Protecting Your Bird Dog?

[Guy]

Hey guys - I know some of you have bird dogs for hunting upland game or ducks.

How concerned are you about wild predators attacking your dog while hunting, and what do you do to prevent it?

I hunt a lot of wild country, not much in farmland. Like yesterday, Mav was hunting off leash, running, enjoying, working to find birds where there weren't any. I've hunted that same area for mule deer & elk.

There are wolves, coyotes, mountain lion, bobcat, and black bear in that vicinity. Yesterday when a coyote sounded off, only a couple of hundred yards away, I put the leash back on Maverick to keep him from going after the coyote.

A few years ago I was working Clark on some wild chukar in a nearby canyon before season. He was so intent on the birds that he didn't notice the large black bear about 200 yards above us! The bear clearly had seen us. I put the leash on Clark before he could go running after the bear. Would he? I don't know. Fortunately he never even noticed the bear!

I have a shock collar I put on Mav anytime I might have him off-leash. He's good about coming when I call, and getting better, but if he gets more than about 100 yards away, I give him a quick beep with the collar. That normally works. Only time to time have I had to actually zap him. That brings him running back to me for sure! Normally he just comes when I call.

I almost always have pepper spray and a decent handgun with me. Of course a shotgun while bird hunting.

What do you guys do to keep your dog from getting attacked by wild predators?

Thanks, Guy

 

[DerkPerk]

I’d love to hear some input on this. I’m very hesitant on taking my pup to grouse hunt our deer property as there are a fair number of wolves. The wife would skin me if a timber carried off the dog.


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[Gunnersdad49]

I usually holler and whistle quite a bit when working my bird dog. That's probably because I'm not a great trainer, but I think it spooks most four legged nasties off. That, plus a shotgun is all I use.

I did have a pair of raccoons take a liking to the face of a dog we were hunting with. My lab bit one on the butt, promptly accepting one of the two face grabbers onto his own face. I put a boot into the one on my dog's face and fed him two barrels of prairie storm once he was clear of my pooch. The other waddled off unimpressed, leaving bites and scratches all over the face and chest of the other dog.

 

[sndmn11]

The times I had my little dog out in places where a bear encounter might occur, I just had a few slugs and a few buckshot shells in my easiest to access loops. I figured I could empty the gun cycling or shooting, and reload while getting into an effective range. I was more worried about a sow with cubs and my sissy dog being curious. I think if I were in wolf country rather than black bears, I'd strap a 30-30 to my pack. I think that might be the only species that would go out of their way to get into a confrontation.

 

[Okhotnik]

E collar and leave it command. Obviously start with a long lead before introducing e collar

Start acclimate when 6 months old. Take hiking a lot off season . Chasing any unwanted animals like deer. Gets beep or vibrate or if stubborn gets the higher end shock. Some learn and some will test collar. They get a short heavy shock. Use very sparingly but dog has to learn. Too many dogs injured and die every year Because not trained properly but mostly because owners not paying attention. I’m amazed hunting with other guys and their trained dogs how clueless and unaware they are. Of course most don’t train year round or they paid someone else to train dog and dog has no connection with owner imho

I snake avoidance train my dogs with this method You have to pay attention always.



I had friend whose gsp was killed by a badger because would not listen and back off badger. Not wearing an ecollar.

Hunting and hiking in heavy bear and wolf country dog does not leave eye site.
Again teach leave it command

 

[rustneversleeps]

The only thing I am afraid of when running the dogs is rattlesnakes

 

[Okhotnik]

Yelling and whistling while bird hunting scares birds off too imho



hiking off season is another matter

hate hunting with groups of guys all blowing whistles. Too confusing for dogs then they ignore whistles imho

 

[Wingshooter28]

Rattlesnakes are my biggest concern living in Arizona. I Usually wait until late November before I take my dog out. My dog is snake broke but if he is on the wrong side of the wind it could be a bad day. Also traps are a danger as I have seen dogs Cought in traps before.

 

[Okhotnik]

Rattlesnakes are my biggest concern living in Arizona. I Usually wait until late November before I take my dog out. My dog is snake broke but if he is on the wrong side of the wind it could be a bad day. Also traps are a danger as I have seen dogs Cought in traps before.

always carry wire cutters and zip ties with me for traps. Snares.

 

[Wassid82]

I'm more wary of rattle snakes, badgers, and porcupines in ID. I hunt chukar as often as time will allow and badgers on the high desert where I chase them are would make short work of a dog. I know black bears are also around but they are so shy and move away from humans so fast I just don't think its that much of an issue for me. I did have a dog that got wrapped up in an exchange with a porcupine around a repairain zone and that was so fun pulling quills out of that pore dog. I hope I never have that happen again.

 

[Salmon River Solutions]

Weve always ran E collars. Worst we ever had was a porcupine. I carried the damn dog 3 miles. 102 quills right in the face.

 

[Wrench]

My drahthaar was just a pup when I kicked her on top of a coyote without knowing it. She did a weird posture as she was flying off a cut bank and disappeared into 4 foot tall grass. I heard a commotion and a coyote jumped in the air and ran across a creek at about 40 yards, I could hear my dog was right on it, but I had a clear shot....I fed it both barrels of 7.5's from my SxS 16. My dog and the yote cleared the creek and all hell broke loose. I don't know if I got a piece of the yote or not, but I do know that I need to jump off a 10' cut bank, cross a flowing creek and get between a drahthaar and a coyote in a hurry.

And just like that the commotion stopped.....and here comes my dog with a dead coyote in tow. She drug the damn thing all the way back to the bottom of the cut bank.

Since then, I have been more aware of her mannerisms but thankfully she'll break on an animal as long as she hasn't locked on point with a simple command. She's 13 now and has never let me down.

 

[IdahoElk]

Snakes are my main concern and why I don't hunt unless it's cold but of all things a Badger has been the biggest problem nipping one of my dogs Chukar hunting.

 

[Roksliding]

I’ve pretty much completely given up hunting grouse in my home state of Wisconsin. Just not worth it. That’s how I protect my pups, we go out of state and duck hunt.

 

[Montana Slim]

The only thing I am afraid of when running the dogs is rattlesnakes

^^This. Scariest predator for a bird dog owner by a mile.

 

[30338]

I've had the rattlesnake avoidance done to my drahthaar twice now. And he's been through the vaccine twice now too. I try to avoid hunting when they are active but they'll move when its way colder than you would think.

So far, so good.

 

[sdfuller]

A good recall is pretty much all you’ll need to keep your pup safe


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[See_Bennie_Point]

A good GPS ecollar and a good OFF or LEAVE IT. Just as important, like stated earlier, is to know your dog's mannerisms. Lil man's points and demeanor are different when he's pointing birds vs 4-leggers. For example he's pointed three or four porcupines in tall grass then I'll hear him make a "whimper" sound as he starts to move around it when I approach.

Thank goodness he hasn't had a face full of quills, yet, but did get skunked once

I carry a pistol with me as well incase all fails.

 

[AndrewMT34]

My drahthaar was just a pup when I kicked her on top of a coyote without knowing it. She did a weird posture as she was flying off a cut bank and disappeared into 4 foot tall grass. I heard a commotion and a coyote jumped in the air and ran across a creek at about 40 yards, I could hear my dog was right on it, but I had a clear shot....I fed it both barrels of 7.5's from my SxS 16. My dog and the yote cleared the creek and all hell broke loose. I don't know if I got a piece of the yote or not, but I do know that I need to jump off a 10' cut bank, cross a flowing creek and get between a drahthaar and a coyote in a hurry.

And just like that the commotion stopped.....and here comes my dog with a dead coyote in tow. She drug the damn thing all the way back to the bottom of the cut bank.

Since then, I have been more aware of her mannerisms but thankfully she'll break on an animal as long as she hasn't locked on point with a simple command. She's 13 now and has never let me down.

Draht's sure are neat dogs. Looking into breeders for a pup in a few years to hunt alongside my griff.

 

[Danny Hoey]

I was hunting with my Gordon the other weekend and he's on point, staring down a tunnel of thick brush. I get up close and all the sudden he growls and gives a little bark. I told him leave it and he came back to me. Still don't know what was down there but I can guarantee it wasn't a pheasant down there.