Gun Dog Forum

Minneguy

And id rather not have him herding deer. The DNR frowns upon it here

Minneguy

Does he have a favorite toy or treat that you could use to get him excited about hunting? My Aussie learned to flush grouse by finding his frisbee which was liberally doused in grouse scent.

Minneguy

Finally knocked down a grouse over my Aussie the other day, which led to a first successful retrieve on a game bird. I am so jacked up! We have been seeing a ton of birds, and I've been lucky enough to harvest 5 up here so far and two back home one night while Bowhunting. I tell ya, grouse hunting m...

Minneguy

I don't know about you guys but I've been seeing a ton of grouse and having a ball. Hitting them when they flush is a different story though. Although my dog got his first retrieve on a grouse the other day, so I'm pretty jacked about that. My total so far is 7, and 2 of those came while Bowhunting....

Minneguy

Dang quill! I hope your dog heals up ok!

Minneguy

A dog is no guarantee of a recovered bird. Anyone that thinks so is kidding themselves. How many grouse do we hit and never know it? I've had my dogs bring me crippled birds. I've had them take off after a bird I've missed and come back with it. I've also sent them for birds I've hit and never got ...

Minneguy

QuillGordon wrote:
Minneguy wrote:Hey quill is that a ptarmigan??

Blue or Dusky Grouse

Like this one we took on Wednesday

Their big chickens with weight up to three point five pounds

Awesome! I hear they are really fast, is that true?

Minneguy

Mntonester did you ever have trouble finding a downed bird? That's one of my biggest fears of hunting without a dog. That and a bird that isn't quite dead getting up and running. Man I would hate to lose one that way

Minneguy

I don't really prefer to shoot a bird on the ground, but I have shot a few pheasants that way with my bow while out deer hunting. I just personally don't like it all that much. It looks like I may have to invest in some new boots for this fall, if I intend on getting out and seeing some of the beaut...

Minneguy

Hey quill is that a ptarmigan??

Minneguy

Quill, once again you come up with the awesome pics lol I choose not to shot grouse on the branch, or the ground. Mostly because that's how I was raised. On the plus side, my Aussie has been working hard this week retrieving a frozen grouse... (And freeing squirrels on our hikes lol )Makes me hopefu...

Minneguy

Ah, so maybe I don't need to shoot one lol

Minneguy

Awesome, thanks for the tips! I'll look for a logging road and creek beds. I grew up hunting some really decent grouse turf so I actually have a decent idea of what kind of cover will hold grouse ( when numbers are good) but I had never thought about, nor been taught to look for grit. I basically Ha...

Minneguy

Mnaj_springer, where do you find pebbles??? I've never considered using grit to find birds!

Minneguy

I don't shoot ducks on the water, or birds on the ground.

That's a good tip mnaj_springer!

Minneguy

Do the people who hunt without dogs flush them or shoot them standing? I'm not much for shooting birds on the water or on the branch.... But that's just a personal preference. How would you go about hunting them? Usually I would just go into an area I thought looked good(poplar scrub along a swamp, ...

Minneguy

Has anybody grouse hunted successfully without a dog? Am I nuts for thinking of trying to hunt without a dog this fall? I know it has been done, I just personally have never done it and since I probably won't be getting a pup till next year, I don't know what to expect... I am really worried about n...

Minneguy

Thing with with hunting grouse with a pointer is that they may point one 150 yards away. If the bird holds until you get there, they are jittery as heck and may flush a ways out. With a flusher, as soon as he starts making game, you're on his tail. The speed of the tail tells you how close the bird...

Minneguy

Well it's true that a dog bred for upland hunting (a pointer) will help with the grouse, if you're doing 70% waterfowling, a lab can do nice work on grouse as well... Remember grouse dogs are made by experience, not their breed. But ultimately it's up to you! Do you hunt grouse with your springers?...

Minneguy

I hunted grouse with my labs and they were deadly. I think a good case could be made for the fact that pointing dogs find more birds, but you shoot more over a flusher. My DD wears a vest constantly while waterfowl hunting. http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f29/194561/DSCN0722.jpg Thanks for your i...

Minneguy

not trying to muddy the water here, but... My Springer Spaniel was an exceptional dog - I paid $175 for him back in 1998. My lab is an exceptional dog - I paid $200 for him in 2006. Those were both less than the asking price; but they were pups remaining from litters in which the breeder was willin...

Minneguy

mnaj_springer wrote:What I'm saying is whatever dog you get, whatever you hunt, being steady is learned... So you'll have to teach it somehow.

I get ya. I was on a different wave length lol

Minneguy

mnaj_springer wrote:Well it's true that a dog bred for upland hunting (a pointer) will help with the grouse, if you're doing 70% waterfowling, a lab can do nice work on grouse as well... Remember grouse dogs are made by experience, not their breed. But ultimately it's up to you!

Do you hunt grouse with your springers?

Minneguy

So, that's 70% waterfowl hunting. If a lot of that is field and not water, the DD is an easy choice. Really, I've never had mine refuse icy water, she loves it. Nor does she ever shirk from the largest goose. BUT IF 70% of my hunting was cold water waterfowl, I'd be going with the lab. What would y...

Minneguy

These valued dogs of ours, they live a very dangerous and precarious existance. We have to enjoy them fully for the few short years God lets us be their keepers. Man that's so true. I've never had a dog get sick hunting ,or seriously hurt, but I've seen armpits ripped up from cattails, noses and ea...

Minneguy

I know guys, but 6 years is too d@mn short. Her and I should still be hunting.
Granted 20 years would probably still be too short.
I've lost dogs before and you do eventually get over it, but I'd rather not lose another one young.

Minneguy

Minneguy, I know you asked about the stamina but you also have mentioned that you duck hunt and goose hunt a couple times... If waterfowling is your primary bird hunt then you should strongly consider a lab. I know all those folks with wirehaired dogs will say there dog pushes over icebergs, and so...

Minneguy

Why limit your choice to just those breeds? With my Vizsla's and GSP's I have to use a vehicle to condition them and the vehicle stays at 19MPH for 1hr but when I look at their GPS collars the are always over 20 miles covered. They don't just run beside me and are often at a full sprint to get in f...

Minneguy

Please don't ground shoot anything around my dogs. Hey, no worries. I wouldn't ground shoot anything over anybody else's dogs. Too much to go wrong. I got comfortable doing it with my old lab, she would find the rabbit, stop like she was pointing, and she would sit to flush. She learned to sit to f...

Minneguy

It is really not about trial dogs or anything it is more about breeding your pretty good dog with the neighbor's pretty good dog, with no health tests and little or no knowledge of what a good dog is. It is also about breeders taking advantage of impulse buyers who like the cute little puppy. If yo...

Minneguy

I thrive on and live for a GREAT DOG. I also know that my best chance of getting ONE MORE GREAT DOG before they plant me is to spend every cent I can on the greatest breeding I can find, then to train the dog, then to expose the dog to all the birds possible. To me the price is worth the chance for...

Minneguy

The greatest trial dogs make the greatest gun dogs for hunting or for trial dogs. They are just plain, superior animals. When I was a pro, I loathed and dreaded the dogs that came in from bloodlines lacking hunting breeding or the dreaded $50.00 newspaper puppy. Sometimes they are horrible and some...

Minneguy

[/quote] I do not sell puppies at Game Fair because I do not like impulse buyers, but many breeders do. Cj[/quote] lol hey, that's why I left my wallet in the truck. A little wiggly black lab is a cute little impulse buy waiting to happen. I'll admit it, If I didn't plan ahead I could easily have be...

Minneguy

CDN_Cocker wrote:I run mine too... he'll run behind the atv for 10 km and is still wound up for the day. Easier to tire him mentally than physically

That's a post worth a billion dollars. That's why I do agility and tricks lol.

Minneguy

Bluesky2012 wrote:If you aren't finding birds, then rabbits are fine to shoot. If you are on birds, I doubt your dog will pass one up for a rabbit.

That's what I was thinking. Especially if rabbits aren't introduced until they've had a few years of good bird hunting.

Minneguy

Gun dog noses are far more capable than think--and I think to an extent the usual advice holds--that exposure and training when young can really help get across what we desire. The problem I have with fur is the difficulty in turning that off. I'm not sure I did a thing to encourage my two GSP's to...

Minneguy

If you only have one or maybe two dogs on the ground and you want to shoot some rabbits, shoot some rabbits just be sure you know where your dogs are. I am usually running at least 3 dogs at a time (sometimes four) and just don't want to take a chance on a dog getting shot, so anytime I am hunting ...

Minneguy

Please don't ground shoot anything around my dogs. Hey, no worries. I wouldn't ground shoot anything over anybody else's dogs. Too much to go wrong. I got comfortable doing it with my old lab, she would find the rabbit, stop like she was pointing, and she would sit to flush. She learned to sit to f...

Minneguy

Why limit your choice to just those breeds? With my Vizsla's and GSP's I have to use a vehicle to condition them and the vehicle stays at 19MPH for 1hr but when I look at their GPS collars the are always over 20 miles covered. They don't just run beside me and are often at a full sprint to get in f...

Minneguy

I am positive though that a DD will outrun and out distance a lab, no matter if it's a smaller trial type, or a big old oaf. DDs are just bred for it. The more I research, the more I think your right. It seems like DD have great stamina, I've even heard it's comparable in cool weather to a Pointer ...

Minneguy

YOU BIKE??? THE DOG IS SUPPOSED TO KEEP UP WITH YOUR 10 SPEED FOR TEN MILES...THEN SWIM THE BAY AND PLAY FRISBEE IN THE EVENING?? I'd be more interested in hearing how much the dog is going to hunt. I doubt many DD breeders will sell a dog to a bike rider. I have seen DD on the ground chasing hogs ...

Minneguy

I think it could be managed a bit by taking care in selection of a pup, but regarding running/biking etc. on roads I'd worry a bit more about a lab getting into hip and knee injuries than a versatile pointing dog. I don't know enough about health in DD's in general to comment on them. If I was lean...

Minneguy

Do you have an e collar? When my gf's cousins gsp would be out back messing with the cat, a no was not sufficient. A no, nick no got his attention and reminded him of my reach lol

Minneguy

Tired dogs are happy dogs. I run my dog so when we get home, he just wants a nap lol

Minneguy

So guys and gals, i have another question. Do you teach your bird dogs scent discrimination? I can see it being useful, but i have a minor problem with it. I love to hunt birds, but when there are no birds (quite often around where i hunt) i have been known to gun down some bunnies to fill the stew ...

Minneguy

Nikegundog i was at the game fair today, and it seems like there was some options in the 8-900 range.

Minneguy

Be aware that no matter how good the guarantee is the breeder is only going to reimburse for you the cost of the puppy or replace the puppy. He is not going to pay thousands in vet bills, plus most young dogs vet bills are from acquired illnesses or accident. Neither of which will likely be covered...

Minneguy

I consider a GSP to be very similar to a DD in regards to what this post is seeking. I'm a still active duty marine officer, and my wife is a stay at home mom. We both run. I take my GSP with me on my daily runs, she takes the lab with her. That's the difference between a field bred lab and a point...

Minneguy

Someone dumped him at my school with a box of kittens. He was pretty young and a pain, but has turned in to a pretty good retriever. http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd407/ryan_garrison/5cbaa76e-f830-46f6-ac42-2df281d3a401.jpg Dang! Hes a good lookin dog too!! You really got a good deal on that ...

Minneguy

I normally have a pretty well conditioned Lab and GSP, (I say normally because it has been a little hot). They are both males and are 60lbs of hard muscle, that is where the similarities stop. The GSP covers twice as much ground with what seems like half as much effort and with a much faster recove...

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