Uncle Nicky, Jake was also a basket case when calling the birds back. The first time he broke a flock he laid beside me a quivered. I had fleece covers for him but he wanted none of that. Thereafter my brother and I were together and one of us would leash him and walk off a ways with him. He was only 4.5 years old when he left back in 95' and not a days passes that I don't think of him. We spent many days walking the woods in Eastern WV searching (illegally) for flocks for him to break. I have an ES now but don't hunt him and for that matter rarely fall hunt anymore. I think he'd hunt for me. My ES loves to chases birds and will bark at the gackles that land in large groups in the yard.