Anyone give up hunting other species after getting your dog?

[SilentBirdHunter]

Then someone posts a picture of a lab retrieving and I start second guessing myself. Thanks SilentBirdHunter. Nice looking dog.

I am retired and living the dream. At age 67, solo hunting with the labs from Sept to mid January helps keep me fit.

 

[crock239]

There are probably 200 deer across the road waiting for me to get out there.

Yet here I sit, coddling a hurt bird dog & thinking about a second cup of coffee.

Sorry to hear about your pup...mine's got pneumonia currently, so coffee and rest it is.

Hoping we can get some hunts in after Thanksgiving.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Sorry to hear about your pup...mine's got pneumonia currently, so coffee and rest it is.

Hoping we can get some hunts in after Thanksgiving.

Good hunting!

She chewed through some stiches yesterday morning while I was distracted, so back to the vet. 3 more months of PT following the surgeries. We're actively plotting a sabbatical for next year.

 

[glass eye]

I have been flying to Alaska every year for years but last year I drove up so my dog could go.
Just got back from a road trip to Maine, SW to NE so my dog got to go.

I struggle to plan trips without my dog.

 

[BirdManMike]

Yes. If you think the dog is demotivator to big game hunting, try adding a falcon to the mix.

I am happy to shoot 2-3 whitetail in my back yard these days. Even this season taking off of falconry, the first in 12, I find myself choosing just running the dog rather than looking for elk (I never gun broke this one so we arent shooting them, just pointing them - I have no desire to ever shoot birds again after killing them with other birds). I may never elk hunt again. And if I ever win a 'Big 3' permit, the motivation may be just as difficult - yes, Im one of those 'undeserving' jerks who wont put in the effort that just makes the odds worse for everyone else.

 

[shrapnel]

No, but I have teken him on a couple fishing trips...

 

[MTGunner]

Guess I’m heading down that road due to age and desire. Always been a bird hunter and getting a new lab puppy after Xmas. My old lab, Belle, will be 11 in March. She is showing her age….me too! I like to hunt big game but the desire is waining. Oh well, such is life. MTG

 

[homestead]

I gave up on things like home maintenance and social mobility. Without those burdens and worries, I manage to run dogs and/or hunt birds on a very regular basis.

 

[brymoore]

I still mix it up. I have 5 months of bird hunting. I still hunt deer and elk rifle seasons every year. Dog loses out on 2-3 weeks of bird hunting a year.

If I had to choose one type of hunting, it’d be bird hunting behind a setter. One of my favorite things to do is to walk up on a dog on point. I love to watch my fast setter work open cover for birds and then slam into a point.

 

[JLS]

We're actively plotting a sabbatical for next year.

Do we need to make some plans?

 

[Ben Lamb]

Do we need to make some plans?

I believe we should.