Dog owners- what do you do during elk camp?

[JLS]

Heel or down stay.

 

[Ben Lamb]

No way I'm taking these two morons out in the field unless there's a shotgun with me. They can't keep quiet to save anyone's life, let a lone hunt.

 

[Irrelevant]

I'd like to add a little balance to this thread and enlighten you to the "other" side of the coin.

It took me years before my dog was even in the same county as me when we went afield. First trip ever, I lost her. First time off a leash, I lost her. First time in another state, I lost her. She's barked at: game birds, deer, elk, squirrels, ground squirrels, pikas, marmots, meadowlarks, trees, the wind... and of course any other dog or hunter we come across.

Most of my "hunts" with her quickly devolved into me speed hiking through the woods/coulees looking for my dog, yelling her name, and carrying a shotgun. I do think she would make an excellent deer driver if you could get out in front of her fast enough (which you couldn't).

In term of commands she's mastered... well she doesn't really listen to me at all, but she's cute right? That's gotta count for something.

(old photo from a decade ago, she's all greyed out now)

 

[OntarioHunter]

I have stalked elk and moose with Labs along. Ethyl (1977-88) and Pearl (2005-15). No leashes. They were guided missiles. Once my former brother-in-law took me to his Montana sweet spot. He balked when Ethyl jumped out of the truck. When we stopped climbing for snack break he remarked that he'd forgotten she was along. I always carried Dad's Smith K22 in my daypack so was also bird hunting. I don't know if she would have blood tracked anything. I never needed her for it. Had snow for tracking or dropped them dead. In Ontario it's actually legal to hunt moose with dogs ... and bait ... and shoot from ATV or snow machine ... and fifteen guys can fill one tag. So why aren't there any moose left? I quit that sh*tshow fifteen years ago. Anyway, old Pearl was only along for the company. I hunted solo in my remote tent camp sometimes for two weeks. She cost me a darn fine bull moose once when she bolted for a grouse and busted him out of his bed. Never saw him but heard the trees breaking as he left.

 

[OntarioHunter]

My two present bird dogs live in the house with me and I don't tolerate any foolishness. No barking! I live in town and try to get along with my neighbours. So I'm comfortable leaving them in camp while hunting elk. But they are not so happy about it. The other day my nephew also stayed behind because he was sick (not COVID). He let them out for a pee but Puppy wouldn't come back inside (even though it was freezing). When I returned to camp with my brother in his Tahoe, we found Puppy had staked out my Jimmy. It was not leaving without her.