Right now in upstate New York, duck hunting season is underway. It’s an activity that’s well-suited to teamwork, especially if your companion comes from a long line of hunters. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont. For at least fifteen years, Pulse of the Planet listener Jeff Pyle has been hunting ducks from September to January, in upstate New York near Lake Ontario. And for the past five years, he’s had help from his best friend — a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Bear. The hunting day starts very early in the morning, and Jeff says Bear is always ready.
“If I get him up at three o’clock in the morning, he knows exactly what we’re gonna do. He’s pretty much wired for the whole morning.”
ambience mallard call
Once they to the water, Jeff calls to the ducks and sets up decoys to attract them to the area. If a duck is shot, it’s Bear’s job to go out into the pond and retrieve the game.
“It’s more than a sport for him. He’s a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and Chessies were bred specifically for waterfowl hunting. Retrievers have an innate desire to find things and carry them around. The trick is to get them to carry what you want them to carry when they don’t want to do it. Once they understand what they’re after, once you teach them that, there’s no stopping them. That’s just what they want to do.”
To hear some of your favorite Pulse of the Planet programs again online, please visit naionalgeographic.com. Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of science, with additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I’m Jim Metzner.
music
Duck Hunting
Duck hunting season is getting under way now in upstate New York. In this sport, a good hunting buddy is a man's best friend.
Air Date:09/14/2000
Scientist:
Transcript:
ambience Dog
Right now in upstate New York, duck hunting season is underway. It's an activity that's well-suited to teamwork, especially if your companion comes from a long line of hunters. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont. For at least fifteen years, Pulse of the Planet listener Jeff Pyle has been hunting ducks from September to January, in upstate New York near Lake Ontario. And for the past five years, he’s had help from his best friend -- a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Bear. The hunting day starts very early in the morning, and Jeff says Bear is always ready.
"If I get him up at three o’clock in the morning, he knows exactly what we’re gonna do. He’s pretty much wired for the whole morning."
ambience mallard call
Once they to the water, Jeff calls to the ducks and sets up decoys to attract them to the area. If a duck is shot, it's Bear's job to go out into the pond and retrieve the game.
"It's more than a sport for him. He's a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and Chessies were bred specifically for waterfowl hunting. Retrievers have an innate desire to find things and carry them around. The trick is to get them to carry what you want them to carry when they don't want to do it. Once they understand what they're after, once you teach them that, there's no stopping them. That's just what they want to do."
To hear some of your favorite Pulse of the Planet programs again online, please visit naionalgeographic.com. Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of science, with additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I'm Jim Metzner.