Dog boots
- Thread starter birddude
- Start date
westksbowhunter
Well-known member
I live in between Hays and Kinsley and hunt everywhere and never found the need for dog boots. There is no way my dogs would tolerate them, they would have them chewed off within 5 minutes. The boots would be more trouble for them than the sandburs. I did have a dog 30 years ago that was a little tender footed, but it was cactus that would bother her.
akp
Well-known member
Hunted the Kinsley area for years and years and never ran boots. Occasional sand bur. You must’ve hit a big patch. Used to hunt up into Rush Co a lot too. I don’t think I ever ran boots in Kansas. I’m sure south of kinsley a ways you’re getting into them bad because in Oklahoma I had to pretty much anywhere west I hunted. Keep some duct tape in your vest. That’ll get you by in a pinch.
Last edited:
westksbowhunter
Well-known member
I hunted and lived in Kansas for 60 years and have seen 1 porcupine in the summer at cedar bluff 30 years ago, and living here all my life, have never gave a thought about a porcupine at all. There isn't really anything to worry about in Kansas other than a snare from a trapper or barb wire. The weather is mild, the cover is thin, and our bird population is low. We will harvest less than 300,000 pheasants again this year. Good luck!
I am surprised you say that the cover is thin and numbers are down. KS has been on my list for some time and I made the trip down after Thanksgiving for a long weekend. The cover, in my opinion, was very thick. Some pretty hard walking in some of the CRP. In 2 days we moved over a dozen roosters and probably 140-150 quail. One of my shorthairs could have used boots...as he got a locust thorn through his paw, which was about one inch long and about the size around of a pencil.
westksbowhunter
Well-known member
I consider the CRP in Iowa thick. We have nothing like that. I doubt we harvest 300,000 roosters this year. I would compare moving a dozen to moving 100's in a good year.
Haretrigger
Active member
Worst porcupine encounter I have had was in kansas.
My wirehair was on point next to some heavy cover. I released her to flush and she came out with 200 quills to the throat and chest.
4 grand, 1 collapsed lung and 6 weeks of wondering if she was going to make it was the deal I got.
Left kansas with 4 roosters from the day before ....they each got labeled $1000.00 dollar meal when I bagged them up...lol
I porcupine break all my dogs now ( very successfully I would add).....and carry the tools to pull what I can in the field..(buddies dogs...)
Pulling them with your teeth is not much fun...
Carguy2Banker
Well-known member
*Kind of off topic, but still related to boots*
Most of my hunting has been in Western Kansas. The stickers in the ditch and along trail roads were much worse this year sure to the rain over the summer. The ditches are all full of sandburs, and the trail roads are covered in puncture vine/Texas tacks.
My dog has pretty tough feet so I've never had to worry about boots. However, this year she was nursing a deep puncture wound that occurred back in September it just wouldn't heal. To protect her feet, I ran her in boots for the first two weeks. I read on here in another thread that most of the stickers a dog collects is in the front feet and that gentleman said he only runs boots on the front feet for this reason.
My dog tolerated boots just fine, but did wear a sore spot on top of her foot from a zipper seam. I replaced these with the Lewis Boots. Apparently I did not get them secured because she lost them both in the first quarter mile walk!
She's probably covered 130 miles this season so far. (Close to 100 of these miles have been without boots.) Either she's really tough, or boots are not that necessary out here, once their paws toughen up. She is an indoor dog, but I do put Mushers on her feet regularly leaving up to hunting season and throughout the season.
Most of my hunting has been in Western Kansas. The stickers in the ditch and along trail roads were much worse this year sure to the rain over the summer. The ditches are all full of sandburs, and the trail roads are covered in puncture vine/Texas tacks.
My dog has pretty tough feet so I've never had to worry about boots. However, this year she was nursing a deep puncture wound that occurred back in September it just wouldn't heal. To protect her feet, I ran her in boots for the first two weeks. I read on here in another thread that most of the stickers a dog collects is in the front feet and that gentleman said he only runs boots on the front feet for this reason.
My dog tolerated boots just fine, but did wear a sore spot on top of her foot from a zipper seam. I replaced these with the Lewis Boots. Apparently I did not get them secured because she lost them both in the first quarter mile walk!
She's probably covered 130 miles this season so far. (Close to 100 of these miles have been without boots.) Either she's really tough, or boots are not that necessary out here, once their paws toughen up. She is an indoor dog, but I do put Mushers on her feet regularly leaving up to hunting season and throughout the season.
Being from Iowa, I found the CRP that we hunted in the central part of KS to be thicker than what we have. It was extremely tough walking. The cedar thickets were tough, too. I was not prepared for the cactus on the side hills...cool country down there!
Quailnerd
Well-known member
We killed 4 in one day last year on the Arkansas river chasing roosters and quail. I hate them things!
My one and hopefully only porcupine encounter in Kansas occurred just north of Russell. While they are pretty rare i think they inhabit about the whole state.
As for boots. I've hunted around the Kinsley area some this year and there definitely are some burrs but I never had to boot my dogs. The burrs are primarily along the road and other disturbed areas. Once you are in the grass they are much less of a problem.
As for boots. I've hunted around the Kinsley area some this year and there definitely are some burrs but I never had to boot my dogs. The burrs are primarily along the road and other disturbed areas. Once you are in the grass they are much less of a problem.