"There is not much open land with cover for birds these days. Unless you know somebody who has ground or you join a hunting club that raises birds, there's no real place to hunt," says Nichols, who lives in Provo.

While forecasts are for "a decent season in line with 2006" (www.pheasantsforever.com) for the hunt that begins Nov. 3, thousands of hunters and their dogs will be searching for fewer birds.

But Nichols gets more pleasure from seeing his dogs work the fields.

"Almost every dog has the prey drive, but training is the key to the hunter/hunting dog partnership," he says.

And seeing the results of consistent training is what brought Nichols and Dennis Pennington, Bluffdale, to Faust, Tooele County, for an Oct. 13 Hunt Test sponsored by the German Shorthaired Pointers Club of Utah (GSPCU) and the Wasatch Front Brittany Club.

"The Hunt Test is precursor to the hunt. It is sanctioned by the American Kennel Club and we try to use different birds -- chukkars, quail, pheasants -- at each test. It establishes the ability of our dogs, which is important for breeding," Pennington said. Neither Nichols nor Pennington ran dogs at the October event, but they participated in hunt tests during the year.

Nichols explained that in the Hunt Test, each dog must meet an AKC standard, pass or fail. There are Junior, Senior and Master Hunter divisions.

"Basically, the Junior Hunter has to demonstrate interest in hunting and independence in that the dog does not stay at the hunter's feet but runs out looking for a bird. The Senior Hunter has to go beyond that, find and 'hold' the bird [not charge and scare it away] until the hunter gets within shooting distance. The dog must not show fear when the gun fires.

"The Master Hunter dog freezes, points the bird and remains motionless," Nichols said. "The hunter steps in front of the dog, flushing the bird out of hiding. Then the hunter shoots. The hunter stops. At command, the dog will retrieve the bird and put it in the handler's hand. The hunter must not move to take the bird from the dog."

While a dog is judged against a standard in Hunt Tests, Field Trials are competitions with other dogs. Dogs "run big," Nichols said, adding, "Hunters go horseback because the dogs cover so much ground you couldn't keep up with them." In a Hunt Test, dogs run 20 minutes; in Field Trials they run for a half hour.

While Nichols is just getting into Field Trials with his English setters, Pennington's German shorthaired pointer, Brandy, won the 1991 AKC Gun Dog National Championship in a field of 103 dogs with professional as well as amateur handlers. His dog, Sage, is the 2006 Utah Broke Dog (best trained hunting dog) of the year.

"I have a son growing up and I want to pass the tradition of seeing the dogs run," Pennington said.

"I work dogs an average two to five times a week, so they build up endurance to run for hours. A lot of people go out to hunt once a year and get upset if their dog doesn't hold point on a bird."

Nichols agrees.

"You let a puppy chase the birds to awaken the prey drive. But she isn't going to catch the birds. They will fly away. The natural point comes when the pup learns to 'sneak up' to the bird, one step at a time, foot lifted.

"That is the crucial timing. Once the dog scents the bird in cover, she must remain motionless and wait for the hunter. A fully broke dog would starve to death on point," Nichols said, adding that is why they wear locator collars.

"The dogs run so [far] they could be two or three hundred yards in front of the hunter. Collars start to beep 5 seconds after the dog stops."

The reward for the dog is the retrieve. But, sometimes, the dog points, freezes, waits for the hunter and the hunter misses the shot.

"The dog knows. He has to stay on point until the hunter gives him the signal to move. Sometimes the dog will give you a look, even complain a little with a whine. But then it's on to the next bird."

Nichols acknowledges that few hunters today go out because they need the food.

"About 90 percent of the reason we go is to see our dogs work. We eat what we shoot. But the actual shooting of birds is almost an afterthought," Nichols says, adding, "The pleasure is in seeing the dogs reach their potential, not in killing birds."

For people interested in hunting dogs, area clubs, Hunt Tests and Field Trials, resources include www.akc.org (club listings); utahbirddogs.com; www.pheasantsforever.com

2007 Utah Pheasant Season

Nov. 3-18 (statewide), Nov. 3 to 9 (Utah County), Nov. 3 to Dec. 2 (extended season includes state and federal land in Carbon, Duchesne, Emery, Grand, Juab, Millard, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Tooele and Uintah counties and Powell Slough in Utah County)

Cost: $30 (combination license for fishing, upland game and waterfowl) or a $26 hunting license

Daily limit: 2

Possession limit: 4

Hunters afield in 2006: 16,521

Harvest in 2006: 44,971

Note: Utah's pheasant hunt participation and harvest are much lower than historic levels. Officials are hoping to make it easier to get to birds through a Walk In Access program that began last season.