Does anybody know where I could find some homing pigeons in East Texas?

Also, any idea on finding feral pigeons?

Contact shooterwalter.

Poetry shooting club he had pigeons

If Walter don't have any, I have a few I might get rid of. Are you starting a coop and need breeders? Or do you want young birds? I only have two (male & female) breeders that I would part with. But would sell four young birds (have no clue of sex) I started with 6 birds from Walter and they have been breeding like crazy.

I know a guy in Houston and a guy in channel view for feral if your interested

I'm looking to build a coup in the next couple of months to start training my Vizsla... Don't really know anything about building a coup and training homers, but that's what you guys are for! I really just need to know where I can find them and how to train so I can start getting prepared...

A hesitation I have, is that I may be moving in the next few months and I don't know if the birds relate the location to home, or the actual coup... would it be better to wait until I moved to get the birds or would it be ok to get them now even with the move coming up?

Where do you now live? How old is your pup? Do you have access to land?

I live in Tyler Right now and will be moving to the Texarkana area pretty soon... My pup is just over 1 year now... I've done a lot of work with him dizzying quail but it hasn't turned out very well... inexperience on my part! I've decided to quit acting like an amateur and get serious so I'm getting homers and a launcher... I have access to plenty of land also...

My 2 cents. One dog isn't enough to go thru the expense of building a loft and feeding year round. Unless you just can't get any feral pigeons at all. I like this one myself

http://www.redroselofts.com/starter_loft.htm

Lots of people have problems keeping predators out of the loft and hawks waiting in trees nearby when flying homers. Keep that in mind

I'm getting a Deutsch Drahthaar pup sometime around August of next year... It'll be worth it...

There are two ways of breaking dogs, with a lot of iffy areas in between. One way is what you're attempting. The other way is to whoa break them completely. Both work. Your way is the most fun. I've used the other way and was successful with as little as nine flushes. A lot depends on the pup.

Some answers. Homers are best found in the mid to late spring after the racing homer guys have bred too many to get the ones they like and want to keep. You might find some anytime of year and you just have to keep looking and asking. Watch Craigslist and ask at local feed stores about people with pigeons and Canton 1st Monday weekend sale is close to you and buyer beware as feather merchants will say whatever is needed to get your money and rid of their birds. Ask about racing pigeon clubs in your area. What you will want is known as young birds that have not been flown. After they fly from a loft they want to home to that location from then on. Yes some people will tell you that you can train them to home to a new location and it just adds problems to what you are wanting to do. About the question of your relocating after you have let birds out from your current location see last comment. Can/might be done and difficult. You can get old birds that are known to be a mated pair is the best and they will raise young birds. Issues are many from rats, and snakes getting the eggs or babies. If you continue to think you want to build a loft I can send pictures and lots of ideas from lots of experience. Bottom line is that you will not really need to have homers all the time to get the benefit of using homers a few times. I agree with comments by blanked about not being worth the time, effort and expense of keeping them year round. NOTE here at the Poetry Shooting Club we keep homers to rent to DIY dog trainers with their young dogs to get them started and we have two remote launchers for rent and you only need them in the beginning. The loft design shared by blanked is a great loft design and way to complicated for what the bird dog man needs if he feels he must have homers. Ask me and I can get you much simpler design help. I often when feeding in cold wet weather wish I did not have my homers considering the little use they get. When they do get used they are invaluable.

Agree totally with Bill Oxner about Whoa breaking first and to perfection if possible. Barn pigeons can also serve your needs and even at $5 to $7 each they may be the cheapest way out in the big picture even when they fly away. NOTE pigeons out of a launcher are more difficult to shoot then you might think. Pigeons IMHO are only about teaching a young dog not to creep and that they cannot catch the birds. Enough for tonight, PM me if you want more. Shooterwalter

Here's my shortcut to using launchers;

All bird dogs point. The breaking process teaches them to hold point. There are two ways to teach a dog to hold point, with dozens of variations. The first way is to let the birds train the pups. That generally involves launchers and pigeons, with some whoa breaking mixed in. It's very effective. I use the Delmar Smith method, substituting the e-collar for the bump under the chin. My dogs are completely whoa broke before I put them on birds. I use pen raised quail, because I can be done with them for the summer. I like to start in August, and finish in time for hunting season.

I start off on the whoa post. I introduce the e-collar the same day, that I introduce the whoa post. Here's cracker on her first day with the whoa post;



I keep them on the whoa post only until I can get out in front of them, and then go to the yard for heel and whoa. Cracker tended to sit, so I had to start with the suitcase hitch. I go from the yard to longer walks. The pup has pretty well gotten it down after three weeks.



I then go from the walks to whoa in the field. Here's Cracker in the field in the field, before I put her on birds. This whole process has taken me around four weeks.



This is her first day on birds. I train alone, so I had to plant the bird, where I could wrap the CC around a bush. Notice the slack CC.



I kept her on the CC for three training days. She only went around on the bird one time. Here she is after 9 training flushes.




I started walking some of the birds out after a few days. Here you go;





A lot depends on the pup, and you have to adjust for each pup. Cracker has never taken out a single pointed bird or covey.

I have done the whoa training and the check cord thing... I have been extremely unsuccessful, however! This is why I am going this route... From the sound of it, waiting until the Spring will be the best way!

Thanks for all of the input!