--- title: Gun Dog Training From Tulare | Royal Gun Dogs url: https://royalgundogs.com/from/tulare/ 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/) - [San Joaquin Valley](https://royalgundogs.com/regions/san-joaquin-valley/) - Tulare # From Tulare to Rio Vista: four hours for a bird dog worth the trip Rio Vista is about 4.0 hours and 204 miles from Tulare by road. Richard Gebhart trains gun dogs at Hastings Island Hunting Preserve there, and dogs come to him from all over California for board-and-train. ## From Tulare to Hastings Island - **Drive to Rio Vista:** about 4.0 hours 204 miles, OpenStreetMap routing, no traffic - **County:** Tulare US Census Bureau - **Population:** 70,945 ACS 5-year 2024 - **Median age:** 29.5 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. Tulare has about 71,000 residents and a median age of 29.5 (Census Bureau), a young population in a county where a spaniel club lists a field trial on the 2026 calendar. It is also the last long-drive city on this site before the overnight tier begins. ## Four hours is a full day At about 204 miles and about 4.0 hours with no traffic (OpenStreetMap routing), Tulare lands at the edge of the long-drive tier. Plan the whole day around the trip, and leave the return for another day if you can. It is the reason board-and-train exists. The dog stays near Rio Vista and trains with Richard, and you come back when it is ready. ## A trial inside the county The Arrowhead English Springer Spaniel Club lists a spaniel field trial at Kincaid Wildlife Management Area, Lake Success, Porterville, which is in Tulare County, on the 2026 California calendar. Check the club or AKC Event Search for current dates. Pointing-breed owners look farther south: several Southern California clubs list field trials and hunt tests at Camp H in California City (same calendar, read October 27, 2026). Both are good places to watch trained dogs work before you decide what you want from yours. ## Refuge and flyway context Kern National Wildlife Refuge, 19 miles west of Delano, offers waterfowl hunting and closes to non-hunters on Wednesdays and Saturdays between October and January (USFWS). Mendota Wildlife Area in Fresno County is about 11,800 acres, with designated dog-training areas outside waterfowl season (CDFW). Our [refuges data page](https://royalgundogs.com/data/waterfowl-habitat-and-refuges/) lists acreage and sources for the public ground in the state. ## Questions Tulare owners can bring to Richard - Is a puppy old enough to start, or is it better to wait? See [what age to start](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/what-age-to-start/). - Will a spaniel or setter get the same program as a Lab? - What does a handler lesson cover when I pick up the dog? - How should I get the dog to Rio Vista and back from the south valley? Richard sets the plan by phone, program lengths and weekly rates are on the [board-and-train page](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/), and [how to book training](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/how-to-book-training/) explains what the first call is like. ## Where Tulare sits among the valley pages Tulare, Visalia and Hanford share a stretch of the southern San Joaquin Valley and similar drive times to Rio Vista, about 3.9 to 4.0 hours. The [region page](https://royalgundogs.com/regions/san-joaquin-valley/) shows the whole valley in one table, from Turlock at the north end to the cities in the south. Tulare is the farthest of the three, so it is the best case for a stay. ### Sources (4) - Bird Dog & Retriever News : [bdarn.com/ca/trialtests/](https://www.bdarn.com/ca/trialtests/) (checked October 27, 2026) - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service : [fws.gov/refuge/kern](https://www.fws.gov/refuge/kern) (checked October 27, 2026) - California Department of Fish and Wildlife : [wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Mendota-WA](https://wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Mendota-WA) (checked October 27, 2026) - U.S. Census Bureau : [data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=160XX00US0680644](https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=160XX00US0680644) (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 - [San Joaquin Valley](https://royalgundogs.com/regions/san-joaquin-valley/) - [Board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/) - [Private and group lessons](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/lessons/) - [California hunt test calendar](https://royalgundogs.com/hunt-tests/california-calendar/) - [From Visalia to Rio Vista](https://royalgundogs.com/from/visalia/) ## Other drive times [Visalia](https://royalgundogs.com/from/visalia/)[Hanford](https://royalgundogs.com/from/hanford/)[Redding](https://royalgundogs.com/from/redding/)[Paso Robles](https://royalgundogs.com/from/paso-robles/)[Fresno](https://royalgundogs.com/from/fresno/)[Monterey](https://royalgundogs.com/from/monterey/)[Red Bluff](https://royalgundogs.com/from/red-bluff/)[Bakersfield](https://royalgundogs.com/from/bakersfield/) ## Questions from Tulare owners [All questions](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/) ### How far is Rio Vista from Tulare? About 4.0 hours and 204 miles by road, with no traffic (OpenStreetMap routing). ### Can I drive up and back in one day? The drive is long enough that you should plan it as a full day each way. Call Richard about drop-off and pick-up from the south valley. ### Where are spaniel field trials near Tulare? The Arrowhead English Springer Spaniel Club lists one at Kincaid Wildlife Management Area, Lake Success, on the 2026 calendar. Confirm with the club. ### Does the dog have to be a retriever? No. Richard trains retrievers and upland breeds. Ask him about your dog.