Who is going out this weekend? Pheasant opener on Saturday! A few years ago I’d be going fishing. Now I couldn’t imagine doing anything else but rooster hunting. This is the best time of year. I’ll be out all weekend. There’s nothing like a cackling rooster busting out of cover in front of you. Most of the beans should be out, and corn isn’t far behind. Either way, I can’t wait to get out. There’s nothing like pheasant hunting. Good luck everyone.
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It’s like Christmas morning for me. Will have to get to a public spot early and listen to my dogs whine for 2 hours before we can get out of the truck but it’ll be worth it. At least the forecast improved and it looks like cooler weather. This will be my pups first pheasant hunt so excited to see what he can do.
I will be out of town this weekend so might try and get out the following. I was in SD last weekend duck hunting and we kicked up a fair number of pheasants and man did it get me excited for the season. Lot of corn coming off the fields on our way home in western MN so that is encouraging too. Best of luck to those that make it out.
Corn is coming off quickly right now. It is so dry that the combining is kicking up a huge amount of dust … looks like fog banks …
Be careful where you park and make sure your dogs are in the truck and not hanging near the roads … always good advice, but especially when harvest is on full bore. Farm trucks do not slow down.
combining is kicking up a huge amount of dust
I saw a combine taking out beans the other day and from miles away I wondered what it was before I could see it. It was just a massive dust storm coming up into the sky. Dust Bowl style
There will likely be lots of fires from the combines it happens all the time when its this dry.
I jacked up my knee so I will be sitting this one out but my son will take the dog out to some good private he has permission on East of town. By the reports there are good numbers over there again this year even better than last year.
I’ll be duck hunting as even on the slowest of days the pheasant hunters on opener get the birds moving. Might go for a quick walk when we’re done with the ducks since we’re already there and there’s been a good amount of roosters around.
Good luck to everyone.
I thought it was next weekend lucky I saw this. Not sure if our 5.5 month old lab is ready but will at least take him for a hike after duck hunting. Seems his leg is healed up after the infection he somehow got.
I’ll be duck hunting early in the morning and hitting the fields when we are done for Pheasant. Excited for this year and hopefully the temps keep going down. I had my dog out at a game farm last Friday and she got hot quickly.
Good luck everyone! Friendly reminder to have some form of sugar and or dextrose in your field first aid kit. Very common for dogs to overwork themselves early in the season and become hypoglycemic. Here is a quick video from the gun dog doc on instagram on why its important to carry dextrose (or some form of sugar), and how/when to administer to your dog.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DA4cb8rx7c_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Skipping opener, and maybe second weekend, for the first time in a long while to see if one of my dogs will stop limping or if he’s done for good. I hope to be out soon with both of them though!
I’ll be out there! I’ve heard good reports online and in person of bird counts. Hopeful to knock a rooster down or two! Good luck and be safe everyone.
Skipping opener, and maybe second weekend, for the first time in a long while to see if one of my dogs will stop limping or if he’s done for good. I hope to be out soon with both of them though!
Reef that is a bummer on your dog. Do you know what the issue is? Is he old?
Reef that is a bummer on your dog. Do you know what the issue is? Is he old?
Not sure. He’s 10 years old and getting pretty tired. Vet did x-rays and some tests and doesn’t see anything wrong. After first time I thought it was better tried 30-45 mins of grouse hunting and he’s still limping around 4 days later so we’re giving it a few weeks this time.
reef have you tried glucosamine supplements? I started using cosequin X2 daily with my 11 year old golden about 1.5 years ago and started noticing a notable difference within a couple of weeks. It seemed like it rewound a couple years of life for her. Much more spring in her step, even my hunting buddies noticed it and said something about it.
Reef, I know my vet told me that you can give dogs either tylenol or ibuprofen or both. Definitely ask YOUR vet to make sure and how much that might help.
CaptainM – are you sure ?
My vet said buffered aspirin. One or two 81 mg aspirin should suffice on a 40 pound dog. I suppose more for a larger dog.
I would suggest that you do not give your dog tylenol or ibuprofen without asking your actual veterinarian.
Brittman that is what he said, but like I said check with your vet before doing it. I have NEVER given any one of my dogs any of those things.
There are many joint supplement medicines for dogs out there. Foster & Smith had a very good one, but I am not sure if it still the same after they were bought out.
Cosequin is THE NAME in canine joint supplements. I would say 20 years ago or more that brand was often double the price of the alternatives. Their cost gap has narrowed considerably via competition.
I use Cosequin Senior Max Strength on my older Brittany (turns 15 in January). She is retired from hunting but walks 2+ miles every day with me and the rest of my pack.
Biggest thing you can do for your hunting dog is keep their weight in check. Start the season lean …
Per Purina website …
Can You Give Dogs Ibuprofen?
No, you can’t give dogs Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) created for human consumption and it’s not safe for dogs in any dose.Humans and dogs have very different anatomy and body sizes, so you should never give human medicines to dogs.
As the NHS explains, human NSAIDs are medicines used to combat pain and reduce inflammation in people; high-dose aspirin and naproxen are part of the same group of drugs, and you should steer clear of those for dogs as well.er
CaptainM:
Reef, I know my vet told me that you can give dogs either tylenol or ibuprofen or both. Definitely ask YOUR vet to make sure and how much that might help.
I heard to never give a dog ibuprofen aka advil. I would ask them about baby aspirin. Also can ask for a prescription pain med to use as needed during hunting season.
Sorry, didn’t mean to hijack this… We started giving dogs cosequin about a year ago already when we noticed the older one getting a little stiff. The vet did give us carprofen for awhile and that helps but we’re wondering if it’s something that will heal if he has enough time vs just masking it and maybe reinjuring. In a couple weeks we’ll see where he’s at, try again, and decide from there what to do.
Good luck everyone!
Biggest thing you can do for your hunting dog is keep their weight in check. Start the season lean …
My regular vet has drilled that into me since day 1 about 12.5 years ago with the current lab. Unnecessary weight only compounds the hip and joint problems dogs often have later in life. Especially bigger breeds.
I also started a glucosamine supplement last year. I can’t tell whether it’s working though.
The 4 legged geriatric and I will be hunting later this season when the temps are more tolerable for both of us. The area I hunt is up 70% from last year.
Gim, I’m really glad you’ve got your dog in good shape. I hope you guys have a great season chasing roosters this year! I think I hunt twice as much as you, but am lucky to get the same amount of roosters. I’m learning though. I tell myself after a day hunting that doesn’t turn up much, “you need to find better spots for the dog! She works her tail off for you!”
I’d love to see this wild SC MN bird soon.
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I always have some carprofen on hand to either give my old dog before the hunt and to help after. You have to get it through the vet, but it is pretty much ibuprofen but for dogs. My 11 year old springer suddenly went blind this past spring so not sure he will do much hunting any more. He still has a great nose so might try to hunt some grassland early season with him. Definitely going to give him one last easy hunt at a game farm that very well could be his last hunt of his life…
Gim, I’m really glad you’ve got your dog in good shape. I hope you guys have a great season chasing roosters this year!
Thanks, good luck to you. I know you enjoy it, I can tell.
One of these days Cosmo won’t be able to do it anymore. This is the first dog I’ve ever had on my own so its tough to gauge when they aren’t physically able to continue hunting. As long as she can jump in and out of the truck/kennel, we’ll keep going.
The kid left with the hound 30 minutes ago. I am sure he and his buddies will find some birds. His buddies are terrible shots but he is excellent so hopefully they get up by him. His buddies have flushers and I have a pointer and I hate hunting a pointer with flushers because it screws them up. Hopefully they stay away from each other or it gets frustrating. THe pointer goes on point to hold the bird and then the flusher ranges way out to chase it up. Never works. I had one of each for years and never again. Hunting with 2 pointers is a challenge too especially solo because they will go on point in opposite directions but at least they are standing still.
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