Hunting Dogs Out For a Run

Looks like great bird country. Dogs are great! Chris

They do hunt pheasants, but this was just a couple days ago.  Bird season is closed here so we were just out for a little exercise.  They found some fresh sharptail tracks but the birds had already flown.  We go after a little of everything.  I have to go a couple hours south to get into really good pheasants, but the waterfowl hunting aroud here is excellent. 
 



 

Nice pictures! I love bird hunting, here in MI mostly ruffed grouse but I have been quail hunting and pheasant hunting all over the country and love it. Even got to do some prairie chicken hunting in NM once. Of course, besides shooting, hunting was my main sport, so any day hunting or shooting is a good day, no matter what the game is. Chris

Glad to see you puzzeled your way through the picture posting process. Looks like a great pack of dogs. Welcome to the site!
Al

Great pictures and beautiful dogs. Get any snow around there?

Hello WesinND,
I am a forum member since yesterday,  therefore I am a "bit late", but - great dogs - no doubt. Perhaps you know that Deutsch Drahthaar in Germany are used to follow wounded game at a long leash.
I do not know hunting laws in ND, are you aööowed to follow wounded game with dogs so you won't loose the bag ?
Have a nice weekend, alsways good shooting

TomHunter

Tom,
Welcome to the forum!  Unfortunately the law in ND states that horses and mules are the only legal animals to aid in the recovery of big game.  Of course, I disagree even though I alway obey the laws.  Ensuring game is recovered shows good ethical hunting and respect for the animal. However, I have had my dogs follow training blood trails that I have laid to deer hides using beef and buffalo blood obtained locally.  I use a long leash and German tracking collar.  I even spoke with the local game warden to let him know I was training for blood tracking but would not use the dogs in ND.  The more mental stimulaton they get the better they are it seems.  What kind of dogs do you have?
Weidmannsheil!
 
Wes

@WesinND:
Good evening Wes,
during the last 15 years I had rather close contact to U.S. citizens, residents at least (and almost lawyers); they told me that the situation you described is to be found in several states; but no one was able to tell me the real reason - do you know an explanation for this legal situation ?
When I was younger and my handicap was not as severe as it is now, I had two German shorthaired pointers (Deutsch Kurzhaar) and both made them through those trial examinations especially dealing with blood trails of game ( we caught up the blood and froze it  when skinning a deer or a roebuck). Quite a time-consuming training but worth every minute.
Thanks God during the last 38 years of hunting I wounded only three animals  and did not kill  them at the spot ; but without a good dog the meat would have been lost. Two animals were wild boars and  I shot them in August and September; as you know the meat is spoiled very fast when it is rather warm - but the dogs made my hunt a success.

I am sure, the mental stimulation alone will make the dogs better, carry on and may you do well.

Always good hunting and
Waidmannsheil to you !

Tom

Tom,
You got me thinking, so I just sent this to the North Dakota Fish and Game:
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
I am curious as to the reason North Dakota does not allow blood tracking dogs to be used, on leash, to aid in the recovery of big game animals after they have been shot.  This would make good sense to me and I'm sure it would prevent the loss of meat due to predation or spoilage and possibly shorten suffering for a wounded animal. 
The loss of a legally killed game animal is unacceptable, and allowing the use of well trained blood tracking dogs would be an ethical change to North Dakota's game laws. 
I am looking forward to your response.    
 
Very respectfully,
John W. Stotler
Maybe we'll find out the reason for a law that to you and I makes no sense.  In some parts of the country they use dogs to drive deer, but in the northeast and midwest a dog chasing a deer is not tolerated.  I have spoken with one Game Warden, whom I respect, but he told me that training for blood tracking would lead to them chasing deer off leash.  Obviously he is not familiar with the Jagdbrauchhundsverein (Hope I spelled that correctly) training and testing system.
 
Wes

Good morning Wes,
I am deeply impressed with your effort and would very much enjoy to read an answer of the ND Fish and Game. Further it shames me a little bit that my two cents made you writing a letter which perhaps  make one or another game warden having an eye on you or your dogs.
Even more impressive is the fact that the training and testing system of the German Jagdgebrauchshundeverein is obviously well known in the U.S. - To my mind  it is good in the besacs but sometimes a little narrow minded. Above all when - f.i. - the rules say that some breeds of dog are not allowed to be tested as hunting (gun) or game tracking dogs. So it is not allowed to present a German Shepherd Dog (Alsatian ? I am not sure about the right expression) on a field trial and test because its breed is not accepted as "hunting breed".
Of course - I am convinced that most of the German Shepherds won't be good hunting dogs - but I have seen one Alsatian doing all and everything a good universal hunting dog does - but was not accepted for hte trial and testing.
Sometimes these hard rules may cause problems because - as you may know - according to the German Federal Hunting Law there must be at least one tested hunting dog for every hunting ground.
Well, let's see what the North Dakota Fish and Game has to proclaim....

Good hunting - Waidmannsheil

Tom

No worries, this is something I have intended to do for a while and never got to it.  Also, I have the utmost respect for our local game warden in spite of our difference of opinion.  He and his coworkers are very professional and are really only after true violators of game laws. 
I am familiar with the Jagdgebrauchshundeverein because it is the "parent" organization to the Verein Deutsch Drahthaar - Group North America (VDD-GNA) of which I'm a member.  Dog owners that do not have a German breed might not be familiar with it.  The dog breeder where I obtained Harry and Sam is a huge proponent of the German training and testing system and made sure I was aware of it.  Here in the U.S. it isn't the only such organization that tests dogs.  The North American Versatile Dog Association has similar tests.  There is also a volunteer organization called "Deer Search" who assists in training, as well as keeps dogs and handlers on call during hunting season in some parts of the country. 
I totally agree with you that many breeds of dog can be successfully trained for this task. I have heard of German Shepherds, Labrador retrievers, Catahoula Leopard dogs, Mountain Curs, Blackmouth Curs, Dachshunds, Texas Blue Lacy, various types of hounds as well as mixed breed dogs being trained to blood track.  I think if the dog shows the ability and willingness to follow a track, and is calm enough to use his head, any type of dog could be successful with proper training. 
Waidmannsdank!
Wes
  

Tom,
Here is the reply I recieved from the Chief ND Game Warden:
"North Dakota state legislature felt that the only animals that should be allowed to aid in the hunting of big would be mules and horses and enacted such a law, as such any  change is not at the discretion of the Department, but would require legislative action."
It seems to me like a nonanswer. 
 
Wes

Wes,
well, I think you are totally right, this is no answer at all - I bet the  Chief ND Game Warden  indeed  has no idea about the real reason. Above all he wanted to express that the Game Warden as a local authority does not want to deal with the problem - at least they want to make clear that they don't want you to file a motion.
Perhaps  "Deer Search" might make a politician or a party to initiate a draft bill. I don't know but perhaps the Republican Party would do, I can imagine that Mrs. Palin for instance-as an avid hunter -could push such an action . I know she's Alaskan, not ND.
  Since the argumentation is convincing I can very well imagine that every politician having his head screwed on the right way may support this idea - at least as far as he/she is not a bambiist or hoplophobe.  Perhaps it might be good to point out that it is not intended to bring the ancient "hounding" to a new life but only to find wounded game and strictly save meat from rotting away.
Of course I cannot say and assess  whether this might be a vain project because I do not know the political situation in ND. I think that at the moment propably everything is displaced by the presidential elections.

By the way: Last week I watched I videotape of a hounding in France where mounted hunters chased deer in  a large forest in France. Of course they had hounds by the number, a real pack of hounds. Their barking was a real music and I frankly admit - it was just great to see and hear the dogs which really did a good job. When the hound master approached to give the "coup de grâce" with his hunting dagger ( rather cutlas ? I don'tknow the right expression-) the dogs literally went nuts ....Fascinating - no doubt ,  though I don't want to hunt this way if it is not necessary ( as it might be with coons and cougars and the like). 
Keep on your good work,  perhaps the "Deer Search" can stir the pot a little bit....

All the best to you, keep on your good work, always good hunting and
Waidmannsheil

Tom

P.S.: One can spell "Weidmannsheil" as well as "Waidmannsheil", this depends on the region where the hunter is coming from.