THE TURNING POINT- Braxton Leavitt

 In my column the turning point I will have hunting stories, game recipes, Good gear, pictures and retrievers, waterfowl birds, big game, etc. In this issue we'll be talking about labs.

          Labs, Or most known as Labrador Retrievers. These Dogs are very talented dogs, They are very good “water dogs”. They also are very good retrievers (hint: Look at name). They retrieve basically anything you can train them to. These dogs were breaded to retrieve and some people train them as guard dogs. Labs have different colors, Yellow, chocolate, And black. These dogs are originated from Newfoundland in The 16^th century, and were recognized in New England as kennel club in 1903. The earliest known Breeders of  Labradors were wealthy hunters who maintained large kennels of shooting dogs (Labradors)

          Labs in the US are 71% used for duck, geese, pheasant, and chucker hunting. For instants, you’re out in the field geese hunting, You call the geese in, You shoot them then you blow a whistle for your lab and will go out where you shot the goose and the lab will pick it up in its mouth and bring it back to you. Speaking of  Hunting upland birds here are some recipes.
                                         DUCK Casserole         Ingredients

• 1 pound pork sausage links, sliced
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 1 whole onion, peeled
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 pound dry navy beans, soaked overnight
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound skinned, boned duck breast halves, sliced into thin strips.
• 1 fresh tomato, chopped

Directions

1.    In a large skillet, brown the sliced sausage over medium heat.

2.    Insert whole cloves into onion. Roll bacon up, and tie with a string. Tie together parsley, thyme, and rosemary.

3.    In a large slow cooker, place soaked beans, sausage, bacon, onion studded with cloves, fresh herbs, bay leaf, carrots, minced garlic, and duck. Add enough water to cover the other ingredients. Cook for 1 hour on HIGH. Reduce heat to LOW, and continue cooking for 6 to 8 hours.

4.    Remove onion, bacon, and herbs. Stir in chopped tomatoes. Continue cooking for 1/2 hour. Serve.        

 My uncles lab is a black lab and every time we go duck hunting we have him so he can retrieve our ducks etc. He is 7 years old and already has a gray muzzle, Labs tend to mature slow depending on the rate they hunt and are active, Tyson (Labs name) goes probably 3 days a week during the season so it puts a lot of stress into him but he loves it!

Getting ready to go hunting.