Negatives Afield

BritChaser

BritChaser

Well-known member
I'm sure we've all had what appeared to be a great day of hunting ahead getting "dampened," shall we say, by some negative event. Here's one: Rendevouzed at the agreed meeting point bright and early, all hunters bringing dogs. One guy lets out his three GSPs and announces, "My dogs all have ringworm so you'll have to keep your dogs away from them." :confused:
 
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I went to a preserve hunt with some supposedly experienced hunters a few years back. My dog (golden) got on a bird and was chasing it. One of the guys tried to ground swat the bird in front of my dog! I screamed for him to stop. I then took my dog to the truck and put her in there for the rest of the time, said I wasn't comfortable having her in the field any more that day.

Ever since, I am crystal clear with anyone I hunt with about expectations and rules, including NO swatting under ANY circumstance. Lesson learned.
 
519vx said:
I went to a preserve hunt with some supposedly experienced hunters a few years back. My dog (golden) got on a bird and was chasing it. One of the guys tried to ground swat the bird in front of my dog! I screamed for him to stop. I then took my dog to the truck and put her in there for the rest of the time, said I wasn't comfortable having her in the field any more that day.

Ever since, I am crystal clear with anyone I hunt with about expectations and rules, including NO swatting under ANY circumstance. Lesson learned.
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Not sure what you mean by ground swatting the bird. Shooting at the bird on the ground? Dumb Kansan here.
 
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The bird was running just in front of the dog, on the ground. It had not flushed. The other hunter I was with shot at the bird on the ground, like it was a rabbit but my dog was literally right behind it when he shot at it on the ground. :mad:
 
Ya 519, I hate hunting with greenhorns. Last year a brother brought a buddy along. The guy was to my side going through the aspen/fir/tag alder and saw a woodcock on the ground, yelled he was going to shoot it. I gave him what's for in a big way. Said anyone doing that and I'm gone. My dog's safety and my safety and priority #1. Anyone doesn't understand that and can't act accordingly isn't going to hunt with me. In the above case, the guy listened, learned and apologized. In some other cases stupid wasn't able to be fixed and I don't hunt with those folks.
 
519vx said:
The bird was running just in front of the dog, on the ground. It had not flushed. The other hunter I was with shot at the bird on the ground, like it was a rabbit but my dog was literally right behind it when he shot at it on the ground. :mad:[/QUO

That's bad. Glad your dog survived that idiocy.
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519vx said:
I went to a preserve hunt with some supposedly experienced hunters a few years back. My dog (golden) got on a bird and was chasing it. One of the guys tried to ground swat the bird in front of my dog! I screamed for him to stop. I then took my dog to the truck and put her in there for the rest of the time, said I wasn't comfortable having her in the field any more that day.

Ever since, I am crystal clear with anyone I hunt with about expectations and rules, including NO swatting under ANY circumstance. Lesson learned.
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It is funny you tell this story.

A Couple weeks ago I had some birds released at the club, and had one of them turn into a marathon runner. It popped up about 20 yards away from me and the dog in the fenceline and did what appeared to be an end zone celebration. I didn't shoot it, but rather let the dog work into the fence line, where the bird eventually flushed when he heard my dog thrashing around, but I didn't get a shot.

Back at the club while eating lunch I was asked how we did, and I said "I could have had another, but I didn't want to ground swat one in front of the dog."

The guy looked at me like I was crazy. Don't know, but I always thought it was an unwritten rule, not only for the safety of the dog, but for the sportsmanship as well? Perhaps it is different when you are paying for the birds, but I know I would have a hard time pulling the trigger on a bird that isn't in the air?
 
HolyMoses said:
It is funny you tell this story.

A Couple weeks ago I had some birds released at the club, and had one of them turn into a marathon runner. It popped up about 20 yards away from me and the dog in the fenceline and did what appeared to be an end zone celebration. I didn't shoot it, but rather let the dog work into the fence line, where the bird eventually flushed when he heard my dog thrashing around, but I didn't get a shot.

Back at the club while eating lunch I was asked how we did, and I said "I could have had another, but I didn't want to ground swat one in front of the dog."

The guy looked at me like I was crazy. Don't know, but I always thought it was an unwritten rule, not only for the safety of the dog, but for the sportsmanship as well? Perhaps it is different when you are paying for the birds, but I know I would have a hard time pulling the trigger on a bird that isn't in the air?
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That was what shocked me as well...I thought it was an unwritten rule that birds are only taken from the air. Apparently not, and my fault I guess for not making the rules clear before we went afield.

I also strongly agree that there is a mentality sometimes at preserve hunts, where we paid for 10 we need to shoot 10 no matter what. Often the conversations are "How many did you get?" and little discussion about good dog work, a cool flush, camaraderie, or just enjoying a day in the field.
 
519vx said:
That was what shocked me as well...I thought it was an unwritten rule that birds are only taken from the air. Apparently not, and my fault I guess for not making the rules clear before we went afield.

I also strongly agree that there is a mentality sometimes at preserve hunts, where we paid for 10 we need to shoot 10 no matter what. Often the conversations are "How many did you get?" and little discussion about good dog work, a cool flush, camaraderie, or just enjoying a day in the field.
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I have a talk with anyone I hunt with about shooting birds on the ground, we call it Arkansawing the bird down here. I was in SD a couple of years ago and a guy shot at a runner about twenty feet in front of my dog. To say he got a butt chewing would be an understatement. I don't think he will do that again. We have a hard fast rule of no ground shooting. Not worth getting a dog shot. If the bird is on the ground the dog will get it.
 
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We always have safety talk before we hunt. In that talk I tell everybody that every dog here is a $10,000 dog. You shoot it you pay for it. It has worked well.
 
herd the arkansawing thing B4 but it was describing shooting birds from the vehicle while they were still on the ground??? the guy was born in AR so im not downing the state...

i know there is times in the ruffed grouse woods wear people ground pound or pop birds out of the tree B4 i had a dog i would ground pound grouse or limb lift them but i would never think to ground pound a pheasant??? i mean we can shoot pheasants with 22s here in MN but i would never shoot a pheasant on the ground during a hunt with my self or others my dog means more then a pheasant i guess...

hurt dogs have to be the worst game changer in the pheasant hunting world once ur dog goes down the hunts probably over for most guys???
 
BritChaser said:
Not sure what you mean by ground swatting the bird. Shooting at the bird on the ground? Dumb Kansan here.[/QUOTE

some times called ground sluicing
often we'll see dove hunters shoot a bird off a wire or a branch, that's okay,but
you cant call it a limit if they're not taken on the wing.
this of course does not apply to a bird you know has been peppered.
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BritChaser said:
I'm sure we've all had what appeared to be a great day of hunting ahead getting "dampened," shall we say, by some negative event. Here's one: Rendevouzed at the agreed meeting point bright and early, all hunters bringing dogs. One guy lets out his three GSPs and announces, "My dogs all have ringworm so you'll have to keep your dogs away from them." :confused:
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The first and only time I hunted with a friend of a friend in NC Kansas, he let his dog out of the truck and it ran around the circle of guys and punched every single one of us in the balls, and got one guy twice. That was a negative... :laugh:

It was a young, exuberant shorthair, and it would approach you like it was going to jump up on your for a pet, and at the last second it did a kick-turn right off your junk!:eek: I was laughing at the first guy when the dog came over and did it to me. My other friend has no excuse because he had just watched the dog punch two other people in the balls, and acted surprised when it happened to him...:confused: Of course, then the dog proceeded to circle around and tag the first guy a second time. For the rest of the day, I turned sideways every time that dog came by me.

I guess it did wake everybody up.
 
A couple things come to mind.

Skunks and a dog getting skunked. Not a dealbreaker, but still never a positive.

One time a buddy announced to me about halfway into the hunt, "Oh I need to be home by 3:00." Thanks, we just eliminated the best part of the day. I gave him a friendly lecture on that one and now he knows the deal.

:rolleyes:
 
Toad said:
The first and only time I hunted with a friend of a friend in NC Kansas, he let his dog out of the truck and it ran around the circle of guys and punched every single one of us in the balls, and got one guy twice. That was a negative... :laugh:

It was a young, exuberant shorthair, and it would approach you like it was going to jump up on your for a pet, and at the last second it did a kick-turn right off your junk!:eek: I was laughing at the first guy when the dog came over and did it to me. My other friend has no excuse because he had just watched the dog punch two other people in the balls, and acted surprised when it happened to him...:confused: Of course, then the dog proceeded to circle around and tag the first guy a second time. For the rest of the day, I turned sideways every time that dog came by me.

I guess it did wake everybody up.
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:laugh:

well i guess he showed you guys who was the boss!
 
Arkansawed...

I lived down south of Branson for 6 months a few years back. Worked with quite a few boys from Arkansas. Was telling a story one time and used the term Arkansawed. They were unclear about its meaning. Evidently they don't call it Arkansawing in Arkansas. None of them seemed to be offended by the term though.
 
Rooster Roaster said:
A couple things come to mind.

Skunks and a dog getting skunked. Not a dealbreaker, but still never a positive.

One time a buddy announced to me about halfway into the hunt, "Oh I need to be home by 3:00." Thanks, we just eliminated the best part of the day. I gave him a friendly lecture on that one and now he knows the deal.

:rolleyes:
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Similar deal for me on a trout fishing day when my buddy brought along his non-fishing wife. About the time the dusk surface action started she declared she was "bored," apparently a VERY IMPORTANT announcement, so we had to leave. :mad:
 
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Toad said:
The first and only time I hunted with a friend of a friend in NC Kansas, he let his dog out of the truck and it ran around the circle of guys and punched every single one of us in the balls, and got one guy twice. I guess it did wake everybody up.
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Nothing like a sharp pain to make one wide awake. :rolleyes:
 
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