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My Dogs First Hunt

11K views 57 replies 28 participants last post by  ada5771 
#1 ·
Fellas,

I have gotten invited to a dove hunt on opening day, I know its going to be hot and may put a toll on my dog. I have been working him alot in the evenings to get him ready for duck season and opening day for dove will be his first hunt, but we are going to start the shoot in mid day. Do you guys have any advice on keeping my boy cool? I plan on bring and bowl and lots of water and find a shady spot for us.
 
#3 ·
I don't ever take my dogs to opening day. It's just way too hot and not worth the risk.

I have seen people bring a big bag of ice for the dog to lay on.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the advice

As much as I would love to show him off, the last thing I want to do is hurt him. The guy that owns the farm invited me and told me to bring my dog that he has heard all about. This same guy has a MH and said that his dog was going to be with him too.
 
#5 ·
I will never take my dog on another dove hunt unless there's a pond really close.Last year it was hot as always when dive hunting. I took a five gallon jug of water and that wasn't enough. Trying to cool him off was just to hard. Then when he got cooled off the heat of the day was like a sauna for him
So never again. Did I mention the mouthful of feathers a dog gets with a dove? So he's hot and a mouthful of feathers making it harder to breathe = a disaster for your dog.
You asked for advice and as hard as it is not to hunt your pup think twice before you do.
I ended up carrying my dog to the truck kicking myself all the way.
We got him cooled off and he was fine but I learned a value able lesson that day.
 
#6 ·
take him and leave him in the truck until you lack two or three birds for your limit. get him out later when it is cooler, less frantic and you are willing to control the situation. shoot and allow him to pick up the last of your limit and hunt up a few your buddies couldn't find.
 
#7 ·
I take a camo umbrella and a 12 volt fan that I run off the battery on my 4-wheeler. If you don't have a 4-wheeler with you, the umbrella will help a bunch. Let him dig a hole beside your stool to lay in also.
Try not to send him into real thick cover, like standing sorgum or soy beans where there is no air moving underneath. If it's bright and hot, I usually wait until around 3:30-4:00 to go into the field.
 
#9 · (Edited)
and if you do leave the dog in the truck till later in the afternoon make sure you park in spot that will be shady most of the day with plenty of ventalation and water. also wouldnt hurt to take a few frozen bottles of water(2 liter or half gallon bottles) in the crate/dogbox just to have something cool to lay on or against. a kennel fan pushing air over the frozen bottle should keep your dog cool as long as you change the bottles every couple of hours.

i do have done this when we have training days in the early summer and dog is panting a little when i pull her out but nothing to bad.
 
#10 ·
Good call on the frozen water bottles.

Nobody mentioned that if you take the dog it would probably be a good idea to leave your shotgun at home and plan on concentrating on your dog's behavior. Get somebody else to sit with you and shoot, but you work the dog. Outside of some health issue due to the heat, the worst thing you could do would be to let the dog learn that hunting = no rules. If you have a really birdy dog, a tie-out stake might be a really good idea. A lead would probably be good too, as rules sometimes go out the window when you get to a new place and that exciting of an environment.

Remember, those birds are yours unless and until you decide to release the dog. And he has to come when you call, no matter what. Keep your dog in a situation where he can't do otherwise and you will be miles ahead down the road.

Now if I could just turn back the clock two years and use all that hard-earned knowledge . . . .
 
#14 ·
You can kill a dog pretty fast in the heat. I am a dove hunter, not a duck hunter. I hunt opening day in the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. I go out about an hour and a half before sunset. I stay in the shade. I have a light yellow dog (see avatar). I carry lots of water, don't get too far from the truck, and take ice. Be careful. If it is humid, running a hot wet dog may not be any better than running a hot dry dog. Be real careful.
 
#17 ·
I forgot to mention that the hunt doesnt start until 3:30 in the evening. But I think I will take your advice and either leave him at home or leave the gun at home and concentrate on him with a few retrieves. As of now the high is suppose to be 88 Deg. As much as I would like to show him off and everyone want to see him work since they have be asking me about him, I think they can wait. From my understanding that we are going to hunt for a few hours and then there is going to be a cookout afterwards. So I would think that we would only hunt maybe 3 hours at the most.

Thanks for you all's advice.
 
#32 ·
Not if you live where the humidity might hit 20% as the high early in the morning and drop to the low teens or single digits as the day goes on:D Still need to be careful but as in all things it depends on where you live. We rarely have days where it's hot and the humidity is over 20%
 
#19 ·
I am in the same situation down in Southern La. If you want to shoot doves leave your dog behind. If you want to work on your dog there are several things that you could work on in a hunting environment that will not over heat the dog. You could set up a platform or dog blind under some shade and work my dog on honoring and observing while shots are being fired. This will build drive(in YOU and the dog as your friends blast the doves haha) and also teach the dog steadiness in a real life hunting situation. If a dove lands close and you are confident your dog marked it you could release him every so often just to reward his honor but don’t get him over heated. Also if a dove goes down in tall grass or a thicket you could bring him to the location of the fall give him a dead brid que and let him hunt it up. Remember success builds confidents dogs are like kids it might seem like a simple find to you but to the dog he just found the long lost bird at 500 yards. As many people have mentioned Hot dog+dove feathers = disaster!!! There are several other little things you could work the dog on without overheating him but you must remember if you bring your dog it turns into more of a training session monitoring your dog the entire time and upholding your obedience standards.
 
#20 ·
Now this post I understand.... We don't hunt dove but I can't imagine hunting them without my dogs. It would seem to me the perfect place to train a young pup. If you live in a warm climate adjust your game to meet your needs. JMHO..Don
 
#21 ·
I never take my dogs on opening day Dove! Where we go it is morning hunting, but it can get fast and furious, very confusing and sometimes dangerous for dogs. On top of that, dog hate dove, the small feathers get in their throat and I think the scent is very light. Many dogs cannot scent a dove....save your dogs for bigger birds. If you do decide to work your dog on the opening, leave your gun home and 'work your dog' or you may make trouble for both of you....
 
#22 ·
Making a dog's first hunt an opening day dove hunt is a recipe for disaster!! Not only is it usually too hot, but the gunfire and commotion can unnerve a young pup. After many doves have fallen and dove scent is all over the field, they can't track downed birds with their nose; this frustrates young pups. Take her with one other person who does all the shooting, be sure to keep her cool, and make sure she's under your control at all times. The feathers bother some dogs, but never have bothered mine. I dedicated the first season to her; going out with only one other person who did all the shooting. The next 10 seasons we went out with our group, everyone blasting away, she did great, was under control (mostly!) and we both had great fun. Our season starts in a few days, and for the first time in 11 years I can't take her; she's almost 12 and can't take the heat or exercise. It breaks my heart.
 
#24 ·
I hunt my dogs regardless of how hot it is. I sit in the shade and take water and ice. I take two dogs and rotate them but only let them pick up the close easy birds. They can hunt a dove for a while and be all over it so be careful letting him hunt. Just be careful and wait til 3 or so to get him out. Mine average being out maybe 30 min at a time then go to a crate full of ice.
 
#26 ·
Doesn't say where you live, but 3:00 is about an hour before the temp peaks around here that time of year. I check when sunset is and plan to be at my spot under a shade tree about 90 minutes before sunset. If the birds are flying, that should be plenty of time. I should also say that I usually hunt alone or with one or occasionally two other people and we spread out.
 
#25 ·
88 degrees isn't that hot though. Now 98? 100+? Ya, that's hot. Not shooting and just working the dog is what I do opening weekend. We sit in the shade and retrieve birds for my dad, who is still a crack shot. But I deny at least 50% of birds. Builds drive, steadiness, and keeps him cool. 88 degrees isn't TOO hot to work a dog. Well, unless the average temps are around that. My dogs are well accustomed to 90+ heat. We hunt early and late when it's cooler, so 88 isn't that bad.

Just use good judgment. Watch your dog closely.
 
#27 ·
You don't go dove hunting with a dog at 3:00 in Texas. It's too hot. Temps usually peak around 5:00, and we usually go out around 7:30 and hunt til dark. In the morning, we hunt from daylight til about 9:30. By then, it's starting to heat up. But a high temp of 88 isn't bad.
 
#31 ·
If you are hunting 'til dark, I believe that you are hunting outside legal hunting hours. Seems to me that legal hunting hours for migratory game birds run thirty minutes before sunrise to SUNSET.
 
#34 · (Edited)
AZ dove opener =112-120 mid-day, but we start off at a nice 95+ degrees ;). I don't considered dove an Active upland bird, dogs don't actively hunt them like Quail-pheasant-chukar. They just pick them up, when they fall 50yards @ most. Despite what others will tell yah, I've always found dove perfect for a first hunting experience, everything's up close, on land and you can help ;). You Carry water, watch the dog, we usually setup under the shade of a tree, with a cooler, shoot them right before they try to sit in your tree, or if your napping after, sometimes the best shooting is right off the tail-gate. Still dog sits at heel, gets released, brings the bird back. Just be sure to setup away from idiots, so neither you or the dog gets shot. We do worry about snakes, but you set it up so the birds will fall in the open, and don't put you dog in the brush, snake-booster shots, training and I also always carry a gun ;). Still most the time for opener you kill 10 and get out of there before 8-9 AM cuz you don't want to be out their any later. IT'S HOT people always complain way more than dogs ;).
 
#40 ·
Disregard my last post. Responded to the wrong poster. Looking forward to opening day and quitting at sunset!
Actually, I carry my GPS in the field as it has sunrise and sunset info for my exact position AND has the exact time. I then set the alarm on my watch for four minutes before sunset and quit one minute before sunset. ;-)
 
#39 ·
This has been a good thread. I've got a 5 1/2 month old pup and was trying to decide whether to take him out for dove or not come Monday morning. This year I can hunt a picked wheat field right next to my house, so we could go for just an hour or two after sun up and then come home to cool off. But I think I need to work my pup a bit more on some basic obedience stuff before he goes. We'll see.
 
#42 ·
I usually bring my dog on opening day. Here in NC temps can be in the upper 90's or in the low 80's. I usually hunt in the shade and bring a cooler filled with ice and water. I also bring a dish towel that I soak in the ice water and drape over my dog's head after retrieves. The combination of lots of water to drink and the cold wet towel have always kept him relatively cool. He's 9 now and has never had a problem.
 
#44 ·
I stand corrected on the shooting hours for migratory birds. I'm also reminded of the rudeness some people have and how anal lots of folks here are about "rules and regulations". Not to say rules aren't important, but some people are just anal about things. I know for a fact that the game warden where I hunt, who is a personal friend as well, wouldn't fine someone for shooting 4 minutes after "official sunset" times. Guess there are some that would though.

Have another friend who just got into training his own dog about a year ago. I advised him to get on this forum because of the wealth of knowledge here. Talked to him about a month ago and mentioned I hadn't seen nor heard from him on RTF in quite a while. He told me he didn't come here anymore because a person had been rude and very condescending to him. I read the posts he was referring to. Seems some people just make being rude a habit.

Nevertheless, I'll be sure the guns are up at sunset. Thanks for the correction guys.
 
#45 · (Edited)
I stand corrected on the shooting hours for migratory birds. I'm also reminded of the rudeness some people have and how anal lots of folks here are about "rules and regulations". Not to say rules aren't important, but some people are just anal about things. I know for a fact that the game warden where I hunt, who is a personal friend as well, wouldn't fine someone for shooting 4 minutes after "official sunset" times. Guess there are some that would though.

Have another friend who just got into training his own dog about a year ago. I advised him to get on this forum because of the wealth of knowledge here. Talked to him about a month ago and mentioned I hadn't seen nor heard from him on RTF in quite a while. He told me he didn't come here anymore because a person had been rude and very condescending to him. I read the posts he was referring to. Seems some people just make being rude a habit.

Nevertheless, I'll be sure the guns are up at sunset. Thanks for the correction guys.
I am glad that you followed up and now are aware of the laws. When it comes to birds in general, state law usually has to follow federal law. Nonmigratory birds MAY only be under the jurisdiction of the state so you may be able to hunt quail and turkeys for instance until 30 minutes after sunset. It seems that many folks don't realize that all migratory birds come under the jurisdiction of federal law, almost always making it illegal to kill any migratory bird except game birds during specified seasons. In Texas virtually ALL birds with a very few exceptions (house sparrows, pigeons, starlings, and eurasian collared dove are the only ones I'm sure of) are protected by either state or federal law, so think twice before you shoot that grackle for "fun".
 
#53 ·
No one mentioned this but take a bottle of rubbing alcohol with you (or a couple). If he gets too hot, poor it on his belly and chest. It evaporates faster than water and will cool him off quicker. Be careful, whatever you do.
 
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