Hunting with a dog....

[NormMessinger]

... is cheating. Back in the old days when I was a killer we kicked the pheasants out of the russian thistles in Western Kansas ourselves. Last week we went to the field with Libby, son Lynn's Short-haired German Pointer.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid45/p760910a3a3ef658fdde314cbdb87c6e5/fcd6d545.jpg

Now, I've never had much use for dogs. (The only good dog is a cat killer, or so I thought.) But it was a real thrill to watch her hunt. Lynn would wave his arm in the direction we wanted to go and say, "Libby, hunt." and away she would go at top speed, it seemed. Back and forth. She must have covered miles as we were covering rods. Then, she froze:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid45/p6a0d0e75b154e0c06a9af3d63e1f3064/fcd6d5a1.jpg

If we had the 12 ga, instead of the camera we would have had pheasant for dinner. Libby is 17 months old so this is her first field season. Genetics is a powerful force.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid45/p65bcab27f4674de7aedd035444e5fdb0/fcd6d49d.jpg

Now if we could just get her to remember where we parked the truck.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid45/p850dc44caadd57d48727fd170684a409/fcd6d47a.jpg

If I don't watch myself I could get to liking the right dog. Or maybe two, one to point the cat and the other to ....

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid45/p0abad43b2c367c2f729c9398f83d9818/fcd6d42e.jpg

[Meerkat]

Cat killer? CAT KILLER? They say you should only hate the message, but THIS time I want to kill the Messinger! :mad:

Who the heck would want a stinky fleabag of a dumb a**ed drooling dog around when they could have a nice, clean, self-tending warm and affectionate cat around?!!?

;) :D

[Donn]

Great pics, Norm...nothing as exciting as watching a good hunting dog at work. Next you have to follow Beagles, chasing bunnies through the dense woods.

[Don Olney]

Short Haired German Pointers are an excellent breed. I used to have one. He was a distinguished looking hound and a really playful goofball all rolled into one. Never hunted with him but if he got anywhere near water you couldn't get him out again. He loved to fetch anything that could be thrown. He was easily trained and very gentle around small children. All his commands were in Russian. He was a good watch dog, being big enough to have more than just bark. And most important, he hated cats for being the insolent trash that they are. smile.gif

[Ian G Wright]

Hm,,,,,, I was brought up around gundogs, my Godfather, the gamekeeper, never left the house without at least three, pointer, setter, retriever or combination thereof. I like a Border Collie myself, though it's not easy finding one that doesn't make me feel intellectually inferior. Misty is eight and still trying to train me to leave the damn kitchen door open.

IanW

[Gresham CA]

O&O East,
The beagles we hunted with would run the bunnies back around to where you were standing. No chasing through the woods. They would do the same with cats. :D

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Genetics is indeed a powerful force Norm. The sad thing is when people buy a dog that is predisposed for an active lifestyle and they leave it in the house or tied in the yard... That's a very handsome dog in your pictures too...doing what she was bred to do, and impressively so it looks like....I admire a dog's athletic ability when they're young.... Stirring to watch a pointer flush game with such intensity. I don't think it is cheating either...it is the fundamental relationship between man and dog being displayed here.... and Meerkat, don't despair, We have two Cats and two Dogs living in harmony together, altho the cats say they don't care for the big slurp from my ten year old collie. :D

[ 01-03-2003, 02:51 PM: Message edited by: Peter Malcolm ]

[David Tabor (sailordave)]

Yeah the genetics thing makes me want to break out the 30 06 and practice on the D*&^ dogs across the street. Before you all slam me, it's just those dogs. Folks got TWO Aussie Cattle Dogs and they need to work. Their idea is to turn em out at 0530-0600 and then go to work. The durn things run around and yip their high pitched bark all bloody day and drive our quiet, docile Rotty up a flamin wall. She starts barking and if we weren't already awake from them, we are then! Owner was politely asked to consider the fact that they wake us up and he tries to put them out later but....Considered making a complaint to the Sheriff but...
Now the ROTTY; I wasn't too fond of getting her and she still hasn't gotten it through her thick skull that the CATS were here first and they're okay, but she does make SWMBO happy and she hasn't eaten anything of mine lately.... ;)

[Mrleft8]

... Aussies running around yipping all day long?
You sure that's not "Dingo"s yer talking about? :D

[NormMessinger]

Hmm, maybe you should turn your "rotty" out after the dude goes to work.

[Gary Bergman]

Nice Norm. Brings back many a good memory when I raised hunting dogs around Omaha. Truly heartwarming watching good dogs work.One time when I lived in Chalco(no longer there, another corps lake like where you sail), my two best dogs went on point in the trees just past my porch. Stupid dogs, said I. Out flushed at least 40 pheasants that had hid from the blizzard close to the house!Looked like bobwhites, there were so many. One can learn a lot from working dogs. Pet cats? sure. Feral cats? good fox bait.

[htom]

Nicely told, Norm. I, too, remember kicking up pheasants for myself, but it's a joy to watch good dogs working, whether as hunting companions or for herding.

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Goodlooking pooch

[LisaS]

0r you could be hunting with Sophie, the rat killer.

Lisa