Leupold BX-4 Rangefinding Binoculars

Dogs are Hunting Partners - Let's see 'em

Big Fin

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 27, 2000
Messages
16,529
Location
Bozeman, MT
I've always had a soft spot for dogs. Seems like a lot of folks here have the same weakness. Since we have a "Let's see 'em" thread for everything else, let's see pics of your dogs, whether they are gone or still with you. And a good story to go with 'em always adds color.

We had three dogs at one time, but we are now down to one. She is a fourteen years old cockapoo; deaf as a post and couldn't pass a DMV vision test. But, she still knows that sneaking up to me in the recliner and giving my foot the "Dairy Queen tap" is a good idea on warm days, well cold days too, for that matter. And for being such a great dog to remind me to enjoy life's simple pleasures, she gets a treat when we get there; two treats when Mom is out of town like she is right now. When Mrs. Fin sees this pic with vanilla ice cream remnants on Lilly's 'stache, I'm gonna be in the dog house.

DSC00005-001.jpg

"If your dog doesn't like someone you probably shouldn't either."
 
Her name is Scout and she's our only dog, a two year old chocolate lab. She's my sons sidekick on pretty much every outing and rarely lets him out of her sight, as you can see she figured out at a early age to work smarter and not harder, the sleeping on road trips and crawling in the stroller. She's so spoiled that she even has her own camping chair to sit in! At elk camp she's the one that always cleans up the spills and makes sure everyone's smores stick are clean so that no critters will come in, at the lake she's always on the boat ready for a ride and swim, and she always finds a way to get whomever is over at our place to get them to play fetch. It's been a long time since we've had a dog, but we couldn't have been more blessed with this pup, she takes a beating with my two year old but never even makes sound at him, just takes it and grabs her ball for him to throw after he is done with his wrastlin' moves. Dogs have soft spot in this families hearts as well!

pup & boy.jpgscout.4.jpgscout.5.jpgscout adult.jpg
 
The only hunting Abby engages in is providing me with a hiking partner while looking for
Sheds or as pleasant company while huckleberry picking like in the picture.

She's a lab mongrel who was born on the Flathead Reservation. She is the finest mother to my children I could ever imagine in a dog. They've poked her in the eyes,pulled on her tongue, tried to ride her - and she has never showed an ounce of aggression. In the presence of other dogs she is protective of them. Most of the time her tail is wagging and she wants to snuggle. All she asks is to be taken for our nightly walk and the occasional bowl of bacon grease covered dog food.

She is 11 now, and 4 years older than my oldest child. Just a couple weeks ago she and I did a 9 mile hike looking for sheds. She ran back and forth and up and down carefree, as if she were in her prime. When we got home she laid down and didn't move for 12 hours. She only acts her age when the fun is over.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0257.jpg
    IMG_0257.jpg
    122.3 KB · Views: 944
Last edited:
my dog is always up for anything P7310751.jpgP2070782.jpg

16996481_10155114192602774_2748266271071147912_n.jpg
 
Here are my two hounds. The walker drives me nuts, but she is a super sweet hound. The Leopard hound is an amazing hunter and probably one of the better hounds I've owned. I enjoy seeing the other pictures.
 

Attachments

  • DSC02187.jpg
    DSC02187.jpg
    115.2 KB · Views: 936
  • DSC02069.jpg
    DSC02069.jpg
    60 KB · Views: 874
Here is another photo of Henry. I hunted him a lot this past winter and even last night coon hunting. He is really developing into a solid little tree hound on bobcats, coons, and a few bad experiences with porcupines. He treed two in hollow cottonwoods last night. For the first year we had him as a puppy he had the worst gas; like a bay mule. We couldn't figure out what was going on and I switched away from the high-protein food, it has made our house a more friendly place.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1772.JPG
    IMG_1772.JPG
    115.5 KB · Views: 907
Great looking dogs fellas!

This is Sarge,

He's at my side all day no matter what I'm doing. Farming, yardwork, on the trapline, wrenching on things, whatever, he has to be able to see me. The wife says if i leave him inside, he sits at the door and howls;) He always is trying to get me to play fetch, and loves stealing carrots from the garden, I just plant an extra row for him, he just goes and helps himself.

He was AKC titled at 8 months old, Trained him myself, my 1st dog. He and I hunted waterfowl 4-5 mornings a week in college and then worked at a pheasant preserve in the afternoons. He was making 200 retrieves some days. Blind retrieves at 100+ yards were just a given.


he's now 10 years old and has arthritis in his front paws which makes him limp pretty good, his lungs show up cloudy on x-rays, and he has an enlarged heart. His time is limited, so i enjoy everyday i can with him.

I still take him with on hunts but he certainly isn't what he used to be.

He's a great hunter, and a great house pet, although he thinks he's a lap dog.

1st pic, he's probably a year old.
2nd, 4ish years old.
3rd, Him sitting on the snow bank, this past winter on the trapline.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2151.jpg
    IMG_2151.jpg
    151.7 KB · Views: 924
  • IMG_3112.jpg
    IMG_3112.jpg
    80.1 KB · Views: 918
  • IMG_3303.jpg
    IMG_3303.jpg
    93 KB · Views: 899
I take a pup or two when ever I can. Don't have many pics with them though. Bottom 4 pics is of the smartest dog I've ever had. Half lab/shepard, she saw a lot of country and went on a lot of trips.
 

Attachments

  • 20160820_093918.jpg
    20160820_093918.jpg
    67.7 KB · Views: 902
  • P1000751.jpg
    P1000751.jpg
    83 KB · Views: 897
  • DSCN0809.jpg
    DSCN0809.jpg
    78.7 KB · Views: 906
  • Copy of P1000570.jpg
    Copy of P1000570.jpg
    61.3 KB · Views: 888
  • IMG_20160205_201339.jpg
    IMG_20160205_201339.jpg
    354.9 KB · Views: 899
Well someone hit the "#1 topic in my life". Not married and no kids, so my dogs are my world... not just hunting partners, but friends. I feel so blessed to have had some of the greatest that I could ever imagine :) Bree, Hank & Mike, Browndog, Scout all passed away..... now Lola and Gus. Wirehaired Pointing Griffons and German Shorthairs. How many fantastic memories I can't recall.

Here are my current two: First "GUS". He is trying to fill the shoes of "BROWNDOG" (my most favorite of all). Really big shoes to fill and I hope that I don't expect too much from him.
attachment.php


Here is "LOLA". She is a good hunter, friend and a show dog (LOLA she was a show girl). Loves to ride in the truck as I make farm calls. "loves cats" ;)
attachment.php


good luck to all and keep the great photos coming
the dog
 
Jake has been gone for a couple years. When your duck dog dies a piece of you soul dies.

I still remember when he was 2 and I was having problems getting him to hold when we would shoot. I tied his leash to a 2" sapling next to the blind, bull pintail came in and we sail it about 80 yards out. Jake breaks and rips the tree, roots and all right out of the ground and makes the retrieve with the tree in tow.

One day we will meet again in that duck blind in the sky......
10372225_10204628035292841_5042716440386959397_n.jpg10175984_10204628035092836_2651340576765845787_n.jpg64767_10204628035212839_959279675461362021_n.jpg1.jpg
 
Last edited:
quackillr, I feel your pain. We lost our hunting lab Cash, "the man in black" almost two years ago at age 10. We feel blessed to have had him that long, between parvo as a pup, a back injury at about 8 years old. It was a rough summer, because we lost our 4 year old lab "Boo" earlier in the year to a brain tumor. He went from a fun loving pup, to mildly aggressive and medicated for seizures in a matter of months.
Cash was a hard headed beast, who figured the shortest way to a retrieve was straight ahead, even if there was a blind in the way. He loved to retrieve birds, and I still reminisce with friends about retrieves where the only thing you could see was his tail sticking out of the water while chasing a lively bird. He was our best bird locator, in foggy conditions, if his ears perked up, you better get ready, because there were birds coming. Even when decoys were picked up he was scanning the skies for birds in the air.
Cash had an affinity for alcohol, on several occasions we left beers iced down in open containers in the back yard, when we came back outside the dog was licking beer off the patio, and there were cans with holes punched in them out in the grass. Sitting by a campfire with a glass of bourbon, the dog would beg you to share, so sometimes I did, by dipping a finger into my beverage, and letting him lick it clean.
He was a once in a lifetime dog, and I'm lucky to have shared a blind with him, I hope I get to again, but not too soon.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    69.8 KB · Views: 806
  • 0109 014.jpg
    0109 014.jpg
    78.6 KB · Views: 794
Choc dogs,
Funny, Jake would pull bud lights right out of the ice barrel and punch holes to get the beer, must be a water dog thing. He was a diver as well, when birds would dive on him, he would try to pin them to the bottom with his paws and then go under and grab em.. crazy bastard would eat our tomatoes right off the vine..dog only feared one thing in life, my wife, he ate her 150 dollar boots once, boundaries were set that day... lol.. once in a lifetime dog for sure..
 
IMG_0476.jpg

This is my little companion. Her name is Booty because when she first meets someone she turns around for them scratch her butt. She's a lover, and gets to go to work with my wife everyday. She hates the fall because she has to stay home while we hunt. However, ice fishing and moose sheds are two of her favorites. She won't pick up sheds, but she will sit down and bark when she finds them.
IMG_1194.jpg
IMG_0022.jpg
IMG_0545.jpg
 
I love my two and they are quite the unique pairing.

Molybdenum - The 3.5 Year old Basset Hound

Soap - The 1 year old German Wirehaired Pointer

Molybdenum is the sweetest dog I have ever owned. She absolutely loves to roll in cow pies and bring the scent back to you. If there is a fresh cow pie, fresh moose/elk berries or fresh wild horse mountain she will find it. Great fishing dog that I can take anywhere. Any gun louder than the 20 gauge shotgun she is a bit shy too. She loves to chase rabbits, but sometimes I feel bad for her - because her legs are too short and she is too slow. She bays or howls at sirens, elk bugles, or other dogs. When she is excited she wags her whole body.

Soap is a lovely terrorist. He is an in your face very affectionate dog. If anything is left out, then he will get into it. Leave your food on the counter to cool and walk into the other room without taking him with you, then he will eat it all. He is really too intelligent for his own good. He can open loosely closed doors, gates that are not locked, etc. He has a huge motor, will retrieve anything, and has a lock down point. This year will be his sophomore season in bird hunting and it should be a good one. He will also bay/howl, but it is surprisingly high pitched. He is a tough dog to fish with, because he loves the water and wants to retrieve your fly line. He is still a puppy and has a lot of work to do moving forward, but I wouldn't trade him for a national champion gun dog.

Pictures

Molybdenum 1 - Chukar Hunting in Nevada

Molybdenum 2 - Sage Grouse Hunting Water break in Wyoming

Molybdenum 3 - Coming back from Chasing a Cottontail in the snow of Wyoming

Soap 1 - A morning dove shoot in Wyoming, his first bird.

Soap 2 - His first duck in Wyoming

Soap 3 - Coming back after a long off leash workout in Wyoming.
 

Attachments

  • Molybdenum 1.jpg
    Molybdenum 1.jpg
    79 KB · Views: 761
  • Molybdenum 2.jpg
    Molybdenum 2.jpg
    109.1 KB · Views: 756
  • Molybdenum 3.jpg
    Molybdenum 3.jpg
    52.2 KB · Views: 744
  • Soap 1.jpg
    Soap 1.jpg
    124.3 KB · Views: 743
  • Soap 2.jpg
    Soap 2.jpg
    136 KB · Views: 755
  • Soap 3.jpg
    Soap 3.jpg
    154.3 KB · Views: 751
These aren't my dogs, they are my friends, but i did more hunting with them under my control than anyone, the one on the left is Alfie, on the right is his mother Rosie, Rosie died 4 years ago, Alfie passed away 2 months ago, i was gutted, i had some great memories with Alfie, it would wind up my friend that Alfie would do everything i wanted, and yet did little for him, he was such a strong dog, i remember hunting pheasants and he went into some thicket, he started to growl at something and then out of the undergrowth he launched a badger about 10 feet into the air that landed by my feet, damn i miss Alfie.

Cheers
Richard
 
Back
Top