hunting dogs
- Thread starter Devdev08
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I wrote this when I got up this morning realized I sound stupid. I know that taking care of a dog and the partnership is a big responsibility. But is training the dog to fetch ducks on corn fields that I hunt on worth it. And do you have a dog you use for hunting. Sorry for me sounding dumb before.
I've got 2, 1 retired and 1 active duty.
The retired dog, Bones, is an American Fox Hound trained for tracking down big cats. He's pretty good, crouches to look under thick brush, and can run FOR DAYS!
My new one is a Beagle (Duke), I know that seems a little funny, but I don't think I ever had a better dog for tracking scents and flushing out rabbits/quail. Plus he loves to dig, if a rabbit or other varmint goes down a hole, he starts digging in right after them and just keeps going until they come out! Plus the Beagle has been easier to train than the large hounds I've had (Walker and Fox) maybe he's just a little smarter, he's definitely less stubborn.
The retired dog, Bones, is an American Fox Hound trained for tracking down big cats. He's pretty good, crouches to look under thick brush, and can run FOR DAYS!
My new one is a Beagle (Duke), I know that seems a little funny, but I don't think I ever had a better dog for tracking scents and flushing out rabbits/quail. Plus he loves to dig, if a rabbit or other varmint goes down a hole, he starts digging in right after them and just keeps going until they come out! Plus the Beagle has been easier to train than the large hounds I've had (Walker and Fox) maybe he's just a little smarter, he's definitely less stubborn.
buck460XVR
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Bird dogs, whether they are for upland game or waterfowl are highly popular. Hounds for rabbits and other game are also popular amongst folks that hunt. It is almost rarer for a dedicated hunter to hunt birds and small game without a dog, than it is to use a dog.
But hunting dogs are like hunting firearms. Everyone has a favorite and seldom are they the same as someone else. Like firearms, most dogs have a purpose or specialty. A few are what are called "versatile" hunting breeds and hunt a variety of animals. These are generally the continental breeds. Goggle is your friend. As you said, a dog is a big responsibility and getting one is a decision that should not be made rapidly or without serious consideration. You need to know what you want to hunt, in what priority and how much work you are wishing to contribute before even considering what breed of dog you want. You owe that much to the dog.
BTW....I have owned continental breeds for 40 years. My present dog, as have been my last 4 dogs, is a German Wirehair Pointer. She is not only a excellent bird dog, but a faithful companion, gentle with my grand-kids, while an alert defender of my home. But like any good dog, she didn't arrive at my doorstep like that.
But hunting dogs are like hunting firearms. Everyone has a favorite and seldom are they the same as someone else. Like firearms, most dogs have a purpose or specialty. A few are what are called "versatile" hunting breeds and hunt a variety of animals. These are generally the continental breeds. Goggle is your friend. As you said, a dog is a big responsibility and getting one is a decision that should not be made rapidly or without serious consideration. You need to know what you want to hunt, in what priority and how much work you are wishing to contribute before even considering what breed of dog you want. You owe that much to the dog.
BTW....I have owned continental breeds for 40 years. My present dog, as have been my last 4 dogs, is a German Wirehair Pointer. She is not only a excellent bird dog, but a faithful companion, gentle with my grand-kids, while an alert defender of my home. But like any good dog, she didn't arrive at my doorstep like that.
I was about 40 when I got my first dog. I would not go with out one. Pat (Britney) had a nose for birds that amazed me. Then the kids had to have one of There own. So I picked up 2 beagle pups. After all it is more productive to rabbit hunt with beagles. Those hounds sure don't give up they just keep on hounding those rabbits. I had a black lab that was gun shy so I found her some kids to keep her happy. Now my Molly ( Black Lab) is trained for duck but just prefers shed hunting and going for rides. The dictionary shows a picture of her under Companion. She is at my side now.
Lucas McCain
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I grew up on a dairy farm. We had a cow dog that was a Border Collie. Teddy was his name and was about 6 years old when I started to hunt ducks. I taught teddy to retrieve ducks. My Dad was a horse trainer and he told me that to train an animal you have to be smarter than the animal. Don't hit the animal, don't yell or threaten them. When they do what you ask reward them with a treat or praising and petting/rubbing. In the summer I would shoot coots in the lake and used those to train him. Following my dads advice and methods he took the job of retrieving ducks just as good as he did in herding cows.
Over the years I've always had a dog, when I went away to school,the first few months that is what I was most homesick for was my dog. I have owned about a dozen in my lifetime. One was a AKC purebred Lab that I won at a DU banquet and one was a "pick of the litter" Springer Spaniel ( American Field Class). His name was Ascots Sir Lawrence of Ostego, Ozzie is what we called him. He was a hunting fool and the best hunting dog for ducks, pheasants and partridge that I ever hunted over. The rest were half breed hunters (both breeds need to be a hunting breed) and I feel they are not as high strung as a lot of the pure breds I've witnessed. That makes them much easier to train.
Another important thing when getting a dog is a requirement that they use when someone gets a seeing eye dog. The dog is given to the owner before the dog is 7 weeks old. Sometime after the 7 week old mark the dog does what is called "imprinting". This when the dog becomes aware of his master, the environment that he is in and considers it home. If the dog can imprint with you around him, feeding him, playing and petting him he makes a strong bond to you and will become very loyal to you. When training a dog use the same word or phrase always, for instance don't use no one time and the next time use "stop it". It confuses the dog.
I would recommend a book titled "Best way to train a dog" by Delmer Smith, a famous dog trainer from Oklahoma. Its a great read, and I found it to be a big help.
To quote a saying of his " I've known a lot of dog trainers who were said to be good, but the fact is it was the dog who made it possible"
another point; He is your dog, you feed him, take care of him and the only one he has to please is you. There will be times when your hunting with friends the dog may have a bad day. It happened to me and it was one of these friend of a friend deals. We were pheasant hunting in Iowa and was hunting standing corn, the dog got in the corn, there was a pile of birds in there and he could see them. He broke and started chasing them and was at the end of the field and birds were flying everywhere and no one was getting any shooting. When he got to the end of the field he came back to me, I scolded him and then he hunted like he was supposed to. When we got through the field everyone and myself wasn't to pleased with his performance. Walked some grassey fence lines and ditches with willows and he raised quite a few birds for us. When we went to the next field this friend of a friend suggested that I leave my dog in the truck, while we walk the field. I simply asked him then why he didn't bring his dog along to hunt with. And if my dog isn't welcome then I guess I'm not welcome either, so I'll just take my dog and go somewhere else. I was a bit ticked off at him, but that brought a flood of apologys and the dog hunted well after that and we had a good day. My friend never asked him along again.
Over the years I've always had a dog, when I went away to school,the first few months that is what I was most homesick for was my dog. I have owned about a dozen in my lifetime. One was a AKC purebred Lab that I won at a DU banquet and one was a "pick of the litter" Springer Spaniel ( American Field Class). His name was Ascots Sir Lawrence of Ostego, Ozzie is what we called him. He was a hunting fool and the best hunting dog for ducks, pheasants and partridge that I ever hunted over. The rest were half breed hunters (both breeds need to be a hunting breed) and I feel they are not as high strung as a lot of the pure breds I've witnessed. That makes them much easier to train.
Another important thing when getting a dog is a requirement that they use when someone gets a seeing eye dog. The dog is given to the owner before the dog is 7 weeks old. Sometime after the 7 week old mark the dog does what is called "imprinting". This when the dog becomes aware of his master, the environment that he is in and considers it home. If the dog can imprint with you around him, feeding him, playing and petting him he makes a strong bond to you and will become very loyal to you. When training a dog use the same word or phrase always, for instance don't use no one time and the next time use "stop it". It confuses the dog.
I would recommend a book titled "Best way to train a dog" by Delmer Smith, a famous dog trainer from Oklahoma. Its a great read, and I found it to be a big help.
To quote a saying of his " I've known a lot of dog trainers who were said to be good, but the fact is it was the dog who made it possible"
another point; He is your dog, you feed him, take care of him and the only one he has to please is you. There will be times when your hunting with friends the dog may have a bad day. It happened to me and it was one of these friend of a friend deals. We were pheasant hunting in Iowa and was hunting standing corn, the dog got in the corn, there was a pile of birds in there and he could see them. He broke and started chasing them and was at the end of the field and birds were flying everywhere and no one was getting any shooting. When he got to the end of the field he came back to me, I scolded him and then he hunted like he was supposed to. When we got through the field everyone and myself wasn't to pleased with his performance. Walked some grassey fence lines and ditches with willows and he raised quite a few birds for us. When we went to the next field this friend of a friend suggested that I leave my dog in the truck, while we walk the field. I simply asked him then why he didn't bring his dog along to hunt with. And if my dog isn't welcome then I guess I'm not welcome either, so I'll just take my dog and go somewhere else. I was a bit ticked off at him, but that brought a flood of apologys and the dog hunted well after that and we had a good day. My friend never asked him along again.
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tahunua001
New member
I don't do much bird hunting anymore but my family's always trained labradors for bird dogs. make sure you get one that comes from shaggy stock, they make great water dogs until it drops below 40 then they stop wanting to go in after ducks and geese. they make great upland bird dogs, fetching, flushing, and sometimes pointing out pheasants, quail and grouse. I wouldn't trust them with rabbits though, all the dogs I've seen, no matter how soft mouthed like to maul rodents and other vermin and tend to ruin them.
jersurf101
New member
A Chesapeake Bay retriever is a great dog for fetching downed birds or the lab as mentioned before. Chesapeake bay retrievers are large dogs at around 150 pounds and are made for the cold winter marshes and bays. They should do OK up north.
I have a beagle and he is real good on pheasants and rabbits. He is a great tracking dog and will find downed deer as well. He found a huge 10 point killed by a bowhunter here locally. He would not be a good retrieving dog though.
I have a beagle and he is real good on pheasants and rabbits. He is a great tracking dog and will find downed deer as well. He found a huge 10 point killed by a bowhunter here locally. He would not be a good retrieving dog though.
I can totally relate to that...
Got two dogs now (shared custody with my folks) mum raises them and we and pops use em
labrador, mum got to foster her for the army, she raised the most social friendly dog ever but when she got back to the army they discovered she had a bad elbow so we got her back, suprisingly for a labrador not the greatest retriever, on fields she does great but not in water. does okey as a flushing dog to, loves to go after deer, boar not so much
then we got a spitz breed native to Sweden called a Jämthund (basically a hound from Jämtland an state/area of Sweden. hunts moose, bears and boars,
Next dog in a couple years will be a german jagdterrier (the formula one of flushing dogs and badger dogs)
RoosterBooster3632
New member
Matter of personal preference
The type of dog you get really depends on one's personal choice. I have had many different dogs and I have hunting buddies with many types of dogs. I think you have to ask yourself what do you want your dog to do? Do you want your dog to be a tool that is used for hunting only? Do you want your dog to be a house pet as well? Our dogs (we have 4) are family members and as such they live in the house with us. Each one had their own personality and each is unique, just like people. I have guys I know that a dog is only a tool and they are disposable and easily replaced. We love our dogs and each time we have to put one down a little piece of us goes with them. I have grown to love the labrador retriever breed. They have such a strong desire to please and they live for their masters. I use them for upland and waterfowl hunting and they do both very well. Hunting season is short and the majority of the time they are our pets and labs make great pets. When I have to travel for work I don't worry about leaving my wife home alone, because she isn't alone. The dogs are always there with her. I have hunted with; Spaniels - Cocker, Springer, Brittany; pointers - Shorthair, Wirehair, Weimeriner, Setters. Each dog can be good or bad at their craft and that has much to do with their training and frequency of work. Some dogs require higher maintenance - ever spend hours getting burrs out of a long haired breed?? Some of the breeds can be high strung as well. My sister's husband had a shorthair that never liked young boys and bit their son once. I never trusted that dog and it eventually went off and attacked my sister when she was wrapping X-Mas gifts on their living room floor. Lucky thing her husband was home to stop the attack by kicking the dog as hard as he could in the ribs. She ended up getting forty some stitches in her head. The dog ended up being put down. If you get a dog, get a puppy so you can raise it yourself. Start training it the minute you get it home. Puppies are taught the easiest at young ages and what you teach them at a very young age becomes their DNA and it is all they know. I have a yellow lab that started retrieving birds to hand at 8 weeks of age. It was so easy to do as I was just reinforcing the natural instinct tht was already there.
The type of dog you get really depends on one's personal choice. I have had many different dogs and I have hunting buddies with many types of dogs. I think you have to ask yourself what do you want your dog to do? Do you want your dog to be a tool that is used for hunting only? Do you want your dog to be a house pet as well? Our dogs (we have 4) are family members and as such they live in the house with us. Each one had their own personality and each is unique, just like people. I have guys I know that a dog is only a tool and they are disposable and easily replaced. We love our dogs and each time we have to put one down a little piece of us goes with them. I have grown to love the labrador retriever breed. They have such a strong desire to please and they live for their masters. I use them for upland and waterfowl hunting and they do both very well. Hunting season is short and the majority of the time they are our pets and labs make great pets. When I have to travel for work I don't worry about leaving my wife home alone, because she isn't alone. The dogs are always there with her. I have hunted with; Spaniels - Cocker, Springer, Brittany; pointers - Shorthair, Wirehair, Weimeriner, Setters. Each dog can be good or bad at their craft and that has much to do with their training and frequency of work. Some dogs require higher maintenance - ever spend hours getting burrs out of a long haired breed?? Some of the breeds can be high strung as well. My sister's husband had a shorthair that never liked young boys and bit their son once. I never trusted that dog and it eventually went off and attacked my sister when she was wrapping X-Mas gifts on their living room floor. Lucky thing her husband was home to stop the attack by kicking the dog as hard as he could in the ribs. She ended up getting forty some stitches in her head. The dog ended up being put down. If you get a dog, get a puppy so you can raise it yourself. Start training it the minute you get it home. Puppies are taught the easiest at young ages and what you teach them at a very young age becomes their DNA and it is all they know. I have a yellow lab that started retrieving birds to hand at 8 weeks of age. It was so easy to do as I was just reinforcing the natural instinct tht was already there.
In my opinion, if you ONLY hunt on cut corn fields, then no it is not worth it. It is not difficult to climb out of your blind and go grab them.
Now if you hunt over water, a good dog is invaluable and they also decrease your need for a boat.
That said, I love dogs (we have two). Regardless of whether they are hunting dogs, guard dogs, family pets, or fashion accessories as some see them, they are ALWAYS worth the effort of training them and taking care of them. A good dog will be the most loyal companion you will ever encounter in your life. Friends get busy, spouses have bad moods that can last days, but a good dog will always be by your side and will act like it is the second coming every time you walk in the door.
I have never owned a hunting dog. I mostly hunt Deer/Elk and then varmints. I do have to admit that there have been a few times I wish I could use a dog to track. One time hunting with my eldest son he shot a small doe with a 30-06 and the hit was bad. The doe ran and ran. we tried to follow it for many hours. It seemed to be running in a big circle. We where about to call it a night when my wife calls on the cell phone (yes we had cells back then they where just big and ugly) and says that a wounded doe is at our apple orchard and we should come and put it out of its misery.
Long story short I let my son try again and I was backing him up this time but there was no need. After butchering the doe I found 2 30-06 slugs in her that where the same weight. While I can not prove beyond all doubt that it was the same deer it would be a crazy coincidence.
any way to the point. A tracking dog would of been nice then. I dont know of the legalities here in Idaho though.
Is there such thing as a wolf dog? Id like to go on a wolf hunt with a dog(s) but id like to have them trained to just spot them and bark or some thing. Id hate to get one hurt or killed. Especially since most of the wolves I see any more are in small groups of 2-4.
Long story short I let my son try again and I was backing him up this time but there was no need. After butchering the doe I found 2 30-06 slugs in her that where the same weight. While I can not prove beyond all doubt that it was the same deer it would be a crazy coincidence.
any way to the point. A tracking dog would of been nice then. I dont know of the legalities here in Idaho though.
Is there such thing as a wolf dog? Id like to go on a wolf hunt with a dog(s) but id like to have them trained to just spot them and bark or some thing. Id hate to get one hurt or killed. Especially since most of the wolves I see any more are in small groups of 2-4.
Russians still hunts wolfs with dogs
the barking pursuiting kind,
but russian hunting ethics leave alot to the imagination...
there are dogs in the US who can lure coyotes maybe they would work?
not like in ye olde days like with scottish wolfhounds and the like (russians had their version the borzoi but that is nowadays a showdog)
it is crazy that dog hunting is so restricted in the land of freedom. and yet you can have pitbulls chasing boars (yes I know they are a invasive pest and doesn't count when hunting)
hunting moose and bear with a spitz type breed is magical. wonder why those traditions didn't make it across the atlantic with all the Swedish/Norweigan immigrants after the civil war.
or the more continental euro tradition with flushing hunts with dogs for deer and boar.
there are even two kinds of flushing hunts, fast or slow
fast are more longlegged dogs that chase the boar or deer really quick but return after a couple of minutes, for this they don't have to bark. one term we use is a blaster, they run into a herd of deer and they scatter'
the more enjoyable kind of hunt is a slow one with shortlegged dogs like doxens or beagle type dogs, these ones can pursue a deer for hours, the barking is akin to music and the deers aren't stressed, they are often ahead. the fun part is figuring out their movements, placing yourself just right to catch it, for some reason they tend to move in somewhat predictable and repeated circles
hunting moose and bear with a spitz type breed is magical. wonder why those traditions didn't make it across the atlantic with all the Swedish/Norweigan immigrants after the civil war.
or the more continental euro tradition with flushing hunts with dogs for deer and boar.
there are even two kinds of flushing hunts, fast or slow
fast are more longlegged dogs that chase the boar or deer really quick but return after a couple of minutes, for this they don't have to bark. one term we use is a blaster, they run into a herd of deer and they scatter'
the more enjoyable kind of hunt is a slow one with shortlegged dogs like doxens or beagle type dogs, these ones can pursue a deer for hours, the barking is akin to music and the deers aren't stressed, they are often ahead. the fun part is figuring out their movements, placing yourself just right to catch it, for some reason they tend to move in somewhat predictable and repeated circles
buck460XVR
New member
Yep, they use 'em here in Wisconsin with great success.
Here, you can blood trail a deer with a dog, but the dog must be on a leash and you can't shoot the deer again after the dog finds it. IOW, the dog cannot aid you in hunting the deer, but it can help you find a dead deer or one that is wounded bad enough that it can't get up or won't go far after you put the dog back in the truck. Make sense?
no it doesn't make sense
if a we as hunters injure and animal we have an obligation to dispatch it as fast as possible.
what if the deer isn't there when you get back from putting the dog in the truck?
an animal with its jaw shot of can run and live for days but not have any chance of survival in the long run
if a we as hunters injure and animal we have an obligation to dispatch it as fast as possible.
what if the deer isn't there when you get back from putting the dog in the truck?
an animal with its jaw shot of can run and live for days but not have any chance of survival in the long run
ammo.crafter
New member
Black Lab
Pheasant dog. Male black lab about 85 pounds.
Great dogs, fast learners loyal to a fault.
Pheasant dog. Male black lab about 85 pounds.
Great dogs, fast learners loyal to a fault.
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