Old dogs

salmonchaser

Ammo Smith
Dec 13, 2013
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We got in about 4 miles about two hours and got legitimate shooting at one rooster. The girls were rock solid on several hens and a couple of roosters in heavy cover. Caught this guy in a patch of cat tails and he made the mistake of breaking left.
 

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I got into 2 birds this morning and my Draht jumped one early. The other one jumped when I was tangled in some trees and couldnt even get my gun up. I did get 2 yesterday though.
Hey, I’m heading out to my shop right now see if I have those cages I was telling you about. Got them. Small birds, chukar, quail, pigeons hen pheasant will fit, you set it up, bring your dog in and when he’s holding point you step on the lever and the bird jumps. Still use a check cord till his steady.
Send me your information and I’ll get them off to you.
 

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very nice Fellas , I've really grown to appreciate what a dog can do . how much time it takes to train them , seems to fade away , when you're in the field . it's very satisfying to see this all come together . thanks for posting this up .
 
We got in about 4 miles about two hours and got legitimate shooting at one rooster. The girls were rock solid on several hens and a couple of roosters in heavy cover. Caught this guy in a patch of cat tails and he made the mistake of breaking left.
Goodness sakes is that a 10ga sir!?!? You are serious about reaching out and touching some one! 😆 Glad you had a good walk! CL
 
No it’s a 12 ga. M2 Benelli. Love hunting with my side x sides but when I’m working the dogs I’ll bring the m2 with a sling and let my buddies do the shooting. 3 inch #6 Bismuth.
Last time my son and I hunted together I was focused on working the dog. I got one bird, my son shot four! :)

Working the dog is awesome, but I don't get to do as much shooting. Apparently my son is up to the task.

Guy
 
Last time my son and I hunted together I was focused on working the dog. I got one bird, my son shot four! :)

Working the dog is awesome, but I don't get to do as much shooting. Apparently my son is up to the task.

Guy
Sounds like and from the photos you have shared he certainly is.
 
I've done a lot of experimenting with food recently. My Draht puppy was raised on Inushuk dog food out of Canada and when I was ordering it from Chewy both dogs seemed to do well. I reached out to the owner of my dogs brother and asked if he was interested in splitting a pallet, 65 bags. After 3-4 bags both dogs seemed to have reactions to the food. I switched to Costco salmon food and tried a few others but both dogs always had loose stool. So I started feeding them Costco chicken, rice, veggies, and fruit. My dogs almost never scratch now and have had solid stool. I also feed them elk and some of the pheasants I shoot. I kind of wish I would of done more fishing this summer but I'll have to do it next summer. Another thing was the farts my Draht had prior to feeding them fresh food, It would peel the paint off the walls. Now he almost never has stinky farts. The last couple days I fed him some kibble and he started with the stinkers again. It's still less than the 150/month it was costing to feed 2 bags of Inushuk from Chewy. It does take some time to prep it all but it's not terrible.
 
I feed Purina pro plan , chicken and rice . Sally always has a solid stool . I've never smelled a fart , seldom hear one . she is fed probably 95% kibble . she'll get a bite or two off the table, but not much .

Sally has 4 more days of doxycycline , for anaplasma exposure . this has loosened her stool to about a pudding consistency , still no smell .

about a year ago I switched from Bravecto a 90 day flee and tick , and iverhart max a 30 day heartworm medicine . she got to where she wouldn't eat the bravecto without a fight . I'm now using Nexgard plus . it's a 30 day treatment that does what both the others do. Sally eats the Nexgard like it's candy . since I've switched , I think She is scratching more .
 
Miss Sugar can clear a room with her farts, doesn’t seem to matter what I feed her. When I was guiding 4 days a week seemed like I couldn’t feed them enough. Purina was pretty good. I also had the cooks at the lodge save all the trimmings from the roasts and steaks they were feeding. Kept a baggie of that in my pocket just for a little boost during the day. We also killed quite a few deer and elk on the place, most of the guys didn’t want to mess with the rib meat. Not required to salvage under game laws so I’d take that and grind it up as well. Took a lot to keep their weight on working like that.
During the summers they would hang out at the lodge up in Alaska and were pretty well broke to stay away from the table and kitchen. Molly would catch sockeye swimming over a shallow riffle just below the dock. Later in the season they would both catch half dead spawned salmon drifting down stream. The resulting farts would scare grizz away.
 
My Drahthaar puppy probably does twice the miles my lab does. He is like a crack addict with ADHD. I talk to the owner of the brother to my dog and he tracks his dog chuckar hunting. He walked 9 miles and his Drahthaar puppy did 29 miles. That's burning tons of calories.
 
My Drahthaar puppy probably does twice the miles my lab does. He is like a crack addict with ADHD. I talk to the owner of the brother to my dog and he tracks his dog chuckar hunting. He walked 9 miles and his Drahthaar puppy did 29 miles. That's burning tons of calories.

I've always wondered how far my dogs were going compared to me on our hunts... Easily twice as far was my estimate.

Guy
 
Today my Draht puppy went 31 miles and I went 5 miles. I don't have a GPS collar for my lab but I bet she is half that. My youngest son and I got 4 birds and he shot a bird with a 22" tail. One of the better birds this year for planted birds. I shot a 24" a couple weeks ago.
 
Miss Sugar can clear a room with her farts, doesn’t seem to matter what I feed her. When I was guiding 4 days a week seemed like I couldn’t feed them enough. Purina was pretty good. I also had the cooks at the lodge save all the trimmings from the roasts and steaks they were feeding. Kept a baggie of that in my pocket just for a little boost during the day. We also killed quite a few deer and elk on the place, most of the guys didn’t want to mess with the rib meat. Not required to salvage under game laws so I’d take that and grind it up as well. Took a lot to keep their weight on working like that.
During the summers they would hang out at the lodge up in Alaska and were pretty well broke to stay away from the table and kitchen. Molly would catch sockeye swimming over a shallow riffle just below the dock. Later in the season they would both catch half dead spawned salmon drifting down stream. The resulting farts would scare grizz away.
By the time we found my first deer- a week after I shot it- it was too long to be Ok with trying to eat it even though it was cold that week. However, Dads Short hairs never looked better come mid winter. Sleek and shiny, and solid muscle, with just a little too much fat.... At least it didnt go to waste. I got the horns... beats tag soup. CL
 
Those numbers are consistent with my experience, particularly with 3 to 8 year olds. Unlike people a shorthair will try to do 35 miles even when old and injured. Then all of a sudden they crump. I’ve learned that the hard way. Depending on cover I just limit the time in the field. I tracked the dogs frequently when I was guiding frequently hitting 6 to 1 on miles on fallow farm ground and 3 or 4 to 1 in Hells Canyon.
 
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