--- title: Dog Training From Williams, CA | Royal Gun Dogs url: https://royalgundogs.com/from/williams/ 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/) - [Sacramento Valley and Sierra foothills](https://royalgundogs.com/regions/sacramento-valley/) - Williams # Williams to Rio Vista: duck country, 105 minutes from the training ground Rio Vista is about 105 minutes and 83 miles from Williams by road. Richard Gebhart trains gun dogs there at Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, and dogs come to him from all over California for board-and-train. ## From Williams to Hastings Island - **Drive to Rio Vista:** about 105 minutes 83 miles, OpenStreetMap routing, no traffic - **County:** Colusa US Census Bureau - **Population:** 5,585 ACS 5-year 2024 - **Median age:** 30.4 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. Williams is a Colusa County town of 5,585 people with a median age of 30.4 (Census ACS 5-year 2024). The county around it was the one named most often in CDFW's own waterfowl hunter survey. ## The county that hunters name first CDFW's 2024 Waterfowl Hunter Survey asked hunters which counties they hunted. Colusa County was named most often, by 13.19 percent of respondents, ahead of Merced, Butte, Yolo and Glenn (Technical Report, June 2025). The survey reports where people hunt, not where they live, but it shows why Williams sits in the middle of the action. A dog raised here is likely to see ducks and geese early. That makes marks and steady behavior in a blind the things worth building first. The [waterfowl opener guide](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/ready-for-the-waterfowl-opener/) lists what a dog should know before the season. ## Refuges you can see from the road Colusa National Wildlife Refuge covers 5,077 acres one mile southwest of the town of Colusa, and the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex stretches across Glenn, Colusa and Sutter counties (USFWS). The Sacramento refuge page reports winter peaks of more than 500,000 ducks and 250,000 geese in late November and December. Refuges set their own rules for dogs and hunting, so read each property's page before you take a dog. If you are not sure what your dog is ready for, that is a good question for Richard. ## The drive and the visit About 105 minutes each way puts a round trip near three and a half hours. That is a long morning, not a casual stop, so make the trip count. Google lists the hours as 8 AM to 2 PM Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, closed Tuesday; call Richard about drop-off and pick-up before you head south. Many duck hunters want a dog that can hold steady through a long sit and deliver to hand. Those are the skills in the [Basic Waterfowl Program](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/basic-waterfowl/), and they are easier to teach with birds and water than in a backyard. ## Training with Richard Richard has trained dogs professionally since 2002, learned the Rex Carr method for Retriever Basics under Billy Sargenti, and runs dogs at local weekend AKC retriever hunt tests. In [board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/), the dog stays with him at Hastings Island and you skip the daily driving. Ask him about [handler lessons](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/lessons/) as well. A Williams owner who learns the lines and commands during a lesson can keep working the dog on the family's own ground afterward. ## Planning checklist - Decide whether the dog is a puppy, a started dog, or a finished hunter. - Pick the season you want the dog ready for. - Call Richard about drop-off and pick-up. - Book an owner lesson so training carries over at home. ### Sources (4) - California Department of Fish and Wildlife : [nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=233037&inline](https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=233037&inline) (checked October 27, 2026) - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service : [fws.gov/refuge/colusa](https://www.fws.gov/refuge/colusa) (checked October 27, 2026) - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service : [fws.gov/refuge/sacramento](https://www.fws.gov/refuge/sacramento) (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 - [Sacramento Valley and Sierra foothills](https://royalgundogs.com/regions/sacramento-valley/) - [Board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/) - [From Colusa to Rio Vista](https://royalgundogs.com/from/colusa/) - [Getting a dog ready for the California waterfowl opener](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/ready-for-the-waterfowl-opener/) ## Other drive times [Auburn](https://royalgundogs.com/from/auburn/)[Santa Rosa](https://royalgundogs.com/from/santa-rosa/)[Yuba City](https://royalgundogs.com/from/yuba-city/)[San Jose](https://royalgundogs.com/from/san-jose/)[Marysville](https://royalgundogs.com/from/marysville/)[Turlock](https://royalgundogs.com/from/turlock/)[Folsom](https://royalgundogs.com/from/folsom/)[Fremont](https://royalgundogs.com/from/fremont/) ## Questions from Williams owners [All questions](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/) ### How long is the drive from Williams to Rio Vista? About 105 minutes and 83 miles by road, from OpenStreetMap routing without traffic. ### Why is Colusa County such a big waterfowl county? CDFW's 2024 survey had hunters name Colusa County most often, at 13.19 percent of respondents. The survey describes where people hunt, not their home towns. ### Can I board my dog with Richard? Dogs come to Richard from all over California for board-and-train. Call him about the plan for your dog; program lengths and weekly rates are on the [board-and-train page](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/). ### Does Richard teach owners? Yes. He trains handlers alongside their dogs, one-on-one or in group lessons.