Why do you do what you do?

Gertie · Post by **Gertie** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 1:00 am

So I've thought about the economics, the companionship factor, the whole "food" part of the equation and liking dogs and such but it still doesn't add up to the amount of time, effort, and sheer lifestyle changes that really getting into this sport amounts to. So I'm curious, what is it about training and sharing your life with these dogs attracts you to the sport? If you tell me it's all about "pursuit of game" then I'm going to call you out as the bs artist that you are so be honest. Why hunting dogs? Why the effort it takes to do it well?

Ghosted3 · Post by **Ghosted3** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 1:38 am

I am doing it to further a connection with my son.

Corry

gotpointers · Post by **gotpointers** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:22 am

I don't gamble with slot machines or table games, but I know with that with every step I take out hunting I may hit the jackpot. I am obsessed with the one arm bandit that the dogs and birds are to me. I spend at least four hours every day thinking about and doing my habit.

campgsp · Post by **campgsp** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:32 am

I just always liked doing it. Guess its in my blood wand I couldn't shake it if I wanted too. I fish and big game hunt. But I always find myself after one of those trips back with the dogs training or playing. Fishing one usually comes with.

If there is one sport out there worth all the effort, time, money, and travel this is it. Wouldn't have it any other way. The memories are priceless. The stories can fill a book. The dogs are the whole reason why I love to hunt.

gotpointers · Post by **gotpointers** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:46 am

campgsp wrote:I just always liked doing it. Guess its in my blood wand I couldn't shake it if I wanted too. I fish and big game hunt. But I always find myself after one of those trips back with the dogs training or playing. Fishing one usually comes with.

If there is one sport out there worth all the effort, time, money, and travel this is it. Wouldn't have it any other way. The memories are priceless. The stories can fill a book. The dogs are the whole reason why I love to hunt.

I hear you, we fish all summer and hunt all winter. I need to figure out a way to.do it fulltime.

steamer · Post by **steamer** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:39 am

i didnt really know what i was getting into when i got a hunting dog. i enjoy deer hunting but wanted something more. i did some research found a breeder i felt comfortable with and took the plunge. now i belong to two navhda chapters and a bird dog conservation club and probably spend way to much time and money working dogs . i dont really keep track of either when it comes to training and working dogs. for me its more about training and seeing the dog and i put it all together and work as a team to harvest game. now my ten year old son is getting into the whole hunting game and we have been able to enjoy several days in the field this season. it took a lot of talking but i even got my wife to help some with training. she looked at me like i was crazy the first time i handed her a sack full of dead ducks and told her to go hide in the cat tales and throw one in the water when i give the signal. now i cant really see myself with out a dog to work with and we are starting to look for a new pup. i dont think the wife knows about that yet but i will cross that bridge when i come to it

hettmoe · Post by **hettmoe** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:46 am

We, as humans, pay billions of dollars to be entertained by pro athletes....All my dog asks after entertaining me with her athleticism is for me to take her out again tomorrow. It seems like the sensible thing to do to me...

romeo212000 · Post by **romeo212000** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:48 am

Because I thoroughly enough it. It's the one thing since I quit playing sports that I've found that I truly love doing where I can be totally lost in it and be happy no matter what is going on. Probably the same reason I got into trialing. It was an outlet for a competitive side I've always been able to enjoy through sports.

rkappes · Post by **rkappes** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 6:01 am

I simply love dogs, especially hunting dogs. I like a good challenge and training can be challenging at times. Plus I wouldn't trade my time in the field with my old man and our dogs for anything on this planet. I'm so thankful my father introduced me to the outdoors at a very young age.

Every day of bird hunting poses a different scenario, I enjoy that.

Soooooo soooo many things to learn as well, it's never-ending.

SpinoneIllinois · Post by **SpinoneIllinois** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 6:39 am

"All my dog asks after entertaining me with her athleticism is for me to take her out again tomorrow."

That's poetry, right there.

setternewbie · Post by **setternewbie** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 6:53 am

My reasons are purely neanderthal at the root. When I get in the woods, and especially when I take game, it seems like an accomplishment. It doesn't matter if I kill every time or whether it's a squirrel or an elk. I have won against some game with superior instincts/eyesight/smell or what have you which is usually much small, better camoflauged, and able to escape with surprising speed and efficiency. To be able to stalk, and occasionally take game WITH ANOTHER ANIMAL under your command...It's beautiful man! I fully expect that another few years of this and you might be reading stories about the wild-eyed, bearded maniac in a loincloth running around the grouse woods with an english setter. It's not all about the kill mind you, but seeing a plan come together is still just as exciting to me every time it happens.

mattj · Post by **mattj** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 7:48 am

I love to watch the interaction between the dogs and wild birds and I love the places wild birds hang out.

Gordon Guy · Post by **Gordon Guy** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 7:55 am

My dogs allow me to be who I want to be.

romeo212000 · Post by **romeo212000** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 7:59 am

Gordon Guy wrote:My dogs allow me to be who I want to be.

Good answer, and it rings so true.

ultracarry · Post by **ultracarry** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:14 am

I used to shoot archery and work on archery equipment for 3-6 hours a day preparing for deer season to roll around, be gone for up to two months to hunt and think about it the rest of the year.

Once I got this dog I just transferred 30-60 minutes 5 days a week to work it on birds and I also have a best friend. I don't care about killing birds too much just seeing her pointing wild birds is good enough for me. since she was born to hunt and we can share that same common interest.

rinker · Post by **rinker** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:36 am

I like animals, but I like animals that have a job. Being fluffy is not an occupation. I like all kinds of hunting dogs, herding dogs, etc... I like horses, especially draft horses. I can't do everything, so I focus on bird dogs.

There is another factor, I have an obsessive personality. I have friends who deer hunt, and they typically shoot a deer on opening day. I can not imagine doing something I enjoy one day per year. There is something to be done with my bird dogs every day of the year. Some days it is just feed them and give them a pat on the head, but it is something.

Garrison · Post by **Garrison** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:48 am

It's fun!

DonF · Post by **DonF** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:58 am

That's one of the things in life I don't have to wonder why I like it, I just do!

duckn66 · Post by **duckn66** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:14 am

I just love dogs, especially hunting dogs.

birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:49 am

DonF wrote:That's one of the things in life I don't have to wonder why I like it, I just do!

Great answer....I think that's the best one for me too. I was sitting here debating why and not coming up with anything i could really put my finger on as
a definitive reason.

DogNewbie · Post by **DogNewbie** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:24 am

He's the perfect excuse to get out of awkward work happy hours...."I gotta get home and feed the dog"

Cajun Casey · Post by **Cajun Casey** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:39 am

Because messing with dogs is just something I've always done.

Mountaineer · Post by **Mountaineer** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:56 am

The look in a dog's eyes.....on point, searching or asking for nothing but to be with me.
I hope they see the same in mine.

hettmoe · Post by **hettmoe** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:09 am

Mountaineer wrote:The look in a dog's eyes.....on point, searching or asking for nothing but to be with me.
I hope they see the same in mine.

Amen!!!

glk7243 · Post by **glk7243** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:45 pm

You really have to ask

DGFavor · Post by **DGFavor** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 2:08 pm

I do it because I want to be like Gary!! Motivated by jealousy!! Super nice shots, dogs are looking really good!!

Post by **jcbuttry8** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:03 pm

I grew up in OK with a family that ran dogs and hunted every season that came around. It wasn't about the birds it was about just being together. We followed those dogs everywhere and told and heard tons of stories. As young men we had our first beer and sometimes our first cigar on those trips. It was about learning how to fend for yourself and live off the land. It was also about learning how to trust the man next to you and how to handle the trust he had in you.

I do it now to gain the same relationship with my children that was forged with me and my father and uncles. I remember times that we sat by the lake with the dog, two poles in the water with a beer can on the hook. Just enjoyed spending time together and didn't want the "bleep" fish getting in the way. I am currently waiting on that dog to show up. This will be a true family dog. Everyone of my kids have something they want to do with this dog. If she wins at the games, that will be awesome, but her whole goal will be to make us a stronger family that enjoys doing things together. It is awesome that one little dog can do all of that.

The best part of it all, that dog is just out having fun and trying her hardest just to please us and make us happy, in hopes of some love and a pat. I have looked, can't find that kind of devotion any where else.

M2C,

Joe

asc · Post by **asc** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:47 am

Mountaineer wrote:The look in a dog's eyes.....on point, searching or asking for nothing but to be with me.
I hope they see the same in mine.

This^^^

Fester · Post by **Fester** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:47 am

I love dogs and they love me, even thow im an As%^$#e sometimes, but seriously I love watching them come along and they never stop impressing me, and I never stop learning from them.
Fester

cjj · Post by **cjj** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:09 pm

asc wrote:
Mountaineer wrote:The look in a dog's eyes.....on point, searching or asking for nothing but to be with me.
I hope they see the same in mine.
This^^^

This go's for me Too ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

brad27 · Post by **brad27** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 6:57 pm

Because I enjoy it.

Stoneface · Post by **Stoneface** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:03 pm

I don't really know why I originally got into dogs. I mean, I know "how," but I don't really know "why." I trained a stray my dad brought home from work and dug it. Checked out every book from the school library having to do with dogs and read them all. Just grew the obsession from there until I stumbled onto birddogs. I studied all I could about them in books and finally got one in 2002. It's just developed from there. I don't think I knew "why" for a long time, but then I found genetics and it all makes sense. I love genetics and if you want to be a practicing amateur geneticist, then breeding dogs is a God send. There is the moral conflict because puppies are living, feeling things and you can't just breed a ton of them without regard like you could with plants or whatever. Pair the love of genetics with a love of dogs, then put that together with a love of being out and about and a competitive spirit and that's the recipe for why I I do it. The funny thing is, I wish I didn't feel so strongly for birddogs. I mean, it's so much work and hassle and they're so high-maintenance. I wish I got fired up by Mals like I used to or wish retrievers, spaniels, conformation shows or anything else pushed my buttons like birddogs. They just have that "it" factor with me.

Gooseman07 · Post by **Gooseman07** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:59 pm

Because NONE of my family understands it, not even my wife.

The joy of knowing that without my teaching, the dog probably wouldn't be doing what it just did.

jimbo&rooster · Post by **jimbo&rooster** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:46 pm

I grew up with hunting dogs whether it was hounds retrievers or setters. In all honesty I have bird dogs because I love puppies.... Nothing makes me happier than to see a young dog in its first or second season start to pt things together.

Dog games have just added a whole new level of drive to the equasion.

Jim

JWP58 · Post by **JWP58** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 9:10 pm

Because its in my blood. My dad had gsp's, ep's, and britts. My grandfather hunted birds with dogs.

Plus its fun, and even more fun to watch peoples brains turn to jelly when they ask.."what do you hunt?"....I answer "birds"...their response "oh you means ducks and geese?"......"Nope".....

There is NOTHING like a covey rise in front of a dog turned to stone.

displaced_texan · Post by **displaced_texan** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 9:59 pm

Cajun Casey wrote:Because messing with dogs is just something I've always done.

Pretty much this...

And I love chasing birds.

benelli · Post by **benelli** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:36 am

I guess my answer is different because I haven't actually gone hunting yet - but a big reason my husband and I are wanting to get into this sort of thing is because we want our kids to grow up with a sense of responsibility and adventure that I think a lot of people in my generation and younger are missing out on in our gender-neutralized world. If we have girls and they want to go hunting, that's fine, but I definitely want our boy(s) to be able to spend time with their dad doing "guy" things - like shooting a real gun instead of a video game one.

So I hope the rest of you don't mind when we show up to a field trial every now and then with some younger kids in tow - I promise we'll try to keep them quiet.

UglyD · Post by **UglyD** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:25 am

I choose to be with what I enjoy and no one is more loyal- entertaining or forgiving than that dog-
Probably adding years to my life also.

Trekmoor · Post by **Trekmoor** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:40 am

I just enjoy training and working gundogs, nothing else holds the same fascination for me ,not even fishing. Maybe more than anything else I love to see the expression on a pups face when it realises, " This is what I was born to do." .....Maybe I'm the same as the pup ?

Bill T.