Hunting Dog Confidential – The Magazine

Announcing the next chapter in the Hunting Dog Confidential journey

Imagine you are standing in an open field. The year is 1855; the place is northern France. In the distance a train rumbles past, moving people and goods with an efficiency that had been unimaginable just a generation earlier. In front of you, a little orange and white dog zips back and forth in search of birds. In your hands is the latest in modern firearm technology: a hammerless, breechloading shotgun. Suddenly, the eager little dog freezes on point, revealing the hidden location of a bird. As you step in to flush the partridge, you become part of a scene that repeats around the world, nearly unchanged, for the next 200 years or more. A hunter, a shotgun, a dog.

The industrial revolution set into motion a new way of life, not only for industry and commerce, but also for leisure. Hunting was no longer reserved for the elite. Hunting dogs could be owned and bred by more than just the noble class. The common man was free to take up a gun, train up a dog, and roam the fields in the pursuit of birds. The golden era of bird dogs had begun.

Across Europe, new dog breeds were being perfected to suit the needs of the everyday hunter. This dedicated effort in pursuit of the ideal hunting dog laid a foundation for the centuries to come. The dogs were unique in their appearances and in their specialties; each new breed was a reflection of the unique culture that developed it. To understand the dogs is to understand the people who created them… and to understand the people is to understand their dogs.

The history of hunting dogs is a complicated tapestry, delicately woven around the history of people, culture, and language. The future of hunting dogs is much the same: a reflection of the people who are dedicated to preserving and improving these incredible creatures that have shared our homes and our lives for centuries. They are icons of who we are, where we are going, and what we hope to achieve. Hunting Dog Confidential takes us on an endless journey through the history and culture of our dogs and, ultimately, ourselves.

Launching a print magazine unlike any other

Hunting Dog Confidential was first launched as a podcast series in May of 2020. The journalistic style provides rich detail and thoroughly researched insight into the history and culture of hunting dogs. The enthusiastic reception and overwhelming feedback inspired us to take Hunting Dog Confidential to the next level: print.

We are proud to announce the launch of Hunting Dog Confidential magazine—a semiannual, coffee-table-quality publication featuring the dogs that hunt alongside humans around the world in pursuit of waterfowl, upland birds, big game, and more. From retrievers to pointers, from tracking hounds to bear dogs, we will tell the stories of the mainstream and the obscure. The high-quality writing, photography, and artwork filling two hundred pages will take readers on a timeless, international journey. Our mission is to promote the hunting dog lifestyle to new demographics and to expand the knowledge of those already obsessed.

Hunting Dog Confidential will be published under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Craig Koshyk and Managing Editor Jennifer Wapenski, co-hosts of the HDC Podcast. They will be supported by the likes of Jake Terry of Endless Migration and the wide range of resources inside of Project Upland Media Group, the parent company of Project Upland, to deliver a unique user experience in storytelling through words and images.

Issue one will kick off this new chapter with stories ranging from the exploits of a classified ad Brittany to moose hunting in Siberia with the Russian Laika. We’ll explore the British Labrador and how they came to America to hunt and trial alongside the lines of Labradors bred and developed west of the Atlantic. We’ll tell the story of Pointers hunting the mountains of South Africa and a tiny Teckel with a huge aptitude for tracking wounded game. The dogs are the heart of this magazine and their stories fuel the journey from cover to cover.

Join the journey

Current subscribers of Project Upland Magazine will receive Issue One of Hunting Dog Confidential as a free gift to show our appreciation for being loyal subscribers (Offer ends Midnight EST on September 7th). Also, for a limited time, new subscribers to Project Upland Magazine will receive the first issue of Hunting Dog Confidential as a bonus. No matter how you subscribe, you won’t want to miss the start of this journey to explore the history, culture, and stories of hunting dogs all around the world.