How long do you hunt your dogs?

goldenboy

goldenboy

Well-known member
Okay first of all I know this is goiong to raise some debate and could possibly get heated at times, but I am wanting to have a healthy discussion. My question is: How many days in a row can you hunt a dog? Assuming the dog is in shape and you have worked to get their feet and body in hunting shape? The reason I ask is that on another thread guys were talking about not hunting a dog over 3-4 days in a row without rest. I hunt a fair amount of time with my dogs. If I feed them well and offer them a good place to rest every night they seem to be able to put in a good days work chasing pheasants. The most I have hunted them is about 8-9 days straight. Are they slower on day 8 than on day one? Yes and so am I! But I think if they are given what they need they can go for long periods of time, I mean many days straight. If you look at sled dogs, they run and pull for many miles for many days on end. Okay now be nice, but let's have a conversation.
 
I think a lot depends on the conditions. Hot, dry conditions that often occur in the first half of the season, not even a partial day. A couple hours is even too much for me and my dog, so I won't even go in those conditions anymore. There are other factors often at play too, like more hunters and a lot of standing crops.

When the temperature drops below 50 degrees, 2 days in a row even is pushing it for me. When I say "2 days" I don't mean all day either. I mean for about 3-4 hours of hunting. The dog would keep going if I let her, but I don't have the energy myself. And quite often, I've already filled my bag limit way before this point anyways.

Ideal conditions for me is about 20 degrees with an inch of snow on the ground. That means everything is frozen solid enough to walk on, but I won't get warm enough while hunting and neither will the dog, and there's tracks in the snow.
 
Joel, there are almost too many factors to give an exact answer. Like gimruis said above weather conditions and temperature will make a huge difference. So will the breed of dog and it's hunting style. If you take one of your Goldens, or a Lab, that hunts at a moderate pace they can probably go most of the day for multiple days. But if you have a dog like my Brittany it's a whole difference ballgame. She has one speed and that is "balls to the wall". Never has learned to pace herself. Generally a few hours in the field and she's done. Doing that for 2-3 days in a row is the max. But that's okay, at my age (75) I'm only good for 2-3 hours a day for maybe 2-3 days. Then I definitely need a day or two of rest. :)
 
I hunted last season with a golden for 4 days straight in cold temps. We would hunt most of the day, however there were often nice breaks driving between spots and scouting etc. After day 4 she was really tuckered out. She still had energy to hunt, and I probably could have went for a few hours in the morning on day 5, but we needed to get home so we didn't hunt. I realized two things last year; 1. Dog power, and specifically not burning up your dog is a big consideration on multiple day trips or even back to back days hunting around home. 2. I need to get better at scouting, finding birds, and shooting, so that me and the dog can be done way before the golden hour and make it back for happy hour🍻🍻🍻.
 
3 years ago I did a 3 state 31 day hunt. Started off in Mn hunting Ruffs and woodcock, then drove down to nebreska for Phez and quail then into Ks, 3 Dogs hunted every day except one.
 
I have multiple dogs, and have access to a great lab in SD that I routinely dogknap when I am out there and put him in my rotation; I hunt two at a time sometimes, depending. I’ll be leaving for MT in a month, and will be hunting another nearby state as well, probably hunt 10 days straight, but it will be warm, which reduces time afield. They get rotated, and this early season hunting sure helps with their conditioning....the cover is much easier than pheasant hunting, which is great...Once pheasant season opens it’s usually 4 days on, a break of several days, and then back at it...35-40 days in SD mainly, a few in ND...the dogs definitely need those 3-4 days of rest between trips. Again, running 3-4 dogs helps from overdoing it.
 
goldenboy said:
Okay first of all I know this is goiong to raise some debate and could possibly get heated at times, but I am wanting to have a healthy discussion. My question is: How many days in a row can you hunt a dog? Assuming the dog is in shape and you have worked to get their feet and body in hunting shape? The reason I ask is that on another thread guys were talking about not hunting a dog over 3-4 days in a row without rest. I hunt a fair amount of time with my dogs. If I feed them well and offer them a good place to rest every night they seem to be able to put in a good days work chasing pheasants. The most I have hunted them is about 8-9 days straight. Are they slower on day 8 than on day one? Yes and so am I! But I think if they are given what they need they can go for long periods of time, I mean many days straight. If you look at sled dogs, they run and pull for many miles for many days on end. Okay now be nice, but let's have a conversation.
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The title is a Question, And this is another Question?
 
I typically hunt all day long for 2-4 days at a time and I run my 2 in this rotation and plan to until my 9 year old needs an adjustment:

My 2 year old and 9 year old hunt together in the morning. Then my 2 year old hunts the afternoon while my 9 year old rests and then I hunt them both in the evening.

I then adjust on day 2 and on as needed depending on how they are working. The 2 year old Ive worked with throughout the summer the last 2 years so she's well conditioned and young, so she'll go all day for days on end. May slow down a bit, but she goes.

When my 9 year old was younger and my only dog, I hunted her all day, everyday I hunted which was most weekends, a week or 2 hunt during the year and then some long weekends as well. She always seemed to have the stamina for it and expect my 2 year old will be the same.

That said, conditions matter as mentioned above. Real hot, and they don't hunt as long mostly because I can't hack it in the heat. When it's cold, they usually can go all day including single digits for a week straight and loving it.
 
length of day, temps, cover/technique, number of dogs, it's always different every day
age of dog and experience are important as well. some dogs cover ground easily, others struggle in the same terrain.
 
I've never been able to test the limit unfortunately. But I think given cool to cold weather (or if I do a great job keeping my dog cool/hydrated in warmer weather), 2-4 hour hunts of the type typical for me, plenty of food & sleep afterward, my dog could (and would love to) hunt as many days in a row as the sun comes up.
 
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Too many variables to give a straight answer. I keep my dogs in top shape, running agility year round (in a half hour I can have the dog and me breathing hard so I consider that a good workout), but my dogs crump in warm weather. If we have good weather ,cool or even downright cold I have hunted a dog for 3 weeks in a row IF they have not had an injury. I've never been able to hunt longer than that due to work, but now that I am mostly retired I mean to change that. Warm temps, crappy dry scenting conditions and poor bird numbers would be detrimental to my dogs ability to hunt long days in a row. In the past glory years many days we were done in an hour or less and I suspect the dogs could have gone the whole season. Now I have problems hitting it hard all day and that includes an ice cream break in the middle, when the dogs look at me like I am a real deadbeat loser.
 
As has been said already, it depends on any number of factors, not least of which is your dog's age, physical condition, as well as conditioning.
 
I don't hunt for a week straight like many seem to here. I hunt twice a week, every week of the season, plus 4-6 extra days (days off work) during the season. Young dogs can hunt that without getting worn out, but older ones (my GSP once he was 11 on) really worked better keeping those hunts to 4 hours or just once a week. We seldom hunt past 1:00 anyway, usually just 2 of us and a 6 bird limit here, limiting more often than not. I really need to getting eating them once season starts, to keep under the possession limits. You fellas that hunt for a week straight, what about the possession limits or is it a lot of hunting for a few birds???? I can't give away, but a half dozen or so during the season....luckily I enjoy eating them, but by the end of season, I am about tired of that diet. Posed that question last year and one fella cooked them up and then took them out to folks. I guess it is similar to fresh garden vegetables, the ones that want them, won't come to get them, but if you deliver, then they will take them. Sometimes even good stuff is hard to give-away. I only have 3 in my freezer now, (I am going get 2 out now) and will be done way before bring in any new ones. Will be getting my son out a few times again, that doubles the possession limit for us, while he lives here.
 
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Possession limit is 15 in South Dakota, and that's what I leave with.
But it can be worked out, without much trouble.
You doubled yours in a paragraph!
 
Once they are cleaned and in the home freezer they don't count. People will argue back and fourth about it but thats what I go by.
 
BrownDogsCan2 said:
Once they are cleaned and in the home freezer they don't count. People will argue back and fourth about it but thats what I go by.
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That may be what you go by but I'm guessing that is incorrect in your state (as it is in most). Possession limit is possession limit. I can't have 2 deer in my freezer when my tag says I can harvest one. Same concept applies to upland game.
 
BrownDogsCan2 said:
Once they are cleaned and in the home freezer they don't count. People will argue back and fourth about it but thats what I go by.
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What? So what exactly do you imagine the possession limit is appling to? Guessing you are alone in the back and forth arguements. You have a daily limit and a possession limit...the possession limit is the number of birds in your possession (in the freezer, refrigerator, truck, etc), it isn't complicated. Come on man, I hope you aren't as fuzzy other the other regulations, they are there for a reason.
 
remy3424 said:
What? So what exactly do you imagine the possession limit is appling to? Guessing you are alone in the back and forth arguements. You have a daily limit and a possession limit...the possession limit is the number of birds in your possession (in the freezer, refrigerator, truck, etc), it isn't complicated. Come on man, I hope you aren't as fuzzy other the other regulations, they are there for a reason.
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Sorry that was poorly written. People will argue over whether a processed bird counts against pocession. Some consider a breasted bird processed. Migratory laws are pretty clear state laws are not. Have you ever stayed home because you have a few to many birds in your freezer? I can't say that I have.
 
BrownDogsCan2 said:
Sorry that was poorly written. People will argue over whether a processed bird counts against pocession. Some consider a breasted bird processed. Migratory laws are pretty clear state laws are not. Have you ever stayed home because you have a few to many birds in your freezer? I can't say that I have.
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A breasted bird does in fact count as possession in every state I have ever hunted. See my previous comment about a processed deer in your freezer. If I go and shoot a deer, process it, can I go shoot another deer if my tag allows me just 1 deer? No.
 
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