Mandy is a badass chukar chaser who is super active in HerUpland. We met Mandy at HerUpland’s 2022 Forest Grouse Camp in Greenough, MT. Since then, she’s attended more HerUpland events and has gotten together with women she met at those events to hunt and shoot. We can’t wait to hunt with Mandy again this season!
1. Describe a typical day in your life
My day job is working as a clinical laboratory scientist. I’ve had two jobs or more at a time since 2009. My days and hours are varied and long and don’t leave a lot of time, so I adjust accordingly. I try to start each morning with a devotional and coffee. Then a quick little lesson with each dog in the morning. Then work, rush home, eat, and let the dogs run around the property for a little bit, and sleep. I try to squeeze in shooting and a fun run for the dogs on my days off when I have them. As of 6.30.23 I will be switching to a per diem only job status and choosing my own hours. I’ll be looking to spend lots of time training my dogs and myself, and will do this until the end of hunting season, and then see where life takes me. After all the years of working non-stop, I’m looking to add healthy balance to my life and my dogs. Especially since I added two more young dogs to the pack this year.
2. Which HerUpland Event(s) have you attended, and what did you enjoy most about the event(s)?
I have attended the Montana HerUpland Mountain Grouse Camp, and the Michigan Wing Shooting Clinic. From both events I love the community focus and network of women, and I love how structured the events are. They are fast paced, but you have the opportunity to learn new skills and gain confidence, and then for there, can choose events in the future that are more tailored to specific skills you wish to improve.
3. What’s your Bird Dog Breed of choice, and why?
I don’t have a breed of choice. I love them all 🙂 You have to choose the breed that is right for you, what you hunt, how much you hunt, and where you hunt. I have 2 Brittany Spaniels, 1 English Setter, and 1 German Wirehair Pointer. My target species in Nevada is Chukar. They’re all relatively very young so as I enter this hunting season and no longer having a job commitment, I just want to hunt non stop and knew I needed the dog power to accomplish that this season. Ask me again, next February which is my favorite. Hehe.
4. Name one thing you’d like to accomplish with your dog in the next year.
I would really like to take my new young GWP through her hunt tests, starting with her NA or similar type test and work our way up. My main goal is just to have nice hunting dogs, but the hunt tests are a big goal of mine.
5. What is your favorite upland or bird dog product on the market right now?
My top two because I can’t pick are my Final Rise vest and my Garmin Alpha 200i. My Garmin has saved me twice in the middle of nowhere Nevada when I had no service and needed rescued. Nothing major, but could have been stranded for sure without it. I’ve used another brand of collar and lost a dog for 6 days. So upgrading my collar system to Garmin was a huge game changer for my safety and my dogs. Again, this gear is specific to my needs and where I hunt. My vest is an absolute necessity for as much water as I need to pack, snacks, coats, first aid, and ammo, etc. and having a vest that doesn’t interfere with my shooting is imperative.
