting Licenses or Upland Game Validations will take a short ride into Rio Vista to purchase their licenses. Those who already have their licenses will be treated to a dog handling demonstration. Following lunch in the Club Coffee Shop, the ladies will head out to the trap range for an afternoon of instruction in clay target shooting and the principles of bird hunting. Saturday evening will include a pheasant cleaning and cooking demonstration, followed by a fresh pheasant dinner. Sunday morning things will really pick up and all of the newly acquired skills will be put to the test with a guided hunt. Sunday lunch in our Coffee Shop will round out the event. Pricing for the event is: $292.50 for BOW of California Members $325.00 for non-BOW Members Limit of 20 participants To sign up for the event please contact Susan Herrgesell at (530) 347-0227 or email: susan@bowca.org. You can also visit our website for a link to BOW website.

B A O W

TWO MEMBERS OF BOW WITH STEVE ARTIST, HASTINGS MEMBER WHO VOLUNTERRED HIS TIME FOR THE BOW EVENT IN 2014,

S

4

All - Star Line Up of Rental Dogs 2015-2016 Season

“Star” - a 7 year old champion of the Upland Bird hunt. This little dynamo is a rocket in the field, and her nose has yet to miss a Pheasant. Friendly and well mannered, Star makes a great dog for families hunting together.

“Zak” - a 6 year old German Shorthair Pointer who loves to hunt. Zak has one speed, full - bore after the scent. His points are picture quality, and he will hold them until released, every time. This dog is energetic, and won’t quit the hunt until you

are done. “Tank” - 5 years old and a real go-getter. This German Shorthair Pointer has a wonderful temperament and consistently locates birds, even from long distances, on the faintest whiff of a scent.

“Bear” - a 5 year old German Shorthair that loves children and loves to hunt. He makes the perfect match for young children experiencing the joy of upland hunting for the first time

“Spider-Man” - a 4 year old English Pointer is gentle and loves to roam into all kinds of cover to find the birds. He is not afraid to go looking for them in even the most tangled grass.

“Izzy” - a 3 year old female German Shorthair Pointer. Last year was her 1st as a professional hunting dog and she already has a ‘fan club’. We expect awesome things from her this year.

“Smoke” - a 2 year old German Shorthair Pointer arrived last January and is an up - and - coming champion. Try him out, you won’t regret it. He has already established an impressive reputation.

“Holly” - is a one of a kind German Shorthair field champion. Many of our members look forward to her outstanding bird work, and we are happy to have this top notch performer again for the Season.

“Gunner” - a 4 year old English Setter gifted to the Club this year by a member who had to relocate out of the country. His points are picture quality and has a great disposition.

Be sure to make your Rental Dog reservations early!

Understanding AKC Hunt Tests, Walking Field Trials and the

Difference

Hastings Island encourages people to become more involved with their dogs in the field; ultimately making both our members and their dogs better hunters. To this end, Hastings makes the Island available to various dog clubs for the sponsoring of field performance testing events. Primarily these events are AKC Pointing Breed Hunt Tests and AKC Pointing Breed Walking Field Trials. We often receive inquiries as to what is required for the events and what is the difference between Hunt Tests and Field Trials. The major difference between Field Trials and Hunt Tests is that Field Trials are COMPETITIVE, with only the top four dogs in each classification receiving recognition and AKC point accumulation. Hunt Tests are NOT COMPETITIVE and only require dogs to be compared against a STANDARD. Dogs do not compete against each other and all dogs achieving a minimum level of performance are awarded a pass. Horseback handling, or scouting is not permitted in any Hunt Test. Walking Field Trials MAY allow horseback scouting and galleries, but typically no horses other than the Judges and Marshal are allowed at Hastings. Hunt Tests are divided into three major categories; Junior, Senior and Master. After achieving one of these basic titles, owners may take their dogs on to an “Advanced” title in each category. The requirements for these Advanced Titles are simply a higher average score in the respective categories. Each category is judged by two individuals. Judging is somewhat subjective, with some judges being more critical than others and with each having their own opinions of the importance of the characteristics desired in each of the performance categories. The judges evaluate each dog’s performance and must collaborate to decide upon the individual category scores and final PASS or FAIL for each dog. Their judgement is made against a STANDARD expectation. The performance of other dogs in the test is not considered. At a minimum, passing dogs must provide a yeomen’s performance and may provide superior performances. Dogs are scored on a 0 to 10 scale with a minimum average score of 7 required to pass. Additionally, no single category may be scored below 5. Written by Randy Berry of VonStubben Kennels. (For more in-depth information on this subject you can read the full article on our website www.hihp.com. Look under the Newsletter / Article's Tab for a link to open this article, or any others you might find interesting).