Hunting Dogs - Dogs Breeds

I have been blessed to hunt behind some of the finest dogs in the country.

I will never forget the Golden Retriever ‘Sisters’ from my South Dakota pheasant hunt or the “‘miniature” AKC grand champion Black Lab on my North Dakota duck hunting trip. In fact I won’t forget any of the dogs I have had the privilege to hunt with.

Never having a dog as a child, I often dreamt of owning a bird dog or perhaps a lab for duck hunting.

One weekend during a bow hunt in northwest Michigan I shot a 7-point buck and was tracking it after dark. I heard some whining noises near the end of the blood trail only to find a small Sheppard/Hound mixed puppy lying next to my downed deer. That little dog, obviously very lost and cold must have found comfort next to the warm deer.

The little six-week-old pup came home with me that weekend and was my first dog I had ever owned. Her name was Bella and I had her for 7 years.

Since those days, I have had several great dogs in my care.

During my stay at the Wildside Ranch we had a dozen kenneled pointers and setters. These dogs were all work and very little play until bird season, however they all had a place in my heart. They lived in a nicely built kennel away from the house and guest; we would have to visit them everyday to assure they had fresh water and food.

Those dogs loved when we would come down to the kennels. They would run in circles and howl when they saw us. They never seemed jealous of the two “house dogs” that got to ride around with us everywhere and run free wherever they wished.

You see that goes to show a dog’s loyalty. They have an unconditional love for their owners no matter if they live in a kennel or sleep at the foot of your bed.

One house dog, Onyx was a black lab I trained from a six-week-old pup, was an incredible hunter. She had the natural ability to hunt everything from quail to ducks. She was very loving and stayed in the house with me.

Onyx was one of those dogs where training seemed almost too easy. She would do any thing you asked. She even retrieved a rabbit I shot down a sendero nearly 100 yards.

That dog was the perfect companion and her loyalty and willingness to please is too much to describe. When leaving the ranch I never wanted to take Onyx from the place she grew up. The ranch was all she knew. She had plenty of acres to chase quail and dove out of the yard plus she had a job to do while she lived there.

She continued to hunt for clients after I left. Onyx is now retired from the field and currently lives with my buddy John and his family.

Now that I live here in town, my wife and I decided that another lab was not in my future until we made a move to a larger piece of land. Fact is, that’s the whole reason I didn’t bring Onyx here.

Though our toy poodle ‘Penny’ doesn’t make it out duck hunting with me she is still a huge part of our family and is an absolute joy to have in our home. I can’t imagine not owning a dog again whether it hunts or not.

I still get to hunt with some of the finest dogs in Texas. Most of my buddies that I duck hunt with have some incredible labs. To name a few there is Max, Maverick, Tundra, Moose, Maggie and the late Chief.

It is with a saddened heart that I write this story seeing that we just lost an incredible black lab named Chief last week. Our dear friend Mark lost his dog in an unfortunate accident.

Chief was one of the finest labs I’ve seen. He looked like a model for his breed. He was incredibly strong, handsome and very enthusiastic. In fact, he would get so jealous of other dogs retrieving birds he would whine so loud we could hear him three ponds over. It was pretty funny. He had a great personality as many of the great dogs do.

On behalf of the Hynes Bay Boyz Duck Hunting Club we want Mark to know that it was a pleasure watching Chief work in the field and his antics back at camp.

I know there are no words to describe the feelings associated with the loss of such an amazing animal. But we were blessed to see Chief work and just knowing that dog will always be apart of the many outstanding hunts we shared in the marsh.

For those of you that never had the experience of seeing a pointer lock onto a covey of quail or a lab run down a wounded goose across a 100 acre field, you will have to try it. Being in the presence of a sporting dog will change the way you hunt.

Anyone that has been in the presence of a sporting dog, owned one, hunted with one, trained one or lost one, understands that they are more than just pets. They are part of the hunting heritage we love. They are part of the family and most importantly they are a part of the memories that last forever.

Source: Victoriaadvocate.com

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