Re rookies hunting over dogs: Don't ever, EVER shoot a rabbit over a bird dog. First time I hunted with an old HS friend who didn't have dogs at that time, I gave him that rule. We're hunting with Heidi, my old shorthair. Rabbit comes running out of the brush, Jim raises his gun to shoot. I yell "NO!" about the time Heidi busts out of the brush behind the bunny. Jim eventually owned a couple of my pups. He always made the same "no rabbits!" rule clear to anyone hunting with us who'd never hunted over bird dogs.