Hunting Dogs!!! Post your pics & stories!!!

Back from the 2018 Northern grouse trip. It was interesting to see the change in habitat in just two years (broke my leg last fall and missed going), and the response by the birds... just two years ago this series of cuts was ideal sharpie habitat and marginal spruce grouse habitat... things flipped in two years with the growth that took place from 3/4 sharpies 1/4 spruce/ruffled to the exact opposite. In addition the sharpies were super skittish, flushed as a group and soared to 150 feet up and were still doing their classic sweeping bank 500 yards out until out of sight. Only 10 sharpies taken of a total of 35 birds and half of those were "look-out" birds sniped from tree tops 75-100 yards out with a CZ 453 Lux .22 and Leupold VX-3 4.5-14X40 AO zeroed at 75 yards with a stadia line at 100... specifically for this purpose. Lexie got a good work out trying to put up the far flying sharpies, but she retrieved all 35 birds and did "classic" work on the other five sharpies and on five ruffed grouse.

A few pics;
 
Last edited:
FDX2b_zpseguw60ko.jpg
 
Big season for Lucy, she will be three in January. Season started well then it was wet for a while. Lucy gave me some great points, also bumped a few birds. We got some snow early and that was what I wanted, find some tracks and get Lucy on the birds. Could not find tracks, it was a bit frustrating as when on the odd occasion when we did find (almost all singles) a bird she did OK. So a tough year but Lucy did show great promise. Final day yesterday and was really looking forward to a major tour (sunny all day). Lucy was into a bone the previous evening and look what she managed to do. Off to the vet who sawed it off with a hacksaw, Lucy had to be sedated for that to happen. So that was final day. Looking real hard at Ptarmigan season which does not close until Feb 28th. Be something new for us. They come right down to the lake during the coldest part of the year, figure I would not have to go much higher to start finding them. Not sure how much of a negative effect the fire had on everything. Going to be interesting watching everything green up next year. Top photo was taken on Nov. 14th, still lots of ground fires chugging away. Next one was a nice day in October and then Lucy early on the 14th. She gave a me good point later on that day and then the bone incident. Worked hard on keeping her close this season and it started to improve towards the end.
 
hoytcanon said:
Nice looking pups!
Click to expand...
Thanks! Yellow is mine and black is my buddy’s. That pic was taken in their first year during summer boat familiarization. They’re four now and in their prime. They’re 90% pheasant dogs and 10% waterfowl. As a result of the focus on flushing they’re not the steadiest in the blind, but they’ll retrieve anything!
Cheers
Dave
 
A few more pics from Pearl and I’s adventures this fall so far
“The Champ” with one of our roosters ona soggy day
aUEcbAr.jpg


Coming in with another
rNLYIE2.jpg


A proud limit
6W14uPh.jpg


It’s not always roosters!
5xHnIza.jpg


Posing at dawn while we wait for the ducks
F40rN91.jpg


Braising roosters for my pies
fJabMHf.jpg


“I hate Sundays!”
Xf0Q6Qq.jpg
 
Minus 18 is definitely on the cold side of a usual Nova Scotian pheasant hunt, but it’s the last week goddamit so Pearl and I headed out to watch a sparkling sunrise before heading down into the cover.
FpKU6PE.jpg


The colder the better as far as Pearl is concerned. Loving it...
dqdN4tv.jpg


Couldn’t shoot birds over unsafe river ice, so had to let a fair number go. But finally managed to box one in to prevent a river flush.
qasOMTe.jpg
 
Hi Everyone,

My Fiancé started on me that she wants a dog, I have always said no do to the fact that she wants a tea cup yorkie (sorry I don't see this as a dog but more as a toy) I want a hunting dog. so to make a long story short, last night at a xmas party I met a gentleman that has and hunts a cockapoo.
He had pics and videos of his dog hunting grouse and rabbits.
Any one else ever see hear or use a cockapoo for hunting?

Thanks
 
DomenicT said:
Hi Everyone,

My Fiancé started on me that she wants a dog, I have always said no do to the fact that she wants a tea cup yorkie (sorry I don't see this as a dog but more as a toy) I want a hunting dog. so to make a long story short, last night at a xmas party I met a gentleman that has and hunts a cockapoo.
He had pics and videos of his dog hunting grouse and rabbits.
Any one else ever see hear or use a cockapoo for hunting?

Thanks
Click to expand...

From the interweb,

It was originally bred to hunt woodcock, hence the name. A Cockapoo is usually the result of an American Cocker Spaniel cross, but English Cocker Spaniel crosses are sometimes seen. + The Cockapoo's other ancestor, the Poodle, was bred to retrieve in the water. The Miniature Poodle was also bred for hunting.
 
As above - it’s a hybrid of two breeds with some hunting foundation in their breed development history. But how much of that breeding focus has persisted is a matter of question, but safe to say it has not been the focus of most breeders of those parent breeds to the mixed beeed designer dog that you are considering getting. IMO it’s a total crapshoot with very low probability of resulting in a functional gun dog. Getting a good and healthy hunting dog from breeds currently bred for that purpose is hard enough to do. Hoping to get one out of a designer dog like that is pretty loooong odds. Sure, a happy wife = a happy life. But not if you resent her for convincing you to get a dog of no interest or use to you. But then again, you’ll probably love the hell out of the cute little bastard even if he’s a hunting dud! LOL
Good luck.
Dave
PS - get a lab. By the same logic, she will ALSO fall in love with the cute bigger bastard
 
This is my new hunting buddy Ruger!

He’s a purebred Chocolate lab from Prairiestorm kennels in Saskatoon.

He was too young this year to go hunting, but next year will be his year!


6EAGlVj.jpg


snC54rS.jpg


VCvZDi4.jpg




This was this morning after he had a bath and ripped around the house for 2 hours.

RgKddTf.jpg
 
8JETScF.jpg
last day of duck season ,jumped a pair on a walk turned them back over my head with the great RNT my 2 Yankee,and Sadie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom