Mind Your Manners!

[jpr9954]

People who shoot at low birds in dove fields, people who skyblast in the duck blind.

A real pet peeve of mine and something that I consider poor field etiquette are poorly trained or poorly handled dogs.
Dogs that aren't steady, dogs that break on shot, dogs that retrieve other hunters birds.

Back when I was in college in the early 90's I had a great black female out of Retriever Hall of Fame FC/AFC Snake Eyes Double or Nothing. She was not the best bitch that I've ever owned but she was a damned fine gundog with one hell of a nose. Nice little 55lb easy going dog with an off switch named Maggie.i went to a dove shoot where the field was around 250 yards wide. I noticed a Boykin on the other side with breaking and picking up other guys birds. I shoot my first bird and it sails down close to the middle of the field, the Boykin had already broke, I release Maggie and the race is on. Maggie wins the race to the bird, scoops it and begins her return.

The damned Boykin, a male starts try to steal the bird, biting at her muzzle and neck. Maggie finally had enough, she spit the bird out, turned and bit the hell out the Boykin dead on his ass. He ran squealing to his owner on the other side of the field. Maggie picks up her bird trots in with her head held high, comes to heal and gives up her bird.

I look across the field and see a cloud of dust from spinning truck tires. This jackass drives to me and proceeds to tell me that I need to control my dog. We are about to come to blows when the Hunt master rolls up and chastises the Boykins owner informing him that this is the third shoot where his dog caused issues and that he needs to leave.

Meanwhile the Boykin was on the other side of the field running around and shitting all-over the place. He left and I shot my daily possession limit of birds.

Your mention of Snake Eyes -Double or Nothin’ caught my eye. My first Lab was one of his sons. We were supposed to get a pup from a breeding of Snake’s father FC/NAFC Dudes Double or Nothin’ but the mating didn’t take for some reason. Delma Hazzard then arranged for us to get her pick of the litter from a breeder in Mississippi whose female was bred with Snake Eyes. We had Sam Spade for 13 years until old age caught up with him.

 

[Field28]

Your mention of Snake Eyes -Double or Nothin’ caught my eye. My first Lab was one of his sons. We were supposed to get a pup from a breeding of Snake’s father FC/NAFC Dudes Double or Nothin’ but the mating didn’t take for some reason. Delma Hazzard then arranged for us to get her pick of the litter from a breeder in Mississippi whose female was bred with Snake Eyes. We had Sam Spade for 13 years until old age caught up with him.

Snake was one hell of a dog and produced some nice puppies. Delma is still training and running her own dogs.
Last I heard she was 45 minutes or so south of me.

In my opinion, if you get a Labrador to 13 you've done a good job and that dog had a good life.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Ontario, I've had my dogs retrieve plenty of birds for other people if we were in the blind together.

A big dove shoot where you might have 50- 75 or more different people hunting a large field is a completely different story though. Imagine that bipolar chessie running around a field with 30 other dogs who are disciplined and there to work.

The flushing game is completely different.

If a dog isn't steady, it won't be able to properly mark a triple or quad and birds will be lost. If a dog isn't steady then damn sure won't be able to handle on a blind retrieve. That's why it's a critical part of the trial and hunt test games. In certain stakes and tests, dogs are also required to perform an honor where they sit quietly and patiently while another dog works in front of them. Two dogs that are disciplined enough to work together and take turns in a high volume hunting situation with multiple shooters in the blind is truly a thing of beauty to watch.

I suppose it probably is a beautiful show. But I doubt I could sit patiently and watch it so I can understand a dog not wanting to. And hunting the same field with 50 or 75 other people ... never gonna happen. That's not hunting to me. Pandemonium. I haven't seen 50 other people hunting birds during the last ten years ... and I hunt birds a LOT ... every year. If I bumped into a dozen hunters this fall, I'd probably sell my gun and take up crosstitch. I also hunt a lot of waterfowl and nowadays always alone. No fancy blinds. The dogs and I hide on the edge of the fields and use the wind. Or when the geese stop flying for the morning we take a walk and jump shoot some sloughs. No worries about bumping into anyone in that jungle! Since I started hunting at twelve years old (turned seventy-three last month), I have run into other hunters with dogs exactly four times, two of those times mentioned in previous posts. None of those dogs were as well controlled as mine. And all the "handlers" marveled that I don't use electronics. The e-collar on the Californian's English pointer went kaput and he was done for the day ... until I let him and his son tag along with me. But his dog went in the kennel ... after he finally caught it.

When I was first starting out at twelve, I had ambitions of training my chocolate Lab for field trials. Even bought a whistle and a book. Then Dad took me to a field trial. Decided then and there hunting solo with a dog was for me. Didn't have to worry about rules ... just keeping me and my dog(s) alive and healthy. Freedom is what being afield is all about. Different strokes for different folks I guess.