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Trap Talk From The Back Fence
Trap Talk Ep. 174: George DeCosta on Bird Dogs, Hunting and Training at the Highest Level
01:08:09
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- [00:24]
Zach
Welcome to season four of Trap Talk,
- [00:26]
Rick
brought to you by Craig off the choice of champions.
- [00:29]
Zach
Hey, folks, if you're wondering where you can get your merch, head on down to shop Trap Talk podcast dot com.
- [00:34]
Rick
Yes, folks, you can get hats, T shirts, sweatshirts. They even have a ladies tank, shooters, towels. We might have some new stuff coming out for the 2026 year. Who knows?
- [00:44]
Zach
We got all the swag. Head on down to the website. Thank you so much for being Trap Talk supportive.
- [00:49]
Rick
Thanks, everyone.
- [00:49]
Zach
We've got a really special episode for you today. We've got George Dasta and Rick will give a better introduction, but. But he is a renowned dog trainer and we're excited to learn more about that because on Trap Talk, we're. We're interested in interviewing anybody that's at the top of their game, and George is definitely at the top of his game. So, Rick, would you mind introducing our guest?
- [01:10]
Rick
Yeah, no, absolutely. So we got George dacosta. George is from Maui, Hawaii, originally born in Maui, lives in and just outside Boise, Idaho now. But he's been a dog trainer for over 45 years. World renowned. He's been featured on the hunting dog podcast, the Bird Shot podcast, the Western Bird Biologist podcast, Upland Nation podcast, and he does have two books that are on Amazon. So folks, you can get on Amazon, check his books out. They're awesome. So we're going to get into Georgia's story, why he loves, you know, hunting, training dogs and everything, but George hunts all over the United States. So you and you guys out there, that's got some, you know, awesome hunting property. Want George to maybe come and show you some stuff? Hit him up and maybe he'll even drag Zach and I and I along and we can do some hunting.
- [02:00]
Zach
So we're just gun hands. That's all we're.
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Rick
That's right.
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George DaCosta
Welcome to the show, George. Thank you. Thanks for inviting me. You know, I get invited. People say I get invited to different places to hunt. It's never me that's getting invited. It's my dogs. They see the dogs there. Oh, yeah, George, can you come? But really, they just want the dogs.
- [02:18]
Zach
We understand what that is.
- [02:20]
Rick
That that is true. That is a fact.
- [02:23]
George DaCosta
But I'm in.
- [02:24]
Zach
So, George, I'm really excited to talk with you today because I've heard some great things. You know, one of our, our sponsors, you've been in their magazine before. You've been, you know, renowned, kind of a famous guy in, in the world of, of training dogs. And, you know, before we get into all your accolade you know, how did you get so passionate in, in, in hunting and training dogs and kind of. Where did that start?
- [02:50]
George DaCosta
Great question. Well, as, as was was stated, I was born in Maui and I lived on a small ranch in Maui. My, my family had a lot of property in, in Maui, but my uncle Wilford was a famous dog trainer and more so a famous horse trainer. And so I was raised around that. He was a big rodeo star and I grew up watching him train, working with horses, working with dogs. Back then we didn't do the type of hunting I do now, where it's a beautiful point, the dog honoring and all that stuff. We, we hunted pig and we hunted pig with multiple dogs. We had, you know, pit bulls and Airedales and mixed breeds and shorthairs and so on and so forth. And we had our Bayers, we had our trackers, we had our grabbers. And then once the grabbers grew, grabbed the pig. My, my uncle would stab him. And so it was a little, it was a little more brutal than the beautiful upland hunting I do now. But we also had pheasant and chukar on, on Hawaii. And I just learned to love watching the dogs basically and working with the dogs when I was a kid. Later on in life, when I was about 20ish, I'd been hunting. In fact, I was 20. I've been hunting for a long time, but just with ranch dogs and people and no dogs or what have you. And a friend of mine who just turned 90 by the way, and he's still going strong, I was introduced to him through a, through a girlfriend and I was invited to go hunting and the story's in the book. And I went out there and he had two Britneys that were field trial champion type Brittanys. And when I saw those two dogs work in the field, it was, that was it. I was, I was sold. That's what I wanted to do the rest of my life. And so then I started running Nastra and field trials and I learned from a lot of different people. But as a young, young boy, I was around horses and cattle dogs and pig dogs. And then as I grew up, I got around people who ran really nice finish dogs and field trials and such and, and it just was in my blood and I took off from there.
- [05:03]
Zach
You just said navda. What's navda?
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George DaCosta
It's North American Versatile, North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. It's, there's a difference when you're running. I've run field trials, I've judged field trials, I've Run competition, money tests, time test. There's a couple of organizations out there. NAVDA is one of the big ones that test your dog to a standard, more so than one in one dog in eliminating another dog. And if your dog scores really high, you go through certain steps. You know, there's a natural ability step when the dog's young. And then there's a gun dog test, which I really like. It's basic hunt dog. And then there's a UT test, which is basically a finished dog that is completely finished in the water for ducks, for pointing, for upland. It has to go through a whole lot of stuff. And if you score real high on that, then there's an invitational, which you get invited to. And that's a versatile champion if you pass that. So what's different about. About that style of, if you want to call it a competition and running field trials is when you're running in a field trial, you actually don't want the other person, man or woman, to do well. You want to eliminate that person. So you move up the ladder. Right?
- [06:26]
Zach
Okay.
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George DaCosta
And when you're dealing with a testing to a standard and you're being judged by three judges, by the way, I can help you. I learned a lot from people in that arena because you can take your dog up to a high level and you're not eliminating another dog, that dog also. So. So a little bit different there, which I enjoy. More sharing of knowledge in that area, more competitive in the field trial area, if that makes sense to you. And I enjoy them both. The reason I got into all that, by the way, was that I love to hunt. When, when the training season is over and hunting season starts September, I'm heading to Montana. Boom. I start my hunting, and then I'm traveling from there. Hunting season is for me, my dogs, my family, my friends. So I just completely stop the training. But prior to becoming a professional trainer and training a lot during the off season, that filled my gap between hunting season ending and hunting season starting. I could run field trials, I could do dog tests, I could judge, I could help people with their dogs and train. So that's what really got me into doing all that stuff on the side and then becoming a professional trainer and moving on from there.
- [07:38]
Rick
So, so, so when you're, when you're hunting, are you. Mainly it's just. Are you hunting pheasant, quail chucker, sharp tail? What's your, your main animal that you're hunting?
- [07:55]
George DaCosta
All of the above. I. I start out with sharp tail. I go to Montana because that opens September 1st. Sometimes I'll do a dove hunt. First.
- [08:05]
Zach
First.
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George DaCosta
So I start off with sharp tail. I will shoot a couple of sage grouse a year. I allow myself two. I could probably shoot 30 or 40 where I travel, but I allow myself one or two. That's it. And then from there, I will migrate to wherever the bird count is, depending on what it is. It could be quail, it could be. It could be chukar, it could be Hungarian partridge, it could be pheasant. I love them all. I would say I mostly hunt chukar because right out my door, I'm looking at one of the epicenters for chukar. I'm actually looking at it from here. The mountains, right. Yeah. Or the mountains right outside Oregon are across the Snake river from me. And so all around me is just incredible chukar hunting and Hungarian partridge hunting. So if the bird count is really good around here. Not that bird counts real important to me. I like to get birds for my dogs. Being out is what's most important to me. But if the bird counts real good, I will stay here a lot more. If the bird counts, great. In Arizona, I'll go down visit my friends. In Arizona, it's good. In Kansas or Oklahoma, I'll go down there. You know, I'll just kind of travel
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Rick
and travel all around.
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George DaCosta
Yeah, go.
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Zach
Go where it's at.
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George DaCosta
Yeah. Go where it's at. Yeah. And then I write articles. Yeah. When I. When I'm hunting, I like to kick back and relax with maybe a spirit or two. And afterwards. And that's where I sometimes will write my magazine articles, Just relaxing after a hunt, you know, so, you know, that's.
- [09:39]
Zach
That's wonderful to hear that you're kind of an overall outdoorsman and you're. You're all over the country, and there's nowhere too far because, you know, with what we do, we're traveling all over the country, too. And you've got to go. You know, you go to Florida, you go to California, you go. You kind of wherever it is is where we're going. And you find that people that hit a high level of passion, they're willing to travel for what it is they. They like to do. And I have a friend, we have a show sponsor, a 73 pointers ranch in Jonesburg, Missouri. And they do chucker and pheasant and. And they do the dogs. And one of their guides there that I hunter under all the time. His. His name is Mitch Peters, and he's got some wonderful dogs. And I've got the Pleasure of shooting behind his dogs many times. And it's just magnificent to watch these dogs work. You know, the difference between pointers and flushers and retrievers. I mean, the different variances and what they do. But I did have a question. You mentioned the field trials and you mentioned, you know, the regular testing or the testing to a specific unit. Is it. Is it. Could you be good at one and not good at hunting or. I like. Is if you're good at that, you're going to be good at hunting? I mean, is there a difference between a competition dog and an actual hunting dog? I mean, what would you say to our listeners that might not know?
- [10:55]
George DaCosta
Great question. That's a great question. So I would say that if you hunt and you hunt with your dog and then you work your dog in trials and testing, it's only beneficial. The more bird work you get, the better for your dog. Right. And the more time you spend with the dog, the stronger bond, the more interaction you have. It just gets better and better. Like the more you shoot, the more you get into competition, the better you are. Just like shooting sporting clays and trapping other things will help you in the field. Same thing. However, is there people who just shoot and don't hunt? Yes. Is there dogs that just test and aren't really hunted? Yes. So you can have dogs that are. They're titled dogs for a specific reason, for breeding reasons usually that might not hunt. And so you get those dogs out in the field and they're. No, they won't do well against a real hunting dog that's out there working as tail off. Because nothing teaches your dog better than wild birds. You know, the more wild birds you get, the better for your dogs. Now we can build the foundation on how to work with those birds and how to remain steady, which is what most people want. But those birds will teach your dog a lot. And the more birds you get, the better. And there's nothing like a wild bird. You know, those planet birds are not wild birds, trust me.
- [12:18]
Rick
But that's what I wonder is a lot of the dog trials and stuff. Now they. Do they use planted birds versus, of course, wild birds.
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George DaCosta
Correct.
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Rick
When you're doing the training stuff or
- [12:29]
George DaCosta
no, when you're doing the testing, it's all planet birds, and it's mostly planet birds. Even in field trials, do you run into wild birds? Is there areas that there is wild birds, quail way out there? Yes. Okay. But if you're looking at an overall picture, the vast majority is planted birds. And again, it's still Working, it's still working your dog. So it still helps out. I do a lot of guiding with my dogs for clubs around this area. And I can tell you guiding with my dogs is great for my dogs because they're just getting more work, you know.
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Rick
Yeah.
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George DaCosta
And, and like you said, Zach, I can tell you people that come to hunt and they're paying for a hunt, once they see really high finished dogs, then it's all about the dogs. After that, it's like, wow, I, I, I, I, I just want to watch the dog. I can get some bir, I'll shoot the birds. I love that. But watching those dogs was incredible. Most of them have not seen, you know, one dog go on point and six yards away the dog, other dog makes a left sharp turn and sees that other dog and slams into an honor. Boom, they're both there. I mean, that's just beautiful. Beautiful to watch. It really is. So great question. There are test dogs that aren't great hunting dogs. There are hunting dogs that don't test. I did an article once called, oh, gosh, I can't remember the name, the name of it, but it was like anyhow, it was a tribute to the blue collar dogs, the dogs that are out there that nobody sees and their plaque and their prize of winning your heart out there hunting for you. And, and those are some of the best dogs out there. So.
- [14:09]
Zach
Yeah, that's amazing. I mean, because I was wondering, in that world, I mean, we have, you know, obviously competitive shoots, right, that we go shoot all the time, where there's, you know, you've the real deal competitive nature. And then there's, you know, there's practice shooting, right. And then even a low, a level lower than that, there's simulation shooting where if all you ever shot was a simulator, you might be able to, you know, hit 100 out of 100. But it's completely different than going down to Florida and shooting in the wind or in the environments or at an actual tournament. And when we do these interviews, we're always looking for correlation, correlation between this game and other areas because you're someone who's had a lot of success and hit a very high pinnacle in what you do. And there's got to be a lot of effort and work that went into that to get to this point.
- [14:58]
George DaCosta
Oh, absolutely. Like anything else, I mean, you have to work to get there. There's just no question, there's no free lunch. But I was also a high level martial artist. I taught martial arts for many years and I fought in what was then called the Professional Karate association, it was called the pka. That's years ago. That's before the MMA came along, kind of. It was just prior to that. But you make a really good point, because a lot of my dog training comes from part of my martial arts training. There's something that, a key phrase that I use is repetition creates an automatic response. If you keep doing the same thing, same thing as shooting, you keep doing that same thing with a dog, the correct thing, pretty soon it becomes automatic, right? And same thing with martial arts. If you do a certain move, certain length of time, you get faster and faster, and pretty soon somebody grabs you and that move just comes out. But there's a big difference between sitting there, practicing those moves with somebody and working those moves and stepping into a ring when the guy on the other side wants to take your head off of your shoulders. There's a big difference. So until you get into that actual mode or somebody in the street is coming after you, until you get in to doing that, where somebody does want to do you harm, there's. There's a big difference there. And until you get in, I think until you get into the competitive stuff or the actual hunting, where you're hunting hard, you don't see the proof of the pudding. Once you get out there, you do. And there's a learning curve in that. I always say when I'm training the dogs, that we're building a foundation here with planet birds, and out on the ranch, we're showing the dogs how to be steady. We're teaching them a lot of different things. When you go out for your first few hunts and a big covey flushes up, that dog's going to lose everything, maybe for a first couple of weeks, couple of times. And you have to not shoot, because if you do, you just rewarded that dog for doing something wrong. You have to let those birds go. It has to cross that bridge to where it implements its training foundation into its actual hunting. Once it those two mend, then you got a dog that's going to work for you. Well, and I'm sure that's the same way in a lot of things that you guys do and other people do. To become successful, you've got to mend that training, training techniques that you've been doing to actual events or competitions.
- [17:21]
Zach
So, yeah, I mean, Rick, you. You've got consistency, but like doing it the right way, right, Rick? I mean, with, with that. How many motions does it take to really build something in your mind, Rick?
- [17:33]
Rick
Yeah, it's One of those, the consistency is, you know, it's like I always say, you get out of it what you put into it. So if you're doing the right thing, it doesn't take a lot. But if you're, you're mixing stuff up or trying stuff, it can. But you know, looking at your stuff, George, and I know you do clinics. So are these like, is it three day clinics, two day clinics, are they, what, what does that entail when, when you do a clinic?
- [18:02]
George DaCosta
Well, I do different type of clinics. I only do the one. It's usually about two and a half day clinics. I'll be doing one in Michigan next year. I did one in Idaho this year. That takes a lot out of me. What I'm doing is teaching 50, 60, 70, 40 people how to take their dogs from getting them at eight weeks to be a completely broke dog, completely finished dog. I'm giving you all the techniques. I'm doing demonstrations. I'm usually talking for 10 to 12 hours a day because after the clinic we have dinner, then there's a book signing and so on and so forth. So I do one of those a year. Then I'll do small clinics. Like I'm doing a four hour clinic here in a few weeks for NAVDA chapter, and then I'm doing a one day clinic for the German Shorthair Club. So I'll do different, different clinics for different people.
- [18:50]
Rick
And so when you do the, the two and a half day clinic, is it everybody, Are they, they're bringing their dog? Is it at just puppies, like so 8 weeks old? Is that what that's for? Or is it for kind of anybody of dogs of all ages?
- [19:05]
George DaCosta
Great question. And, and the people who come before they get their pup are probably the ones that are going to learn and do the best because they haven't made a bunch of mistakes. It's just like shooting right. If you shoot wrong all the time, it's harder to fix it than if you learn correctly. So bringing a dog to those clinics is optional. And I might use your dog for demonstrations, which I do, but I'm teaching you to, to teach your dog is what I'm doing. And so great question. This last clinic we did, I had a lady who is going to the invitational. By the way, this was great story. She texted me, she said, george, I bought your book, I watched your videos, I listened to your podcast, I started training with some people here, and this is my first hunting dog ever and I'm going to the invitational. Crazy. I mean, I was like, wow, she said, I'm having a problem with my dog honoring, which is backing when, you know, when another dog stops, that dog stops and points that dog. She said, you think it'd be beneficial for me to come? And I said, sure, come. We'll actually work on that with you. And by the end of the third day, her dog was just smashing into an honor. Every time it saw another dog on point, she had tears in her eyes. And she just looked at me. She goes, this is so amazing. So that's rewarding to me to have people either come without their dogs and learn to do the right things or come with their pups and learn the foundational stuff correctly when. Or come to. They're going to the invitational, and I've helped somebody that's going. I mean, it's all good to me. It's all positive. It's all great. But I hope that answers your questions. Yeah.
- [20:45]
Rick
And that's the cool thing is, you know, as, you know, as an instructor and you're an author and everything, so when people, you know, get something out of what you're teaching, it, it gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling where, you know, some people that don't teach or don't write or don't. Don't understand, they're like, what do you mean? But it is the cool thing, because I teach lessons all over.
- [21:06]
Zach
And.
- [21:06]
Rick
And when you see that, that light bulb kind of go off.
- [21:09]
George DaCosta
Yep. Yeah, that's.
- [21:11]
Rick
That's when you know you did your job and.
- [21:13]
George DaCosta
Yeah.
- [21:14]
Rick
And such.
- [21:14]
George DaCosta
But.
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Rick
Yeah. Now you. So you only do one clinic a
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George DaCosta
year and two and a half day.
- [21:20]
Rick
One, two and a half day clinic years that vary from location.
- [21:23]
George DaCosta
Yeah.
- [21:23]
Rick
Or.
- [21:24]
George DaCosta
Yeah.
- [21:24]
Rick
Okay.
- [21:24]
George DaCosta
Yep. Yep. Muzzy Pheasant Farm is. I. I did that. I'll be doing the. There in 2027 is when I'll be doing my next clinic.
- [21:35]
Zach
Okay.
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George DaCosta
And it depends on. I don't. I like. This one was on the west Coast. This last one was in Boise. I don't like doing them in one area because I have people come from all over. But if I'm. If I'm doing them in Boise area, West coast area, California, I'm gonna have a lot of people come from there. So now if I go to Michigan, I have a lot other people that can come easier. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yep.
- [21:58]
Zach
So I just love the way they're covering all the shoots across the country, the content, the pictures, what they're doing online, what they're doing on Facebook, Instagram. What do you think?
- [22:06]
George DaCosta
Yeah.
- [22:06]
Rick
Traption usa. It's a great magazine. They are the official magazine of our podcast and we are the official podcast of traption usa. So we really appreciate it.
- [22:17]
Zach
That's really cool. And what they got is a deal right now. If you put trap talk p in for the print version and trap talk d for the digital version, it's 1999 for the print and 9.99 for the digital for one year, you're not going to find a better deal. So subscribe today. You won't regret it.
- [22:30]
Rick
Absolutely. Thank you for all the support.
- [22:32]
Zach
You know, Rick, the only thing looks better than these hats we're wearing right now is a bunch of gold and silver from Ron Prescott at midstate precious metal. Show them the goods.
- [22:39]
Rick
Listen, all I got silver right now. I won't bring the gold out for
- [22:42]
Zach
Zach but you know, I always want to get that.
- [22:44]
Rick
Gold shotgun shells, 10 ounces bars. Folks, he could do anything for you. For all your shoot needs, give Ron Prescott a call. Mid state precious metals dot com.
- [22:54]
Zach
He's a great guy. Support him. He supports all the shoots. He supports trap talk. If you're thinking gold or silver, you need to be thinking Ron prescott at midstate precious metals. Thank you, Ron.
- [23:03]
Rick
That's right. Thanks for all the support.
- [23:05]
Zach
You know, Rick, when you're riding around your air conditioning and your nice can am and I'm walking, I'm thinking to myself, where do I get one of these things?
- [23:11]
Rick
At big red motorsports, that's where you get one. George or Jason Lee, they'll take care of you, Zach.
- [23:17]
Zach
I mean, I need one. I'm tired of riding on the back of that cooler. I want to sit inside that cab and roll around in style. I mean, my face is on the back, but help me out.
- [23:24]
Rick
Listen, I to move your face to the bumper is where it's going to
- [23:28]
George DaCosta
get moved for the new one. Okay?
- [23:29]
Rick
All you need is a little quiche and we can take care of you. But listen, Big RedMotorsports.com thanks Jason and George lee and big red motorsports for all the support. They'll take care of you folks and it's free delivery.
- [23:41]
Zach
You know, Rick, I just love having the peace of mind and knowing that if I'm traveling or I'm flying, something happens. I can get my winig and my craig off replaced quickly and easily without costing me a bunch of money.
- [23:50]
Rick
Yeah, exactly. The gun and trophy insurance, it's the best out there to ensure your guns, sure. Your trophy, animals, everything.
- [23:57]
Zach
Thank you to the whole cushman family for supporting the show and everything they do for Trap shooting.
- [24:01]
Rick
Absolutely. Get a hold of Cole Kushman and he'll get you set up.
- [24:04]
Zach
I mean, it's, it's huge out here. I mean, Missouri, Nebraska, I mean, this air, Iowa. I mean, these guys, there's so many people that I know that are in the trap shooting world that have a bird dog and love bird hunting. I mean, they love it now. And I know a lot of these guys are trying to figure out how to get their dogs better. And I mean, they've paid X amount of thousands of dollars for this dog. And then the training and then the, you know, the time, the effort, the books, and it's kind of like the game. You can buy the $20,000 shotgun. You can, you can have all the books and the videos and the tapes, but if you're not implementing the strategies and working on it consistently, that's where you actually see the actual growth and the actual. And the, and the change and the results. For people listening that might have a dog and hunt, is there any, you know, is there any specific advice that you would give or any specific amounts of training that you would recommend to say, hey, this is what it takes to, to make your dog top of the table?
- [25:01]
George DaCosta
Another great question. Thank you. One of the things that I'm pushing, and like you said, consistency is the key. Right. In almost anything you do. One of the things I'm really pushing nowadays in my clinics is what I call throughout the day, an everyday clinic. A magazine article for the uk. Anyhow, Franz just came out and it was an article I wrote on throughout the day, everyday training. And what I mean by that is you can't, you can't. I can, but you can't get out in the field every day with birds. It's just. Unless you just, you know, it's just impossible for most people. Right. Like, you might not be able to shoot your shotgun every day, but could you pick a spot on the wall and mount it 25 times a day so you make sure you get the route mount right? So the same thing with your dog. My training is based on having the dog fold. I call it the domino effect. You learn this and it folds into this. Then it folds into this, and it folds into this. If you miss some of the dominoes, it's way harder because now you got to go back and restack. Right? Yeah. So I'm really pushing throughout the day training. One of the simple things I do, and people come to me all the time for steadiness and what I mean by that. So a dog goes on Point instinct, Right. Pointing dogs usually go on point, right? Dog goes on point, the bird flushes. Any dog that has a high bird drive is probably going to chase that bird. That's instinctual, right? The bird gets shot, it's going to go grab that bird. That's instinctual. Well, we as hunters who want to finish bird dog or who want our dog to be safe, and we can talk about that. As far as being steady to shot, we might want our dog to remain on point, standing there when the bird flushes, and then also remain when the bird is shot and maybe remain till the bird hits the ground. If I get off track here, get me back to throughout the day training, but I want to mention this. We talked about competition and about hunting, about everyday stuff. My dogs know when we're hunting, I walk out into the field and I'll grab my shotgun, let them out of the kennels and go hunt them up. They know they can go as soon as the birds hit. Because these are wild birds, and I think it's ethical for you to try to harvest every bird you shoot. So when that bird's hitting the air and it's going to the ground, my dogs are on their way for the retrieve. Okay. If I'm guiding and I don't know you, and I want my dog safe and maybe I'm guiding use, maybe I'm guiding children on their first hunt. I walk to the edge of the field and I say, whoa. And my dog stop and I nick them with the collar and I say, whoa. And they go, okay. And then their first point, I go, whoa. And they go, okay, we can't move today till he releases us. Now the birds fly up. The birds get shot. They hit the ground. Everybody on safety. Open your guns. Fetch. The dog's going fetch. So difference, right in the competition and so difference in guiding and difference in wild. Yes, yes. So back to everyday training or throughout the day training. There's a ton of stuff people can do throughout the day that blends into actual hunting. For instance, that. Whoa. That I just talked to you about at the clinic. I had. I had a gentleman named Jeff. He came to the clinic, and prior to the clinic, the day in front, I worked with about five dogs at my ranch. And then we had the clinic, Brooks line in and stuff that night, and then the clinic. The rest of the time he came and he watched me work dogs from two puppies that had never been introduced to birds to my dogs working on birds, to another dog that I work with and I. And we did Steadiness, where The dogs were 100% steady, steady. And he wrote somebody asked about, what do you do with your dog? Da da, da, da da. And he said, I would spend some time with George DaCosta. And his most important thing when your dogs are a pup is a recall. Because if you can get your dog back to you and the woe command, because if you can stop your dog, if you can call your dog back every time your dog stops, whenever you tell it, you got a dog under control, you got a really good dog to start with. Right. He said once you teach your dog whoa, everything else is super easy. All the steadying, everything is easy. And it is because once your dog knows it has to stay in place, when you get to backing to stop it or it goes on point, you say whoa. The dog knows it's supposed to remain steady and stand there. So it's really easy for the higher level stuff if your dog is rock solid on woe. So my dogs have to whoa before they get their meal. They have to whoa before they go outside. They have to whoa before they go into their kennel. And they have to woe before they come out of their kennel. They have to woe on a street corner. They have to woe before we go into the grocery store. They have to woe before we come out of the grocery store. They have to whoa when I go grab some bananas. So throughout the day, my dogs are woeing all the time. So when. Now when I go to the field and I put that together with birds on point, they already got it. Yeah. By the way, when I use that,
- [30:07]
Rick
I'm gonna have to use that with Zach occasionally.
- [30:09]
George DaCosta
Yeah.
- [30:09]
Zach
By the way, I don't think I'll break.
- [30:14]
George DaCosta
Put a knee collar on them.
- [30:16]
Rick
That's a good idea.
- [30:18]
George DaCosta
So when you think about it, they've learned if they woe, they get to go outside.
- [30:22]
John
Yeah.
- [30:23]
George DaCosta
If they woe, they get their food. If they woe, they get to come out of the kennel. They whoa they get to come out of the truck. So why not if I whoa, I will get that bird later. Yeah, right.
- [30:34]
Rick
Understanding. Like you were talking about the woe with hunting with people you've never hunted with kids. But which not saying, you know, kids are, are. Are bad or bad hunters are unsafe. But I understand your. Your dogs are. Are your love of your life. So I have heard. Never been a part of it, thank goodness. Knock on wood. But where people have had their dogs, you know, shot by unsafe hunters, you know, where the dog's Going to retrieve and the guy, boom, shoots. And so I, I get that with, with the woe on knowing when the dogs can, can go, because that is. I've never heard anybody talk about that. Like you explained it. So.
- [31:16]
George DaCosta
Yeah. And many high power dogs and you're thinking, here's a young child, right? Yep. And here comes the bird and they don't see the dog. And the bird rises and the dog jumps to get yours. And now you got a dog right there and the child or, or hunter has not even seen that dog come in.
- [31:32]
Rick
Yeah.
- [31:33]
George DaCosta
Or come in from behind. From behind a bush. Comes running out from behind a bush and you're swinging. So anything can happen. So you know, that's a real great safety feature for your dog. And if you're testing or running trials to a high level, you have to have that. That's just part of the deal.
- [31:49]
Rick
Now, is that all in your books too then talks about that. Okay.
- [31:52]
George DaCosta
Yep, yep, all of my books.
- [31:54]
Rick
All in.
- [31:54]
George DaCosta
You know, I've got a YouTube channel and my. There's a podcast series that somebody did with me. It's called Tips and Tails. And that's. That's all in there. Okay. Yeah. And the other thing I do for retrieving is I make my dog for fun. And I tell any, any child can teach a dog to shake hands or bark or roll over just for fun. Well, you can teach your dog to hold an item. I use. I don't think I have it here. I use a wooden dowel to start with and then I go to different things and I teach my dog to hold just for fun and I give it a treat. Right. And then as it goes further along, I teach it to hold and come to me. So now it's holding and I give it a treat. And then as it moves on, there's a video on my YouTube. I teach it to hold an item before it has its. So, so picture this. It knows whoa already, right?
- [32:42]
Zach
Yeah.
- [32:42]
George DaCosta
So I say whoa. Then I handed an item and I say fetch. And it grabs it. I say hold. Then I walk into the next room and it's sitting there and I say, come hold. And it brings the item to me and I say give. And I give it as food. Does that. My, my younger dog does that twice a day, right. So now when it goes out and picks up a bull bird, what do I say? Same thing. Come hold. Come hold. Dog comes running and already has that. All that training was at home. I, I wasn't out in the field working with birds yet, but like I Say throughout the day training, just like mounting your shotgun, swinging and pulling the dead trigger or, you know, those types of things transfer to the actual event.
- [33:21]
Rick
Yeah, we use gunless a lot of sense. I teach that a lot with the gun lifts that do it during the day. You don't have to shoot, don't. It's not dry firing, you know, just it's mounting to get the, the consistency, the repetition deal, you know.
- [33:35]
George DaCosta
Yep. Same exact thing. Same exact thing.
- [33:38]
Zach
That's amazing. I mean, and, and to think about it, I mean, you can look through and I'm just kind of walking through in my mind the everyday life of the dog and all the different interactions that you, that you're having with them that are all resonating to his mind and getting it to that position of a higher level. You know, I know we talked a little bit briefly about safety and I guess like Rick said, you know, these are, these are members of your family, you know.
- [34:00]
George DaCosta
Yes.
- [34:01]
Zach
When you do go out and hunt with, with shooters, do you have any advice for anyone that's going out and hunting with people maybe they don't know or. Because I'm sure you've been in that situation. I mean, is there any tips that you give the new hunters or the people that you're going out with or things that you say, hey, make sure you're doing this to keep everyone as safe as possible when they're hunting, when you go out.
- [34:23]
George DaCosta
Well, that's a difficult one because in the, in the, in the, in the, in the moment, things can go awry. Right. You know, but first of all.
- [34:32]
Rick
Hey, Zach, have you been out to 73 Pointers Ranch lately?
- [34:35]
Zach
You know, I have. Rick and Carla Burke have been great. I normally hunt pheasants and chukar down there, but now they got a brand new sporting clays facility and it is top notch. I shot it the other day, absolutely loved it. And if you guys haven't, you need to go give it a check out.
- [34:50]
Rick
Well, I'll have to come out and do a little hunting and we'll shoot
- [34:52]
Zach
some sporty clays then 45 minutes from St. Louis Airport. Come see it. If you haven't. Guys, check them out. You know, Ricky, I know you use it on your barrels, but do you even know what RGS stands for?
- [35:01]
Rick
No, Zach, what does it stand for?
- [35:03]
Zach
Really good.
- [35:03]
Rick
Well, that is true.
- [35:05]
George DaCosta
It is good stuff, folks.
- [35:06]
Rick
I use it to clean my barrels and it does make them shine.
- [35:10]
Zach
Only problem is I wear white T shirts when I clean my barrels and I get them all messy So I got to be better at that. But it gets all the plastic, all the gunk out. Give them a try, folks. They're great.
- [35:18]
Rick
That's right. Give RGS a try. We appreciate all the support.
- [35:21]
Zach
You know, Rick, I know you've had a lot of involvement with them since the beginning, since they started. But I really love the way that the shot tracker, you know, catches the doubles from shot to shot with the looping. You know, tell the folks what they need to know about that system.
- [35:33]
Rick
It's the best system out there. It's like having a coach on the end of your barrel arrow, like we say, but going especially in doubles, from first shot to second shot. You can see it on the graph. You can see it on video.
- [35:43]
Zach
Yeah, I mean, if you talk about that J Hook with Sean Hawley and all them, I mean, it'll literally show that loop, and I think that's really powerful if you're doing it. They've supported the show since the beginning. They love trap shooting. They're great people. Give them a shot, folks. They make a great product.
- [35:56]
Rick
Take Game technologies.
- [35:58]
Zach
Hey, Rick, we got to take a second. We got to thank Outlaw Engineering and the Freston family for supporting trap shooting and supporting Trap Talk podcast. They've been here for us. They're great people, you know. You know them real well, Rick.
- [36:08]
Rick
Yeah, I. I've known Randy since 1988. R2 and. And the family, they're great supporter of the show coupe. Just won the autumn grand handicap championship with a 97.
- [36:18]
Zach
I know. I was there. I got to interview him. It was great. I was so proud of him. He's doing a great job. Where's Coup? He's somewhere with that big buckle. He's having fun.
- [36:26]
Rick
So.
- [36:27]
Zach
So you need anything engineering related, get a hold, Outlaw. They'll take great care of you. Great folks.
- [36:33]
Rick
Thanks for all the support. Outlaw.
- [36:34]
Zach
Rick, I really think that Gunfit is probably the most important part of shooting big scores. Would you agree with that?
- [36:39]
Rick
Absolutely. I think gunfit is the most important thing.
- [36:42]
Zach
I mean, most of the top all Americans are shooting custom stocks. I know when I got my custom stock, my scores went up. I broke 100 straight from the 27 within seven days. I mean, I'm sure your experience has been similar.
- [36:52]
Rick
Yeah, I've been shooting a custom gun stock for 20 years. Winning. If you want to win championships, get a win of gun stock.
- [36:59]
Zach
Yeah, call Bobby, call Luke. I mean, we got the stock whisperer over there, Bill. Give them a shot. They're great and they know what they're doing absolutely.
- [37:06]
Rick
Winig.com check them out.
- [37:08]
George DaCosta
Know who you're hunting with and if you don't know, if you don't know who you're hunting with, that's when it's good to have a dog that you can get steady right away because you can keep your, your dog safe. I actually hunt with a lot of people, but there's only a few people I hunt next to. So a lot of times when I'm hunting with people now I'm hunting big open areas. I put in six to eight miles a day, sometimes chucker hunting. But we hunt together, but we start together and somebody goes this way and somebody goes that way and yeah, we carry rhinos. I don't know, you know what rhinos are. They're a radio. So they're made by Garmin. And I always have a GPS on my dogs when I'm hunting. 100% of the time I've been with people who've lost dogs and it's not fun. There's a story in my book about that. But a rhino allows you to go over a hill and I can call you and talk to you and see what's going on. But if you go down, it also gives me your GPS location so I can find you. So I hunt out in the mountains like I say, and I'm hunting big open area and I'm usually not hunting right next to people. Now if I'm guiding or I'm doing a pheasant hunt or I'm quail hunting now I'm being real careful. And so my advice would be is to one, know the surrounding area, what type, what are you going to do to hunt? Know the people you're hunting with and try to adjust your dog because that's usually who's at the most dangerous. You can be too, but try to adjust your dog to, to be as safe as possible as far as steadiness goes or maybe even stopping your dog when it goes after a bird that's flushed with an E collar, whatever it takes. Now once you see a person hunt, I mean I get invited a lot like I told you, because of my dogs. Yeah. And if you have a real well mannered dog, people are going to want you to hunt with them. If you don't have a well mannered dog that's stealing other dogs retrieves and stealing another dog's point, you're probably not going to be invited back. Same goes for hunters. If you have a hunter who is carrying their barrel and swiping across you or doing things, shooting too quickly when the dog's hunting that that person's not. I'm not hunting with that person. Again, I'm telling. And I have no problem telling somebody. Watch your barrel. You're swinging your. Flashing your barrel to me. You know, I've been. I've looked down the end of a barrel with mean intent, and I don't like looking down the end of a barrel at all. So I don't want to see your barrel. So I have, you know, don't be afraid. That would be another tip. Don't be afraid to tell somebody. It's your life and your dog's life. Don't be afraid to tell somebody. You know what? I'm not feeling comfortable with that. Will you not do xyz? Go ahead and say, always point your
- [39:52]
Rick
barrel in a safe spot. And that. And that's one of the things that, you know, we talk about a lot with shooting. You know, it's, you know, always keep your gun down range, blah, blah, blah. But when you're hunting, I. I used to hunt a lot of, you know, pheasant and quail here in Nebraska when I was a lot younger and with my oldest cousin who has passed away, but that was my hunting partner when my dad couldn't walk a lot, you know, or didn't want to go on them long hunts, you know, you're walking, you know, 5, 6, 7, 10 miles in a day. But my oldest cousin, Rich Andrek, who's I hunted with from time I was a little kid till, you know, he passed away. But that was one of the things, if we had, people would come with us. Soon as I seen that gun, you know, resting on there, going backwards or something there. And I'd say, whoa, whoa, whoa. Just point it up in the air or keep it at the ground. I mean, one of the two. And sometimes they'd get mad, and if they got mad, I'd say, well, there's your truck.
- [40:49]
George DaCosta
Absolutely. Don't be afraid to say it. Yep.
- [40:51]
Zach
Yeah.
- [40:52]
Rick
I mean, because your life's worth more than an accent. Because we've heard about him, you know, been involved with stuff like that, and it's. It's just not fun. But, yeah, I've got a good friend I actually shot Sporting clays with yesterday, Greg Preston. That he is a guide and. And has short hairs. And he used to do it a lot. He's not doing it much anymore. But, you know, I'd hunted behind Preston's short hairs and they were awesome dogs. I mean, it was like, wow, you know, just to see him work and stuff.
- [41:22]
George DaCosta
And.
- [41:22]
Rick
And it wasn't about, you know, shooting a pheasant. It was about watching them go on point. Most and people. I said that to a few guys, and they were like, no, I want to kill something.
- [41:32]
George DaCosta
Yeah.
- [41:33]
Rick
Yeah, Okay. I mean, I've been fortunate. I've killed my fair share of. Of pheasants and quail in the. In the great state of Nebraska. So to me, it was more like, look, watching these dogs just work together. And that was amazing thing.
- [41:48]
George DaCosta
It's. It's amazing. And most of the people I guide are coming out there because they're paying to go get birds, right?
- [41:54]
Zach
Yeah.
- [41:55]
George DaCosta
But when the hunt is done, they're like, oh, man, I could have. I didn't need my shotgun. I could have watched those dogs all day long. Yeah, I just want to watch the dogs. And it's kind of a. Interesting thing because many people after watching a good dog now are talking by the end of the hunt, I need to get me a dog. I just need to get me a dog. And. Which is great. I mean, I. I think it's. There's nothing better than having a companion work with you as a team out in the fields. And working with a dog like that as a team, to me, is just. Is just. It's just really cool. Really cool. Yeah, it is.
- [42:35]
Rick
It's cool like that. It's like, you know, one of my best friends growing up and. And we're best friends still is Jake Lo. He owns Los Outdoors, but he's into waterfowl hunting. He owns mother clucker, duck and goose calls. And the first time I took my youngest son hunting with Jake, Tyler leans over to me. He goes, dad, is that Kees or is that Jake? I said, that's Jake. So it's like the calling. So it'd be like watching you with your dogs. And I was just sitting there. I didn't even need my gun. I just. Just listening to it and that sort of stuff or watching. It's a big thing. And people don't understand that till, like you said, the end when it kind of plays back. When you're sitting around, you know, having a. A cocktail or something, talk about the hunt, and someone brings up, oh, wow, did you see how that dog did this? And then it starts.
- [43:23]
George DaCosta
Yep.
- [43:23]
Rick
And that's. That's the memories of the hunting and. And. And the camaraderie and. And that's just the coolest thing about, you know, hunting isn't always about the hunt. You know, it's Like I tell my kids, the first time I took them hunting, they were like, why aren't we getting anything? I said, this isn't called killing, it's called hunting.
- [43:41]
George DaCosta
Yeah, look at nature. Listen. Listen to this stuff there. Exactly. It. It's. In the, in the field trial world, you're usually just doing the field work, but in the. In the versatile world, the testing world, you have to do water work also. So your dog has to point, has to be steady to flush, wing shot and fall, has to retrieve a bird to hand in the field, but then it has to go to the blind, has to be steady in the blind, has to do multiple retrieves. And in the NAFTA system, it has to do what's called a duck search. Where they put a duck out there, it doesn't have to find it, but your dog has to search a big body of water for at least 10 minutes and. And search. Look for that. Look at that duck. Right? If it does find the duck, it has to. It has to retrieve it. So I'm just going to tell you a quick story. If you're talking about kids and duck hunting, and it goes back to the dogs. So I'm hunting a wildlife management area, and this is one of the stories in the book. I'll be real quick. Anyhow, I'm hunting it for hours. I'm out there by myself with a friend. I see this lone goose coming about 70 yards behind me, and it's coming in and all of a sudden, boom, there's a shot right behind me. And it drops. And I was like, where the heck that that come from? There's been nobody around me all day. So I stand up with my old Coda, who I just lost, and I see a young kid, he's about 13 years old, 12 or 13 years old, and he's behind me by himself. So I walk out there and I go, hey, buddy, what's going on? He goes, oh. He goes, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there. And I said, oh, no problem. I said, nice shot on that goose. Want my dog to retrieve it? Sure. So I send Coda out. She goes and gets the goose. And I go, I didn't know you guys were here. And he goes, yeah, we're a couple hundred yards that way. But I shot a green head and I wounded it and it flew all the way over to here and it dropped over here. So I was trying to find it by myself. Now he doesn't have a dog. And I. And I said, would you like My dog to find it for you. And he goes, oh, man, that'd be great. So I line Koda up, tell her, dead bird, right? So now she knows there's a bird out there. Dead bird. Fetch. So off she goes. And I won't go through the whole scenario of her finding the bird, but five minutes later, she comes out with this bird in her mouth, right? And the kid is just. He's pumped, man. He's like, I got my greenhead, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I tell him, I said, you know, if you need, I'm out here not shoot birds. I enjoy shooting birds, but I'm just for my dog to get some work. If you need any help, just come get me and I'll help you. So, about a half hour away. Sorry, I didn't know. I didn't turn my phone off. Hang on. About a half hour later. Sorry about that, guys. You can cut that out, right? About a half hour later, maybe 45 minutes later, I hear a voice come up behind me. Now, I'm in the toolies, right? I hear, yeah, sir. Hello, sir. And I look up and I go. I go, yeah. He goes, you know, you said, you want to get your dog some work? We got two birds down that we can't find. Would you mind coming over and helping us? And I said, sure. So I go over there, and he introduces me to dad. This is the dog Dad I was telling you about. So I said, cut out. And she brings back both birds, right? So they thanked me. Here's the part. At the end of the day, I'm walking back. It's about a mile and a half walk, and I'm walking back to the checkout station. My friend Bruce and I were walking back, and they're on the other side of this property, and they're walking back, and I see this kid with a big smile, and he's got his ducks hanging. He's holding onto his goose. He's got this big smile on his face, and he's walking with kind of like a happiness in his step, you know? Yeah. And so they meet up with us, and I said, hey, looks like you had a great day. And he looks at me, and I swear to you, he goes, I had the greatest day of my life. My dad says, we're gonna get a dog. Good for you. There's more to the story, and you can read about it in my book. But he had wanted his dog, and his dad had told him it's a big responsibility, so on and so forth. And we had talked about that when Koda was out looking for his bird. And so he told his dad, you know, I know I got to do this. I got to do that. I know I could do it, Dad. I could do it. And by the end of the hunt, his dad had said, okay, you can have a dog.
- [47:51]
Rick
That's awesome.
- [47:52]
George DaCosta
That's.
- [47:53]
Rick
That's a. That's a little boy's dream, is to have a dog.
- [47:56]
George DaCosta
Yeah. And, you know, to think that I was part of that and what my dog did was a part of that, and who knows what happened after that? Who knows where that kid is these days, you know, but, well, he's looking
- [48:07]
Rick
back, and I'm sure, you know, you. You touched him. And that's one of the things that, you know as an instructor, and you're an author and an instructor also, and. And so is Zach. When you touch someone and you tell them something, and later on, you'll get that someone. Okay, hey, I know you don't remember me, but when someone says that to you, you know, you touch them in a way.
- [48:31]
George DaCosta
Yep. And.
- [48:32]
Rick
Yeah, and that's kind of one of the coolest feelings of all that, you know, I'm sitting here in my office, and I've got trophies everywhere and stuff. But those accolades, that doesn't mean the stuff. It's the stuff afterwards that is the
- [48:45]
George DaCosta
big thing, you know, and that's why I wrote the book Tips and Tales on Training. A lot of my clients were asking me, man, you need to write this stuff down. And I wrote it to be able to touch more people and hopefully leave it when I'm gone, that. That. That they're still learning. And that was. That was touching people's life, more importantly for me, is touching puppies, lives, you know, to make sure that dog's getting that. That's. That's what. That's what thrills me. That's what I'm here for. So. And I think if you have a passion for anything. Right. Yep. Then it's. Yeah.
- [49:23]
Zach
It's that burning desire.
- [49:24]
Rick
Right.
- [49:24]
Zach
You have to have a burning desire and a passion for something. You find it, and it comes to you in life, and you never know what it's going to be, and you never know when it's going to hit you, but you're like, okay, this is it. And then when you recognize it and then you grab hold of it, and then you start taking it down that road, that's where it starts opening doors. Because as you can see with. With dogs, George, I mean, you. You had the passion at A young age. But look at all the doors and all the opportunities that have been opened up in your life through training dogs. I mean, absolutely. The relationships, the travel, it's very similar to us. It's. But you have to be passionate about it. If you're not. If you're not passionate about it and you're not a student of the game, learning, trying to get better, learning to always elevate your level and take it to the next step, that's the important part, that you can't fake that, and people can see that. I, you know, I've never met you before today, and we didn't rehearse any of this, this, this podcast at all. You know, there's no script to it. I mean, everyone we do is just kind of, you know, asking people, but, you know, I heard you're a great guy. And it's. It's amazing when someone says, hey, this is a great guy. And then there's so many correlations and there's so many, you know, layers that, that come to our game or to anything in life. Right. I mean, it's just. Yeah, it's just doing the effort, having the passion, meeting the people, doing the right things. I mean, that's. That's what you're doing, and you've done
- [50:45]
George DaCosta
it your whole life.
- [50:45]
Zach
And, I mean, you can be very proud of the legacy that you've left and the people that you've touched and the puppies that you've. You've. You've helped train around the world. Obviously, for you being in that position where you have written a book and done the podcast and all that stuff, was there any kind of mental training that you had to do or preparation to be able to say, hey, I'm going to go compete at this level or I'm going to do this. What was the internal stuff going in your mind as you were advancing yourself in your career?
- [51:17]
George DaCosta
I think the martial arts background had a lot to do with that. A lot of discipline. You have to move up, move up, move up. A lot of. A lot of times you didn't pass or you got beat. And so you make adjustments and you learn from that and you move out. So I think my, my martial arts background was, was it helped me in business, it helped me in dog training, it helped me in life. It really, it really did. And if you're. I used to do two programs for young children after school that were free for people who might not have a lot of money or they're having problems in school or whatever that was. Some of the most rewarding stuff for me because it teaches a young child discipline. It teaches them they have to do this. It teaches them respect. Right. So I think the martial arts background really helped. I think I was blessed with uncles that knew how to do stuff well and a great father who had a little bit of a military background, by the way. I thought I might mention this. I was born on a sugar can sugarcane plantation in Maui.
- [52:24]
Rick
Okay.
- [52:25]
George DaCosta
And back in the day, you, you just from Portugal, you signed a contract and they paid for you to come to the islands, Hawaii, and then you had to work for so many years to get your travel. That was my mom's side of the family. My dad's side of the family owned a bunch of property in Makawa, where, where Willie Nelson likes to go now. But that's kind of a cowboy town. They owned a bunch of property there. And the reason I'm bringing this up is because my uncle had a third grade education. He was a cowboy. My dad just had a high school education. One of the first kids to have a high school education, by the way, in his family. Because they were farm kids, right? And they were. And my mom's side work. Yeah, my mom's side was basically plantation workers. My dad ended up being very successful. He worked his way up, moved to California after being in the military for 12 years. And anyhow, I got to see what it took to come from not having much and the work that it takes and the determination and tenacity to succeed, I got to witness that personally and I was blessed to have that. So not only did the martial arts background help, but seeing my father and my uncles succeed at what they, they did also helped me with the confidence and the know how to. I can do that. There's no, like we said, there's no free lunch. I'm gonna have to pay the price. I'm gonna have to work. But it's a, it's obtainable. And the other thing, this is a great tip. I think the other thing, I taught my kids this and, and you as instructors will know this. I'm certain you'll relate to this. There's some people that you tell stuff to that automatically start talking about themselves or about how they do it or how somebody else does it. And they're not really taking in what you tell them, right? Yep, yep. I told my kids, when somebody does something really well and starts talking about how they do it, shut up and act stupid. Just shut up, listen and act stupid. Like you don't know. Don't Tell them why I do it this way or I do it that way, or I know somebody that shut up and go, really? And how does that work? And listen to them. Because there's a ton of people out there that know a lot of stuff. And if you shut up and listen and don't try to put your two cents in, you can gain so much knowledge. And I was blessed by having that. And when people start talking about dog training, my friend Roy Rick Lamb, who ran Nastra, A lot of people in my lifetime, when they started talking about stuff that I wanted to, to do, I just shut up and listened and just became a sponge and just brought it in. So to answer your question, be a sponge for people who have already succeeded and have confidence in yourself. With work and consistency, you can do it. And if you have anybody who can be a mentor or you can look, look up to who has done it, then, then mimic that in the way that you can, you know? So I don't know if that answered your question real well, but that, that's where I'm, you know.
- [55:35]
Zach
Yeah, no, that was spot on, George. I mean, it was a perfect response. And, and it's just like, like we've been talking about correlation all day. Everything's been correlating in the work and the effort and the, and the journey of your life and these dogs. And I mean, I'm, I'm gonna get your book. I, I, if I, if I, if I get one, will you sign it for me?
- [55:52]
George DaCosta
Absolutely. You, just, after the, after this, just text me. I'll send you guys a couple books.
- [55:57]
Zach
So, yeah, I'd love to reach it. Yeah, that, that sounds great. And, and for the people listening today, if they wanted to buy your book or they wanted to listen to your stuff, is there anywhere in particular or is there a website they can go to?
- [56:09]
George DaCosta
The easiest way for the book is just to go to Amazon.com they ship it for free. They send it all over the world. I mean, I can't believe where it's being sold. France, Brazil. It's just something that's awesome.
- [56:19]
Rick
Yeah, you get on there. I looked it up. Just type in, type in his name, George D. Costa. And boom, it pops up. Tips and tails. And then the Tales with Tales from the the Heart of a Man who Loves Life and Bird Dogs.
- [56:33]
George DaCosta
Yep. Yeah, that'd be me. And then, and then you. Can I suggest that you have a YouTube channel? Just Google George DaCosta, YouTube. And then there's a series podcast that's called Tips and Tales. I highly Recommend you listen to that with the book, because just like your questions now, you can read the book, but in the Tips and Tales podcast, we were following the book, but there's a lot more. There's a lot more detail. Yeah, yeah. Yep, yep. Exactly. Yep.
- [57:00]
Zach
I think that's wonderful. I. I mean, I know we have a ton of dog lovers that listen to our show. I mean, these are outdoor guys. They love to hunt, they love to fish, they love to be outdoors. And so, you know, we wanted to do this because, you know, we heard you're the man, and after this episode, it's, It's. It's. It's unquestioned. You're the man.
- [57:18]
George DaCosta
Right.
- [57:19]
Zach
So we appreciate you giving us your. Your time today and educating our listeners. And, you know, I'm sure there. There's a lot more to come from it. Maybe hopefully open someone's mind to the idea of a dog or training their dog differently or, you know, but new ideas. Anytime we get into instructing, teaching, educating, learning, like you said, be a sponge and just learn and listen, and then from that, you take it and go where you want to go with it. Because if you're not learning and adjusting, you know, you're staying stagnant. You're.
- [57:49]
Rick
You're.
- [57:50]
Zach
You're going backwards, in my opinion. I mean, you have to. You have to. No matter how much you know, there's always more to learn, right?
- [57:55]
George DaCosta
Absolutely. I learn every day. Dogs teach me. I see a dog do something, oh, I should have thought of that. And, you know, I can learn from the best, and I can learn from a newbie, too. I'm always willing to listen and learn. I tell people when I train a dog, they'll say, well, what do you do if a dog does this? I don't know. I have to read the dog. I try to keep as many techniques in my tool pouch that I can get and pull out what works for that dog. So I'm always trying to learn. Always. And like you say, when you stop learning, become stagnant. You're done. You're going backwards. You're not going.
- [58:29]
Rick
Exactly.
- [58:31]
Zach
And for you, George, if you're ever in the Midwest, if you ever come to Nebraska or you come to St. Louis, we'd love to go hunting with you. Or we'd love to go shoot some sporting clays. We know that you love to shoot shotguns. For anyone listening, shot traps, sporting clays, feet task, ice, skeet. He shot it all. So, you know, he's definitely a shotgun pointer. But, you know, his passion and his, his, you know, national championship is in those dogs and in that, that, that training. So that's, that's wonderful.
- [58:57]
George DaCosta
Thank you. Thank you. And, you know, it's been great talking to you guys. I think there's a lot of correlation into what we do. And, you know, you understand it when you're a teacher and you're working with people and you're successful. And I don't mean to be bragging about success. I'm not trying to do that. But you, you understand that, that trail and that road that you have to take in the path, and, and it's, it's, it's, it's work, but it's not difficult. You can do it. Just gotta follow the road.
- [59:29]
Rick
It's a journey.
- [59:30]
George DaCosta
It's a journey. Yeah. Perfect.
- [59:32]
Zach
And I love your, I love your humble backgrounds of coming from people that had to work to get what they got. I mean, it wasn't. Nothing was handed to you. Everything was like, hey, we're gonna get up and we're gonna do it a little bit better and we're gonna work a little bit harder and we're gonna earn it. And I mean, you know, that's what this country was built on.
- [59:48]
George DaCosta
Absolutely.
- [59:50]
Zach
It's, it's, it's the American dream that we have the opportunity to take, you know, health and our effort and be able to build whatever world we want.
- [60:00]
George DaCosta
And how blessed are we to have that? We are so blessed to have that. You can do it. And it's your choice. It's your choice. You know, I, I get up in the morning and I'm like, I'm on this side of the pavement and I'm looking, I'm looking down and I got my health. The rest is up to me. I'm going, you know, go for it. That is true.
- [60:19]
John
It's a great.
- [60:20]
Zach
Well, George, it was a blessing having you on the show. Thank you for your time. You know, Ricky, is there any other questions, anything we're forgetting?
- [60:27]
Rick
No, I think we're good. It's been a lot, and like I said, anybody that's got any questions, you know, we'll have George's info there. You'll be able to see the YouTube channel, everything. So if you need any questions answered, I'm sure if you reached out or want to maybe set up a clinic in the future, I'm sure he, he might be willing to do something with you.
- [60:45]
Zach
George, before we get out here, is there anything else you want to leave with our listeners? Is there anything that we're forgetting?
- [60:52]
George DaCosta
I don't think so. I mean, I can talk all day long, but I would say the principles of what I'm talking about on dog training, I have a lot of people that say, I wish I knew this when I was raising my kids. You know, the principles of doing the right thing, consistently rewarding yourself or whoever or whatever you're working with when you reach your goals and then moving up to the next goal. You can use that in a lot of walks of life, not just dog training, but in a lot of walks. And not just shooting. I mean, you can take a lot of the stuff we talked about here and use it in many different variations of life. And so hopefully for you folks out there who are not going to get a hunting dog, you learn something that helps you in life.
- [61:36]
Rick
Absolutely.
- [61:37]
Zach
Well, that, that's awesome. Well, folks, thanks for tuning in. Happy Fridays. Remember, like, share, subscribe, wear your trap talk merch. We're going into the heavy shooting season, so we're going to see you all over the country. Don't forget to send in your questions, any comments and, and listen to these podcasts and, and we appreciate it. We, we love what you guys are doing for us as far as being listeners and supporting our journey through the country and our journey through, through shooting and getting to meet and interview great people like George. We couldn't do it without you and we couldn't do without the sponsors. So thanks for tuning in. Happy Friday. We'll see you next Friday.
- [62:13]
Rick
See you, everyone. Good luck.
- [62:14]
Zach
You know, Rick, I was at the Autumn grand and the Nevada State shoot and I was just really impressed with how I could see where my squad was when I was up. Just the technology, the ability to be able to see what options I've played if the event's paid or not. What's your experience with, with the app?
- [62:29]
Rick
Listen, SOS Clay's app. It's the best thing out there, folks. You see everything. It's great. You see your option payouts. You can see when you're up, you can see who's paid on your squad. Sometimes Zach doesn't pay on time, but it's okay.
- [62:41]
Zach
I get out there. But what I really think is, is for gun clubs, it's free. Free. Call Greg, get a hold of him. He'll set you up. He'll get you running.
- [62:48]
George DaCosta
Right.
- [62:49]
Zach
And if you pay the the premium once a year, you get free pre squatting in all the shoots. And that's the best value in trap shoot.
- [62:55]
Rick
Absolutely. SOS clays.com I got to give a
- [62:57]
Zach
huge shout out to The Cardinal center, they're doing a fabulous job and they've got some fantastic shoots coming up with some great prizes. John, tell the folks what they got coming up.
- [63:06]
John
Well, they've got their three big shoots. So they've got the Buckeye Open, they've got the Ohio State shoot and they've got the Cardinal Classic. The Buckeye is May 27 through June 1. The Cardinal Classic is actually after the Grand. So that's August 11th through the 16th. And the Ohio State shoot this year is June 22nd through June 28th. Also going to have the Back then shootout during the Ohio State shoot also. So yeah, they're really kicking it up this year, Rick. They're doing a big giveaway,
- [63:39]
Rick
twenty thousand dollar Lewis at the Cardinal Classic. So you guys don't want to miss that. So I might have to pencil that back in on the schedule. If they're giving away a bunch of gold and silver for that. We got the, the silver and the gold. Everything given away at the Ohio State shoot with the Back Vent Shootout. There's another event too going on in Ohio State Shoot. So folks, you don't want to miss the Cardinals three big shoots. Put them all on your calendar.
- [64:01]
John
Yeah, I think in the, the Buckeye Open they've added a bunch of stuff too. So they're giving away. I'm just kind of looking at the list here. 7, 8 flats of ammo they're gonna give away. They're giving away L and M lenses. They're doing a Browning CSX gun giveaway at the Buckeye also. And then. Yeah, like you were saying, Rick, the Cardinal Classic, they've just started adding stuff. They've got the $20,000 in gold and silver for the HOA. Yeah, they're doing some added stuff, I heard for the juniors, you know, they're doing like a $3,000 purse for some juniors. Juniors.
- [64:32]
Rick
Junior, I think.
- [64:33]
John
Yeah, yeah, so they're doing that too. And then the Ohio State shoot this year they're kicking it up also. So the Cardinals center and the Ohio State shoot together. I think this is the year to make sure you make it out to Ohio.
- [64:44]
Zach
Well, Ohio State's got 160 ounces of added silver in that combined handicap event. I mean that's a huge deal. Champion runner up and then yardage groups are all going to get some silver. And I mean that is completely free to enter. All you got to do is shoot all the handicaps in the overall. I mean it's a no brainer. Just show up and shoot the handicaps. Get in on 160 ounces of silver. Where the heck can you do that? Other than like Nevada.
- [65:10]
George DaCosta
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
- [65:12]
Rick
And.
- [65:12]
Zach
And double plug.
- [65:15]
John
A double shameless.
- [65:17]
Zach
Double shameless. That's like their version of the twofer, but a little different.
- [65:21]
George DaCosta
We just stick different. Yeah.
- [65:23]
John
Oh, and here. Here's breaking news for everybody. The Cardinal center has also switched over to SOS Clays.
- [65:30]
George DaCosta
Yep.
- [65:30]
John
So now the app is going to work. You can see you're winning. You can check your squads. All that good stuff. SOS is at the Cardinal center now.
- [65:38]
Zach
Three for three fur three. Yeah.
- [65:41]
John
Oh, and all the gold and silver came from Ron Prescott at Midsafe Precious metals.
- [65:45]
Zach
Is that a for plugs on plugs on plugs.
- [65:50]
George DaCosta
We love plugs.
- [65:51]
John
I. I think the main story here guys, is this is a year to. If you haven't gone to Ohio, it should definitely already been on your bucket list.
- [65:57]
Zach
You're not, you know, going to Ohio. Haven't gone to Ohio. You need to seriously reconsider your lives. Like get it together, folks. Go to the Cardinal Classic. Shoot targets at the greatest place in Ohio to shoot targets and win silver and gold with the likeness of the greats like Joey Charnigo. Slow Joe, baby. It's. It's a real deal. Come on out and see us.
- [66:19]
John
That's very true. And it's a beautiful facility. I mean it. It is one of those kind of marquee facilities for trap shooting. So I would definitely. Yeah. Say go there and trap talk is going to be there.
- [66:31]
Rick
True merge.
- [66:33]
George DaCosta
We'll have everything. Yeah.
- [66:34]
Zach
My. My little shout out to. It is. What I love best about is the camping because they've got so many camping spots there that everyone can stay on the grounds with their trailer and they've got a swimming pool. They've got like cool little trails and stuff you could walk on. I mean it's just a beautiful facility and it makes you feel like you're at a resort at a gun club and that's like. That doesn't happen, guys. Like it's. It's very, very beautiful.
- [66:56]
John
Rick, you've had some. Some pretty big stuff happen at Ohio. I'm trying to remember back. Weren't you the first to do something at Ohio?
- [67:02]
Rick
I was the first to break 100 and handicap from the 27 there. And. And I sit right now with the. Tied with Mr. Leo Harrison for the most hundreds broke there with four. We each broke four so far. That's awesome.
- [67:16]
George DaCosta
Yeah, that's.
- [67:17]
John
That's. That's really cool.
- [67:18]
Rick
Yeah. If you. If you haven't been there. Put it on the list. All three shoots, especially the Ohio State shoot and the Cardinal Classic.
- [67:26]
Zach
Those two are for sure.
- [67:27]
George DaCosta
Yeah.
- [67:28]
John
And this year, they are going above and beyond. So we love, we love to see states kicking it up. We love to see gun clubs kicking it up and giving back to the shooters. I think there's a lot of value in the shooters heading out to Ohio. And again, these guys are going to be there. So, I mean, what other reason?
- [67:43]
Zach
And, and they got the back bench shootout. Feifer, we're rolling. We're, we're, it's all plugged up today and we're having a good time. So that, with that being said, John,
- [67:54]
John
let's get to the show.