# Autumn hikes with hunters about



## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

This is a terrific tip. We have red/orange dog backpacks with reflective strips that double as vests. They also have handles (in case you need to haul the dog out of a tight spot or a body of water) and leash clips.


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

thanks for the reminder. I'm planning to take Tito pheasant hunting in a couple of weeks, I probably need to get him a reflective vest.


----------



## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Caution---there can be a lot of jerks in the woods. Years back I was grouse hunting with my dog Gabe. He was wearing a fluorescent orange reflective collar. Coming out of the woods I encountered a hunter who said he had seen my dog in the woods and thought he was a fox. That's when I decided to take up duck hunting.


----------



## Golden Gibby (Jan 8, 2011)

I usually put a vest on Gibby when pheasant hunting it also helps with burrs, anywhere the vest covers keeps the burrs off.


----------



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

I was reminded of that earlier today when I heard gunshots while the boys and I were at the beach. Time to bring out their fl. orange neck warmers.


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

gdgli said:


> Caution---there can be a lot of jerks in the woods. Years back I was grouse hunting with my dog Gabe. He was wearing a fluorescent orange reflective collar. Coming out of the woods I encountered a hunter who said he had seen my dog in the woods and thought he was a fox. That's when I decided to take up duck hunting.


That's why I switched to the vests rather than just collars - much more blaze orange on display that way. They also wear the vests on Sundays just in case.............


----------



## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

Sunrise said:


> This morning during our morning hike, I was caught up in the beauty of my goldens running through the woods at sunrise in the autumn and thought I might remind others that hunting season is here - please have your dogs wear safety vests (with reflective strips as well) if you are in any woods where hunters may also be. My dogs wear their vests from now until pheasant season ends.
> 
> Faelan, Towhee and Casey have each flushed beautiful roosters  I think this might be why after the first day or so, they don't mind their vests LOL


Safety would be a concern, but watching the dogs flush pheasants must be amazing.


----------



## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

hollyk said:


> Safety would be a concern, but watching the dogs flush pheasants must be amazing.


It sure is amazing. To this day I get such an adrenaline rush when a dog flushes a hidden bird. Example---dog rushes into thick grass, a rooster cackles as the grass parts and the bird flies up---It's great!


----------



## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

gdgli said:


> It sure is amazing. To this day I get such an adrenaline rush when a dog flushes a hidden bird. Example---dog rushes into thick grass, a rooster cackles as the grass parts and the bird flies up---It's great!


Sigh....someday I hope.


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

And the shot misses, and all you see is a flash of white/gold as you see Tito's arse end high tailing it for parts unknown in hot pursuit of the bird :doh:





gdgli said:


> It sure is amazing. To this day I get such an adrenaline rush when a dog flushes a hidden bird. Example---dog rushes into thick grass, a rooster cackles as the grass parts and the bird flies up---It's great!


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Oh too funny!! It is an amazing sight, matched by the joy in which my crew returns to my vicinity waiting for me to do what's expected ... Barb, I don't miss since I don't have my gun LOL but they crew are ever hopeful. And sometimes a slow bird gets retrieved after a flying leap and then a truly happy dog shows his/her prize to the other dogs as they deliver!

I'm honestly not sure goldens are ever more alive than in the fall


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

ok, just ordered the boy a "tummy saver" dog vest from Cabelas.com. It's in the bargain cave, regularly $25 for $7. (plus $6 shipping, well worth it, the nearest Cabela's is pretty far from here). Hope it works out okay!

Cabela's: Tummy Saver Dog Vest


----------



## Dexell1827 (Feb 23, 2011)

hotel4dogs said:


> ok, just ordered the boy a "tummy saver" dog vest from Cabelas.com. It's in the bargain cave, regularly $25 for $7. (plus $6 shipping, well worth it, the nearest Cabela's is pretty far from here). Hope it works out okay!
> 
> Cabela's: Tummy Saver Dog Vest


Ooh, thanks for that! I've got one for Dexter, but definitely have to get one each for the two new guys since I've been hearing shooting at the end of our road over the last few days.


----------



## my4goldens (Jan 21, 2009)

This reminded me of what I did several years ago. My husband deer hunts in southern Illinois. So he said, lets take the fifth wheel camper down and camp in the woods. Sounded like a good idea. I took two of the dogs with me. We set up camp at night, season opened the next morning. He left very early, at the crack of dawn I woke up to what sounded like a war going off around me. Went outside, realized the campground was in the middle of Shawnee National Forest, and all around the campground shotguns were blasting. I looked at my two dogs, who if gotten loose in the forest could have been mistaken from a far like small deer. The dogs were only allowed outside to potty on very short leashes, and we spent three days huddled in the camper. First and last time I ever ventured downstate for deer season.


----------



## Golden Gibby (Jan 8, 2011)

Originally Posted by *hotel4dogs*  
_ok, just ordered the boy a "tummy saver" dog vest from Cabelas.com. It's in the bargain cave, regularly $25 for $7. (plus $6 shipping, well worth it, the nearest Cabela's is pretty far from here). Hope it works out okay!_

_Cabela's: Tummy Saver Dog Vest_


_This is similar to what we use. Sometimes have to adjust while we are hunting but it gets the job done._


----------



## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

hotel4dogs said:


> And the shot misses, and all you see is a flash of white/gold as you see Tito's arse end high tailing it for parts unknown in hot pursuit of the bird :doh:


Oh Barb, I think _this_ would be amazing to watch too.


----------



## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

hotel4dogs said:


> And the shot misses, and all you see is a flash of white/gold as you see Tito's arse end high tailing it for parts unknown in hot pursuit of the bird :doh:


Hmm...lighten up on Tito. I call that behavior "following up for a re-flush". Very smart dog, that Tito.


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Well, just delivered a rooster & a hen to my neighbors ... too bad I am taking a break from training.


----------



## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

The reflective vests have helped give me some piece of mind for many years walking my dogs during hunting season. Mostly deer and turkey hunters around here. Some pheasant hunting in the local state forest.


----------



## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

gdgli said:


> It sure is amazing. To this day I get such an adrenaline rush when a dog flushes a hidden bird. Example---dog rushes into thick grass, a rooster cackles as the grass parts and the bird flies up---It's great!


If anyone can post a video of this, that would be great! I've never seen a dog flush a hidden bird, but it MUST be amazing!


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

It is great  I will hopefully remember to start carrying my camera/camcorder.

The past few mornings, my dogs have flushed birds. The birds have gotten away until this morning when all 3 of them rushed into some heavy cover by the trail and when I called them one by one, they came running as each was called - Casey (my red boy) was called last and he burst through the woods proudly carrying his rooster. He is closing in on 11 years old, and to see his tail and head so proud while carrying his bird to deliver was an amazing start to my day. He came to a perfect front and gently delivered the bird on cue (he is obedience trained). To see the younger dogs honoring his right to deliver that bird was perhaps even better. Casey is not trained for hunting, is is completely natural for him as it is for Towhee. 

The birds will probably start venturing into my yard soon; I need to be aware of this before opening a door from here on out.


----------



## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Wendy427 said:


> If anyone can post a video of this, that would be great! I've never seen a dog flush a hidden bird, but it MUST be amazing!


We trained on planted pheasants this past Saturday. I should have brought my mini-cam. I will video it at my next chance.


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

um yep, that sound you heard isn't a gun shot, it's Tito breaking the sound barrier as he takes off after the bird.....


----------



## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

Art's parents when we met had a big farm in St John's MI. Almost 200 acres. Now the house and 5-10 acres belongs to Art's brother, the rest is still his parents and they lease it for farming. 

Anyway when we met, MI had a set aside program. Art's dad was actually paid to leave his land alone. He had to mow it once a year but other than that. Pheasants LOVED their property. Tall weedy grasses. This was when I had my girl Kayla. Art and I would walk down the lane, through the woods to the creek to let Kayla play in the water. She would be wandering around we would be talking, then she would stop. Point. Wait for us to get close then FLUSH a pheasant. We thought it was a fluke, but she did it time after time several different days. This dog was never taught it was just a genetic wiring. So Art got excited, he had a bird dog. 

Opening day, he takes Kayla out sure enough she works the field, points, flushes, Art aims and fires. Kayla SPINS around, looks at him like *** are you doing?!?!?! She goes out one more time, points, flushes he shoots and Kayla says "I AM OUT OF HERE!!!" No more pheasants. From that day forward the ONLY thing she hunted was a mouse. Dad wouldn't shoot a mouse. 

Neither of us even thought she might need to be acclimated to the gun. Kayla ended up being REALLY gun shy. Not too bad about storms but guns WOWZA. Art's brother is into guns. He would open his trunk to get his new gun out to show Art, and before he would even think about firing it, Kayla would be heading to the next county. 

The Christmas that year I got Art a Lab puppy for Christmas. Shadow was a retrieving machine. I swear if you took her target shooting to keep her accustom to the gun, she would try to retrieve the bullets. It is a shame we didn't know about hunt tests with her, or dock jumping for that matter. She was the dog that introduced us to that game too. She would dock jump off Art grandmas dock all the time. We didn't even have to be outside. LOL


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

This morning I got to see the rare sight of Casey looking both serious and sad. A rooster flew up and away as Casey turned around on a rock outcropping watching it head away from him - Casey rarely looks serious and I truly wish I had my camera with me - perhaps he was calculating how to get the bird, or wishing it back to Earth or just sad to see it go, but he was definitely watching that bird in the most serious way.

Casey with a closed mouth and still tail just doesn't seem natural  But he recovered and went running to join the younger dogs


----------



## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

I feel nervous about this issue as well. I don't know much about guns or hunting, but when my husband told me how far a bullet can travel, I wonder if *I* am safe when I walk Brooks near the woods (one side of road is no hunting, the other side hunting is allowed)


----------



## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

lgnutah said:


> I feel nervous about this issue as well. I don't know much about guns or hunting, but when my husband told me how far a bullet can travel, I wonder if *I* am safe when I walk Brooks near the woods (one side of road is no hunting, the other side hunting is allowed)


Safe hunters will never fire across a road--it is a good way to get charged and get your license revoked. One of the things you learn in hunter ed is not only to identify whether your target is legal game or not, but also whether you have a safe shot. That includes assessing whether there are factors in place that will create a ricochet with a missed shot or through-and-through, and whether there is an appropriate "backstop" to prevent excessive travel of the bullet. This of course is primarily a concern if there is rifle hunting for large game (like deer) in your area, as large calibre rifle bullets have the potential to travel quite a long distance. In my part of Ontario there is no rifle hunting for deer because there are always roads or houses too close for the range of these firearms to be used safely, but in the north of the province which is not so densely populated they are legal.

If we are talking bird hunting, the firearm generally used is a shotgun , where the projectiles are a whole lot of tiny pellets, and the range is much shorter, and your target is airborne. 

If you are in a deer hunting area wear a blaze orange hat and vest, and put one on your dog too, and consider having the dog wear a bell--deer do not ding-a-ling! Make yourself as visible and non-deerlike as possible. Unfortunately there was an incident in Ontario a couple of years ago where a hiker was shot. The hunter was at fault for not carefully identifying his target and was charged, but the hiker also put herself at risk by wearing colours that blended in in an area clearly posted as open to hunting.

There is however no cure for stupid, so caution is always in order during hunting season. I am a hunter myself, and the vast majority of hunters I know go out of their way to be safe, but all it takes is one idiot....


----------

