Hunting and training in South Texas (Corpus Christi area)

[Blue Horn]

I live in South Texas (Corpus Christi area) and now that my 4 daughters are all out of diapers, I have a new GSP puppy on the way. I was wondering if anyone has had problems with rattle snakes down here? We have a lot of them and I was wondering if it was a problem and if so, what precautions I could take to protect the dog.

I have trained numerous Labs and used to guide duck and goose hunts in college. However, I loved hunting upland birds with my Dad as a young child and wanted to get back into more upland game hunting. Not to mention that quail and dove are the best tasting meat I have ever had. Duck is good, but nothing beats quail in my opinion.

Also, if anyone has any recommendations on new bird dog training technique resources I would appreciate it. My Dad always used the methods illustrated in Water Dog and Bird Dog. They served us very well, but would like to expand my knowledge as to any new training techniques.

Thanks

[bossman]

I hunted outside Falfurrias for over twenty years. Did see snakes from time to time, but luckily, my dog's have never been hit. Find a "snake avoidance" seminar (check with some local dog clubs).. While many may not agree with me, I have the "rattlesnake vacine" administered to my dog's. Always know where the closest vet is located in reference to where you are hunting. Stop by and meet him/her before the season and make sure you have their number in your cell phone. My vet has also given me a couple of syringes of something (starts with a D) to administer to the dog if one does get hit. Supposed to "buy" me a little more time to get the dog to the emergancy clinic. Good luck. My wish is you never experience either you or your dog getting hit. I hate snakes!

[Redfishkilla]

The vaccine is made by red rock bionics. I like to de-snake and give the vac. If you contacted someone from the gulf coast region of NSTRA, they might be able to point you towards a good trainer that's close. www.nstra.org Might try the president of the region and go from there. Soooo, have you caught any redfish lately?