Hunting with pets?

[Ron LaClair]

My Beagle Dolly comes to deer camp sometimes. She stays in the cabin when I'm in the stand. One evening in the cabin just at dusk she wanted to get out. When I let her out she dove off the porch with a loud bawl. A black bear was by the deer pole where a couple deer were hanging. Dolly ran the bear off and it never came back the rest of the week.

   

Here's Dolly checking out what a couple of the guys are bringing into camp.

 

[Stixbowdrew]

Quite the guard dog you have Ron. That's is great. Does anyone know if having your dog with you is illegal in any given state? I plan on calling the Michigan DNR tomorrow to find out. I can already for see the response .." You want to do what!?" I guess not everyone will understand why a guy would want his dog to hang out in the blind with him

[McDave]

In California, it is illegal to hunt certain game, such as deer, with dogs, so I would imagine it would be as illegal to have a dog in the blind with you as it would a rifle during bow season. However, it is generally legal to use dogs to help recover deer once they've been shot.  Don't blame you, I'd like to take Lupe along with me too.  She's pretty well trained. Once when we were walking down by the river a doe crossed about 15 yards in front of us.  I gave her a down sign with my hand and we stopped and watched the deer graze until it walked off.  I didn't know that a park ranger was watching me from behind. He came up after the deer walked off and said, "I was about to give you a ticket for having an unleashed dog, but instead I'll just tell you that you have a very well trained dog!"

[Hud]

I guess it depends on where he is in obedience training and how well he does. I think my young pup might jump through the window, just trying to find out what is making the weird clucking sound. Dogs are not allowed anyway.

[Ron LaClair]

[ChuckC]

Ron . . . .  That looks like MY dog Fred !  He is a 1 yr old Wirehaired Pointing Griffon.  He is learning a lot, but he is not ready to sit in a blind with me for more than, say,  60 seconds at a shot.  

Absolutely hell on pheasants already though.  His mother supposedly routinely caught brown trout out of the creek near their farm.

ChuckC

[GreyGoose]

Have never bowhunted with dogs, but have fond memories of working rabbits with beagles when I was a boy.

[Bladepeek]

McDave, that's a story I loved reading. There is nothing quite as much fun to watch as a well disciplined dog, unless maybe is a conservation officer with well developed common sense.

I had a Weimaraner in Germany, fully obedience trained and also well trained as a versatile hunter. I used to jog a couple of miles before work and always had her with me. I was jogging down a 2-track when  German hunter drove up and told me it was illegal for me to have a dog off the leash. I'd had a German hunting license for many years, knew German hunting laws and was on good terms with all the local foresters and the hunters I knew. I told him the dog was a trained and certified hunter and not about to be running loose chasing game. He said he would shoot the dog if he saw it running loose again. I told him he'd better shoot me first and then the dog if he expect to live through it. About that time a European hare ran out from nearly under our feet. I let my dog get a 2 or 3 second chase in and then gave her the whistle "come" command. She slammed on the brakes and came right back to us. He muttered a bit more about how he didn't like Americans in his hunting area, but got back in his car and drove off. I later talked to the hunter who owned that hunting lease and he said the guy was just a rock solid Nazi who hated Americans and not to pay any attention to him. Did my heart good to see my dog behave the way she did, though. Wish my current dachshund was anywhere near that well trained. Guess I'm getting lazy in my old age.

[Stixbowdrew]

I contacted the MDNR today and turkey hunting with the dog in the blind is perfectly legal. The  officer I spoke with said "well this is a first!" Hahaha. So we are all good to take out pets with us in the turkey blinds in Michigan!

[adkmountainken]

coats are GREAT on the Newfs and NO skin problems ( knock on wood) at all. best thing we every did for them but it is costly. we buy a raw food/bone/vegetable mix in bulk ( 400 pounds ) and it usually lats 2 months or longer when i supplement fresh critters to their diet. during the summer months they have fresh trout at least 2 nights a week. bunnies and squirrels in the fall and vension when they get really lucky!

[Scott E]

Teach your dog to retrieve squirrel arrows and you'll have the best hunting pal ever

[Scott E]

Originally posted by adkmountainken:
coats are GREAT on the Newfs and NO skin problems ( knock on wood) at all. best thing we every did for them but it is costly. we buy a raw food/bone/vegetable mix in bulk ( 400 pounds ) and it usually lats 2 months or longer when i supplement fresh critters to their diet. during the summer months they have fresh trout at least 2 nights a week. bunnies and squirrels in the fall and vension when they get really lucky!

Those are some lucky dogs. I feed mine Blue Wilderness and they always get some of whatever they helped harvest.

[Pheonixarcher]

Well this has been a fun and enlightening thread! I must say, I never thought about taking my dog with me on a turkey hunt. When he was a pup, he was way too high strung to sit in a blind. Now, I think he'd be snoring if he sat for any length of time. Lol. But I still think he'd get too excited if he heard something scratching around in the leaves outside the blind and couldn't see it.

It does remind me of a funny story. Back when Chief was only a year or two old, I was cleaning my truck out during turkey season. I stuck my dekes in the ground out of the way. I had to go into the house for something and let the dog out when I came back out. He ran around the side of the garage and locked up on point when he saw those dekes! I went about my business, and he must have stayed right there for about 20 minutes!

[elknutz]

Great pic Scott

[MnFn]

I really like dogs but have never had one with while bow hunting.

I have no problem with a well trained dog out in the wild, but will say a dog nearly ruined our elk hunt two years ago.

Two guys showed up on the mountain and  camped about 500 yards away from us.  That was no problem as we were hiking back in another mile or so to actually hunt elk.

But the problem was their dog started barking in the afternoon and continued until well into the evening, and then started again about 5:30 am.  They apparently left it tied up in their camp while they took off hunting.  Very irritating.  Eventually one of them left with the dog.

[mangonboat]

Take the time to review your state or province's hunting laws before you take your Dog. NC specifically prohibits archery hunting for deer with dogs except one dog on a leash tracking a wounded deer  and specifically prohibits use of dogs while turkey hunting or hunting feral hogs.

[TxAg]

My dog whines any tine I pick up my bow,... Usually b/c I'm about to shoot at a squirrel out the back door.  She'll sit and stay, but she makes a little noise. Don't think she'd cut it in my pop up.

When I had a little travel trailer, I used to take her every weekend. She slept in ever morning but lives all the deer legs ahe got to gnaw on in the afternoon