--- title: Gun Dog Training From Red Bluff | Royal Gun Dogs url: https://royalgundogs.com/from/red-bluff/ business: Royal Gun Dogs trainer: Richard Gebhart (professional gun dog trainer since 2002) phone: (530) 341-4496 email: royalgundogs@yahoo.com trains_at: Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, 7758 Hastings Island Rd, Rio Vista, CA 94571 (Solano County) booking: call or text Richard directly --- - [Home](https://royalgundogs.com/) - [All of California](https://royalgundogs.com/from/) - [North State](https://royalgundogs.com/regions/north-state/) - Red Bluff # Red Bluff and Tehama County bird dog training Rio Vista is about 3.0 hours and 155 miles from Red Bluff by road. Richard Gebhart trains gun dogs at Hastings Island Hunting Preserve in Rio Vista, and from Red Bluff, plan drop-off as a long day. ## From Red Bluff to Hastings Island - **Drive to Rio Vista:** about 3.0 hours 155 miles, OpenStreetMap routing, no traffic - **County:** Tehama US Census Bureau - **Population:** 14,549 ACS 5-year 2024 - **Median age:** 34.2 ACS 5-year 2024 Drive estimate from road routing between town centers (no traffic), pulled October 2026. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Red Bluff is a Tehama County city of 14,549 people with a median age of 34.2 (Census ACS 5-year 2024), on the Sacramento River in the northern valley. ## Corning is next door Clear Creek Sports Club in Corning, south of Red Bluff, is the listed venue for Marin Retriever Club and Sacramento Valley Retriever Club events on the 2026 California calendar. Confirm dates on AKC Event Search. A local hunt test is the best look at how a trained dog works, and a Tehama County owner has a front row seat. ## The three-hour question Three hours each way adds up to a six-hour round trip. Call Richard about drop-off and pick-up from the Red Bluff area, and ask what he recommends for visiting. Because the dog stays at Hastings Island for the program, you will not drive back and forth. Each program has a published range of weeks and Richard decides where your dog lands in it; the [guide to how long retriever training takes](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/how-long-to-train-a-retriever/) explains what affects it. ## Take the lesson home A trained dog and an untrained handler is a common mismatch. Plan [handler lessons](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/lessons/) when you collect your dog so you leave knowing the commands, the timing and the habits. Richard teaches handlers one-on-one or in groups. ## Your region in one place Red Bluff belongs to the North State, along with Redding and Tulelake. The [North State region page](https://royalgundogs.com/regions/north-state/) lists the refuges, clubs and drive times together, so you can see where Red Bluff falls against Redding and the Klamath Basin. ## Birds near home Tehama County sits next to the Sacramento NWR Complex to the south, where waterfowl regularly peak at over 500,000 ducks and 250,000 geese (USFWS). The refuge and its neighbors give a dog plenty of birds. Even so, a dog needs steady training before it will behave in a crowd, and that is where Richard comes in. ## A calendar for a three-hour owner Because a trip costs most of a day, it helps to line up the pieces in advance: a call to set the date, a drop-off, a handler lesson at pick-up, and a later hunt test if you want one. The [first hunt test guide](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/first-hunt-test/) shows how a test day works, so you can decide whether it belongs in your plan. ### Sources (3) - Bird Dog & Retriever News : [bdarn.com/ca/trialtests/](https://www.bdarn.com/ca/trialtests/) (checked October 27, 2026) - U.S. Census Bureau : [census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html](https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html) (checked October 27, 2026) - Hastings Island Hunting Preserve : [hihp.com/royal-gun-dogs-dog-training/](https://hihp.com/royal-gun-dogs-dog-training/) (checked October 27, 2026) ### Where Richard trains Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, 7758 Hastings Island Rd, near Rio Vista in Solano County. Call before you drive out. [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Hastings+Island+Hunting+Preserve+Rio+Vista+CA&destination_place_id=ChIJA_E9R8AphYAR_4YnvcqbaAU) ### Start here - [Board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/) - [Private and group lessons](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/lessons/) - [Free training consult](https://royalgundogs.com/free-consult/) ### Your trainer Richard Gebhart has trained dogs professionally since 2002, learned the Rex Carr method for Retriever Basics under Billy Sargenti, and has run and qualified at an AKC Master National. [Meet Richard](https://royalgundogs.com/richard-gebhart/) ### Related - [North State](https://royalgundogs.com/regions/north-state/) - [Board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/) - [From Redding to Rio Vista](https://royalgundogs.com/from/redding/) - [From Chico to Rio Vista](https://royalgundogs.com/from/chico/) ## Other drive times [Monterey](https://royalgundogs.com/from/monterey/)[Fresno](https://royalgundogs.com/from/fresno/)[Salinas](https://royalgundogs.com/from/salinas/)[Chico](https://royalgundogs.com/from/chico/)[Redding](https://royalgundogs.com/from/redding/)[Oroville](https://royalgundogs.com/from/oroville/)[Santa Cruz](https://royalgundogs.com/from/santa-cruz/)[Grass Valley](https://royalgundogs.com/from/grass-valley/) ## Questions from Red Bluff owners [All questions](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/) ### How far is Rio Vista from Red Bluff? About 3.0 hours and 155 miles by road, with no traffic. ### Where are hunt tests near Red Bluff? Clear Creek Sports Club in Corning is listed for several 2026 retriever events. Confirm dates on AKC Event Search. ### Does Richard take dogs from the North State? Owners bring dogs to him from all over California. Call him about drop-off and pick-up. ### Is Red Bluff close to the Sacramento refuges? They are south of Red Bluff in Glenn and Colusa counties. Check USFWS for rules and passes.